Newshour European powers say Ukraine must have say in peace talks
Also in the programme: Mo Salah criticizes UEFA after the killing of Palestinian footballer Suleiman Obeid during an Israeli strike in Gaza. We get the reaction of the Palestinian national football team manager Ehab Abu Jazar; and amid a deadlock over global negotiations to end single use plastics, we hear from John Chweya, President of the Kenya National Waste Pickers Welfare Association.
Picture: Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk walk to attend a joint press conference following a meeting of the 'Coalition of the willing' at the Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the president of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 10 May 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. Credit: SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Things to know about Alaska ahead of Friday's Trump-Putin summit
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting in Alaska on Friday will mark the latest chapter in the 49th state's long history with Russia. Siberian fur traders arrived from across the Bering Sea in the early 18th century, and the imprint of Russian settlement in Alaska remains. The oldest building in Anchorage is a Russian Orthodox church, and many Alaska Natives have Russian surnames. The nations are so close that Alaska's Little Diomede Island in the Bering Strait is less than 3 miles (5 kilometres) from Russia's Big Diomede. So former Governor Sarah Palin was right during the 2008 presidential race when she said, 'You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska'. Alaska has been U.S. territory since 1867, and was the location of the only World War II battle on North American soil, a focus of Cold War tensions and the site of occasional meetings between U.S. and world leaders. Here's a look at Alaska's history with Russia and on the international stage: Russian trappers and Seward's Folly The fur traders established hubs in Sitka and on Kodiak Island. The Russian population in Alaska never surpassed about 400 permanent settlers, according to the Office of the Historian of the U.S. State Department. Russian settlers brutally coerced Alaska Natives to harvest sea otters and other marine mammals for their pelts, said Ian Hartman, a University of Alaska Anchorage history professor. 'It was a relationship that the Russians made clear quite early on was not really about kind of a longer-term pattern of settlement, but it was much more about a short-term pattern of extraction,' Hartman said. Meanwhile, Russian Orthodox missionaries baptised an estimated 18,000 Alaska Natives. By 1867, the otters had been hunted nearly to extinction, and Russia was broke from the Crimean War. Czar Alexander II sold Alaska to the U.S. for the low price of $7.2 million, knowing Russia couldn't defend its interests in Alaska if the U.S. or Great Britain tried to seize it. Sceptics referred to the purchase as 'Seward's Folly,' after U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward. That changed when gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896. World War II and the Cold War The U.S. realised Alaska's strategic importance in the 20th century. During World War II, the island of Attu — the westernmost in the Aleutian chain and closer to Russia than to mainland North America — was captured by Japanese forces. The effort to reclaim it in 1943 became known as the war's 'forgotten battle.' During the Cold War, military leaders worried the Soviets might attack via Alaska, flying planes over the North Pole to drop nuclear weapons. They built a chain of radar systems connected to an anti-aircraft missile system. The military constructed much of the infrastructure in Alaska, including roads and some communities, and its experience building on permafrost later informed the private companies that would drill for oil and construct the trans-Alaska pipeline. Last year, the Pentagon said the U.S. must invest more to upgrade sensors, communications and space-based technologies in the Arctic to keep pace with China and Russia, and it sent about 130 soldiers to a desolate Aleutian island amid an increase in Russian military planes and vessels approaching U.S. territory. Past visits by dignitaries Putin will be the first Russian leader to visit, but other prominent figures have come before him. Japanese Emperor Hirohito stopped in Anchorage before heading to Europe in 1971 to meet President Richard Nixon, and in 1984, thousands turned out to see President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II meet at the airport in Fairbanks. President Barack Obama visited in 2015, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to set foot north of the Arctic Circle, on a trip to highlight the dangers of climate change. Governor Bill Walker welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport in Anchorage in 2017 and then took him on a short tour of the state's largest city. Four years later, Anchorage was the setting for a less cordial meeting as top U.S. and Chinese officials held two days of contentious talks in their first face-to-face meeting since President Joe Biden took office two months earlier. Critics say Alaska is a poor choice for the summit Sentiment toward Russia in Alaska has cooled since Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022. The Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to suspend its three-decade-long sister city relationship with Magadan, Russia, and the Juneau Assembly sent its sister city of Vladivostok a letter expressing concern. The group Stand Up Alaska has organised rallies against Putin on Thursday and Friday. Dimitry Shein, who ran unsuccessfully for Alaska's lone seat in the U.S. House in 2018, fled from the Soviet Union to Anchorage with his mother in the early 1990s. He expressed dismay that Trump has grown increasingly authoritarian. Russia and the U.S. 'are just starting to look more and more alike,' he said. Many observers have suggested that holding the summit in Alaska sends a bad symbolic message. 'It's easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, 'Well, look, territories can change hands,'' said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British Ambassador to Belarus and senior fellow at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. ''We gave you Alaska. Why can't Ukraine give us a part of its territory?''
Sky News
12 minutes ago
- Sky News
Michael Clarke Q&A: How much will Putin get away with at Alaska meeting with Trump?
