Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels' Colonial Statues Remain
These monuments, among dozens of others, have stood in Brussels for more than a century. They are remnants of Belgium's violent colonial enterprise in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and continuing symbols of Belgium's unwillingness to meaningfully address that past.
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Newsweek
2 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump's Russia-Ukraine Talks Raise Two Conditions Key to Ending War
Based on factual reporting, incorporates the expertise of the journalist and may offer interpretations and conclusions. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The fast-moving developments in President Donald Trump's near-back-to-back summits with the heads of Russia, Ukraine and European powers have raised two items increasingly as critical to ending the war between Moscow and Kyiv: territorial exchanges and security guarantees. While the latest talks held Monday between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO did not produce an agreement to end the three-and-a-half-year war, the gathering laid the groundwork for a long-anticipated trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump met in Alaska on Friday. Perhaps most notably, however, the U.S. leader did not walk back from the position of Ukraine needing to offer territorial concessions as part of an eventual settlement, a stance long opposed by Kyiv and its European backers. "We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact," Trump said during a press engagement alongside Zelensky and European counterparts. Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at the Defense Priorities think tank, said the comments were indicative of a broader reality that has set in over the conflict. "Ukraine will have to cede some territory to end the war, the question is how much and how," Kavanagh told Newsweek. "At the very least, it will not go back to its pre-2022 borders. Crimea will not be returned to Ukraine." "Ukraine can choose to keep fighting now rather than settle for Putin's terms that require withdrawing from the Donbas, but they are losing territory at a more rapid rate and their frontlines are overstretched," Kavanagh said. "More time may not buy them a better deal but force them to settle for much less." A combination of pictures shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left), U.S. President Donald Trump (center) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). A combination of pictures shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left), U.S. President Donald Trump (center) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). DREW ANGERER/SAUL LOEB/ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images Land for Peace The Kremlin has thus far maintained an ambitious set of demands outlined by Putin to put an end to the conflict. These include recognition of Russia's full control over four Ukrainian provinces—Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia—annexed without international recognition during a September 2022 wartime referendum, as well as Crimea, seized and annexed during a similar vote held in March 2014 amid the initial Russia-backed uprising in the Donetsk and Luhansk that sparked the conflict. Moscow also demands that Kyiv forego its aspirations to join NATO in addition to undergoing a process of "demilitarization" and "denazification," though Ukraine strongly denies any ties to far-right ideology. Zelensky has long expressed an unwillingness to cede territory to Russia but expressed his openness earlier Monday to discussing territorial control over "where the front line is now." Russian forces currently occupy all of Crimea, nearly the entirety of Luhansk and approximately three-quarters of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory held by the Russian military was on full display on a map stood in the Oval Office on Monday as Trump and Zelensky spoke in front of the press ahead of their discussions. In the Oval Office, a large map of Ukraine was displayed across from where Trump and Zelensky sat. The eastern part, shaded pink, showed the roughly 20% of the country under Russian control — a stark reminder of the nearly four-year war and a possible tool for Trump to pressure… — KyivPost (@KyivPost) August 18, 2025 The comments marked one of the most notable shifts in the Ukrainian leader's position since the Trump administration has recalibrated the U.S. approach to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. Trump reiterated his belief that Ukraine would have to make territorial concessions and abandon its quest to join NATO in a statement issued Sunday via his Truth Social platform. "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump wrote. "Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Yet Trump has also shifted gears on his earlier calls for a ceasefire, now emphasizing that a comprehensive peace deal should be prioritized, a position that has been challenged by some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Franz-Stefan Gady, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, argued that, without a cessation of