Putin Invites Trump to Moscow, Speaks English In Rare Moment
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First Post
7 minutes ago
- First Post
Are European leaders travelling to the White House to prevent Trump from bullying Zelenskyy?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is headed to Washington, DC, today (August 18), and he will be accompanied by European leaders, including Germany's Friedrich Merz, the UK's Keir Starmer, and France's Emmanuel Macron. The meeting at the White House comes after US President Donald Trump met Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska last Friday. But why is Zelenskyy going with an influential entourage? US President Donald Trump with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, in February. Six months after that disastrous meeting, the Ukrainian leader will once again meet his US counterpart at the Oval Office on August 18. File image/Reuters In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House only to be berated by his American hosts after which he was abruptly asked to leave the White House. The meeting, six months ago, has gone down in history as, perhaps, one of the most disgraceful episodes in modern-day diplomacy — a national leader was humiliated in front of the cameras in a grilling that the US president said afterwards would make good television. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, Zelenskyy is heading back to the White House today (August 18). However, he won't be alone, as an array of European prime ministers and presidents are joining him to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House to make sure that Ukraine's security interests are maintained after Trump-Putin's Alaska summit. More from Explainers Friendly summit with no ceasefire: Putin disarms Trump, neutralises sanctions threats at Alaska summit Who's going to accompany Zelenskyy? What's at stake? We have the answers for you. Why is Zelenskyy heading to Washington today? The meeting at the White House between Trump and Zelenskyy comes after the US president's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15. While the two leaders billed that meeting as historic, it failed to come up with any immediate solution to the war, which has now dragged on for three-and-a-half years. Zelenskyy first headed to Brussels over the weekend to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a top EU leader, and hold a video call with the other leaders to prepare for the meeting with Trump at the White House. 'It's very important that you are with us and that we speak to America together,' Zelenskyy said in Brussels, standing alongside von der Leyen. 'It's crucial that Europe is as united now as it was at the very beginning—as it was in 2022,' when Russia staged its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. 'This unity really helps encourage real peace and it must stay strong.' Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen attend a joint press conference in Brussels, on Sunday. AFP Who's going with Zelenskyy to Washington? Following his meeting in Brussels, Zelenskyy will now head to Washington, DC. However, he won't be alone. Accompanying the Ukrainian leader will be UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who many consider to be the 'Trump whisperer'. There's also Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's Emmanuel Macron as well as Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, will be a reminder of Europe's combined importance as an economic juggernaut, as The Guardian reported. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also attend the meeting as will Finland's President Alexander Stubb. Nato's Secretary General Mark Rutte will also be accompanying Zelenskyy to the Oval Office today. Retired French General Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations, told Sky News that the reason the European leaders were travelling with Zelenskyy is because they are 'very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Zelenskyy to the hilt.' 'It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,' he added. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer will accompany Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House on August 18. File image/Reuters What will all the leaders discuss at the White House today? The European leaders accompanying Zelenskyy to the White House today want to ensure that US President Trump has not pivoted too close to the Russian side, and does not try to strong-arm Zelenskyy into a deal. Even European diplomats, who chose to remain anonymous, told media outlets that the European leaders want to avoid a scene like the one that took place in February when Zelenskyy met with Trump in front of television cameras at the White House. At that meeting, Trump rebuked the Ukrainian president, saying 'you don't have the cards' in the war — essentially telling Ukraine to bend to Russia's demands. The US president did so again on Friday night, after Putin flew back to Russia, telling a Fox News interviewer that Ukraine was going to have to realise that Russia was a more 'powerful' country, and that power meant Zelenskyy was going to have to make concessions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even before Zelenskyy and his European allies made their way to the American capital, Trump indicated that the Ukrainian leader must agree to some of Russia's conditions for the war in Ukraine to end. