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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A serviceman of 152nd Separate Jaeger Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces checks the sky to look out for Russian combat drones, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo LONDON - Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at their Alaska summit, sources briefed on Moscow's thinking said. The account emerged the day after Trump and Putin met at an airforce base in Alaska, the first encounter between a U.S. president and the Kremlin chief since before the start of the Ukraine conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to travel to Washington on Monday to discuss with Trump a possible settlement of the full-scale war, which Putin launched in February 2022. Although the summit failed to secure the ceasefire he said he had wanted, Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that he and Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had "largely agreed". "I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say 'no'." The two sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said their knowledge of Putin's proposals was mostly based on discussions between leaders in Europe, the U.S. and Ukraine, and noted it was not complete. Trump briefed Zelenskiy and European leaders on his summit discussions early on Saturday. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 280 vapes seized, more than 640 people checked by police, HSA in anti-vape raids at nightspots Singapore SPLRT disruption: 28km of cables to be tested during off-service hours; works to end by Aug 23 Singapore First-half GDP boost likely temporary; Republic must stay relevant amid challenges: Chan Chun Sing Life Six-figure sales each durian season: Why S'pore durian sellers are now live selling on TikTok Singapore Airport-bound public bus to be fitted with luggage rack in 3-month trial: LTA Asia Australian universities slash staff, courses as rising wages and foreign student curbs bite Life Meet the tutors who take O-level exams every year to create a 'war mate' bond with their students Life Pivot or perish: How Singapore restaurants are giving diners what they want It was not immediately clear if the proposals by Putin were an opening gambit to serve as a starting point for negotiations or more like a final offer that was not subject to discussion. UKRAINIAN LAND FOR PEACE At face value, at least some of the demands would present huge challenges for Ukraine's leadership to accept. Putin's offer ruled out a ceasefire until a comprehensive deal is reached, blocking a key demand of Zelenskiy, whose country is hit daily by Russian drones and ballistic missiles. Under the proposed Russian deal, Kyiv would fully withdraw from the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions in return for a Russian pledge to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the sources said. Ukraine has already rejected any retreat from Ukrainian land such as the Donetsk region, where its troops are dug in and which Kyiv says serves as a crucial defensive structure to prevent Russian attacks deeper into its territory. Russia would be prepared to return comparatively small tracts of Ukrainian land it has occupied in the northern Sumy and northeastern Kharkiv regions, the sources said. Russia holds pockets of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions that total around 440 square km, according to Ukraine's Deep State battlefield mapping project. Ukraine controls around 6,600 square km of Donbas, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and is claimed by Russia. Although the Americans have not spelled this out, the sources said they knew Russia's leader was also seeking - at the very least - formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. It was not clear if that meant recognition by the U.S. government or, for instance, all Western powers and Ukraine. Kyiv and its European allies reject formal recognition of Moscow's rule in the peninsula. They said Putin would also expect the lifting of at least some of the array of sanctions on Russia. However, they could not say if this applied to U.S. as well as European sanctions. Trump said on Friday he did not immediately need to consider retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil - which is subject to a range of Western sanctions - but might have to "in two or three weeks." Ukraine would also be barred from joining the NATO military alliance, though Putin seemed to be open to Ukraine receiving some kind of security guarantees, the sources said. However, they added that it was unclear what this meant in practice. European leaders said Trump had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine during their conversation on Saturday and also broached an idea for an "Article 5"-style guarantee outside the NATO military alliance. NATO regards any attack launched on one of its 32 members as an attack on all under its Article 5 clause. Joining the Atlantic alliance is a strategic objective for Kyiv that is enshrined in the country's constitution. Russia would also demand official status for the Russian language inside parts of, or across, Ukraine, as well as the right of the Russian Orthodox Church to operate freely, the sources said. Ukraine's security agency accuses the Moscow-linked church of abetting Russia's war on Ukraine by spreading pro-Russian propaganda and housing spies, something denied by the church which says it has cut canonical ties with Moscow. Ukraine has passed a law banning Russia-linked religious organisations, of which it considers the church to be one. However, it has not yet started enforcing the ban. REUTERS
