Trump rules out immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, pushes for direct 'peace agreement'
'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social - AFP
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The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Suffering Ukrainians dismayed by outcome and optics of Trump-Putin summit
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a press conference 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 KYIV/ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Ukrainians expressed anger and frustration on Saturday over the failure of the U.S. and Russian presidents to agree on the need for a truce in the Ukraine war at a summit, and the sight of Donald Trump giving Vladimir Putin a red-carpet welcome in Alaska. Trump urged Ukraine to make a deal to end the war because "Russia is a very big power". Trump also said he agreed with Putin that the sides should focus on an overall peace settlement, not via a ceasefire, as Kyiv and its European allies have been demanding - until now with U.S. support. "He (Putin) won. Trump showed his attitude towards him and at the same time towards us. This meeting did not end well for Ukraine," said a 26-year-old soldier who gave only his call-sign "Dzha". "... we need to end the war. We need to really sit down at the negotiating table and talk, come to an agreement, because every day fighters die, get injured." "Dzha" was serving as godfather at a baptism in a church in Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine, one of four regions Russia claims to have annexed, though it does not fully control them. 'BOMBS WILL KEEP FALLING ON US' "They (Putin and Trump) made some agreements for their states," said Viktor Tkach, the chaplain conducting the baptism. "And here in Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, in the Zaporizhzhia region, we will keep suffering, glide bombs will keep falling on us." Some were outraged that Trump had invited Putin to the U.S. and treated him with such respect, as an equal. Putin has been ostracised by Western leaders since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and is wanted by the International Criminal Court, accused of the war crime of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, which he denies. "Literally yesterday, a ballistic missile was launched at Sumy. And this animal (Putin) flies to Alaska where people applaud him, and the red carpet is rolled out in front of him," said Hanna Kucherenko, a 25-year-old model, in Kyiv. "How is that even possible now?" A manipulated image of Trump and Putin shaking hands on the airport tarmac against the backdrop of bombed residential apartment blocks in Ukraine circulated widely online. "I do not know what Trump is even thinking about. I have an impression that he is just the same (as Putin)," said Kyiv pensioner Tetiana Vorobei. "They are identical." (Writing by Gareth Jones; Additional Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Made-for-TV pageantry as Trump brings Putin in from the cold
SETTING foot on Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin basked in choreographed pageantry courtesy of Donald Trump, but was also confronted by signs of American power. In made-for-television images, Putin and Trump each flew in their presidential planes to Elmendorf Air Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska that played a key role in monitoring the Soviet Union. Trump waited in Air Force One until Putin landed and then stepped down to the tarmac, clapping as he saw the Russian leader for the first time since 2019, this time under a frigid slate-grey sky. They then walked towards each other, smiled and shook hands before posing together on a stage that read "Alaska 2025". In a highly unusual move, Putin stepped in "The Beast", the ultra-secure US presidential limousine, alongside Trump before they headed into talks that focused on Ukraine. Putin grinned widely and appeared to joke to reporters as the two met in a room which the American hosts emblazoned with the words — written only in English — "Pursuing Peace". Putin sought to flatter Trump, speaking to him of how he wanted a positive relationship and — seizing on one of the US leader's favourite themes — agreeing that he would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump and not Joe Biden were president in 2022. When Trump told Putin of how he hoped to meet again, the Russian leader broke out rare words of English: "Next time in Moscow." The reception was a striking contrast to a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February, when Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance berated him and accused him of ingratitude. Zelenskyy was long hailed across the Western world. Putin by contrast has curtailed his travel sharply since he sent troops to invade Ukraine, and he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to the war. Putin was quickly confronted on the war as a reporter repeatedly and loudly shouted out to him, "When will you stop killing civilians?" Putin did not react. Both sides sought to press their message, sometimes in unsubtle ways. As Putin walked in, a B-2 stealth bomber — an ultimate symbol of US military power — flew overhead. Sergei Lavrov, the veteran Russian foreign minister rarely seen out of a jacket and tie, was photographed arriving ahead of Putin in Alaska in a sweatshirt emblazoned with "CCCP" — the USSR — in a reminder of the superpower status that Putin has been striving to recreate. Senior Russian officials were temporarily relieved from severe US sanctions in place since the Ukraine invasion, allowing them not just to arrive in the US but to carry out day-to-day transactions such as withdrawing money from cash machines. Putin and Trump did not step off the base, but activists held out hope of at least a fleeting protest by posting blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags on roofs that could be spotted if either leader looked out of his plane's windows. With just a week to prepare since Trump announced the summit, Anchorage was strained to capacity with hotels full of tourists on fishing expeditions and coastal cruises who had no warning that their summer destination would become the focus of global diplomacy. Russian journalists, unable to secure accommodation, posted disapproving pictures of staying at a sports arena, where they slept on cots partitioned off from one another by black curtains. The US hosts served the Russian journalists a selection of familiar foods — shashlik meat skewers, grilled fish and, in a common dish for Russians that suddenly could take on another meaning, chicken Kiev.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
China's top diplomat Wang to visit India for border talks
Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India on Delhi's invitation from Monday (Aug 18) until Wednesday. - Photo: AP BEIJING (AFP): China's top diplomat will visit India next week for talks about their shared boundary, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Saturday, as the two countries consider resuming border trade after a five-year halt. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India on Delhi's invitation from Monday (Aug 18) until Wednesday for "the 24th special representatives meeting on the China-India border issue", a spokesperson said in a statement. Past trade between the neighbours across icy, high-altitude Himalayan border passes was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. It stopped following a deadly 2020 clash between border troops. Indian media reported this week that Wang was expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday. He will meet Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval, New Delhi's foreign ministry confirmed in a statement on Saturday. Wang will also hold talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who visited Beijing in July, the statement said. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia. However, they have moved to mend ties after being caught up in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz. Chinese and Indian officials have said in recent weeks that the two countries were discussing the resumption of border trade. Agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas have also been seen as part of an effort to rebuild their relationship. - AFP