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump wrote on social media. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and no going into Nato by Ukraine. Some things never change!!!' US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15. File image/Reuters Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also rejected the notion that the Europeans were coming to protect Zelenskyy from a repeat of the February shouting match. 'They're not coming here to keep Zelenskyy from getting bullied,' Rubio told CBS. 'They are coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans,' he said, listing the many meetings the United States had engaged in before and after the Putin visit. 'We invited them to come.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is expected that the leaders will also sit down today to discuss territorial questions, including Russia's demand for Ukraine to cede Donetsk and Luhansk. They are also expected to address security guarantees for Ukraine, which could be backed by US air power. The role of Nato and European allies in enforcing a settlement is likely to be discussed, alongside sanction pressures on Russia. The European leaders also want that Ukraine is at the table for all negotiations. In fact, on the issue of land and territory, EU's Ursula von der Leyen even said on Sunday, 'With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force. 'These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.' There also might be discussions on setting up a trilateral between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy in the near future. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What does Russia want? At the Alaska summit, Putin reportedly stated that Ukraine must surrender Donetsk and Luhansk in full, abandon its Nato aspirations and declare neutrality. He offered to freeze the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. However, Zelenskyy has rejected any idea of handing over territory to Russia, saying that a ceasefire should be first instituted. According to Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Putin agreed to allow the US and the European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee. 'We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' he was quoted as telling CNN. He added that it 'was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that' and called them 'game-changing.' For the unaware, Article 5 of Nato states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all members. What happens today is left to be seen, but as Kim Darroch, who was the UK ambassador to Washington in Trump's first term, told The Guardian: 'History will be kind to him (Trump) if he delivers a fair peace in Ukraine; less so if he presses for a capitulation.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
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Business Standard
7 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Ahead of Zelenskyy meet, Trump rules out Crimea return, Nato membership
Ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump said late on Sunday that reclaiming Russian-occupied Crimea or Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were not options. He added that Zelenskyy had the choice to bring the war with Russia to a swift end. "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!," he wrote on Truth Social. European leaders to join Zelenskyy in Washington European leaders from Germany, France, and Britain will accompany Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington, they announced on Sunday. Their presence is intended to strengthen Zelenskyy's position and help him avoid a repeat of his last Oval Office visit in February, when Trump and US Vice President JD Vance publicly rebuked him, accusing him of being ungrateful and disrespectful. Trump said the responsibility now lay with Zelenskyy to build on the Alaska summit and work towards a settlement to end Russia's three-year invasion. Trump-Putin talks in Alaska Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday, where they identified areas of common ground and revived their rapport. However, no breakthrough on a ceasefire was reached. After three hours of talks with aides that ended abruptly, Trump stated that while progress had been made, stressing that 'there's no deal until we have a deal". The discussions included proposals under which Russia might give up small sections of occupied Ukrainian territory in return for Ukraine ceding fortified areas in the east and freezing the front lines elsewhere. Trump praised both US and Russian negotiators for their work at the summit and pointed to his relationship with Putin. Neither leader took questions, delivering only short statements. Goal to reduce casualties Trump said the key aim of the meeting was to reduce the human toll of the war. 'We're going to stop 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 people a week from being killed, and President Putin wants to see that as much as I do,' he said. The US President criticised reports suggesting a "major defeat" at his Alaska talks with Putin. He described such claims as "fake news" and said the location of the summit itself had been a 'major point of contention'.