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump backing Putin's Ukraine land plan: Source, reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox President Donald Trump reaches for a handshake with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug 15. WARSAW - US President Donald Trump backs a Russian proposal for Moscow to take full control of two Ukrainian regions and freeze the front line in two others which Moscow only partially controls, a source told AFP. The source with knowledge of the matter said Russian President Vladimir Putin 'de facto demands that Ukraine leave Donbas', an area consisting of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine. 'Trump is inclined to support it,' the source said. Mr Trump on Aug 17 spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders about his talks on Aug 15 with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'The Ukrainian president refused to leave Donbas,' the source said. Mr Zelensky has rejected any territorial concessions, saying he is bound by Ukraine's constitution. But he has not ruled out discussing the issue at a trilateral meeting with Mr Trump and Mr Putin. The New York Times also cited two senior European officials saying Mr Trump supported Mr Putin's plan 'to end the war in Ukraine by ceding unconquered territory to the Russian invaders, rather than try for a ceasefire'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 280 vapes seized, more than 640 people checked by police, HSA in anti-vape raids at nightspots Singapore SPLRT disruption: 28km of cables to be tested during off-service hours; works to end by Aug 23 Singapore First-half GDP boost likely temporary; Republic must stay relevant amid challenges: Chan Chun Sing Life Six-figure sales each durian season: Why S'pore durian sellers are now live selling on TikTok Singapore Airport-bound public bus to be fitted with luggage rack in 3-month trial: LTA Asia Australian universities slash staff, courses as rising wages and foreign student curbs bite Life Meet the tutors who take O-level exams every year to create a 'war mate' bond with their students Life Pivot or perish: How Singapore restaurants are giving diners what they want The Financial Times reported that Mr Putin had told Mr Trump that 'he could freeze the rest of the front line if his core demands were met' and the message had been relayed directly by Mr Trump in his call on Aug 16. AFP's source said US officials had said that if Russia's demands were met then 'Putin would not continue the offensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions so there would be a kind of freeze there. 'But de facto it all will depend on Putin's word of honour,' the source said. Several months into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia in September 2022 claimed to have annexed all four Ukrainian regions - even though its troops still do not fully control any of them. Russian forces now occupy almost all of the Luhansk region and most of the Donetsk region, including their regional capitals. That is not the case for Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, where the main hubs are still under Ukrainian control. Russia in 2014 invaded and later claimed to have annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. AFP
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
In Michigan's cherry country, the federal safety net is fraying
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Maria Pascual, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala at 17 to work picking fruits and vegetables and became a citizen two years ago, sorts cherries with other workers at King Orchards, in Central Lake, Michigan, U.S., July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein CENTRAL LAKE, MICHIGAN - The frost came in late April, sliding across the hills before dawn. Juliette King McAvoy stepped into the orchard, hoping the cold had spared the cherry buds. But they glittered in the morning sun like glass, just as dead. Weather had damaged much of the family orchard's crop for the third time in five years. The blow landed on a farm and an industry already squeezed by the Trump administration's changes to government services, immigration and trade policies. King Orchards' harvest crew from Guatemala arrived in mid-July, short-handed and weeks late after delays in securing the H-2A seasonal farmworker visas they rely on each year. They paid more to ship fresh cherries by