Zelensky's Inner Circle 'Trapped' In $50M Mideast Scandal As Putin, Trump Head For Alaska Showdown
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Mint
18 minutes ago
- Mint
Putin ready to end Ukraine war? Trump says yes but downplays talks of immediate ceasefire
On the eve of his Friday summit with Vladimir Putin, United States President Donald Trump said he believes the Russian President is ready to end the war in Ukraine, but added that achieving peace would likely require a second meeting that includes Ukraine's President Zelensky. Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine in February of 2022 and if Putin and Zelensky meet to talk ceasefire, it would be the first time since the Ukraine war started. While Donald Trump said he was hopeful about the Ukraine war reaching its end ahead of his talks with Putin in Alaska, he downplayed immediate ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies have intensified their efforts this week to prevent any deal between the US and Russia emerging from Friday's summit in Alaska that leaves Ukraine vulnerable to future attack. 'I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelensky will make peace. We'll see if they get along,' Donald Trump said. Speculating involvement of more European leaders, Donald Trump said, 'I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskiy, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don't know that.' More details are being added
United News of India
30 minutes ago
- United News of India
Trump threatens Russia with severe consequences if Alaska talks fail
New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) A day before the Alaska talks for peace in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ''bluffing'' with no intention of making peace. Putin and US President Donald Trump are meeting in Alaska tomorrow (August 15) to discuss peace in Ukraine. The meeting at 1 am IST at a military base, will be held without the Ukrainian President who has warned that there cannot be any peace in his country if he is not included in the talks. However, the US President said Zelenskyy can be part of the subsequent talks process depending upon the outcome of the Alaska meeting. 'Putin is bluffing,'' Zelenskyy said after a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin. ''He (Putin) is trying to exert pressure ahead of the meeting in Alaska on all sectors of the Ukrainian front. Russia is attempting to portray itself as capable of occupying all of Ukraine. That is undoubtedly what they want,'' Zelenskyy said. The US President also warned Russia of serious consequences if in the Alaska talks Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, implying that sanctions against Russia would be tightened. Meanwhile, the US warned of increasing secondary tariffs against India depending upon the outcome of the Alaska meeting. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, said the decision would depend on the outcome of the Alaska meeting. He also asked the Europeans to join the US in sanctions against Russia. "We've put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, If things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up," Bessent said in the interview yesterday. 'It looks like he may be ready to negotiate and we put secondary tariffs on India, on the Indians, for buying Russian oil. And I could see if things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,' he said. Asked what about China who are the 'main purchasers of Russian crude,' Bessent said he is not going to get ahead of the President (Trump) but the President is best at 'creating leverage for himself.' President Trump will make it clear to President Putin that all options are on the table and 'sanctions can go up or they can also be loosened.' 'They can have a definitive life. They can go in indefinitely,' he said. Zelenskyy said Putin is also bluffing when pretending that sanctions are ineffective and not important to him. In reality, sanctions are extremely helpful and hit the Russian war economy hard. Russia indeed has several times more weapons – including artillery, three times as much. But it also suffers three times as many losses. He said Putin has no intention of making peace. ''He wants to occupy our country. And we all truly understand this. Putin will not be able to deceive anyone,'' he said while calling for sanctions against Russia by US and Europe. President Zelenskyy participated in the sixth meeting of the 'Coalition of the Willing', co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin yesterday. The meeting was also attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. The participants agreed that the path to peace cannot be determined without Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to a ceasefire, partners will continue active diplomatic efforts, support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. The participants also agreed that negotiations can only yield results if they are held under a ceasefire and if Russia does not agree to this step during the meeting in Alaska, sanctions against Russia's war economy will be strengthened. 'Coalition of the Willing' is a rhetorical term coined in early 1970s referring to a temporary international partnership created for achieving a particular objective, usually military or political nature. On March 2, the British Prime Minister said after a Summit meeting in London between 18 European leaders that the UK would work with France and other European countries to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, with a long-term goal of some peace agreement with Russia. UNI RB 1617
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Putin won't mess around with me': Trump ahead of meeting in Alaska; US president says Russia, Ukraine ‘will make peace'
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin , won't 'mess around" with him ahead of a summit between the two world leaders in Alaska. The US president will be holding face-to-face talks with Putin at a US military base on Friday to negotiate a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. During a press conference at the White House, Trump acknowledged that Putin is interested in gaining full territorial control of Ukraine but insists that won't happen with him as US president. I think President Putin would like to see a deal. I think if I weren't President, he would take over all of Ukraine. It's a a war that should never have happened. In my opinion, if I weren't President, he would much rather take off, take over all of Ukraine. But I am President, he is not going to mess around with me. He also proposed that European leaders could be invited to participate in a second meeting, which would include Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump told Fox News Radio that the main aim of tomorrow's meeting is to set up talks between Putin and the Ukrainian president, adding that he has three locations in mind for such a meeting. The US President, who is preparing to meet his Russian counterpart for the first time since 2018, expressed confidence that both leaders 'will make peace'. Friday's talks between the presidents will include a one-on-one meeting, a bilateral lunch with both delegations and a press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Earlier on Thursday, Putin praised Trump's 'sincere efforts' towards ending the war in Ukraine, telling Kremlin officials the US is making 'quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the fighting'. The comments followed UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosting Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street for talks, greeting the Ukrainian president with a warm hug outside his residence.