hostilities, Moscow would likely continue its press to obtain more territory as talks continued. "The Russians obviously don't think they've run out of military options," Gady told Newsweek. "Just having returned from Ukraine a couple of weeks ago, I can attest that there are no signs that the Russian offensive operations are in any way slowing down." "On the contrary, the Russians have been picking up their advance in southern Donetsk, for example," he added, "and they're very focused on seizing the towns of Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, and also possibly encircling Soviansk and Kramatorsk eventually." As such, he argued that Merz "is absolutely right in setting a ceasefire as a precondition, because only once Russia agrees to a ceasefire, I think that would be a test of Russia's sincerity." The 'Guarantee' Debate On the same day as Trump's social media post, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin in Moscow prior to the Alaska summit, told Fox News Sunday that the Russian leader had committed to taking legislative steps toward foregoing any further territorial expansion in Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe once a peace deal was secured. In addition to reiterating his point about potential land swaps, Trump also on Friday revealed that Putin had agreed that Russia "would accept security guarantees for Ukraine." It was "a very significant step," according to the U.S. leader, that could include Western military presence in post-war Ukraine. But it remains uncertain the degree to which Putin would tolerate the presence of NATO forces following a conflict he argued was partially justified by the U.S.-led alliance's post-Cold War expansion into Eastern Europe. From the European perspective, Gady said questions still linger about the commitment from nations to actually enforce any deterrent measures on the ground beyond merely empowering Ukraine's military. "It's important to see that Europe will need to carry the bulk of the burden here," Gady said. "And I think the major issue with Europe is that hiding behind U.S. military power and a U.S. commitment to support the war Ukraine, Europe never had to ask hard questions." He argued that "the hardest question that remains unanswered for Europe" boils down to "what does Ukraine really mean for Europe's security architecture, and what is Europe prepared to risk to ensure that Ukraine will remain an independent, pro-Western country is it?" "Are European countries prepared to go to war against Russia? If the answer is no, then any sort of European reassurance force in Ukraine, integrated with Ukrainian forces, will not be able to deter future Russian aggression," he added. Kavanagh also pointed out that Trump's fundamental opposition opposed any NATO "Article 5-like" guarantees for Ukraine as suggested by Witkoff. "Planning in that direction is a waste of time because it's a nonstarter as a condition for peace," she said. "Putin may be willing to accept an Istanbul 2022-style arrangement where it has a veto over any sort of military intervention to defend Ukraine, but Ukraine will reject this." "There is just no way that Russia would fight for three years to keep Ukraine out of NATO and stop its western integration to allow Western forces in Ukraine after the war--especially now that they have the battlefield advantage," she added. "Finally, the West has little leverage over Putin. They can discuss their terms all they want, but an end to fighting right now is in Putin's hands and on his timeline." U.S. President Donald Trump sits across the table from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right), and European leaders during a meeting at the White House on August 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump sits across the table from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right), and European leaders during a meeting at the White House on August 18, 2025, in Washington, Dilemma European leaders have long expressed concern regarding the Trump administration's foreign policy outlook as it relates to transatlantic security. Since first coming to office in 2017, Trump has accused European allies of taking advantage of U.S. defense guarantees. Trump's position has prompted both NATO and the EU, who share the majority of their respective member states, to undergo great defense spending initiatives. The EU also agreed to spend what Trump described as "hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of military equipment" from the U.S. as part of a trade deal reached last month and NATO has since begun coordinating large-scale arms transfers from member states to Ukraine, predominantly consisting of U.S. weapons. The moves mark a more conciliatory approach from Europe toward the Trump administration; a tone made all the more apparent by the relatively amicable environment that surrounded the high-stakes talks on Friday despite underlying differences over the course of the war. Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group, described what he saw as "a strong show of European unity" in which each leader—including Germany's Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Marcon, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen President and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte—"brings something to the table that works for the Trump playbook." "Merz brings the big fiscal spending that Germany is committed to on defense," Rahman told Newsweek. "Macron and Starmer are obviously committed to a reassurance force with British and French troops on the ground." "Meloni has the ideological affinity and proximity to the Trump administration and key people in the Trump ecosystem like [Vice President] JD Vance and others," he added. "Alex [Stubb], even Commission President von der Leyen, have managed to build something of a good rapport with him." Rahman argued that Europe walked into the talks with three overarching goals, including to "ensure whatever guarantees the administration is talking about are credible and robust," to "push back strongly on this idea of territorial exchanges" and to "really shape and influence and work this potential trilateral meeting," where Macron also "raised the stakes" Friday by suggesting European representation there as well. Trump has expressed confidence on the possibility of a joint meeting with Putin and Zelensky. Zelensky has also expressed openness to the idea, while the Kremlin has said Putin would only meet his Ukrainian counterpart following "preparatory work at the expert level." So far, the results of Trump's direct meetings with Putin and Zelensky, alongside European allies, have yet to achieve a breakthrough, though they may pave the way for further discussions on issues Rahman said would need to be addressed even before a settlement on top-line items like territorial control and security guarantees. Such issues, according to Rahman, include "prisoner exchange, return of abducted Ukrainian children" as well as the "sequencing" of a deal, and whether or not it be preceded by a ceasefire to freeze the current lines of control. "It's way too premature to begin talking about territorial exchanges," Rahman said. "I think the European side is still focused on protecting the principles that emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War, that borders can't be redrawn by force, primarily." If Russia did remain in control of the territory it currently possesses in Ukraine, Rahman said "any recognition will be de facto, certainly not de jure."
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Ukraine Talks at 'Fast Pace-of-Play:' Ret. Adm. Hewitt
Retired Admiral Mike Hewitt, Co-Chair of the Ukraine Reconstruction Summit, discusses what to take away from the meetings President Trump had with President Zelensky & other European leaders in the White House. He also talks about the security guarantees President Trump got President Putin to agree on for Ukraine. Retired Admiral Mike Hewitt speaks with Tyler Kendall and Michael Shepard on the late edition of Bloomberg's 'Balance of Power.' (Source: Bloomberg)
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tuesday Briefing: Crucial Talks on Ukraine
Will there be a peace deal for Ukraine? President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and seven European leaders met with President Trump at the White House yesterday for crucial talks on ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said he would call President Vladimir Putin of Russia following the White House talks to discuss whether to hold a U.S.-Russia-Ukraine meeting that could lead to a peace deal. Follow the latest updates. Inside the Oval Office, Zelensky and Trump showed few signs of their once-frayed relationship. They talked positively about a U.S. role in security guarantees for Ukraine — one of the most complex issues under discussion — to ensure that Russia does not restart the war after they agree to a peace deal. Here's a look at the key issues that came up: Security guarantees: Trump said that the U.S. would give Ukraine 'very good protection and very good security,' but he did not provide specifics. He noted that the U.S. would help in some way and did not rule out involving American troops. Asked what kind of security guarantees Ukraine wanted, Zelensky said: 'Everything.' Land swaps: After his meeting with Putin in Alaska last week, Trump appeared to support land swaps as part of a peace deal. Trump said yesterday that the leaders would discuss 'the possible exchanges of territory' and take into consideration the current 'war lines.' In his remarks, Zelensky told Trump, 'Thank you for the map, by the way,' an indication that the land swap issues were debated in detail. Trilateral meeting: Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his desire for a meeting with Trump and Putin, but the Kremlin has not agreed to one. 'If everything works out today, we will have a trilat, and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war if we do that,' Trump said. Takeaway: 'Significantly, the two most contentious issues — a possible cease-fire and territorial concessions — were left unresolved,' my colleague Michael Schwirtz, who covers Russia, Ukraine and global security, told me. 'Both Trump and Zelensky suggested that discussions of a possible cease-fire, along with negotiations over territory, should be conducted in the as-yet hypothetical face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin, possibly with Trump in attendance. Trump, backed by Zelensky, has said he would like such a meeting to come together quickly. The Kremlin, however, has been silent on the issue.' 