Pope Leo tells Ukraine's Zelenskyy that Vatican could host peace talks
The pope, meeting the Ukrainian leader for the second time in his two-month-old papacy, also discussed with Zelenskyy "the urgent need for a just and lasting peace," the statement said.
Zelenskyy and Pope Leo held talks in Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian hill town not far from Rome, where the pope is taking a two-week vacation.
The Ukrainian leader is in Italy to attend a conference on Jul 10-11 dedicated to Ukraine's recovery and long-term reconstruction following Russia's invasion.
The Vatican did not say how long the meeting between Pope Leo and Zelenskyy lasted. It released a video showing Pope Leo, the first United States pontiff, asking Zelenskyy, "How are things going?" in English as the two sat in a large room together.
Pope Leo, who has made appealing for peace in world conflicts a major theme of his young papacy, previously met with Zelenskyy at the Vatican on May 18.
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
How much territory does Russia control in Ukraine?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A still image, taken from footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be Russian soldiers waving a flag following the capture of Ukraine's Yablunivka (Yablonovka) settlement in the Donetsk region in the course of Russia-Ukraine military conflict, in this image from video released August 12, 2025. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS LONDON - U.S. President Donald Trump has said that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede territory to end the war in Ukraine, so how much territory does Russia control in Ukraine? Russia controls nearly 114,500 square km (44,600 square miles), or 19%, of Ukraine, including Crimea, and a major chunk of territory in the east and south-east of the country, according to open source maps of the battlefield. Ukraine does not control any internationally recognised Russian territory. Russia says Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - which were recognised by Moscow as part of Ukraine as the Soviet Union collapsed - are now parts of Russia. Ukraine has repeatedly said it will never recognise Russian occupation of its land, and most countries recognise Ukraine's territory within its 1991 borders. Following are details on the territory, Russian claims and Ukraine's position. CRIMEA Russian forces in 2014 took control of Crimea, which juts out into the Black Sea off southern Ukraine, and after a disputed referendum on joining Russia, Moscow absorbed the region into Russia. Its area is about 27,000 square km. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Most countries do not recognise the areas as part of Russia but some do. Crimea has been recognised by Syria, North Korea and Nicaragua. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 2014 the annexation illegal and recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine. The resolution was opposed by 11 countries. Putin has repeatedly compared the fate of Kosovo and Crimea. He has accused the West of having double standards for recognising Kosovo as an independent country in 2008 against the wishes of Serbia but opposing the recognition of Crimea. Russia opposed the independence of Kosovo. REUTERS
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russia makes sudden advance in Ukraine before Trump-Putin summit, maps show
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A still image, taken from footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be a Russian soldier raising a flag following the capture of Ukraine's Yablunivka (Yablonovka) settlement in the Donetsk region in the course of Russia-Ukraine military conflict, in this image from video released August 12, 2025. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW - Russian forces have made a sudden thrust into eastern Ukraine near the coal mining town of Dobropillia, a move that may be designed to increase the pressure on Kyiv to cede land as the U.S. and Russian presidents prepare to meet. Ukraine's authoritative DeepState war map showed on Tuesday that Russian forces had advanced by at least 10 km (six miles) north in two prongs in recent days, part of their drive to take full control of Ukraine's Donetsk region. The advance is one of the most dramatic in the last year. DeepState said the Russians had surged forward near three villages on a section of the frontline associated with the Ukrainian towns of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk, which Moscow is trying to encircle, exploiting Kyiv's lack of manpower. "The situation is quite chaotic, as the enemy, having found gaps in the defence, is infiltrating deeper, trying to quickly consolidate and accumulate forces for further advancement," DeepState said on its Telegram channel. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet in Alaska on Friday. Unconfirmed media reports say Putin has told Trump he wants Ukraine to hand over the part of the Donetsk region that Russia does not control. There was no immediate comment on the advance from Moscow. Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said only small groups were penetrating defensive lines, and that this did not amount to a breakthrough. Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said the situation had escalated rapidly, with Russian forces infiltrating past Ukrainian lines to a depth of roughly 17 km (10 miles) during the past three days. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore NEL resumes service after hours-long power fault; single-track service on Sengkang-Punggol LRT Singapore Plan to base Singapore's F-15 fighter jets in Guam cancelled Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies, aged 80 Singapore Scoot to launch flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa, Tokyo-Haneda, boost frequency to other places Singapore Man convicted of stalking woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court "Forwardmost Russian units have reportedly reached the Dobropillia – Kramatorsk road T0514 and Russian infiltration groups have also been reported near Dobropillia proper," he wrote on X. RUSSIA MAY GAIN LEVERAGE FOR TRUMP TALKS Tatarigami_UA, a former Ukrainian army officer whose Frontelligence Insight analysis tracks the conflict, posted: "In both 2014 and 2015, Russia launched major offensives ahead of negotiations to gain leverage. The current situation is serious, but far from the collapse some suggest." Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said the Russians had been able to advance due to "a partial collapse in the front" due to Ukraine's shortage of soldiers. Ukraine has redeployed elite forces to try to thwart the advance, Russia's Interfax news agency and Ukrainian war bloggers reported. "This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations," Markov said, suggesting it could increase pressure on Kyiv to cede some land to prevent the Russian army eventually taking the rest of Donetsk by force. To do that, though, Russian forces would first need to take control of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka - four places Russian military analysts call "fortress cities". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has publicly pushed back against the idea of ceding territory to Russia, saying any peace deal must be a just one. Bohdan Krotevych, former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov brigade and a National Guard lieutenant colonel, took to X late on Monday to warn Zelenskiy of the threat, saying the frontline in the area was "a complete mess". "The line of combat engagement as a fixed line does not actually exist," he said. REUTERS
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Straits Times
After tariff truce extended, a Trump-Xi summit in China?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping asked for a meeting. - The United States and China appear to be pulling back from their trade war, with President Donald Trump extending a pause on tariffs in what could be a prelude to a summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Asia. The world's two largest economies have decided to set aside threats to impose triple digit tariffs on each other for another 90 days, according to an executive order signed by Mr Trump on Aug 11, hours before an existing 90 -day trade truce with China was set to expire. A likely venue for a bilateral meeting between the two presidents could be Kuala Lumpur, which is hosting the Asean's East Asia Summit from Oct 26 to 28. Both leaders have confirmed they will attend the summit. The other possibility is the sidelines of the Apec Leaders Summit in 2025, to be held from Oct 31 to Nov 1 in Gyeongju, South Korea. But there is also a third possibility, which might hold special appeal to Mr Trump and, according to some observers, would be more in keeping with his penchant for dramatic actions: a quick trip to China. The Straits Times has learnt from sources close to the administration that preparations are underway in Washington DC for a possible US presidential trip to China in between the Asean and Apec meetings. Officials in Beijing are also on standby. Things could change, however, as it is still early days, said a source asking for anonymity to discuss sensitive information. Should it take place, the meeting would be the most critical between world leaders this year. 'It is probably not a coincidence that the summit is supposed to be at the end of October, before the trade truce expires on Nov 9,' said a DC-based source, close to US officials planning the trip. 'Everything we're hearing is that they are still working towards a leaders' meeting,' he said, adding that it could come with the expectation that China helps the US broker a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war ahead of Mr Trump's Aug 15 meeting with President Vladimir Putin. 'The reading we got was that the Chinese side is pretty pragmatic and very much signalling it wants more foreign investment in China. And if the trip is very economic and business- focused, the venue could even be Shanghai,' said the source. Already, American companies are preparing a list of demands, although it is unclear if such a visit would include a large business delegation. 