Trump ‘open' to meeting Ukraine, Russia leaders to push ceasefire
ISTANBUL: US President Donald Trump is 'open' to meeting his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in Turkiye, the White House said, after the two sides failed on Monday to make headway toward an elusive ceasefire.
Delegations from both sides did, however, agree another large-scale prisoner exchange in their meeting in Istanbul, which in mid-May also hosted their first round of face-to-face talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed that Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump come together for a third round later this month in either Istanbul or Ankara.
Putin has so far refused such a meeting. But Zelensky has said he is willing, underlining that key issues can only be resolved at leaders-level.
Trump, who wants a swift end to the three-year war, is 'open' to a three-way summit 'if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together,' White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in Washington.
But despite Trump's willingness to meet with Putin and Zelensky, no US representative took part in Monday's talks in Istanbul, according to a State Department spokesperson.
Zelensky said that, 'We are very much awaiting strong steps from the United States' and urged Trump to toughen sanctions on Russia to 'push' it to agree to a full ceasefire.
In Monday's meeting, Ukraine said that Moscow had rejected its call for an unconditional ceasefire. It offered instead a partial truce of two to three days in some areas of the frontline.
Russia will only agree a full ceasefire if Ukrainian troops pull back entirely from four regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — according to its negotiating terms reported on by Russian state media. Russia currently only partly controls those regions.
Moscow has also demanded a ban on Kyiv joining NATO, limiting Ukraine's military and ending Western military support.
Top negotiators from both sides agreed to swap all severely wounded soldiers and captured fighters under the age of 25.
Russia's lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said it would involve 'at least 1,000' on each side.
The two sides also agreed to hand over the bodies of 6,000 soldiers, Ukraine said after the talks.
'The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire,' Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya told reporters after the talks.
Russia said it had offered a limited pause in fighting.
'We have proposed a specific ceasefire for two to three days in certain areas of the front line,' Medinsky said, adding that this was needed to collect the bodies of dead soldiers from the battlefield.
Zelensky hit back on social media: 'I think 'idiots', because the whole point of a ceasefire is to stop people from becoming dead in the first place.'
Kyiv said it would study a document the Russian side handed its negotiators outlining its demands for both peace and a full ceasefire.
Zelensky said after the Istanbul talks concluded that any deal for lasting peace must not 'reward' Putin, and has called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to cover combat on air, sea and land.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led his country's delegation, called for a next meeting to take place before the end of June. He also said a Putin-Zelensky summit should be discussed.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after the talks — inside a luxury hotel on the banks of the Bosphorus — that they were held 'in a constructive atmosphere.'
'During the meeting, the parties decided to continue preparations for a possible meeting at the leader level,' Fidan said on social media.
Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed and millions forced to flee their homes in Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.
In the front-line town of Dobropillya in eastern Ukraine, 53-year-old Volodymyr told AFP he had no hope left for an end to the conflict.
'We thought that everything would stop. And now there is nothing to wait for. We have no home, nothing. We were almost killed by drones,' he said.
After months of setbacks for Kyiv's military, Ukraine said it had carried out an audacious attack on Sunday, smuggling drones into Russia and then firing them at air bases, damaging around 40 strategic Russian bombers worth $7 billion in a major special operation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
15 minutes ago
- Arab News
Trump promised to welcome more foreign students. Now, they feel targeted on all fronts
To attract the brightest minds to America, President Donald Trump proposed a novel idea while campaigning: If elected, he would grant green cards to all foreign students who graduate from US colleges. 'It's so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools,' Trump said during a podcast interview last June. 'That is going to end on Day One.' That promise never came to pass. Trump's stance on welcoming foreign students has shifted dramatically. International students have found themselves at the center of an escalating campaign to kick them out or keep them from coming as his administration merges a crackdown on immigration with an effort to reshape higher education. An avalanche of policies from the Trump administration — such as terminating students' ability to study in the US, halting all new student visa interviews, moving to block foreign enrollment at Harvard — have triggered lawsuits, countersuits and confusion for international students who say they feel targeted on multiple fronts. In interviews, students from around the world described how it feels to be an international student today in America. Their accounts highlight pervasive feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity that have made them more cautious in their daily lives, distracted them from schoolwork and prompted many to cancel trips home because they fear not being allowed to return. For many, the last few months have forced them to rethink their dreams of building a life in America. A standout student from Latvia feels 'expendable' Markuss Saule, a freshman at Brigham Young University-Idaho, took a recent trip home to Latvia and spent the entire flight back to the US in a state of panic. For hours, he scrubbed his phone, uninstalling all social media, deleting anything that touched on politics or could be construed as anti-Trump. 