Putin to meet Trump in Alaska for Ukraine talks
The summit marks Putin's first visit to US soil in a decade, despite him facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Critics have raised concerns about the choice of Alaska as the venue, noting its historical ties to Russia and the desires of Russian nationalists to reclaim it.
Political commentators and figures, including John Bolton and Julia Ioffe, view the meeting as a significant victory for Putin and a potential humiliation for the United States.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska expressed wariness of Putin but hoped the discussions would lead to genuine progress in ending the conflict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Texas mayor's vile outburst about sex with man's wife at LGBT event resurfaces
The mayor of Arlington, Texas, has been accused of cursing out a controversial street preacher in a video published seven years ago. Jim Ross, who has been mayor of the Texas city since 2021, was seen in the footage from Vice in 2018 berating another man at the Southern Decadence festival in New Orleans, an LGBT event held annually over Labor Day weekend. According to The Dallas Express, Ross is the man whose face is blurred and was screaming vulgar obscenities about anal sex at Christian street preacher Ruben Israel. Israel, who died in 2023, was known for showing up to pride events with his supporters and holding anti-gay signs. He also spent a lot of time ridiculing Muslims at Islamic events around the country, once saying that the religion brings ' crime, murder and destruction' wherever it goes. Ross was seen holding a beer at the festival in New Orleans and decided to get up in Israel's face to shout him down. 'I believe y'all can have free speech… But this is some hateful s**t and I am a heterosexual guy,' said Ross, who would be elected mayor of Arlington three years after this event. Israel, who died in 2023, was known for showing up to pride events with his supporters and holding anti-gay signs 'You stand out here like you're a bada** motherf***er, hoping somebody starts some s**t,' Ross said, before calling Israel a 'punk motherf***er'. 'You don't think anal sex is good, do you? Have you ever f***ed your old lady in the *ss?' he added. Israel retorted: 'No, who would do that?' 'I'd f*ck your old lady in the *ss,' Ross replied. Then someone handed Ross a megaphone so he could speak to all of Israel's supporters at the same time. 'Shut your *ss, shut your *ss, you little piece of s**t. You ought to talk s**t, these people around here are having a good f***ing time. They don't come to your stupid redneck church and f***ing talk s**t!' he screamed. His rant ended with him calling someone in Israel's camp a 'p***y motherf***er'. He then pushed through the crowd to confront that person. Some Arlington and Tarrant County residents were disappointed or upset about Ross's behavior at the event. 'This is unfortunate. I am not certain what prompted this altercation. He sounds inebriated,' Arlington resident Kathi Arocha told The Express. Elected Texas Republicans were significantly harsher in their condemnation of Ross. 'This video is beyond shocking. What a disgusting piece of human garbage. Mayor Ross should resign immediately,' said Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French. 'The now Mayor of Arlington's vile, profanity-laced rant at the late Ruben Israel, a Christian street preacher, is a disgrace. Perhaps the mayor was stressed out because of not being able to pay his taxes of late, but his unprofessional conduct mirrors the worst of today's cursing Democrats. Leadership demands better,' Tarrant County Republican Precinct Chair TK Campbell added. Campbell was referring to Ross's unpaid taxes, which has led the IRS to garnish his salary. Records from the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector show Ross owes $940.39 in penalties and interest, with a total outstanding debt of $174,945.93 as of June 2025.