Time of India
7 minutes ago
- Time of India
Hijacked satellites and orbiting space weapons: In the 21st century, space is the new battlefield
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satellite that provides television service to of normal programming, Ukrainian viewers saw parade footage beamed in from Moscow: waves of tanks, soldiers and weaponry. The message was meant to intimidate, and it was also an illustration that 21st century war is waged not just on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace and the reaches of outer a satellite could deal a devastating blow without a single bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellite's security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth "If you can impede a satellite's ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption," said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains. He served in the Marines before working on cyber issues at the Department of Energy."Think about GPS," he said. "Imagine if a population lost that, and the confusion it would cause."Satellites are the short-term challenge More than 12,000 operating satellites now orbit the planet, playing a critical role not just in broadcast communications but also in military operations, navigation systems like GPS, intelligence gathering and economic supply chains. They are also key to early launch-detection efforts, which can warn of approaching makes them a significant national security vulnerability, and a prime target for anyone looking to undermine an adversary's economy or military readiness - or to deliver a psychological blow like the hackers supporting Russia did when they hijacked television signals to typically look for the weakest link in the software or hardware that supports a satellite or controls its communications with Earth. The actual orbiting device may be secure, but if it's running on outdated software, it can be easily Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, someone targeted Viasat, the US-based satellite company used by Ukraine's government and military. The hack, which Kyiv blamed on Moscow, used malware to infect tens of thousands of modems, creating an outage affecting wide swaths of security officials say Russia is developing a nuclear, space-based weapon designed to take out virtually every satellite in low-Earth orbit at once. The weapon would combine a physical attack that would ripple outward, destroying more satellites, while the nuclear component is used to fry their officials declassified information about the weapon after Rep. Mike Turner , R-Ohio, issued a public warning about the technology. Turner has pushed for the Department of Defense to provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on the weapon, which, if deployed, would violate an international treaty prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in said such a weapon could render low-Earth orbit unusable for satellites for as long as a year. If it were used, the effects would be devastating: potentially leaving the US and its allies vulnerable to economic upheaval and even a nuclear and China also would lose satellites, though they are believed to be less reliant on the same kinds of satellites as the USTurner compared the weapon, which is not yet ready for deployment, to Sputnik, the Russian satellite that launched the space age in 1957."If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon would be put in space, it would be the end of the space age," Turner said. "It should never be permitted to go into outer space. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in space."Mining the moon and beyond Valuable minerals and other materials found on the moon and in asteroids could lead to future conflicts as nations look to exploit new technologies and energy NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans this month to send a small nuclear reactor to the moon, saying it's important that the US do so before China or Russia."We're in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon," Duffy said. "To have a base on the moon, we need energy and some of the key locations on the moon. ... We want to get there first and claim that for America."The moon is rich in a material known as helium 3, which scientists believe could be used in nuclear fusion to generate huge amounts of energy. While that technology is still decades away, control over the moon in the intervening years could determine which countries emerge as superpowers, according to Joseph Rooke, a London-based cybersecurity expert who has worked in the U.K. defense industry and is now director of risk insights at the firm Recorded end of the Cold War temporarily halted a lot of investments in space, but competition is likely to increase as the promise of mining the moon becomes a reality."This isn't sci-fi. It's quickly becoming a reality," Rooke said. "If you dominate Earth's energy needs, that's game over."China and Russia have announced plans for their own nuclear plants on the moon in the coming years, while the US is planning missions to the moon and Mars. Artificial intelligence is likely to speed up the competition, as is the demand for the energy that AI left with Russia's Embassy in Washington were not its steps into outer space, China opposes any extraterrestrial arms race, according to Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China's Embassy in Washington. He said it is the US that is threatening to militarize the final frontier."It has kept expanding military strength in space, created space military alliances, and attempted to turn space into a war zone," Liu said. "China urges the US to stop spreading irresponsible rhetoric, stop expanding military build-up in space, and make due contribution to upholding the lasting peace and security in space."What the US is doing about security in space Nations are scrambling to create their own rocket and space programs to exploit commercial prospects and ensure they aren't dependent on foreign satellites. It's an expensive and difficult proposition, as demonstrated last week when the first Australian-made rocket crashed after 14 seconds of US Space Force was created in 2019 to protect American interests in space and to defend US satellites from attacks from space service is far smaller than the more well-established services like the Army, Navy or Air Force, but it's growing, and the White House is expected to announce a location for its headquarters soon. Colorado and Alabama are both US military operates an unmanned space shuttle used to conduct classified military missions and research. The craft, known as the X-37B, recently returned to Earth after more than a year in Space Force called access to space a vital national security interest."Space is a warfighting domain, and it is the Space Force's job to contest and control its environment to achieve national security objectives," it said in the dominance in space has been largely unquestioned for decades following the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. But the new threats and competition posed by Russia and China show the need for an aggressive response, US officials hope, Turner said, is that the US can take steps to ensure Russia and China can't get the upper hand, and the frightening potential of space weapons is not realized."You have to pay attention to these things so they don't happen," Turner said.