'That whole 10-hour flight, where I was debating, 'Will they let me in?' — it definitely killed me a little bit,' said Saule, a business analytics major. 'It was terrifying.' Saule is the type of international student the US has coveted. As a high schooler in Latvia, he qualified for a competitive, merit-based exchange program funded by the US State Department. He spent a year of high school in Minnesota, falling in love with America and a classmate who is now his fiancee. He just ended his freshman year in college with a 4.0 GPA. But the alarm he felt on that flight crushed what was left of his American dream. 'If you had asked me at the end of 2024 what my plans were, it was to get married, find a great job here in the US and start a family,' said Saule, who hopes to work as a business data analyst. 'Those plans are not applicable anymore. Ask me now, and the plan to leave this place as soon as possible.' Saule and his fiancee plan to marry this summer, graduate a year early and move to Europe. This spring the Trump administration abruptly revoked permission to study in the US for thousands of international students before reversing itself. A federal judge has blocked further status terminations, but for many, the damage is done. Saule has a constant fear he could be next. As a student in Minnesota just three years ago, he felt like a proud ambassador for his country. 'Now I feel a sense of inferiority. I feel that I am expendable, that I am purely an appendage that is maybe getting cut off soon,' he said. Trump's policies carry a clear subtext. 'The policies, what they tell me is simple. It is one word: Leave.' From dreaming of working at NASA to 'doomscrolling' job listings in India A concern for attracting the world's top students was raised in the interview Trump gave last June on the podcast 'All-In.' Can you promise, Trump was asked, to give companies more ability 'to import the best and brightest' students? 'I do promise,' Trump answered. Green cards, he said, would be handed out with diplomas to any foreign student who gets a college or graduate degree. Trump said he knew stories of 'brilliant' graduates who wanted to stay in the US to work but couldn't. 'They go back to India, they go back to China' and become multi-billionaires, employing thousands of people. 'That is going to end on Day One.' Had Trump followed through with that pledge, a 24-year-old Indian physics major named Avi would not be afraid of losing everything he has worked toward. After six years in Arizona, where Avi attended college and is now working as an engineer, the US feels like a second home. He dreams of working at NASA or in a national lab and staying in America where he has several relatives. But now he is too afraid to fly to Chicago to see them, rattled by news of foreigners being harassed at immigration centers and airports. 'Do I risk seeing my family or risk deportation?' said Avi, who asked to be identified by his first name, fearing retribution. Avi is one of about 240,000 people on student visas in the US on Optional Practical Training — a postgraduation period where students are authorized to work in fields related to their degrees for up to three years. A key Trump nominee has said he would like to see an end to postgraduate work authorization for international students. Avi's visa is valid until next year but he feels 'a massive amount of uncertainty.' He wonders if he can sign a lease on a new apartment. Even his daily commute feels different. 'I drive to work every morning, 10 miles an hour under speed limit to avoid getting pulled over,' said Avi, who hopes to stay in the US but is casting a wider net. 'I spend a lot of time doomscrolling job listings in India and other places.' A Ukrainian chose college in America over joining the fight at home — for now Vladyslav Plyaka came to the US from Ukraine as an exchange student in high school. As war broke out at home, he stayed to attend the University of Wisconsin. He was planning to visit Poland to see his mother but if he leaves the US, he would need to reapply for a visa. He doesn't know when that will be possible now that visa appointments are suspended, and he doesn't feel safe leaving the country anyway. He feels grateful for the education, but without renewing his visa, he'll be stuck in the US at least two more years while he finishes his degree. He sometimes wonders if he would be willing to risk leaving his education in the United States — something he worked for years to achieve — if something happened to his family. 'It's hard because every day I have to think about my family, if everything is going to be all right,' he said. It took him three tries to win a scholarship to study in the US Having that cut short because of visa problems would undermine the sacrifice he made to be here. He sometimes feels guilty that he isn't at home fighting for his country, but he knows there's value in gaining an education in America. 'I decided to stay here just because of how good the college education is,' he said. 'If it was not good, I probably would be on the front lines.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Trump administration plans $1,000 fee to fast-track tourist visas -memo
