
Putin says UAE could host Trump summit
The Russian president named the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a potential location for the summit with Trump, but essentially ruled out a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Trump-Putin summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. It comes as the Republican seeks an end to Russia's military assault on Ukraine.
Three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire. The two sides appear as far apart as ever in the conditions they have set for an end to the more than three-year-long conflict.
Trump said on Wednesday that he was likely to meet Putin face-to-face 'very soon'. — AFP

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Observer
3 hours ago
- Observer
Israel to confirm plan for full capture of Gaza Strip
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza, despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating, almost two-year-old war in the Palestinian enclave. 'We intend to,' Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News when asked if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory. 'We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body.' He said that Israel wanted to hand over the territory to Arab forces that would govern it. Netanyahu made his comments to Fox News before the outcome of a meeting he was due to have on Thursday with a small group of senior ministers to discuss plans for the military to take control of more territory in Gaza. The security cabinet session follows a meeting this week with the head of the military, which Israeli officials have described as tense, saying the military chief had pushed back on expanding the campaign. Opinion polls show that most Israelis want the war to end in a deal that would see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas-led Palestinian militants. Netanyahu's government has insisted on total victory over Hamas, which ignited the war with its deadly October 2023 attack on Israel from Gaza. The idea, pushed especially by far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition, of Israeli forces thrusting into areas they do not already hold in the enclave has generated alarm in Israel. The UN has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza 'deeply alarming' if true. There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials believe 20 are alive. Most of those freed so far emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations. Talks towards a ceasefire that could have seen some more hostages released collapsed in July. The World Health Organization said on Thursday that 99 people were now known to have died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip so far this year, with the figure likely an underestimate. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for scaled-up, sustained and unimpeded aid to be allowed to flow into Gaza, via all possible routes.


Observer
14 hours ago
- Observer
Zelensky to Russia: Stop killings before summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that his goals for a US-Russian summit on the war in his country are for Russia to stop killing Ukrainians and agree to a ceasefire. 'The priorities are absolutely clear. First - an end to the killing, and it is Russia that must agree to a ceasefire,' Zelensky wrote on X. Secondly, he said the summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin initiated by US President Donald Trump must be designed 'to lead to a truly lasting peace.' Ukraine has repeatedly stated that a resolution to the war is most likely to be found at a meeting of heads of state. Thirdly, Zelensky emphasised the need for long-term Ukrainian security, which must be established together with the United States and Europe. Trump's plan involves first meeting Putin and then expanding it into a trilateral meeting with Zelensky. The Kremlin has confirmed preparations for a summit with Trump, which could take place in the coming days. However, Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, remained reserved about a meeting with Zelensky. Zelensky said he will be speaking with numerous European partners by phone on Thursday, first naming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying a call had already been scheduled. He will also be 'in contact with colleagues from France and Italy.' He also said that communication at the national security adviser level is to take place on Thursday. 'Ukraine has never wanted war and will work toward peace as productively as possible,' Zelensky wrote. 'The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression,' he said, adding that the world has leverage over Russia and can ensure that promises are being kept. — dpa


Observer
14 hours ago
- Observer
Putin says UAE could host Trump summit
MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Thursday that a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Ukraine was set for the 'coming days' as US-led efforts to broker peace rumble on. The Russian president named the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a potential location for the summit with Trump, but essentially ruled out a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Trump-Putin summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. It comes as the Republican seeks an end to Russia's military assault on Ukraine. Three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire. The two sides appear as far apart as ever in the conditions they have set for an end to the more than three-year-long conflict. Trump said on Wednesday that he was likely to meet Putin face-to-face 'very soon'. — AFP