World leaders react to Trump-Putin summit reaching no deal on Ukraine
NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ESPEN BARTH EIDE:
"President Putin of Russia reiterated known arguments, such as emphasising the so-called 'root causes' of the war, which is code for the Russian justification for the illegal invasion of Ukraine. Our view is clear: it is important we must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it, to give the clear signal to Russia that it must pay the price.
"We must listen to Ukraine's wishes and needs. We know that President Putin wants to split Europe and the United States. With all our allies, we must do everything we can to avoid that. I am optimistic that we can achieve that, but we must be clear that this is a clear motivation for President Putin...
"I don't believe it will have any effect on the battlefield right now. Too little concrete information has come out, and we see no movement at all in the Russian position."
CZECH DEFENCE MINISTER JANA CERNOCHOVA, ON X:
"The Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska did not bring any fundamental progress towards ending the war in Ukraine, but it did confirm that Putin is not looking for peace, but an opportunity to weaken the unity of the West and spread his propaganda. He is trying to prolong the conflict in order to achieve the maximum of his goals in terms of Russian expansion. Regardless of the human casualties and the devastation of Ukrainian cities.
"The meeting was nevertheless important, among other things, because it reveals the true motives and mindset of Vladimir Putin.
"For us, it follows that it is necessary to maintain the cohesion of the West and persist in supporting Ukraine so that any agreement on a ceasefire or peace is not only based on Russian notes. This is in our vital interest."
HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PETER SZIJJARTO, ON X:
"The world is a safer place as long as there is US–Russia dialogue at the highest level. Credit to both presidents for making this summit happen. Today once again confirmed: the war in Ukraine will not be settled on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table. Peace can only be achieved through negotiations, dialogue, and keeping diplomatic channels open.
"Hungary has stood by this for 3.5 years, unlike Brussels and pro-war European politicians."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Account tied to Trump nominee posted conspiracy theories about Epstein, the 2020 election and Covid, report says
A social media account tied to President Donald Trump 's controversial pick to take over the Bureau of Labor Statistics has a history of posting various far-right conspiracy theories – the latest eyebrow-raising report to emerge about what is often a nonpartisan nominee. Last week, Trump announced he would nominate Erwin John 'EJ' Antoni III, the chief economist at The Heritage Foundation, the conservative group that created Project 2025, to replace former BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer. A surface-level review of Antoni, 37, shows that he is a loyal Trump supporter who has aligned himself with the current administration's ideals – contributing to Project 2025, bashing former president Joe Biden's record, and even being a 'bystander' at the January 6 attack on the Capitol. But a more in-depth look at Antoni's history online indicates that a now-deleted X account, which once used Antoni's name, posted theories about Jeffrey Epstein's death, Covid-19's origins, and the validity of the 2020 presidential election, according to WIRED. A website archive of the account 'PhDofbombsaway,' shows that it used the name 'Dr. Erwin J. Antoni III,' 'Dr. J.,' as well as 'Dr. Curtis LeMay,' – an apparent reference to the Air Force general largely credited with planning and executing mass bombings on Japan during World War II, as well as advocating for nuclear weapon usage. The account's profile picture was of a fiery mushroom cloud, not unlike the one associated with nuclear weapon detonations. 'All or nothing. Do it die,' the account posted in late November 2020 in response to a tweet encouraging Republicans to stand up to 'fraudulently mailed machines.' The account consistently re-posted false claims about election fraud and theories about stolen ballots from prominent accounts. On January 5, 2021, hours before the attack on the Capitol, the account posted a reference to violence in the Bible while responding to a tweet from Trump in which he encouraged Republicans to 'fight.' 'Samson has his arms around the temple pillars, and although he may not survive, he will bring it all down on his enemies,' it posted, referring to the story of Samson receiving strength from God to rise up against his enemies. Last week, photos of Antoni outside the Capitol on January 6 circulated online. The White House confirmed Antoni was present as a 'bystander' who wandered over to see coverage of it on the news. Other posts from the account indicate the person running it was ingrained in far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories. In November 2019, the account responded to a person theorizing about Epstein's death by suicide, claiming, 'Epstein didn't kill himself.' That theory was widely circulated among far-right communities online and continues to be a central part of concerns about government transparency around Epstein. Later that month, the same account replied to a tweet that seemed to make a sexual innuendo about former vice president Kamala Harris with its own. 'She does her best work when life brings her to her knees,' the account wrote. The Independent has asked the White House for comment. Antoni declined to comment to Wired. While the account has since been deleted, Antoni remains present online with an X account that mostly posts Trump-aligned views of the economy or economic data. But his nomination has been subject to criticism even before NBC News reported his presence at the Capitol, or Wired reported about his alleged former X account. The president previously fired McEntarfer, a career civil servant, after expressing dissatisfaction with the BLS's job numbers reports. Trump insinuated, without evidence, that McEntarfer had manipulated the numbers to make the president look bad because the figures did not line up with Trump's rhetoric about the economy. Some economists and lawmakers have expressed concern that Trump's new nominee could be more inclined to alter BLS numbers to appease the president. While there is no rule about who may be the BLS commissioner, they are typically expected to be nonpartisan, given that the BLS is an independent fact-checking arm of the Department of Labor. Upon announcing Antoni's nomination, the president vowed that his nominee would 'ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE.' Antoni previously tweeted, calling for a 'better' way to collect and disseminate BLS data and criticizing the current method of doing so. Antoni's nomination will require Senate confirmation. So far, at least two Democratic senators have called for the Senate to reject Antoni's nomination.
