Zelenskyy hosts leaders of south eastern Europe at regional summit in Odesa
Speaking during the Southeast Europe Summit held in Odesa, Zelenskyy said sanctions needed to target Russian oil tankers and its financial sector.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Attacking Iran, Israel brazenly defies 'man of peace' Trump
US President Donald Trump on Thursday implored Israel not to attack Iran and declared once again his goal was to be a peacemaker. Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of Trump's closest international allies, brazenly defied his advice by unleashing a major military campaign described as a "preemptive" strike against Iran's nuclear program. The attack marks only the latest setback for Trump's lofty goal set out at the start of his second term of being a "man of peace." Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump has also boasted a warm relationship, has rebuffed his overtures on a ceasefire with Ukraine. And Israel resumed another massive offensive in Gaza after talks bogged down on extending a ceasefire with Hamas reached with Trump's support at the end of his predecessor Joe Biden's term. Trump's friend and roving envoy Steve Witkoff -- who has negotiated in all three crises -- had been set to meet Iranian officials again Sunday in Oman. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement made clear the United States was not involved in attacking Iran and warned Tehran not to retaliate against US troops in the region. Rubio said that Israel advised that it attacked out of "self-defense," but conspicuously did not say if the United States agreed. Trump, hours before the strikes, doubled down with a social media post saying he remained "committed to a diplomatic resolution" on Iran. Netanyahu has described Iran's cleric-run government, which backs Hamas, as an existential threat and already last year ordered strikes that knocked out its air defenses. "We've clearly seen a fork in the road in the American and Israeli approaches to this problem set," said Dana Stroul, a former senior Pentagon official who is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "These strikes are going to disrupt and delay and degrade Iran's nuclear program. The question, I think, is whether or not the United States and Israel in the future are going to work together on what to do to maximize the time that's put back on the clock," she said. - Increasingly at odds - Stroul noted that rifts had been building between Israel and Trump, who last month agreed to remove sanctions on Syria after former Islamist guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa swept into power. Trump embraced the new Syrian leader after appeals on a tour of Gulf Arab monarchies -- which have also backed diplomacy on Iran. In Qatar last month, Trump said after meeting the emir that he believed a deal was in sight with Iran and that there would be no "nuclear dust" over the region. Despite growing disagreements, Israel enjoys robust support in Trump's right-wing base. The Trump administration in recent days has again taken lonely positions to back Israel, with the United States casting one of the only votes at the UN General Assembly against a Gaza ceasefire resolution and criticizing top allies, including Britain, for imposing sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers. Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said the Israeli attack will "destroy US diplomatic efforts" on Iran and called for Trump to reject any US military role in protecting Israel from retaliation. "Israel has the right to choose its own foreign policy. At the same time, it has the responsibility to bear the costs of that policy," he said. But lawmakers in Trump's Republican Party quickly rallied behind Israel. Senator Tom Cotton said that the United States should "back Israel to the hilt, all the way," and topple Iran's Islamic Republic if it targets US troops. Trump's Democratic rivals, who mostly backed his diplomacy on Iran, were aghast at Israel's action on the eve of new US-Iran talks. "Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," said Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Forces Committee. sct/des
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Utah embraces the next step in nuclear energy — fuel
The Utah National Guard is poised to ink a deal with a California-based company — confusingly called Utah Energy — to house a nuclear fuel enrichment processing facility. Another nuclear fuel enrichment processing facility is much needed in the United States. The only plant in the country that does this type of sophisticated work is in New Mexico, and it is currently running at capacity. 'Utah is filling the gap of what exists in the energy chain,' said Joel Ferry, the executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. At a press conference Thursday, the Utah National Guard, Utah Energy and others outlined the plan to put Utah on the map as a major player in the nation's energy sphere — especially when it comes to next generation nuclear technology. 'We have to be ambitious because we are so far behind,' said Drew DeWalt with Utah Energy. 'We've been working around the margins.' DeWalt added: 'We are in a business of chance. ... We do not want to be flatfooted.' Emery, Grand, Carbon, Wayne and San Juan counties are full of uranium deposits. Utah is also home to the only processing mill for uranium — White Mesa in Blanding — but it does not take the uranium and turn it into fuel there. DeWalt said the uranium deposits in Utah put the state in an enviable position. But, unlike Europe and elsewhere, the United States has been hesitant to take up this new energy source, despite receiving 20 percent of its power from old-school nuclear power plants. 