Anthony Albanese likely won't consult Donald Trump ahead of any decision to recognise Palestinian statehood
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News.com.au
24 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Kremlin says Trump-Putin meeting agreed for 'coming days'
The Kremlin said Thursday that a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was set for the "coming days", both sides having already agreed the venue "in principle". The summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. It comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Russia's military assault on Ukraine. Three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire. The two sides appear as far apart as ever in the conditions they have set for an end to the more than three-year-long conflict. Trump said Wednesday he was likely to meet Putin face-to-face "very soon." They last sat together in 2019 at G20 summit meeting in Japan but have spoken by phone several times since Trump returned to the White House. "At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement has been reached in principle to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Thursday in a Kremlin statement. "We are now starting to work out the details together with our American colleagues," he added. The Kremlin said a venue had also been agreed "in principle", but did not name it. "Next week has been set as a target date," said Ushakov. - Putin-Zelensky meeting? - Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022. Russian bombardments have forced millions for flee their homes and destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine. Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire. At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators have outlined hardline territorial demands if Ukraine wants Russia to halt its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from territory it still controls and renounce Western military support. Moscow has also repeatedly sought to cast doubt on Zelensky's legitimacy and ruled out a meeting between the two leaders until after the terms of a peace deal have been agreed. The announcement of the upcoming summit comes a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow. Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Russia did not respond to that proposal, Ushakov said. "The Russian side left this option completely without comment," he added. Zelensky earlier Thursday had refreshed his call for a meeting with Putin -- which he says is the only way to make progress towards peace. "It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed," he wrote on social media. The Ukrainian leader later spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Both "praised the mediation efforts" of Trump, a German government spokesman said. But Zelensky also called for Europe to be included in any potential peace talks. "The war is happening in Europe, and Ukraine is an integral part of Europe -- we are already in negotiations on EU accession. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes," Zelensky said on social media after the call. He also said he would hold several other conversations throughout the course of the day, including with French and Italian officials. "Today, security advisors will hold an online meeting to align our joint views -- Ukraine and the whole Europe, the United States," Zelensky said. "Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side. It is time we ended the war," he added. bur/jj/giv
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Activists arrested as students strike for Palestine
University students have walked out of classrooms across the country in solidarity with Palestinians as Australia considers its next diplomatic moves. National student strikes were held in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Wollongong on Thursday to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. About 300 people gathered in central Melbourne, with one speaker accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of having '"the blood of Gaza" on their hands. "Thousands of children, hundreds of thousands of people are slowly starving to death in a man-made famine," she told the crowd outside the State Library. The demonstrators marched through the street holding signs and chanting "Israel out of Gaza" and "Israel out of West Bank". They staged a sit-in at the corner in front of Flinders Street Station, blocking the intersection to traffic. Police tried to open the road and removed protesters who refused to move. Five protesters were arrested and are expected to be charged on summons, police said. A man with an Australian flag was also moved on for breaching the peace. Tens of thousands of Australians took part in pro-Palestine protests at the weekend, including at least 90,000 who rallied at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Brisbane's Story Bridge could be the next monument to host a historic march after Justice For Palestine told Queensland police of their intention to walk across it on August 24. Australia has begun co-ordinating with other nations as France, Canada and the UK prepare to recognise the state of Palestine at a United Nations meeting in September. The federal government has been hesitant to commit to a deadline for recognition and the coalition has raised concerns such an action could be seen as a reward for designated terrorist organisation Hamas. But Australia's former ambassador to Israel Peter Rodgers dismissed such arguments as "nonsensical". "Not recognising a Palestinian state rewards Israel," he told ABC Radio. "It rewards the government of Benjamin Netanyahu for ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the West Bank." A genocide case has been brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which is yet to rule on the matter. Mr Netanyahu's office called the allegations "false and outrageous", with his government repeatedly claiming it only targets Hamas and not civilians. Violence in Gaza reignited after Hamas killed 1200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israel since October 2023, UNICEF said. Mr Rodgers was one of many former Australian diplomats who signed an open letter to Mr Albanese calling on Australia to urgently recognise Palestinian statehood. More than 140 of the 193 United Nations member states already recognise the state of Palestine, including European Union member states