Send us your questions about Trump-Putin meeting and war in Ukraine Michael Clarke, our military analyst, is back later today to answer your Ukraine war questions. It could be a hugely significant week for the future of the conflict and peace in Europe, with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meeting in Alaska on Friday. Use the form at the top of this page to get in touch with your question for Clarke. He'll answer them live at 2pm.
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Wednesday briefing: How Trump and Putin might make peace in Ukraine without Zelenskyy at the table
Good morning. All eyes will be on Alaska this Friday for a peace summit aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting will be between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Even more striking: Ukraine, the country under invasion and with parts of its territory occupied, has not been invited. But behind the buzz of diplomacy lies the fog of war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is not preparing to end the conflict, but 'making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations'. What exactly this new offensive will entail remains uncertain. But just days before the Trump-Putin summit, Zelenskyy admitted in a press briefing that groups of Russians advanced about 10km in several places, as part of their bid to seize full control of the Donetsk region. To understand how the upcoming summit and reports of fresh Russian incursions might shape the course of the war and any potential peace settlement, I spoke to Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian's defence editor, who is reporting from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. That's after the headlines. Immigration | More than 50,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats since Keir Starmer became prime minister, official figures have confirmed. Gaza | Gaza is facing a new threat as diseases resistant to antibiotics spread across the devastated territory. Medical supplies are scarce and tens of thousands of people have been injured or weakened by malnutrition in the 22-month war. UK news | The Treasury is looking at ways to raise more money from inheritance tax amid growing pressure on the country's finances ahead of the autumn budget, sources have told the Guardian. Wildfires | Almost 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northern, central and southern Spain as wildfires continue to burn amid a heatwave that could bring temperatures of 44C to some parts of the country. US news | National guard troops arrived at their headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday as Democratic mayors warned Donald Trump against expanding his law and order power grab in other major cities. During the presidential campaign last year, Donald Trump repeatedly vowed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. But eight months into his presidency, the war rages on into its fourth year. In that time, Russia has been building up its industrial capability. It is now manufacturing about 100 Shahed drones a day, while ramping up missile production, especially Iskander ballistic missiles, which are very hard for Ukraine to intercept, Dan tells me. 'They've started using these in combination and in greater numbers,' Dan says. 'In spring, we saw more regular missile attacks on Kyiv, which included all-night drone raids. In one attack, dozens of people were killed. The biggest was in the western city of Lutsk, near a Ukrainian airbase, when about 700 drones came in one night. We're seeing the Russian military-industrial complex grinding along, trying to win through attrition.' Russia started to slightly dial down its attacks on Ukrainian urban centres after complaints by the US, but that changed this week. And there's more movement on the frontlines, with reports that raiding parties have broken through a few kilometres from Donetsk. 'These are small, about 30 to 50 troops, but the point is psychological: to make Americans and negotiators think Ukraine is in trouble,' Dan says. 'Ahead of this much-hyped Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, the Russians are trying to create 'facts on the ground'.' What about Ukraine's offensive into Russia? Last year, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia's Kursk region in a surprise incursion that caught Russia off guard. 'It was a big morale-boosting operation,' Dan says. But by the spring of this year, Russia had successfully repelled the attack. Reclaiming the region occurred during a crucial time: the big row between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office that was seen around the world. Shortly after that diplomatic spat, the Americans briefly withheld intelligence sharing, which is crucial for targeting and knowing where the enemy is, and paused weapons shipments for the first time. 'The Russians gained a lot of territory in a few days. Even though both were later switched back on, a lot of momentum was lost,' Dan says. 'So, Ukraine lost what might have been a bargaining chip in future negotiations.' What will happen at the Alaska peace summit? There are reports that Ukrainians only knew about the peace summit after it had been arranged. And they have not been invited – despite pleading from European leaders that Zelenskyy be at the negotiating table. The relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy can best be described as rocky. But Dan says that Trump has seemed to lose patience with Putin. He gave the Russian leader a 50-day deadline to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire or face US sanctions on oil exports, and began to threaten secondary sanctions on China and India for buying Russian oil. Then, Trump's negotiator Steve Witkoff went to Moscow last week, and news broke that Trump would meet the Russian president this week. It will be the first US-Russia leadership summit since Joe Biden met his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021. 'Trump wants the headline 'I stopped the war', but may not care what that looks like,' cautions Dan. 'The two leaders agreed to meet in Alaska, a kind of midpoint between the two countries, though geopolitically nowhere. European leaders aren't invited. Zelenskyy isn't invited. This is purely bilateral and it's Trump and Putin's first face-to-face since Helsinki 2018. 