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is considering a $1,000 fee for tourists and other non-immigrant visa applicants seeking an expedited interview appointment though government lawyers have raised legal red flags over the plan, according to a US official and an internal State Department memo. Individuals entering the US on tourist and other non-immigrant visas already pay a $185 processing fee. The new $1,000 option the US is considering would be a premium service that allows some people to jump to the front of the line for visa interviews. The program could arrive in pilot form as soon as December, the memo reviewed by Reuters said. The proposed fee for visa appointments, which has not been previously reported, comes alongside President Donald Trump's vision of a 'gold card' that would sell US citizenship for $5 million, granting faster access to those willing to pay. But the State Department's legal team said there was a 'high risk' it would be rejected by the White House budget office or struck down in US courts, the memo said. Setting a fee above the cost to provide the service 'is contrary to settled Supreme Court precedent,' the memo said. A State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on internal documents and communications. 'The department's scheduling of non-immigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic and we are continually working to improve our operations worldwide,' the spokesperson said. Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has aggressively cracked down on immigration, including revoking some student visas and increasing scrutiny of all visa applicants. The State Department issued 10.4 million non-immigrant visas in fiscal year 2023, including 5.9 million tourist visas, according to the agency's most recent annual report. International travel spending in the United States is expected to decline about 7 percent in 2025 as opposition to Trump's policies and a strong dollar prompt foreign visitors to opt for other destinations, the World Travel and Tourism Council said in May.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump Says Deal with Xi ‘Extremely Hard' as Steel Tariffs Double
Donald Trump said Wednesday it was "extremely hard" to reach a deal with China, but EU and US officials touted progress in their own trade talks despite the US president doubling his metal tariffs. Trump's latest salvos came as ministers from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries gathered in Paris to discuss the outlook for the world economy in light of the trade war. Trump's sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries have strained ties with trading partners and sparked a flurry of negotiations to avoid the duties. The White House has suggested that Trump will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, raising hopes they can soothe tensions and speed up a trade deal between the world's two biggest economies. However, early on Wednesday, Trump appeared to dampen hopes for a quick deal. "I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!" he posted on his Truth Social platform. Asked about the remarks during a regular press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing's "principles and stance on developing Sino-US relations are consistent." China was the main target of Trump's April tariff blitz, hit with levies of 145 percent on its goods and triggering tit-for-tat tariffs of 125 percent on US imports. Both sides agreed to temporarily de-escalate in May, after Trump delayed most sweeping measures on other countries until July 9. - US-EU talks 'advancing quickly' - Trump's latest remarks came hours after he increased his tariffs on aluminium and steel from 25 percent to 50 percent, raising temperatures with various partners while exempting Britain from the higher levy. In addition, EU goods will be hit with 50-percent tariffs on July 9 unless the 27-nation bloc reaches a deal with Washington. The EU has vowed to retaliate. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said after talks with EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic in Paris that the negotiations were "advancing quickly." Greer said the meeting was "very constructive and indicates a willingness by the EU to work with us to find a concrete way forward to achieve reciprocal trade." Sefcovic said the doubling of metal tariffs "doesn't help the negotiations" but the two sides were nonetheless "making progress" in their negotiations. "We did very much focus on these negotiations, and I still believe in them," Sefcovic said at a news conference after meeting Greer on the sidelines of the OECD gathering in Paris. He said he was optimistic that a "positive result" could be reached. The US-EU meeting took place a day after the OECD cut its forecast for global economic growth, blaming Trump's tariff blitz for the downgrade. "We have to keep our cool and always show that the introduction of these tariffs is in no one's interest," French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said. After talks between UK Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Greer on Tuesday, London said that imports from the UK would remain at 25 percent for now. Both sides needed to work out duties and quotas in line with the terms of a recently signed trade pact. "We're pleased that as a result of our agreement with the US, UK steel will not be subject to these additional tariffs," a British government spokesperson said. - White House wants offers - Mexico will request an exemption from the higher tariff, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, arguing that it was unfair because the United States exports more steel to its southern neighbor than it imports. "It makes no sense to put a tariff on a product in which you have a surplus," Ebrard said. Mexico is highly vulnerable to Trump's trade wars because 80 percent of its exports go to the United States, its main partner. While some of Trump's most sweeping levies face legal challenges, they have been allowed to remain in place for now as an appeals process takes place. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that the Trump administration sent letters to governments pushing for offers by Wednesday as the July 9 deadline approaches.
