Colombia's new director of Public Credit to seek rebuilding market confidence
Cuellar, who served as president of the National Guarantee Fund, replaced Jose Roberto Acosta as the head of Public Credit earlier this month.
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The incoming executive called a meeting to be held Tuesday with market-making agents, who participate in domestic public debt auctions, the main source of financing for public spending after tax collection.
"I will make decisions very quickly to rebuild market confidence," Cuellar wrote in a message to a market participant obtained by Reuters.
"In my new role, my priority will be strengthening investment appetite, championing fiscal responsibility and technical decisions that promote a path to public debt sustainability," he added.
During his inauguration last week, Colombia's incoming Finance Minister, German Avila, said that the country will have to make adjustments to public spending and debt in order to face the government's fiscal difficulties.
The minister's appointment, who replaced Diego Guevara—who held his post for less than three months—increased uncertainty in the markets about the future of the South American country's deteriorating public finances.
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Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: US mulled use of Russia icebreakers for gas development ahead of summit-sources
LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The United States has had internal discussions on using Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to support the development of gas and LNG projects in Alaska as one of the possible deals to aim for when President Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin on Friday, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Trump landed in Alaska on Friday for what he called a "high stakes" summit with Russia's Putin to discuss a ceasefire deal for Ukraine and end the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two. Both the U.S. and Russian presidents, due to meet at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska's largest city, are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. The icebreaker idea has been discussed among White House officials as one of the potential deals to try to strike with Russia at the Alaska summit, one of the sources said. The ongoing talks between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine have included discussions about business deals. The White House is planning to continue this approach at the summit on Friday, said the source, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kremlin officials were not available for comment. Russia operates the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers, which play a central role in maintaining year-round shipping access along the Northern Sea Route, a strategic path for global energy and trade flows. Trump's administration is pushing to transport gas from Alaska's remote north to Asian clients. Trump has pitched Alaska LNG, a proposed $44 billion project to ship liquefied natural gas along a 800-mile pipeline from Alaska, to Asian buyers as a way to reduce their dependence on Russian LNG. Another project, similarly aimed at Asian markets, is Qilak LNG, which is targeting 4 million tons per annum of LNG. Qilak did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An industry source said that Alaska LNG had "no identified needs for Russian icebreakers." Reuters was not immediately able to establish which, if any, specific project would benefit if a deal was reached in the Alaska talks. The nuclear icebreakers could also facilitate the transport of construction materials and equipment to remote areas in Alaska, where infrastructure is limited and weather conditions are harsh.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Trump-Putin latest: Don & Vlad will hold ‘three-on-three' meeting in 11th-hour change as US president lands in Alaska
Scroll down to see our live coverage of today's meeting TIME FOR PEACE Trump-Putin latest: Don & Vlad will hold 'three-on-three' meeting in 11th-hour change as US president lands in Alaska Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump will be joined by Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff in what will now be a three-on-three meeting with Putin. It comes as Trump's Air Force One landed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for the historic peace summit that could decide the fate of the Ukraine war. 4 Air Force One is seen on the tarmac after US President Donald Trump landed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska Credit: AFP 4 Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One to head to Alaska Credit: Getty 4 Zelensky said he expects his intelligence team to brief him on the talks between Washington and Moscow Credit: Getty 4 Putin is also on his way to Alaska to hold crucial war talks with Trump Credit: Reuters Trump, instead of a previously planned one-on-one meeting, will now be flanked by Rubio and Witkoff, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed. Putin, on the other hand, is also expected to bring two of his top diplomats, who are likely to include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Volodymyr Zelensky said he is "counting on America" as Trump and Putin prepare to meet for crunch talks. He said he hopes the peace summit between the two leaders leads to a trilateral meeting to get Ukraine involved in the peacemaking process. In a lengthy post on X, wrote: "The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side. "It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America. "We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible." It comes after Trump blasted Vladimir Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine and said his urge to kill "might be in his genes". The high-stakes talks could last up to seven hours, the Kremlin said earlier. Meanwhile, people in Anchorage are protesting about Putin being allowed to set foot on US soil due to him facing an arrest warrant over war crime allegations. Many are demanding that the conflict in Ukraine come to an end due to the barbaric killing of innocent civilians every day. Trump echoed some of the protesters' thoughts as he spoke to reporters ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with Putin in six years. Trump says tyrant Putin's need to kill 'might be in his genes' but onslaught 'hurts his negotiations' as leaders head to Alaska for Ukraine peace summit He said: "In [Putin's] mind, it helps him make a better deal if they can continue the killing. "Maybe it's a part of the world, maybe it's a part of his fabric, his genes, his genetics, but he thinks it gives him strength in negotiating. "I think it hurts him." Trump also warned that Russia faces "very severe" consequences if Putin doesn't appear interested in agreeing to a peace deal during the summit. Don has voiced concerns over how Putin may behave during the talks already, as he described the summit as being like a chess game. Trump reiterated these thoughts as he took to Truth Social shortly before he left Washington to simply say: "HIGH STAKES!!!" Russia's huge delegation started its journey across to the US earlier today as it sped through the shabby streets of Magadan. Putin is expected to board a jet to Alaska later and complete the trip to the 49th state. Trump will officially greet Putin before the peace talks start at around 8:30pm UK time. Read our live blog for the latest on the Trump and Putin peace talks...