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Nexstar CEO praises Trump administration as local TV giant announces $6.2 billion merger with rival
Nexstar, the largest owner of local television stations in the United States, announced on Tuesday that it would be acquiring rival Tegna in a $6.2 billion mega-deal that would reshape the landscape of local media as the Trump administration seems poised to loosen regulatory limits. In fact, seemingly alluding to the presumption that Donald Trump's handpicked FCC chief Brendan Carr would approve the deal despite current restrictions in place, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook heaped praise on the administration in his company's announcement of the deal. 'The initiatives being pursued by the Trump administration offer local broadcasters the opportunity to expand reach, level the playing field, and compete more effectively with the Big Tech and legacy Big Media companies that have unchecked reach and vast financial resources,' Sook said in a statement. 'We believe TEGNA represents the best option for Nexstar to act on this opportunity.' As Deadline's Dade Hayes reported, the merger 'challenges decade-old limits on control of local media' as the new company would control 265 local TV stations across 44 states and the District of Columbia, representing about 80 percent of American households. This would far exceed the current limit of 39 percent, which has been in place for the past three decades through both Democratic and Republican administrations. Making his intentions crystal clear shortly after Trump's 2024 electoral victory that he sought an end to the broadcast station ownership cap, Sook declared in November that he hoped GOP control of government would help usher in an expansion of his company. 'It's evident that the antiquated ownership caps applied to broadcasters do not reflect the reality of today's competitive media environment,' Sook said at the time. 'We believe that there is value to be created for our shareholders through further consolidation, while driving true and new benefits to the American people who want and deserve fact-based, unbiased local news.' Citing his company's upstart 'centrist' cable news channel NewsNation, Sook also appeared to offer up some 'fair-and-balanced dog whistling' by reiterating Nexstar's commitment to 'eliminating the level of activist journalism out there' while asserting that 'maybe fact-based journalism will come back into vogue.' Ahead of Tuesday's announcement, public interest group Free Press (not to be confused with Bari Weiss' similarly-named 'anti-woke' outlet) warned that Nexstar and Tegna were striking a 'devil's bargain' with the proposed merger. 'Under any previous administration, such a combination would have been unthinkable,' Free Press co-CEO Craig Aaron wrote. 'Under Donald Trump, it's just a question of how much of your independence and integrity you're willing to sacrifice to get a deal done.' Carr has been outspoken about his willingness to deregulate broadcasting ownership rules and ditch the 39 percent national cap. Before beginning FCC proceedings in June to change the rules, Carr complained about the 'arcane, artificial limits on how many TV stations any one company can own.' 'So I want to ultimately empower those local stations and, frankly, constrain some of the power of those national programmers,' he added at the time. Additionally, Nexstar – which merged with Tribune Media in 2019 and owns the majority of The CW network – has found ways to dodge Trump's anti-media lawsuits while other media conglomerates continue to be targeted. Semafor reported in April that Nexstar was dropped from a Truth Social defamation complaint when the company's digital media outlet The Hill fired a breaking news reporter who had written an aggregated story about the Trump-owned platform's earnings. A Nexstar spokesperson denied that the company fired the reporter in exchange for being dropped from the lawsuit. The merger, which Nexstar announced would take place in the second half of 2026, is still far from a done deal. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Sinclair, the nation's second-largest local TV broadcaster, has also offered to merge with Tegna. In preparation for the deal, Sinclair has offered to spin off some of its nontraditional media and cable assets – which include the Tennis Channel – in order to merge its remaining broadcast channels with Tegna. Meanwhile, local reporters are sounding the alarm over what a Nexstar-Tegna merger would mean for their industry. 'Media consolidations are rarely a good thing, and the Buffalo market is likely to be ill-served by a Nexstar-TEGNA merger,' Buffalo-based investigative reporter Jim Heaney observed. 'Competition is likely to take a hit and a downsizing of the joined operations is likely, although the stations would maintain separate newsrooms.' As 'local broadcast television is edging toward one of the biggest consolidation waves in its history,' Hayes noted that this proposed deal stands 'in sharp contrast to the punitive approach to the Paramount-Skydance merger.' Of course, in that instance, Carr spent months accusing CBS of 'news distortion' while Trump secured a $16 million settlement of a 'meritless' lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview shortly before the FCC approved the merger.
