
Dr Peter Layton on Russia-Ukraine talks
Confusion surrounds Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkiye, with both sides trading insults and Russian President Putin's no-show. The Istanbul meeting is just the latest diplomatic back and forth between the warring countries. Efforts to mediate an acceptable resolution began well before Russia's invasion of 2022. We look back at the different negotiations that have taken place. CNA also speaks to Dr Peter Layton from Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Russia accuses Ukraine of 'postponing' POW swap
MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday (Jun 7) accused Ukraine of postponing a large-scale prisoner swap and the repatriation of the bodies of dead soldiers they had agreed on during peace talks in Istanbul. "The Ukrainian side has unexpectedly postponed for an indefinite period, both the acceptance of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war," Russia's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media. Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv agreed on Monday to swap all wounded soldiers and those under the age of 25 who were still held as prisoners of war (POWs). It was the only concrete outcome from the talks, at which Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian calls for an immediate ceasefire. Medinsky said Russia had brought the bodies of 1,212 killed Ukrainian soldiers to the "exchange area" - the first of 6,000 to be handed over. Moscow had also handed over a list to Kyiv with the names of 640 POWs to be swapped in the first stage. More than 1,000 prisoners from each side are set to be released in the largest exchange of the three-year conflict. "We urge Kyiv to strictly adhere to the timetable and all agreements reached, and begin the exchange immediately," Medinsky said. Kyiv did not immediately respond to the accusation. After the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the exchange would take place this weekend, while Russia said it was ready for Saturday, Sunday or Monday.


CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Japan trade negotiator says progress made in US tariff talks
TOKYO: Japan had made some progress in a fifth round of trade talks with United States officials aimed at ending tariffs that are h urting Japan's economy, Tokyo's chief tariff negotiator said. "Tariffs have already been imposed on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum, and some of them have doubled to 50 per cent along with 10 per cent general tariff. These are causing daily losses to Japan's economy," Ryosei Akazawa, said in Washington on Friday (June 6) after talks with officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Akazawa declined to say what progress they had made. The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between senior Japanese and US officials before the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit that starts on June 15, where US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Japan also faces a 24 per cent tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with Washington. "We want an agreement as soon as possible. The G7 summit is on our radar, and if our leaders meet, we want to show what progress has been made," Akazawa said. "Still we must balance urgency with a need to guard our national interests," he added. Last month Japan's trade negotiator said US defence equipment purchases, shipbuilding technology collaboration, a revision of automobile import standards and an increase in agricultural imports could be bargaining chips in tariff talks. In a bid to reach an agreement with the US, Japan is also proposing a mechanism to reduce the auto tariff rate based on how much countries contribute to the US auto industry, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday.


CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
North Korea internet hit by a major outage, analyst says
SEOUL: North Korea's internet is experiencing a major outage on Saturday (Jun 7), said a UK-based researcher, adding that the cause may be may be internal rather than a cyberattack. North Korea's main news websites and its foreign ministry internet site were inaccessible on Saturday morning, according to checks by Reuters. "A major outage is currently occurring on North Korea's internet - affecting all routes whether they come in via China or Russia," said Junade Ali, a UK-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure is not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, he said. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack," he said.