Spain and Ireland. Mr Albanese has said the recognition of Palestine would need to guarantee Hamas plays no role in the future nation. Hamas has effectively governed Gaza since violently defeating the political party Fatah, which now controls the Palestinian Authority that exercises partial civil control in the West Bank. Mr Albanese spoke with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, reiterating Australia's commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East that would allow Palestine and Israel to co-exist. "The entire international community is distressed by what we're seeing happening in Gaza," he told reporters in Melbourne. More than two million people in Gaza are now facing high levels of food insecurity, United Nations sources have found. Israel denies there is starvation in the besieged strip despite international human rights groups decrying its offensive in Gaza and attributing deaths to starvation. University students have walked out of classrooms across the country in solidarity with Palestinians as Australia considers its next diplomatic moves. National student strikes were held in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Wollongong on Thursday to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. About 300 people gathered in central Melbourne, with one speaker accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of having '"the blood of Gaza" on their hands. "Thousands of children, hundreds of thousands of people are slowly starving to death in a man-made famine," she told the crowd outside the State Library. The demonstrators marched through the street holding signs and chanting "Israel out of Gaza" and "Israel out of West Bank". They staged a sit-in at the corner in front of Flinders Street Station, blocking the intersection to traffic. Police tried to open the road and removed protesters who refused to move. Five protesters were arrested and are expected to be charged on summons, police said. A man with an Australian flag was also moved on for breaching the peace. Tens of thousands of Australians took part in pro-Palestine protests at the weekend, including at least 90,000 who rallied at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Brisbane's Story Bridge could be the next monument to host a historic march after Justice For Palestine told Queensland police of their intention to walk across it on August 24. Australia has begun co-ordinating with other nations as France, Canada and the UK prepare to recognise the state of Palestine at a United Nations meeting in September. The federal government has been hesitant to commit to a deadline for recognition and the coalition has raised concerns such an action could be seen as a reward for designated terrorist organisation Hamas. But Australia's former ambassador to Israel Peter Rodgers dismissed such arguments as "nonsensical". "Not recognising a Palestinian state rewards Israel," he told ABC Radio. "It rewards the government of Benjamin Netanyahu for ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the West Bank." A genocide case has been brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which is yet to rule on the matter. Mr Netanyahu's office called the allegations "false and outrageous", with his government repeatedly claiming it only targets Hamas and not civilians. Violence in Gaza reignited after Hamas killed 1200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israel since October 2023, UNICEF said. Mr Rodgers was one of many former Australian diplomats who signed an open letter to Mr Albanese calling on Australia to urgently recognise Palestinian statehood. More than 140 of the 193 United Nations member states already recognise the state of Palestine, including European Union member states Spain and Ireland. Mr Albanese has said the recognition of Palestine would need to guarantee Hamas plays no role in the future nation. Hamas has effectively governed Gaza since violently defeating the political party Fatah, which now controls the Palestinian Authority that exercises partial civil control in the West Bank. Mr Albanese spoke with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, reiterating Australia's commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East that would allow Palestine and Israel to co-exist. "The entire international community is distressed by what we're seeing happening in Gaza," he told reporters in Melbourne. More than two million people in Gaza are now facing high levels of food insecurity, United Nations sources have found. Israel denies there is starvation in the besieged strip despite international human rights groups decrying its offensive in Gaza and attributing deaths to starvation. University students have walked out of classrooms across the country in solidarity with Palestinians as Australia considers its next diplomatic moves. National student strikes were held in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Wollongong on Thursday to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. About 300 people gathered in central Melbourne, with one speaker accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of having '"the blood of Gaza" on their hands. "Thousands of children, hundreds of thousands of people are slowly starving to death in a man-made famine," she told the crowd outside the State Library. The demonstrators marched through the street holding signs and chanting "Israel out of Gaza" and "Israel out of West Bank". They staged a sit-in at the corner in front of Flinders Street Station, blocking the intersection to traffic. Police tried to open the road and removed protesters who refused to move. Five protesters were arrested and are expected to be charged on summons, police said. A man with an Australian flag was also moved on for breaching the peace. Tens of thousands of Australians took part in pro-Palestine protests at the weekend, including at least 90,000 who rallied at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Brisbane's Story Bridge could be the next monument to host a historic march after Justice For Palestine told Queensland police of their intention to walk across it on August 24. Australia has begun co-ordinating with other nations as France, Canada and the UK prepare to recognise the state of Palestine at a United Nations meeting in September. The federal government has been hesitant to commit to a deadline for recognition and the coalition has raised concerns