'At the end of the day, the talks in Washington as well as in Alaska appeared to have offered a chance for all sides to air their grievances and state their positions,' Michael added. 'But no side specified what concessions, if any, they would be willing to make — at least publicly.' Attacks: Hours before Zelensky's visit began, Russian strikes killed at least 14 people in Ukraine. Hamas agreed to a new cease-fire proposal Hamas has accepted a new cease-fire proposal for Gaza that would see the release of some Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, officials said yesterday. It was unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel would agree to the terms. The proposal was presented by Qatar and Egypt, the regional mediators, during talks on Sunday, according to a statement from Hamas. Qatar and Egypt have intensified their mediation efforts ahead of a possible Israeli ground operation into Gaza City. An Israeli official said yesterday that the country had not received the details of the proposal. Israel has agreed to similar terms in the past, but last week Netanyahu suggested that Israel was no longer interested in a deal that would release only some of the hostages. Israel: A mass rally in Tel Aviv over the week showed growing discontent among Israelis with Netanyahu and the war in Gaza. Spain: European countries rushed firefighters and equipment to bolster emergency teams struggling to battle 23 out-of-control fires, with many of the most worrying in the northwest. Canada: A labor relations board declared a strike by Air Canada's 10,000 flight attendants illegal but their union said its members would continue the walkout. Syria: A Times investigation found that the Assad regime took hundreds of children away from their parents and hid them in orphanages. Here are the key takeaways. Israel: Officials said that Iran used the internet to recruit dozens of ordinary Israelis. Bolivia: The centrist senator Rodrigo Paz won the first round of the presidential election as 20 years of socialist dominance neared an end. India: Trump's tariffs could hit the carpet industry especially hard and push the country back into more economic cooperation with China. Kenya: A decade-long study found that giving $1,000 to poor families lowered infant mortality rates by nearly half. Climate: The Trump administration lashed out at the world's leading energy organization for suggesting that oil and gas use could peak worldwide by the end of decade. Tennis: Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 U.S. Open. Soccer: Here are the major talking points from the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. Golf: Scottie Scheffler won his 18th PGA Tour title at the BMW Championship. Athletes at a competition in Beijing over the weekend struggled to hit their kickboxing opponents, land their gymnastics maneuvers or even run down a soccer field without toppling all over each other. But to many in the audience at the Humanoid Robot Games, the competitors revealed possibilities as well as limitations. The robots served as a showcase for China's efforts to make rapid advancements in robotics. Watch a video of the robots in action. Lives lived: Terence Stamp, the magnetic British actor who starred in 'Billy Budd' and played an interplanetary tyrant in 'Superman,' died at 87. Outdated is in: An auction of 'Downton Abbey' costumes is aiming to appeal to fans of historical-looking clothing. Writers who run: Turning to books for workout inspiration is probably a terrible idea, our book critic writes. Puzzle extravaganza: The first International Puzzle Party was held in a living room in 1978. Now it's a global event. Highland luxe: What home would you choose in Scotland for $1.2 million? How to get laughs from Trump and Gaza People don't usually go to comedy shows for political enlightenment. But at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, some comics are effectively weaving Trump, Gaza and culture wars into personal stories. The punchlines hit because they're human first, political second. Rosie O'Donnell brushed past Trump to talk about emigrating to Dublin for her autistic, nonbinary child. Michelle Wolf joked about gender politics by talking about pockets in women's clothing. And Sami Abu Wardeh kept it playful, invoking the horrors of the war in Gaza, just once, in a plangent aside. Read more. Cook: This easy, meatless meal features orzo, spinach, peas and scallions. Watch: Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' tackles subjects like money, conscience, accountability and what it means to be good and just. Read: 'Departure 37' is one of three new thrillers with twists you won't see coming. Travel: An outlandish heat grips Death Valley national park in the summer. People come anyway. Listen: Meg Duffy finds a new voice in 'Blue Reminder' from the band Hand Habits. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That's it for today. See you tomorrow. — Dan Parin Behrooz contributed to this newsletter. We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@
