Putin is set to take questions from international journalists
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take questions Wednesday from international journalists on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Putin scheduled a roundtable session with senior news leaders of international news agencies, including The Associated Press. Among other issues, he's expected to spell out Moscow's position on the conflict between Israel and Iran that he offered to help mediate in a weekend call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the confrontation.
Putin's comments will also be watched closely for clues to his strategy in the three-year conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has intensified its aerial campaign and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.
The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
On the sidelines of the forum, Putin is set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He's also expected to confer with top officials from China, South Africa and Bahrain and the head of the OPEC group of oil-producing countries.
On Friday, he is set to attend a panel discussion at the forum, a venue he has used to make policy statements.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada Standard
10 minutes ago
- Canada Standard
Zelensky seeks $40bn a year for resilience
The Ukrainian leader has appealed for continued aid after Trump refused to meet with him at a G7 event Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has called on Western donors to commit $40 billion annually to prop up his country's budget, following a high-profile snub by US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit. Zelensky made the appeal Tuesday during the gathering in Kananaskis, Canada, where he failed to get an audience with Trump, who left early. Posting a photo on social media of himself speaking to six leaders, Zelensky demanded sustained donations. "It's crucial to have $40 billion annually in budgetary support for Ukraine - to ensure our resilience and the ability of our country to carry on," he said, urging the US to approve the aid. Trump "does not apply strong enough pressure on Russia," Zelensky claimed, despite Kiev purportedly defending Washington's global interests. He called on other G7 members to lobby the US leader, while advocating investment in Ukraine's arms production and newsanctionsagainst Russia. The summit's results have been reported as a disappointment for Kiev and have cast doubt on the prospects of a Trump-Zelensky meeting at a NATO leaders summit scheduled for next Tuesday. "It is a permanent hazard that Ukraine is a victim of events and Trump's short attention span," a Ukrainian official told The Guardian. "There had been all sorts of promises for this summit - including new US arms deliveries being offered." G7 leaders did not issue a joint statement on Ukraine, reportedly due to Trump's refusal to endorse language critical of Russia. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's chair summary noted that participants supported Trump's efforts to broker a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine" and backed Kiev's call for an unconditional ceasefire. Russian officials have dismissed the Ukrainian demand as a ploy to give Kiev's forces time to regroup. During recent peace talks in Istanbul, Moscow offered two options for a conditional truce: A withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories that have joined Russia, or a halt to Ukraine's military mobilization and Western arms deliveries. Kiev rejected both proposals. (
Canada Standard
10 minutes ago
- Canada Standard
Macron contradicts Trump on regime change in Iran
Removing the government in Tehran would lead to chaos, the French president has warned French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out against attempting regime change in Iran, contradicting his US counterpart, Donald Trump, who has recently toughened his rhetoric regarding Tehran. Trump made a thinly veiled threat against Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that "we know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now." The US president also demanded Tehran's "unconditional surrender" in the conflict with Israel, which attacked Iran on Friday with the stated goal of preventing it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied that it is seeking to do so, insisting that its nuclear program is purely peaceful. Speaking on the same day, Macron stressed that he also does not want Iran to possess nuclear weapons, but warned that "the biggest error would be to use military strikes to change the regime because it would then be chaos." "Does anyone think that what was done in Iraq in 2003 was a good idea? Does anyone think that what was done in Libya the next decade [in 2011] was a good idea? No!" he said, referring to the turmoil that began in the two countries after Western interventions led to the removal of long-time leaders Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. The French president went on to say that he is "also thinking of our friends in the region, in Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere. We must help them reduce everything that, indeed, threatens their security, but they need anything but chaos." "Our responsibility is to return discussions as quickly as possible to be able to set a course again on the nuclear and ballistic question," he stated, adding that Iran's nuclear program should once again be placed under international supervision and its ballistic missile arsenal reduced. Trump lashed out at Macron earlier on Tuesday after the French president said he was leaving the G7 summit in Canada early in order to work on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. READ MORE: Germanys Merz praises Israel for doing dirty work for us "Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington," Trump wrote on Truth Social, insisting that his plans are "much BIGGER than that." The US leader added that "whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong." (
Canada Standard
10 minutes ago
- Canada Standard
Zelensky seeks $40 bn a-year for resilience
The Ukrainian leader has appealed for continued aid after Trump refused to meet him at a G7 event Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has called on Western donors to commit $40 billion annually to prop up his country's budget, following a high-profile snub by US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit. Zelensky made the appeal Tuesday during the gathering in Kananaskis, Canada, at which he failed to get an audience with Trump, who left early. Posting a photo on social media of himself speaking to six leaders, Zelensky demanded sustained donations. "It's crucial to have $40 billion annually in budgetary support for Ukraine - to ensure our resilience and the ability of our country to carry on," he said, urging the US to approve the aid. Trump "does not apply strong enough pressure on Russia," Zelensky claimed, despite Kiev purportedly defending Washington's global interests. He called on other G7 members to lobby the US leader, while advocating investment in Ukraine's arms production and newsanctionsagainst Russia. The summit's results have been reported as a disappointment for Kiev and have cast doubt on the prospects of. Trump-Zelensky meeting at a NATO leaders summit scheduled for next Tuesday. "It is a permanent hazard that Ukraine is a victim of events and Trump's short attention span," a Ukrainian official told The Guardian. "There had been all sorts of promises for this summit - including new US arms deliveries being offered." G7 leaders did not issue a joint statement on Ukraine, reportedly due to Trump's refusal to endorse language critical of Russia. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Chair summary noted that participants supported Trump's efforts to broker a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine" and backed Kiev's call for an unconditional ceasefire. Russian officials have dismissed the Ukrainian demand as a ploy to give Kiev's forces time to regroup. During recent peace talks in Istanbul, Moscow offered two options for a conditional truce: a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories that had joined Russia, or a halt to Ukraine's military mobilization and Western arms deliveries. Kiev rejected both proposals. (
