WhatsApp says Russia is trying to block it, World News
Russia has started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.
"WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people's right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people," WhatsApp said in a statement.
"We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia."
Telegram said its moderators were using AI tools to monitor public parts of the platform to remove millions of malicious messages every day.
"Telegram actively combats harmful use of its platform including calls for sabotage or violence and fraud," Telegram said in a statement.
Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage in a simmering dispute that intensified after Moscow's sent its army into Ukraine in February 2022, with critics saying that Russia is trying to expand its control over the country's internet space.
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Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine weighs Trump's offer of security guarantees with caution
KYIV, Ukraine – Amid the setbacks for Ukraine from President Donald Trump's meeting in Alaska with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, officials in Kyiv found one glimmer of hope. They seized on a US proposal to include security guarantees for Ukraine , designed to deter future Russian aggression, in a potential peace deal. Mr Trump conveyed the proposal to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in a call early Aug 16 after the meeting. It would enlist Kyiv's Western partners to guarantee Ukraine's defence against new Russian attacks. Crucially, Mr Trump indicated that the United States was ready to participate in such guarantees – a shift from his earlier position that Ukraine's postwar security should be left solely to Europe. 'This is a significant change,' Mr Zelensky said on Aug 17 during a news conference in Brussels. 'It's important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.' European leaders met virtually on Aug 17 afternoon to discuss the aftermath of the Alaska summit, including potential security guarantees. In a show of support for Ukraine, six European leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, announced that they would join Mr Zelensky when he meets with Mr Trump on Aug 18 in Washington. While the specifics of the US proposal remain unclear, Mr Trump said Mr Putin agreed that Ukraine should have strong security guarantees after a settlement, though not under Nato, two senior European officials who were briefed on the call have said. US troops might participate, Mr Trump told the Europeans. Should Mr Trump's proposal come to fruition, it would mark a win for Ukraine, which has long sought postwar security guarantees to prevent a future Russian invasion, but has so far received little beyond vague commitments. But Mr Zelensky warned on Aug 17 that 'there are no details how it will work, and what America's role will be, what Europe's role will be,' stressing that the proposal still needed to be worked out. 'We need security to work in practice,' he said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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He will also seek answers on Mr Trump's unexpected shift away from pursuing a ceasefire to instead call for a peace deal that would be likely to see Ukraine cede unconquered territory to Russia. Several Ukrainian lawmakers cautioned that they remained confused about what exactly Mr Trump had in mind and what Mr Putin may have agreed to in Alaska. The officials expressed worries that Mr Trump may have misread what Moscow would be willing to accept and overstated his own proposal to Ukraine. White House officials did not immediately reply to a question about those concerns. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy said that in Mr Trump's call with Mr Zelensky and European leaders, Mr Trump had drawn on her earlier idea of guarantees modeled on Article 5 of the Nato pact that stipulates that an attack on one ally would be defended as an attack on all. While Ukraine would not join Nato under such guarantees, its Western allies would abide by 'a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the United States, ready to take action if it is attacked again,' Ms Meloni said in a statement after the call. Dr Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, said during the Brussels news conference on Aug 17 that Mr Trump had shown a 'willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine.' The idea, while appealing to the Ukrainians, has left them questioning its viability. Given Russia's strong opposition to Nato membership for Ukraine, through which it would receive the defence guarantees enshrined in Article 5, why would Russia agree to see Ukraine benefit from guarantees that are the same in all but name? And if Russia agreed to strong security guarantees outside of Nato, as suggested by Mr Trump, would that imply it considers those guarantees ineffective without the alliance's backing and therefore not a real deterrent? Dr Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the foreign affairs committee in the Ukrainian Parliament, said Ms Meloni's idea was 'too vague' and left room for multiple interpretations that did not necessarily guarantee that Ukraine's allies would immediately come to its defense if Russia were to ever invade again. Ms Solomiia Bobrovska, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament's defence and intelligence committee, said Ms Meloni's idea could be interpreted only as a commitment to provide more financial aid to Ukraine or to send additional ammunition. Ukraine does not want to sign another Budapest Memorandum, a pledge signed in 1994 that was meant to protect the country after it gained independence – but clearly failed. Under that accord, Ukraine agreed to give Russia back old Soviet nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the United States and Britain. But the agreement did not detail those guarantees, and included no promise of military assistance in the event of an attack. Ukrainian officials say the lack of specificity gave Russia free rein to attack their country, as it did starting in 2014. 