such an action could be seen as a reward for designated terrorist organisation Hamas. But Australia's former ambassador to Israel Peter Rodgers dismissed such arguments as "nonsensical". "Not recognising a Palestinian state rewards Israel," he told ABC Radio. "It rewards the government of Benjamin Netanyahu for ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the West Bank." A genocide case has been brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which is yet to rule on the matter. Mr Netanyahu's office called the allegations "false and outrageous", with his government repeatedly claiming it only targets Hamas and not civilians. Violence in Gaza reignited after Hamas killed 1200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israel since October 2023, UNICEF said. Mr Rodgers was one of many former Australian diplomats who signed an open letter to Mr Albanese calling on Australia to urgently recognise Palestinian statehood. More than 140 of the 193 United Nations member states already recognise the state of Palestine, including European Union member states Spain and Ireland. Mr Albanese has said the recognition of Palestine would need to guarantee Hamas plays no role in the future nation. Hamas has effectively governed Gaza since violently defeating the political party Fatah, which now controls the Palestinian Authority that exercises partial civil control in the West Bank. Mr Albanese spoke with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, reiterating Australia's commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East that would allow Palestine and Israel to co-exist. "The entire international community is distressed by what we're seeing happening in Gaza," he told reporters in Melbourne. More than two million people in Gaza are now facing high levels of food insecurity, United Nations sources have found. Israel denies there is starvation in the besieged strip despite international human rights groups decrying its offensive in Gaza and attributing deaths to starvation. University students have walked out of classrooms across the country in solidarity with Palestinians as Australia considers its next diplomatic moves. National student strikes were held in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Wollongong on Thursday to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. About 300 people gathered in central Melbourne, with one speaker accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong of having '"the blood of Gaza" on their hands. "Thousands of children, hundreds of thousands of people are slowly starving to death in a man-made famine," she told the crowd outside the State Library. The demonstrators marched through the street holding signs and chanting "Israel out of Gaza" and "Israel out of West Bank". They staged a sit-in at the corner in front of Flinders Street Station, blocking the intersection to traffic. Police tried to open the road and removed protesters who refused to move. Five protesters were arrested and are expected to be charged on summons, police said. A man with an Australian flag was also moved on for breaching the peace. Tens of thousands of Australians took part in pro-Palestine protests at the weekend, including at least 90,000 who rallied at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Brisbane's Story Bridge could be the next monument to host a historic march after Justice For Palestine told Queensland police of their intention to walk across it on August 24. Australia has begun co-ordinating with other nations as France, Canada and the UK prepare to recognise the state of Palestine at a United Nations meeting in September. The federal government has been hesitant to commit to a deadline for recognition and the coalition has raised concerns such an action could be seen as a reward for designated terrorist organisation Hamas. But Australia's former ambassador to Israel Peter Rodgers dismissed such arguments as "nonsensical". "Not recognising a Palestinian state rewards Israel," he told ABC Radio. "It rewards the government of Benjamin Netanyahu for ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the West Bank." A genocide case has been brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which is yet to rule on the matter. Mr Netanyahu's office called the allegations "false and outrageous", with his government repeatedly claiming it only targets Hamas and not civilians. Violence in Gaza reignited after Hamas killed 1200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. Israel's military response has since killed 60,000 people, according to local health authorities. More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israel since October 2023, UNICEF said. Mr Rodgers was one of many former Australian diplomats who signed an open letter to Mr Albanese calling on Australia to urgently recognise Palestinian statehood. More than 140 of the 193 United Nations member states already recognise the state of Palestine, including European Union member states Spain and Ireland. Mr Albanese has said the recognition of Palestine would need to guarantee Hamas plays no role in the future nation. Hamas has effectively governed Gaza since violently defeating the political party Fatah, which now controls the Palestinian Authority that exercises partial civil control in the West Bank. Mr Albanese spoke with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, reiterating Australia's commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East that would allow Palestine and Israel to co-exist. "The entire international community is distressed by what we're seeing happening in Gaza," he told reporters in Melbourne. More than two million people in Gaza are now facing high levels of food insecurity, United Nations sources have found. Israel denies there is starvation in the besieged strip despite international human rights groups decrying its offensive in Gaza and attributing deaths to starvation.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
‘They wanted the casualties': Hamas welcomes West's push for recognition of Palestine
Former US Army vice chief of staff General Jack Keane discusses the impact of October 7, 2023, and how Hamas has welcomed Western countries' push for recognition of a Palestinian state. 'This is one of the most outrageous things I've seen,' Mr Keane told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. 'They wanted the casualties, you don't deny that.'