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
What happens next as Donald Trump plans Putin-Zelensky talks over Ukraine war
Donald Trump has claimed to be organising a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in an attempt to reach a peace deal. The Mirror looks at what could happen next Keir Starmer said today European and US leaders are drawing up "robust" plans to defend Ukraine if a peace deal is struck with Moscow. Less than 24 hours after crunch White House talks, the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron chaired a meeting of the 'Coalition of the Willing'. Earlier this year Mr Starmer insisted that Britain is prepared to put boots on the ground and planes in the air in the event of a deal to end the three-year conflict. After the meeting wrapped up, A No10 spokesman said the PM had told those on the call "there was a real sense of unity and shared goal of securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine" during meetings with President Trump. READ MORE: Donald Trump issues Putin 'VERY severe consequences' warning if Ukraine war doesn't end The PM also said the Coalition's military planning teams will "meet with their US counterparts in the coming days to further strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees and prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended". Here The Mirror looks at what could happen next. What happened at the White House? European leaders flanked Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky for crunch talks at the White House on Monday evening in an unprecedented show of unity. Donald Trump updated them on the US-Russia summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday where the Russian tyrant was given the red-carpet treatment. European allies had feared a repeat of the Ukrainian wartime leader's first visit to the Oval Office back in February where he was ambushed by Mr Trump and Vice President, JD Vance. But Monday's high-stakes meeting was a far more cordial affair with promises of further talks. Keir Starmer left the White House saying there had been a 'real significant breakthrough' in security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. The Prime Minister also said there had been 'real movement' on the next stage of negotiations. What happens next? One of the key takeaways from Monday's meeting was Mr Trump's claim to be brokering a one-to-one meeting between Ukraine's Zelensky and Mr Putin. If the meeting goes ahead - and it's a big if - it will only be the second time the pair have met and the first since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022. READ MORE: The German Chancellor has suggested the meeting could take place within two weeks - but there has been no public commitment from the Kremlin so far. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has suggested they should meet in a 'neutral country' and said he was pushing for Geneva, in Switzerland. The US President has then proposed a 'trilateral' meeting to follow - between the United States, Russia and Ukraine to discuss next steps. What did the 'Coalition of the Willing' discuss? European leaders are busy at work on military planning in the event of a peace deal. A group of 30-plus nations - the Coalition of the Willing - have signed up to help defend Ukraine if a deal is struck. Its aim is to act as a deterrent for future attacks from Moscow. Keir Starmer has previously said he is willing to put UK troops on the ground and planes in the sky as part of any peacekeeping force in Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister and Mr Macron updated the countries on talks at the White House as they chaired a meeting of the group. During the meeting Mr Starmer said military planning teams will soon meet with US teams to 'strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees' to Ukraine. What is the US prepared to do? European allies have long insisted the US is vital to guaranteeing Ukraine's security. Donald Trump swerved a question in the Oval Office on Monday on whether the US would be willing to put boots on the ground in Ukraine to help secure any peace deal. He suggested on Tuesday the US would offer air support to Ukraine, bragging that there was no other country with the 'kind of stuff we have'. Will there be a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv? Downing Street has always insisted Putin has never been serious about the prospect of peace. That appeared evident when Moscow's drones and missiles rained down on Ukraine - even as European leaders met at the White House to discuss the possibility of an end to three-year war. Reports also suggested Putin's price for peace would be for Ukraine to hand over land the Kremlin does not occupy - something Mr Zelensky has dismissed. The US President himself said on Tuesday it is 'possible he [Putin] doesn't want to make a deal'. The coming weeks will be crucial but it is clear European leaders are pushing to ramp up sanctions to turn the screws on Moscow's war machine once again if talks collapse.