Powys County Times
34 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Europe stresses Ukraine support ahead of Trump-Putin summit
The path to peace in Ukraine 'cannot be decided without Ukraine', European leaders have said, as US President Donald Trump prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Friday. In a joint statement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission, said that the current line of contact between Russia and Ukraine could only be a 'starting point of negotiations'. They said: 'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. The path to peace for Ukraine must be determined together with Ukraine – this is fundamental. It is important that joint approaches and a shared vision work toward genuine peace. A consolidated position. Ceasefire. End of occupation. End of war. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 9, 2025 'We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.' The statement comes a day after Mr Trump announced that he would meet Mr Putin in Alaska on Friday, as he seeks an end to a conflict he had promised he could finish on his first day in office. The US president had earlier suggested that any peace deal was likely to involve 'some swapping of territories', with reports suggesting this could involve Ukraine giving up its Donetsk region. But President Volodymyr Zelensky has already rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity, something that is forbidden by Ukraine's constitution. He said Mr Putin wanted to 'exchange a pause in the war, in the killing, for the legalisation of the occupation of our land – he wants to get territorial spoils for the second time'. Mr Zelensky added: 'We will not allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine. Knowing Russia, where there is a second, there will be a third.' He also said that any peace agreement that excluded Ukraine would be a decision 'against peace'. In their statement, the European leaders said they welcomed Mr Trump's 'work to stop the killing in Ukraine, end the Russian Federation's war of aggression and achieve just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine'. Adding that they were 'ready to support this work diplomatically' and through military and financial support for Kyiv, they reiterated the need for 'robust and credible security guarantees' for Ukraine and their own 'unwavering support' for the country. The statement also comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy hosted a meeting of top Ukrainian officials and European national security advisers alongside US vice-president JD Vance on Saturday. The meeting took place at the Foreign Secretary's official country retreat, Chevening, in Kent, where Mr Vance is staying at the start of a UK holiday. After the meeting, Mr Lammy said: 'The UK's support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working towards a just and lasting peace.' It is understood that the meeting had been called at Washington's request, and included representatives from the US, Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland as well as the UK. Ukraine was represented by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the country's national security and defence council, and the head of Mr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak. In a post on social media, Mr Yermak said the allies' positions were 'clear' that 'a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table, with full respect for our sovereignty and without recognising the occupation'. Ahead of the meeting at Chevening, Sir Keir discussed the talks in a call with Mr Zelensky on Saturday, and also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron.
South Wales Guardian
34 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Europe stresses Ukraine support ahead of Trump-Putin summit
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission, said that the current line of contact between Russia and Ukraine could only be a 'starting point of negotiations'. They said: 'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. The path to peace for Ukraine must be determined together with Ukraine – this is fundamental. It is important that joint approaches and a shared vision work toward genuine peace. A consolidated position. Ceasefire. End of occupation. End of war. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 9, 2025 'We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.' The statement comes a day after Mr Trump announced that he would meet Mr Putin in Alaska on Friday, as he seeks an end to a conflict he had promised he could finish on his first day in office. The US president had earlier suggested that any peace deal was likely to involve 'some swapping of territories', with reports suggesting this could involve Ukraine giving up its Donetsk region. But President Volodymyr Zelensky has already rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity, something that is forbidden by Ukraine's constitution. He said Mr Putin wanted to 'exchange a pause in the war, in the killing, for the legalisation of the occupation of our land – he wants to get territorial spoils for the second time'. Mr Zelensky added: 'We will not allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine. Knowing Russia, where there is a second, there will be a third.' He also said that any peace agreement that excluded Ukraine would be a decision 'against peace'. In their statement, the European leaders said they welcomed Mr Trump's 'work to stop the killing in Ukraine, end the Russian Federation's war of aggression and achieve just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine'. Adding that they were 'ready to support this work diplomatically' and through military and financial support for Kyiv, they reiterated the need for 'robust and credible security guarantees' for Ukraine and their own 'unwavering support' for the country. The statement also comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy hosted a meeting of top Ukrainian officials and European national security advisers alongside US vice-president JD Vance on Saturday. The meeting took place at the Foreign Secretary's official country retreat, Chevening, in Kent, where Mr Vance is staying at the start of a UK holiday. After the meeting, Mr Lammy said: 'The UK's support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working towards a just and lasting peace.' It is understood that the meeting had been called at Washington's request, and included representatives from the US, Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland as well as the UK. Ukraine was represented by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the country's national security and defence council, and the head of Mr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak. In a post on social media, Mr Yermak said the allies' positions were 'clear' that 'a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table, with full respect for our sovereignty and without recognising the occupation'. Ahead of the meeting at Chevening, Sir Keir discussed the talks in a call with Mr Zelensky on Saturday, and also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, the conflict continues, with Ukrainian authorities reporting four people killed and 16 wounded in Russian drone strikes on Saturday in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