'The Ukrainian fear is that Russia will offer a ceasefire in exchange for Ukraine giving up the rest of Donetsk oblast, which is about 9,000 sq km, including heavily fortified cities like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.' In a press briefing attended by Dan, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would never accept this, because it's strategically vital territory and giving it away would invite future Russian offensives. The region sought by Russia amounted to 'about 90,000 square kilometres' of the country, he said. He adds that Ukraine's counteroffer is a ceasefire on current frontlines, prisoner and child returns, and then talks on territory and security guarantees. They refuse any voluntary handover of cities Russia hasn't taken. But Putin has thus far refused to meet Zelenskyy. What do ordinary Ukrainians want? Dan has been in Kyiv every August since 2022. That year, the city was recovering after repelling Russian attempts to seize it. In 2023, the counteroffensive was under way but the future remained uncertain. By 2024, after the Kursk incursion, there was renewed optimism. 'There's now a growing weariness. People want to see what happens with this diplomatic track, but no one expects a military miracle. People get very tired when there's a run of missile and drone attacks, they lose sleep and real life becomes hard work. People are sheltering in the metro station and if you've got a family you're thinking 'what am I doing here?' But when those stop the city comes back to life. It's a resilient place,' Dan says. The Ukrainian people want the war to end – nearly everyone has lost someone or been displaced – but they won't accept peace at any price, Dan added. And while there's growing acceptance that Ukraine can't reconquer all their lost territory, there's also a hard line on not giving up more. What is on the mind of people in the country is what role Trump is going to play. 'Ukrainians, particularly the negotiators, want to be very careful here. No one wants to alienate the US leader for obvious reasons. If there is a world where Trump is going to be a mediator, the guy who can bring Putin and Zelenskyy round the table, the guy who can make this a threeway summit to end the war, or at least stop the fighting, then in Ukraine's view Trump can be a hero,' Dan says. 'But if Trump is going to try to negotiate with Putin and then try to force Ukrainians to accept that negotiated peace, if he is less of an honest broker, then that's something to fear and not something they want' The problem is no one knows which Trump will turn up in Alaska. Shocking report on how millions of lentil-sized bits of plastic (nurdles, above) are washing into the sea and clogging up the insides of fish, shrimp and seabirds that mistake them for food. Phoebe It's been a year since the Tories suffered their worst electoral defeat yet, but the news has yet to sink in, says former cabinet minister David Gauke in a fascinating interview with the Guardian's Jessica Elgot. Aamna A cautionary tale for readers at risk of becoming over-reliant on ChatGPT for medical advice - a 60-year-old man stopped eating salt after consulting with the chatbot and ended up being treated for psychosis. Phoebe Israel is running two Gaza campaigns, writes the Guardian's Emma Graham-Harrison: one to secure control of the strip, and another on shaping the narrative of events. The targeted killing of Palestinian journalists and restrictions on press access have led to conclusions this is a deliberate strategy. Aamna Ahead of Trump and Putin's meeting on Friday, this is an interesting look at the history of Alaska - why it is dotted with Russian Orthodox churches, and why it is a good backdrop for the two world leaders to meet. Phoebe Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Football | Crystal Palace have called on Uefa to scrap its 'poorly conceived' rules on multi-club ownership after their appeal against demotion from the Europa League was rejected. Cricket | Middlesex are in advanced negotiations with two international investment groups over a funding deal that would enable the club to build a permanent home away from Lord's. Football | Sky Sports is to give its viewers the opportunity to watch four Premier League games at once this season, introducing a 'multiview' feature to accompany a record number of live matches in the top flight. 'Treasury targets inheritance tax rises to plug growing UK deficit,' is the front page on the Guardian on Wednesday. 'Families face fresh inheritance tax grab,' says the Telegraph. 'Chinese company could take over struggling Thames Water,' is the splash at the Times, while the Mirror leads with: 'DRY ALERT,' highlighting a story on the water crisis and drought. 'Taunts of the Tik Tok migrant,' is the focus at the Sun, and the Mail: It's not our fault!' 'Clampdown on stone imports after deadly lung disease linked to kitchen revamps,' says the i paper, as the FT has 'Arms factories expand at triple speed as Europe switches on to war footing.' Finally, the Daily Express leads with 'Record 8m people on universal credit,' and the Metro: 'Bungling hitwoman in niqab faces life.' The secrets of the world's richest company Nvidia is the world's first $4tn company – and it just made an astonishing deal with Trump. But who is the company's founder, Jensen Huang, and what is behind its success? Tae Kim explains A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad Thousands more waterways are being used for swimming and boating in England than previously thought. The Environment Agency had listed 342 waterways in England as being used for outdoor activities like paddle boarding, rowing, sailing and surfing. In fact, the number is 10 times that, with 3,347 'water recreation locations' around the country. 'This research only confirms what we've been saying for years. England's wild waters are alive with swimmers, surfers, sailors and paddlers all year round,' says Dani Jordan, the director of campaigns and communities at Surfers Against Sewage. Only 451 are official bathing sites, and campaigners are pushing for more lakes and rivers to be cleaned up so people can enjoy them safely. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday The Guardian's climate assembly with George Monbiot and special guests On 16 September, join George Monbiot, Emma Pinchbeck, Mikaela Loach, as they discuss the forces driving the big climate pushback, with a welcome from editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and the opportunity to meet our spotlight charities and activists. Book tickets here or at And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