private carrier after a U.S. Postal Service reorganization left fresh fruit sitting a bit too long. A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant request for funding a cold-storage unit remained in limbo, as Washington cut spending on farm programs and agricultural research. And Jack King, Juliette's brother and the farm's agronomist, kept searching for fertilizer cheap enough to haul and untouched by President Donald Trump's trade wars. "It all slows us down," King McAvoy, the farm's business manager, said during a brief pause in July's harried harvest. Farmers in the hills near Grand Traverse Bay, where the fruit of their labor has filled pies and fed generations, said they are caught in the crosshairs of Trump's reshaping of government, with sharp cuts and increasing delays hitting the $227 million U.S. tart cherry industry hard. From weather, plant disease and pest woes, USDA forecast Michigan will lose 41% of its tart cherry crop this year, compared to 2024. Northwest Michigan, where the King farm is located, faces the steepest drop — about 70%, according to the Cherry Industry Administrative Board. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 280 vapes seized, more than 640 people checked by police, HSA in anti-vape raids at nightspots Life Meet the tutors who take O-level exams every year to create a 'war mate' bond with their students World Trump advises Ukraine's Zelensky to 'make a deal' with Russia after meeting Putin World Did Putin just put one over on Trump at the US-Russia summit on Ukraine? Singapore 3 truck drivers injured after chain collision on ECP, including one rescued with hydraulic tools Asia Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill more than 320 Singapore Nowhere to run: Why Singapore needs to start protecting its coasts now Opinion Revitalise nightlife? Let's get the crowds out first After the April freeze, King McAvoy's phone rang. It was her friend and fellow grower, Emily Miezio, in Suttons Bay, Michigan. "What are you seeing?" Juliette stared at the trees. "I'm not sure. But it's not good." South of the Kings, the cold snap left farmer Don Gallagher's trees sparse. "We can grow leaves," he said, as his family hunted for fruit in the branches. "We just can't grow cherries." POLITICS AND TARIFFS Michigan's cherry roots run deep, from French settlers bringing the fruit to the Midwest. The Montmorency, ruby-red and mouth-puckering, became the region's signature, in pies, juice, dried fruit and the syrup Midwesterners spoon over cheesecake. When John King bought the farm in 1980, cherries were a Michigan birthright, like cars. He grew up in a General Motors family in Flint, working summers picking fruit. "It felt pure," said King, now 74. He secured 80 acres of land with help from a federal loan. The roadside stand came with a preacher's warning painted on the sign: Repent lest you perish in the fires of hell. He covered it with a rainbow and his dream: King Orchards. Today, it's a full family operation: In addition to John's daughter Juliette and son Jack, John's wife Betsy runs the market with Jack's wife, Courtney. John's brother Jim manages the harvest; Jim's wife Rose is chief baker; and their son-in-law Mark Schiller runs the hand-pick crews. Antrim County, where the farm sits, has long leaned Republican. The Kings, who are progressives, say the past few years have shown how national politics can ripple through their orchards. Trump's sweeping tax-and-spending law expanded safety nets for large commodity crop operations, such as corn and soybeans, for feed and biofuels. But nutrition and local food programs fruit and vegetable growers depend on were slashed, and his trade policies chilled demand from top export partners, according to government data and academic researchers. While USDA did not answer Reuters' specific questions regarding challenges facing the cherry industry, a spokesperson said Trump's law boosts the farm safety net, and includes increased funding for programs that support specialty crops and fight plant pests and diseases. The Kings and nearly a dozen other farmers across party lines told Reuters they expected tariffs to return if Trump won, but they hoped for a more surgical approach. About one-third of the Kings' concentrate goes overseas, mostly to Taiwan and New Zealand. But Michigan's crop loss will play a bigger role in diminished tart cherry exports than tariffs this year, the Kings and other growers said. The White House did not comment on questions about the administration's trade policy. Asked about delivery delays, the USPS said it had a plan to save $36 billion over 10 years that would mean slightly slower delivery for some mail, but faster service for other customers. SHRINKING EXPORTS AND BUDGETS While Michigan orchards struggle to fill bins, branches are bending in the West, with Washington State's sweet cherry production 29% bigger this year due to favorable weather, USDA forecasted. But growers there face different woes: fewer places to sell and low prices. In 2024, the U.S. exported nearly $506 million in fresh cherries