'If there were obstacles that were too destabilising, there would not have been a truce,' said the source. Anticipating a turning point ahead, Prof Graham Allison, the bestselling author of several books including Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides Trap, has predicted that it would be a fast track from the extension of the truce to a Trump-Xi Summit that announces a 'new partnership'. The White House has not yet released the contents of an executive order signed by Mr Trump on Aug 12 to extend the truce. But Mr Trump confirmed the extension via a social media post. 'I have just signed an Executive Order that will extend the tariff suspension on China for another 90 days. All other elements of the Agreement will remain the same,' he said. Had the truce expired, Chinese goods entering the US would be subjected to at least a 54 per cent duty. In a late night Truth Social post on Aug 11, Mr Trump had hinted that China might step up its purchases of soyabean from American farmers, one of his key political constituencies. 'China is worried about its shortage of soyabeans,' he wrote. 'I hope China will quickly quadruple its soyabean orders. This is also a way of substantially reducing China's trade deficit with the US.' China, the top customer of American soyabean farmers, bought over US$12 billion worth in 2024. Mr Trump also mysteriously thanked Mr Xi in his post, without saying why. The president, who lays great store by personal diplomacy, has himself also spoken about a possible visit to China this year. 'He (President Xi) asked for a meeting, and I'll end up having a meeting before the end of the year,' he said in a TV interview on Aug 5. A reaction from China is expected in the coming hours. Prof Allison said a thaw lay ahead. 'My hazy crystal ball suggests that Trump will announce a new 'great partnership' aimed at shifting the tone and character of the US-China relationship in a more positive direction,' he said in a post on X on Aug 12, hours after the White House announced the truce. Mr Trump treats China differently from other trading partners due to its strength, said Dr Allison, Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he has taught for five decades. The world's second-largest economy is closing the gap with the American economy, reporting over 5 per cent growth in the first half of 2025, exceeding expectations amid continuing uncertainties in global trade. The White House had calibrated its strategy, suggested Dr Allison, after seeing China hit back with 125 per cent tariffs in response to Mr Trump's threat of 145 per cent tariffs, effectively creating a trade embargo. It was the only such response in the world, he noted. More strikingly, when the US tightened some supply chain controls, China directly choked off a half-dozen critical items, including rare earth magnets, that the US companies cannot function without. 'In this situation, China has as strong a hand as the US, maybe stronger - and President Trump treats those he sees as equals differently from those he sees as weaker,' said Dr Allison. Mr Trump appears eager for a high profile visit to China, probably with the signing of a 'big, beautiful trade deal,' said Professor Dennis Wilder, a former National Security Council director who teaches courses on Chinese governance at The Bush School of Government & Public Service. Mr Trump's actions recently appear designed to make this possible, he said, noting the reversal of the ban on the export of Nvidia's H20 chips despite opposition within the Administration. There was also, he told The Straits Times, the curtailment of 'high profile engagement with Taiwan and his refusal to say anything negative about China when asked by anti-China Fox News anchors'. 'Given that his initial overtures to Putin were disappointing, Trump will want to show the world his ability to win with China.' Ms Wendy Cutler, a senior official at the Asia Society Policy Institute and former deputy US trade negotiator, said the extension was no surprise and the path ahead would be no walk in the park. 'What remains unclear is whether the US was able to get anything in exchange for this move from Beijing, such as increased soyabean purchases or more predictable access to critical minerals and magnets,' she said in a media statement. 'Having learned important lessons from the Phase One negotiations during Trump 1.0, Beijing will be a more demanding counterpart this time around,' she noted. American businesses welcomed the news of the truce extension. 'The extension is critical to give the two governments time to negotiate an agreement that improves US market access in China, addresses the bilateral trade imbalance and provides the certainty needed for companies to make medium- and long-term plans,' said a statement from the US China Business Council, a non-profit association of more than 270 American companies that do business in China. 'Securing an agreement on fentanyl that leads to a reduction in US tariffs and a rollback of China's retaliatory measures is acutely needed to restart US agriculture and energy exports,' it added, listing American companies' longstanding demands. Mr Zichen Wang, research fellow at the Center for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based thinktank considered close to the government, said Mr Trump would get a tremendous welcome if he visited China. 'That's in line with Chinese hospitality, traditional, and diplomatic playbook, as well as a show of respect for the US and President Trump himself personally,' he told ST.