'In order to avoid the fate of the Budapest Memorandum, these guarantees must be legally binding and also provide for specific steps and an algorithm of actions by the guarantors in the event of repeated aggression against Ukraine,' Mr Yehor Chernev, the deputy chair of the Ukrainian Parliament's defense and intelligence committee, said in a text message. One concrete guarantee that Ukraine has been seeking is the presence of Western troops on the ground – an idea that Mr Trump appeared to entertain, despite previously opposing. Ukraine's European allies have already made headway in that direction. In the spring, a group of countries including France, Britain and Germany formed a 'coalition of the willing' to help safeguard an eventual peace. Some of the countries have said that to do so, they would be willing to send troops to Ukrainian soil after the conflict ends. But the contours of that force have not been ironed out, and details of who is willing to do what remain scarce. The coalition met in the afternoon of Aug 17 to coordinate ahead of the White House summit. After the meeting, President Emmanuel Macron of France, one of the participants, said several European countries were ready to send troops to Ukraine in a postwar settlement, though not in areas near the frozen front line. Mr Macron added that European leaders would ask Mr Trump how far he would back security guarantees for Ukraine. 'That's what we need to discuss with the Americans: Who is willing to do what?' he said. 'If we are weak today with Russia,' he added, 'we are preparing the conflicts of tomorrow.' NYTIMES
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
NATO-like protection in focus for Trump meeting with Ukraine, Europe
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacts as he attends a press conference held by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo U.S. President Donald Trump could offer NATO-like protection of Ukraine, and Russia is open to the idea, one of his top foreign policy officials said on Sunday ahead of a meeting with Ukraine and European leaders to hammer out details of possible security guarantees for Kyiv. "We were able to win the following concession, that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection," Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to Russia, told CNN's "State of the Union" program. "The United States could offer Article 5 protection, which was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that." Witkoff was referring to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which regards any attack against one of its 32 members as an attack on all. He suggested that a security guarantee of that scale could be offered to Ukraine in lieu of NATO membership, which Putin has ruled out. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been gradually advancing for months in the deadliest war in Europe for 80 years, Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were both in the room when Trump met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, gave a series of TV interviews ahead of a Monday meeting in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders of some European allies. 'We made some progress, we believe, and now we have to follow up on that progress," Rubio told CNN's "State of the Union" about the meeting with Putin. "Ultimately, where this should lead is to a meeting between the three leaders, between Zelenskiy, Putin and President Trump, where we can finalize, but we got to get this thing closer before we get to that point." Russian officials are opposed to Western troops in Ukraine, but have not ruled out a security guarantee for Kyiv. Speaking during a joint media appearance with Trump after their nearly three-hour long meeting, Putin said on Friday: "I agree with President Trump. He said today that Ukraine's security must be ensured by all means. Of course, we are ready to work on this." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025: New govt-funded traineeship scheme for ITE, poly, university graduates Singapore NDR 2025: CDCs to spearhead new effort to match job seekers to roles nearer to home, says PM Wong Singapore NDR 2025: US baseline tariff of 10% on Singapore offers 'little comfort', says PM Wong Singapore NDR 2025: More avenues for S'poreans to be heard, get involved will be opened up, says PM Wong World European leaders to join Zelensky for Ukraine talks with Trump Sport Third time's the charm as Aaron Liang dethrones Samuel Kang en route to national squash title Asia Mandarin with Taiwanese characteristics: Taipei leverages language as soft power tool Asia 'Rats from the sky': Urban India finds itself divided on pigeons Witkoff told "Fox News Sunday" that Russia had also agreed to passing a law against taking any more of Ukraine by force. "The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from - or that they would attest to not attempting to take any more land from Ukraine after a peace deal, where they would attest to not violating any European borders," he said. PEACE DEAL VS SURRENDER Any security guarantees offered to Zelenskiy could also include a commitment from the United States, Rubio