worldwide - up 10% in value and 3% in volume from the year before, U.S. Census Bureau trade data shows. In the first half of this year, as Trump's trade wars reignited, U.S. fresh fruit exports fell 17% in volume and 15% in value. U.S. shipments to China never fully recovered after Trump's 2018 trade war. Sales to Canada also fell 18% by volume in the first six months. "There's little appetite for U.S. products in Canada," said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said wholesale sweet cherry prices are slumping, and many Northwest farmers are losing money. Back in Michigan, sideways rain lashed Suttons Bay. Emily Miezio hunched in the downpour in her family and business partners' orchard, watching the storm-lit sky. A worker steered a low-slung tree shaker to the trunk, clamping its arms tight. Tart cherries fell like red hail into a catching frame, funneled into bins, as another worker scooped out twigs and leaves, moving fast, racing the dawn. At the chilling station, a Michigan State University intern logged each truck with fruit to be cooled and processed by morning. Miezio, whose farm spans about 2,500 acres, leads the Cherry Marketing Institute, the tart cherry industry trade group. For years, they'd tried to claw back into China. "That door's pretty much slammed shut," she said, since the 2018 trade wars. Now they're courting Mexico and South Korea. USDA HELP On Traverse City's northern edge, the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center is a 137-acre test farm. Run by Michigan State University and funded by USDA grants and grower money, it's where Dr. Nikki Rothwell has spent more than two decades helping orchards survive. She's got the sun-creased skin of someone who lives outdoors and a laugh like a cracked whip. Farmers lean on her, especially now. On a sticky summer morning, she walked the rows with interns and researchers, testing hardier trees and better fruit. When they fired up the tree shaker — a grumbling relic older than some of the scientists — a rust-colored cloud of brown rot spores rose in the heat and settled on their sleeves. Tree by tree, they logged bruised fruit and powdery mold. "This kind of research doesn't have corporate backers," Rothwell said. "It's always been the government and the growers." This month, she's submitting the last paperwork for a $100,000 USDA grant awarded under the Biden administration for a disease study — money that's part of a federal review of climate-related research. She's not sure if the money will come through. Colleagues at other land-grant schools haven't been paid, she said. LABOR SQUEEZE Money isn't the only thing held up. So are the people needed to bring in the crop. The labor squeeze stretches coast to coast. In Oregon, grower Ian Chandler watched half a million pounds of cherries rot on trees. He began harvesting with 47 workers on June 10. He needed 120. Fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in California would spread north kept some people away, he said. "We are bleeding from a thousand cuts," said Chandler, 47, an Army veteran with two sons in uniform. "It's an untenable position." White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Trump is committed to ensuring farmers have the workforce they need, but that there will be no safe harbor for criminal illegal immigrants. In Michigan, the King Orchards crew was short two people, whose H-2A visa paperwork in Guatemala cleared too late, said Schiller, who runs the farm's hand-pick harvest crew. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters that H-2 visa applicants should apply early and anticipate additional processing time, as U.S. embassies and consulates work to process them quickly without compromising U.S. national or economic security. Inside the barn, one of the farm's long-time workers named Maria Pascual stood at the sorting line, head wrapped against the heat, hands moving with quiet precision. She came to the U.S. from Guatemala at 17 with her father. They picked peppers and cucumbers in Florida, then followed the harvest north. She met her husband on the road. For a while, they lived the migrant rhythm — cherries in Michigan, oranges in Florida — until 1990, when they stayed for good. "When you have kids…" she said and let the sentence hang. She and her husband earned legal permanent residency under Ronald Reagan's 1986 immigration law, which helped millions of immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally to secure legal status. Two years ago, Maria became a U.S. citizen. "I just wanted to be a citizen," she said. "I feel like… just normal." Now, Trump's immigration policies hang over her family like a brewing storm. One brother was picked up by ICE this summer in Florida and deported. Others back home hope to come on H-2A visas. There have been no major ICE raids on Michigan farms this year. But the fear lingers, sharpened this summer by the opening of the Midwest's largest ICE detention center — up to 1,810 beds set deep in the forest in Baldwin, Michigan, where birdsong drifts over the Concertina wire. REUTERS