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Russia's twisted digs at Ukraine ahead of Alaska talks from Lavrov wearing USSR jumper to media served ‘Chicken Kiev'
Watch as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Alaska donning a sweatshirt screaming "CCCP" - the Russian initials for the Soviet Union FROM RUSSIA WITH SNUB Russia's twisted digs at Ukraine ahead of Alaska talks from Lavrov wearing USSR jumper to media served 'Chicken Kiev' RUSSIA has rolled into Alaska with a swagger - and a sneer - before Vladimir Putin even sets foot on US soil. From a USSR sweatshirt to Chicken Kyiv cutlets, Moscow has dialled up its twisted digs at Ukraine – mixing Cold War nostalgia with brazen mockery as it struts into talks that could decide the country's future. 7 Vladimir Putin during a visit to a plant of Omega-Sea enterprise in the far eastern port city of Magadan ahead of his summit with Trump Credit: Reuters 7 Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov turns up in Alaska wearing a CCCP sweatshirt Credit: X Advertisement 7 Russian journalists were also served chicken Kyiv, a deliberate jab at Ukraine Credit: Getty 7 President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on Friday ahead of his meeting with Putin Credit: AP Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived for the summit wearing a sweatshirt screaming "CCCP" - the Russian initials for the Soviet Union - in a pointed reminder of Moscow's imperial past and its denial of Ukraine's right to exist. Once hailed in the West as a wily diplomat, the 75-year-old now channels the Kremlin's hardline swagger, doubling down on Soviet nostalgia even as Russian forces slaughter Ukrainians on the front line. Advertisement Lithuanian ex-foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis mocked the choice: ''Just give us half of Ukraine and we promise we will stop,' says negotiator wearing USSR sweatshirt.' The stunt plays neatly into Putin's warped narrative that Russians and Ukrainians are 'one people' – a lie that has underpinned the Kremlin's land grabs, war crimes, and the tearing down of memorials to Ukraine's suffering under Soviet rule. Read more on the summit LYING DESPOT KGB officer who trained with Putin gives chilling warning ahead of Trump talks But Lavrov's jumper wasn't the only jab. On the flight to Alaska, Russian state journalists were served chicken Kyiv – the Ukrainian dish whose name alone is enough to provoke Moscow's fury. Advertisement RT boss Margarita Simonyan gleefully posted about the menu, while pro-Putin mouthpiece Sergei Markov went further, snarling that 'Putin and Trump should make a chicken Kyiv out of Zelensky.' The trolling mood soured when Russia's press corps landed in Anchorage to find their 'modest sleeping quarters' were inside a converted ice hockey stadium. Once a Covid hospital, the venue is now lined with fold-out army beds donated by the Red Cross. 'We are living in Spartan conditions,' one reporter grumbled in a clip shared on social media, The Guardian reported. Trump says tyrant Putin's need to kill 'might be in his genes' but onslaught 'hurts his negotiations' as leaders head to Alaska for Ukraine peace summit This is Russia's brand of diplomacy – trolling, humiliation, and a smug grin. Advertisement Behind the theatrics is a clear aim: to rattle Kyiv and its allies before a summit that could shape Ukraine's fate. Zelensky has already warned that any deal without Ukraine risks disaster. He said earlier on Friday: 'The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace… We are counting on America.' Donald Trump, meanwhile, is publicly playing the hard man. 'Maybe it's in his genes,' he said of Putin's appetite for killing, warning of 'very severe' consequences if the Russian leader isn't serious about peace. Advertisement 'If I weren't president, he would take over all of Ukraine… but I am president and he's not going to mess around with me.' The two leaders will lock eyes at the Elmendorf-Richardson base near Anchorage at 11.30am local time (8.30pm UK), with over 32,000 troops, air defences, and electronic jamming systems locking the place down. 7 The two leaders are set to meet today at 11.30am local time 7 A room is seen setup ahead of the US-Russia summit on Ukraine Credit: AFP Putin's feared 'Musketeers' bodyguards will be in tow, along with the nuclear briefcase – and even his notorious 'poo suitcase' to guard his medical secrets. Advertisement Anchorage locals are already protesting, furious that a man wanted for war crimes is being welcomed to US soil. Many are demanding an immediate end to the 'barbaric killing of innocent civilians' in Ukraine. Meanwhile, a former spy who trained at the same KGB school as Vladimir Putin has warned of the Kremlin strongman's powers of manipulation - and claimed the despot has already 'won' today's summit with Trump. Behind closed doors, Trump and Putin will 'thrash out sensitive matters' before facing the press. Sources suggest Trump may dangle economic sweeteners – from access to Alaska's resources to a 'West Bank-style' model letting Russia keep its occupied Ukrainian land without redrawing borders. Advertisement Putin has praised Trump's 'sincere efforts,' but Zelensky isn't buying it – calling the Russian leader's peace talk a bluff. Trump, for now, insists the stakes couldn't be higher, posting a blunt warning before boarding Air Force One: 'HIGH STAKES!!!'