told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures", an option that many of Trump's MAGA supporters have rejected up to now. "It would be a very big move by the president, if he were to offer a U.S. commitment to a security guarantee," Rubio said. "It tells you how badly he wants peace, how much he values peace, that he would be willing to make a concession like that ...That's what we'll talk about tomorrow." In a social media post, Trump wrote, "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" But he gave no details. Rubio said U.S. officials discussed security details for Ukraine with the national security advisers of multiple European countries on Saturday, adding that the aim would be to build in details that could ultimately be presented to Russia as part of a peace agreement. He told Fox News that the talks between Trump and Putin on Friday had narrowed the number of key issues, which include drawing borders and military alliances for Ukraine as well as security guarantees. "There's a lot of work that remains," Rubio added. According to sources, Trump and Putin discussed proposals for Russia to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a swathe of fortified land in the east and freezing the front lines elsewhere. Rubio said Russia and Ukraine would not be able to get everything they want. 'If one side gets everything they want, that's not a peace deal. It's called surrender, and I don't think this is a war that's going to end anytime soon on the basis of surrender,' Rubio told CNN. In a separate interview on ABC, Rubio said if a deal could not be reached to end the war, existing U.S. sanctions on Russia would continue, and more could be added. When Zelenskiy visited the White House in February, the meeting ended in a shouting match. Rubio, speaking to CBS, dismissed the idea that the European leaders were coming to Washington to protect Zelenskiy. "They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelenskiy from being bullied. They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans," he said. "We invited them to come." REUTERS
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Global markets face shaky week ahead as US pressure mounts on Ukraine
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference with European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as part of the so-called 'coalition of the willing', Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025 at the Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France. Philippe Magoni/Pool via REUTERS LONDON - Defence stocks and energy markets are likely to be in focus this week, as European leaders rushed to back Ukraine in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump that may pressure Kyiv to accept a peace deal favouring Russia. Investors are watching for signs that the U.S. may move closer to Russia in a bid to exploit vast, untapped Arctic energy resources, in a major geopolitical shift that piles pressure on Europe to rapidly boost defence spending. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended their weekend summit in Alaska without securing a Ukraine ceasefire agreement, with the U.S. President then saying he now wanted a rapid peace deal that Kyiv should accept. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is travelling to Washington on Monday for talks that leaders of nations including Germany, the UK and France will now join. "Trump seems inclined to reduce or even end US support for Ukraine. Putin got him interested in business deals," Berenberg Chief Economist Holger Schmieding said in a note to clients. "As a result, the US may lift its sanctions on Russia and invest in Russia instead," he added. "Europe will have to spend a lot more for its own defence." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025: New govt-funded traineeship scheme for ITE, poly, university graduates Singapore NDR 2025: CDCs to spearhead new effort to match job seekers to roles nearer to home, says PM Wong Singapore NDR 2025: US baseline tariff of 10% on Singapore offers 'little comfort', says PM Wong Singapore NDR 2025: More avenues for S'poreans to be heard, get involved will be opened up, says PM Wong World European leaders to join Zelensky for Ukraine talks with Trump Sport Third time's the charm as Aaron Liang dethrones Samuel Kang en route to national squash title Asia Mandarin with Taiwanese characteristics: Taipei leverages language as soft power tool Asia 'Rats from the sky': Urban India finds itself divided on pigeons DEFENCE STOCK RALLY Investors have bet on that outcome since February 2022, driving a supercharged rally in European aerospace and defence stocks with gains of over 600% for Leonardo and 1,500% for Germany's Rheinmetall. The euro has rallied 13% against the dollar this year and traded at about $1.17 on Friday. Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett highlighted the potential for U.S.-Russia Arctic drilling projects to exploit 15% of the world's undiscovered oil and 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas, resulting in a deep energy bear market. Brent crude, which dropped more than 1% to near $66 a barrel, on Friday, was still priced for a Ukraine peace deal, Hartnett cautioned, while Trump wanted lower energy prices for U.S. consumers. Ukraine's government bonds - key mood indicators - rallied when news of the summit emerged earlier this month but have stalled at a still-distressed 55 cents per dollar. "I would think they will be a bit weaker following the recent strength as the mood seems to favour Russia following Friday's summit," Aegon Asset Management head of emerging market debt Jeff Grills said. REUTERS
