German chancellor Merz to join Zelenskiy for Trump talks in Washington
'The talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression. This includes maintaining pressure on sanctions,' the government said - REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
28 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
Zelensky says Russia must end war, after Trump pressures Ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with European Commission President in Brussels, on Aug 17, 2025. – AFP photo WASHINGTON (Aug 18): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was up to Russia to end its invasion, ahead of high-stakes talks on Monday with US counterpart Donald Trump, who is pressuring Ukraine to give up Crimea and abandon its NATO ambitions. The comments came hours before Zelensky and European leaders were scheduled to meet Trump in Washington, a follow-up to a summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska on Friday that failed to produce a ceasefire. Trump, who dropped his insistence on a ceasefire in favor of a final peace deal after meeting Putin, said late Sunday that Zelensky could end the three-and-a-half-year war 'almost immediately, if he wants to.' '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!!!', Trump wrote on Truth Social. Announcing that he had landed in Washington, Zelensky wrote later: 'Russia must end this war, which it itself started.' 'Ukrainians are fighting for their land, their independence,' he said, adding that he hoped 'that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace.' Trump and Zelensky are expected to meet one-on-one before being joined by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, according to the White House. Ahead of Monday's meeting, China called for 'all parties' to agree to peace 'as soon as possible.' It will be the first time Zelensky visits Washington since a bust-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February, when the two men berated the Ukrainian leader for being 'ungrateful.' Russia kept up its attacks on Ukraine ahead of the new talks, firing at least 140 drones and four ballistic missiles at the country between late Sunday and early Monday, the Ukrainian air force said. A Russian drone attack on a five-story apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv just before dawn killed at least seven people, authorities said. Ukrainian shelling attacks in the Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson and Donetsk regions meanwhile killed two people, Moscow-installed authorities said. – Security guarantees – Since the Oval Office row with Zelensky in February, Trump has grown more critical of Putin and shown some signs of frustration as Russia repeatedly stalled on peace talks. But Washington has not placed extra sanctions on Moscow, and the lavish welcome offered to Putin in Alaska on his first visit to the West since he invaded Ukraine in 2022 was seen as a diplomatic coup for Russia. Speaking in Brussels on the eve of his visit to the United States, Zelensky said he was keen to hear more about what Putin and Trump discussed in Alaska. He also hailed Washington's offer of security guarantees to Ukraine as 'historic.' Trump said he spoke to Putin about the possibility of a collective defense guarantee for Ukraine similar to the one in place for NATO members. The promise would be outside of the framework of the Western military alliance that Ukraine wants to join and which is seen as an existential threat by Russia. – Discussion on land – Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Moscow had made 'some concessions' regarding five Ukrainian regions that Russia now fully or partially controls, and that there was an 'important discussion with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there.' 'That discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday,' he told CNN, without giving details. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a referendum denounced as a sham by Kyiv and the West, and did the same in 2022 in four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia — even though its forces have not fully captured them. A source briefed on a phone call between Trump and European leaders on Saturday told AFP that the US leader was 'inclined to support' a Russian demand to be given territory it had not yet captured in the Donbas, an area that includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions and that has seen the deadliest battles of the war. In exchange, Moscow would agree to 'freeze' the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, regions where Russian forces hold swathes of territory but not the regional capitals, the source cited Trump as saying. Russia had until now insisted that Ukraine pull its forces from all four regions as a precondition to any deal. Zelensky has said he is constitutionally bound not to give away any Ukrainian territory. – AFP Donald Trump peace talks Russia-Ukraine war Volodymyr Zelensky
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Asia stocks up before Trump-Zelensky talks
TOKYO: Asian stocks were mostly higher Monday ahead of talks between Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders in Washington. US President Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, but the summit failed to yield any breakthrough on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Zelensky, who will be joined in Washington by European leaders, however called a US offer of security guarantees to Ukraine 'historic'. 'Trump and Putin walked away without a ceasefire, without even the illusion of one,' said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. 'What they did offer was theatre: enough 'progress' for Trump to declare victory and quietly holster his double-barreled threat -- tariffs on Beijing for buying Russian barrels and sanctions on Moscow's crude,' Innes said. Before the Alaska talks, US stocks wavered on Friday after mixed economic data, with retail sales up but an industrial production index and a consumer survey both down. After a drop on Friday, oil prices, which have been volatile for several days -- Russia is a major crude producer -- were up Monday. Japan's Nikkei ended up, posting a new record high and adding to gains on Friday after better-than-expected economic growth data. Thailand's economy also grew by 2.8 percent in the second quarter, the country's economic planning agency said on Monday, boosted by strong exports ahead of US tariffs taking full effect. But the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) forecast overall growth for 2025 to fall between 1.8 and 2.3 percent. This is below the 2.5 percent seen in 2024, with the NESDC blaming the expected drop on the likely impact of US tariffs. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Taipei were higher Monday, while Seoul and Jakarta fell back. In Europe, London saw early gains while Paris and Frankfurt fell slightly at the open. This week investor eyes will be on any clues on US interest rates at the Federal Reserve's annual retreat at Jackson Hole - AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Asia FX steady, stocks mixed ahead of US-Ukraine meeting, Fed symposium
Asian currencies held steady and stock markets traded mixed on Monday as investors braced for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium. Malaysia's ringgit and the Taiwan dollar shed 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively, while other currencies in the region were largely subdued. The dollar index edged higher, recovering from last week's decline as traders scaled back bets on a jumbo Fed rate cut next month. The Kansas City Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium through August 21-23 is the week's main event, where Chair Jerome Powell is set to outline the Fed's economic outlook and policy framework. Markets are now pricing in an 84.2% chance of a quarter-point Fed rate cut next month, and are priced for more easing by December. ANZ strategists said Powell is unlikely to be as candid as last year when he made the case for imminent rate cuts. "Our base case remains that the Fed will cut rates at its September meeting," they said in a note. Market focus for the day is on the Trump-Zelenskiy meeting as Washington presses Kyiv for a swift peace deal to end the Ukraine war. Equities in Southeast Asia traded mixed, with Singapore down 0.8%. Thailand shed 0.4%, while Taiwan advanced 0.6% to a record high. South Korean shares slumped 1.3%, with chip stocks leading the decline following reports U.S. President Donald Trump would unveil tariffs on semiconductor imports in coming weeks. "While broader sentiments remain supportive on expectations that the Fed may cut rate at its next meeting, there are concerns on sectoral tariffs - pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and even metals," said Christopher Wong, currency strategist at OCBC. Globally, attention is also on Bolivia's presidential election, where early official results late Sunday showed centrist senator Rodrigo Paz in the lead. Markets in Indonesia were closed for a public holiday, with investors now awaiting the central bank's policy decision later this week. On Friday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto unveiled a $234 billion budget for 2026, projecting a deficit of 2.48% of GDP and vowing to balance the books within three years. "Concerns of softening domestic conditions and benign inflation levels have been clouding the Indonesian economic outlook, backing more cuts by Bank Indonesia," Maybank analysts said in a note. HIGHLIGHTS: ** Thai Q2 GDP grows 2.8% y/y, beats forecast ** US-India trade talks scheduled for August called off, source says - Reuters