'Nuclear has not been a growth industry for a lot of decades, but it felt like a ground shift about three years ago,' DeWalt said. 'You should want this, but it is 'no we are good.' The energy need is so important in every state.' What is proposed to happen at Camp Williams is the task of taking that uranium and refining it for fuel in the advanced nuclear reactors. The Idaho National Laboratory describes HALEU as high-assay low-enriched uranium. 'HALEU fuel has some big advantages over conventional light water reactor fuel including longer cycle times in reactor, less waste production and less downtime for refueling. 'With HALEU, advanced reactors can get increased fuel in-core lifetimes because you have higher enrichment,' said Adrian Wagner, a metallurgical engineer and INL's Advanced Manufacturing group lead. 'In simple terms, higher enrichment means more uranium-235 atoms in each pellet.' The U.S. Department of Energy warned last year that the Russian war with Ukraine will drive the need for the development of this fuel. Russia has roughly 44% of the world's uranium enrichment capacity and supplies approximately 35% of our imports for nuclear fuel. The transition away from Russian-sourced fuel will not happen overnight. 'The Department of Energy estimates that U.S. utilities have roughly three years of LEU (low enriched uranium) available through existing inventory or pre-existing contracts. To ensure our plants do not experience any disruptions, we're creating a waiver process to allow some imports of LEU from Russia to continue for a limited time,' the agency said. When questioned about safety, DeWalt and others said this material already travels along the I-15 corridor, and environmental and safety protocols will be strictly followed should the project come to fruition. Ferry said this agreement, which will go through several public hearings and is slated to be discussed next week at interim legislative committee meetings, will be vetted and rigorously scrutinized. He talked about Operation Gigawatt, an initiative announced last year by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to double energy production in the state in 10 years. Utah is no longer coloring outside the lines or dabbling in what could be a clean, renewable energy resource to sustain the grid, he added. Utah, he emphasized, is committed because it has to be. 'Utah has always been a leader,' he said. 'Operation Gigawatt builds on our ecosystem' of energy. As it is with most projects, a fuel processing facility at Camp Williams will have to go through a lengthy environmental review process as well as the scrutiny of licensing via the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. DeWalt stressed that should this come to pass, residents in southwest Salt Lake County are not going to see giant smokestacks spewing steam. This will look like any other warehouse, but it will pump up Utah's economy and make the state an energy pioneer. The future, he emphasized, is coming — via clean, baseload energy that despite what critics say can be safe. DeWalt spent his early career working on nuclear submarines. The USS Nautilus, launched in 1954, was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. Its successful operation demonstrated the capability and viability of nuclear power for submarines, creating a path for more advanced nuclear-powered vessels. 'I would not be doing this if I did not think there were going to be advanced reactors in every community,' he said. The Office of Energy Development under Ferry is on board to pursue this venture and wants the Utah community to learn more and become engaged in the science. 'This is generational,' Ferry said.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's top diplomat in Africa leaving State Department
President Trump's top diplomat in Africa, Troy Fitrell, will retire from the State Department next month, and Jonathan Pratt, the Bureau of African Affairs deputy assistant secretary, will take his place. 'After a long and distinguished career, the Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs Senior Bureau Official Ambassador Troy Fitrell is retiring in mid-July as planned,' a State Department spokesperson told The Hill in an emailed statement on Thursday. 'The Bureau of African Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Pratt will step into the Senior Bureau Official role after Ambassador Fitrell's departure,' the spokesperson added. Fitrell, a foreign service official, previously worked as the United States ambassador to Guinea. He has served in various State Department posts across Africa, including serving as the director of the Office of Western African Affairs and Southern African Affairs. He was also the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassies in Ethiopia and Mauritius. Fitrell has been the head of the State Department's African bureau since the assistant secretary, a Senate-confirmed position, has not yet been chosen. Fitrell, who has been a diplomat for more than three decades, previously said that the Trump administration is changing the U.S. approach to Africa from 'one rooted primarily in development assistance to a strategy that prioritizes robust commercial engagement.' The administration sees trade as a way to counter Chinese and Russian influence on the continent. Semafor first reported on Fitrell's forthcoming exit. Pratt, who will succeed Fitrell, previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Djibouti from 2021 to 2023. He also had other assignments within the State Department, working in places such as Pakistan, Sudan and Angola. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
