Los Angeles mayor says city is being used as a 'test case' and 'an experiment'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Putin gave curt three-word response to reporters who tried to ask him questions about invasion of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a short response to reporters' questions about his invasion of Ukraine during his summit withPresident Donald Trump in Alaska. As the pair met in Alaska, MSNBC reported that journalists shouted various questions at Putin about the invasion of Ukraine and his talks with the president, including, 'How can President Trump trust you?' The translator told MSNBC that Putin responded with a dismissive three word response: 'Let it go, let it go.' Putin and Trump met for nearly three hours on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage to discuss Russia's war on Ukraine, which began more than three years ago. The pair announced 'great progress' had been made, but they still did not reach a ceasefire agreement. Before the meeting, Trump told Fox News that he 'won't be happy' walking away 'without some form of a ceasefire.' The president then changed course early Saturday morning, writing on Truth Social that he will now advocate for a peace agreement, rather than a ceasefire. Trump greeted Putin on a red carpet at the military base on Friday afternoon. Putin, in a surprise move, didn't ride to the base in his own limousine. Instead, he rode with Trump inside his armored vehicle known as 'The Beast.' There, the pair had a chance to talk privately en route to the summit. Trump was originally set to have a one-on-one meeting with Putin, but they instead held a three-on-three discussion. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and aide Yuri Ushakov joined Putin. Putin and Trump both appeared optimistic after their meeting. Trump noted that there were 'many points that we agreed on,' but there were still 'a couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there.' 'We've made some headway,' Trump said Friday. 'So there's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I'll, of course, call up President Zelensky and tell him about today's meeting.' Putin described Ukraine, which he ordered a full-scale invasion of in February 2022, as Russia's 'brotherly nation' in his statement following the talks. 'I agree with President Trump, as he has said today, that naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well,' Putin said, via a translator. 'Naturally we are prepared to work on that, I would like to hope that the agreement that we've reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.' Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to arrive in Washington, D.C. on Monday to meet with Trump himself. Trump told Fox News on Friday he would advise Zelensky that he has 'gotta make a deal' with Russia. 'Russia's a very big power,' Trump added. 'And they're not.' Trump insisted on Truth Social on Saturday that the talks went well, including a debrief afterwards with Zelensky and other European leaders, as he argued that a peace agreement rather than a ceasefire was the preferred response. 'The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO,' Trump wrote. '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,' he said.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
What Putin said — and what he meant, with a flash of sharp teeth
Unlike his American counterpart, President Putin chooses his words carefully. His closing remarks after his meeting with President Trump on Friday speak volumes both for what he did and did not say. • Trump-Putin meeting: follow the latest updates Putin pitched this meeting as an opportunity to bring US-Russian relations back on track — and in effect, to relegate the Ukraine issue to the sidelines. His well-known obsession with history, even if a deeply slanted version that suits his political needs, was soon in evidence. After praising the way the talks had been 'held in a constructive atmosphere of mutual respect', he quickly moved on to stressing not just that the meeting in Alaska highlighted the degree to which Russia and the United States, 'though separated by the oceans, are close neighbours' — just 2.4 miles apart at the closest point — but also that there was much shared history. (Of course, Alaska had been Russian until it was sold to America in 1867.) In the closed-door talks, Trump was apparently spared the kind of 30-minute lecture with which Putin began his interview with the US journalist Tucker Carlson. Instead, in both those talks and his public statement, Putin tried to mobilise history to develop his fundamental point: that Russia and America ought to be allies rather than adversaries. On his way to Anchorage, Putin had stopped over in Magadan in the Russian far east, where he made a point of laying flowers at the 'Heroes of Alsib' memorial commemorating pilots killed on the Alaska-Siberia route in the Second World War, when the US was helping to supply the Soviets. Noting that Soviet pilots had also been buried at a cemetery close to the airbase where the meeting with Trump was held, Putin offered a little light flattery to 'the citizens and the government of the US for carefully taking care of their memory. I think that's very worthy and noble'. He continued to make the point: 'We'll always remember other historical examples when our countries defeated common enemies together in the spirit of battle camaraderie and allyship that supported each other and facilitated each other.' In other words, when Moscow and Washington co-operate, no one can stand in their way. Putin here presented the war as something of a distraction which has unnecessarily interrupted co-operation between two great nations. 'This time has been very hard for bilateral relations, and let's be frank, they've fallen to the lowest point since the Cold War,' he said. 'I think that's not benefiting our countries and the world as a whole. It is apparent that sooner or later, we have to amend the situation to move on from the confrontation to dialogue.' This was Putin sounding conciliatory, yet wanting to have his cake and eat it: to restate his fundamental position, while posing as a peacemaker. The tell comes a few moments later. • Four key moments from Trump-Putin press conference This is Putin's usual code for demands that Kyiv must surrender territory, be barred from Nato membership and shrink its military to a level that leaves it perpetually vulnerable. He emphasised that from his perspective 'to make the settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict.' He is of course not talking about the unprovoked Russian invasion that started the war (which he ordered) but rather the supposedly 'legitimate concerns of Russia' and the need 'to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world' which would be more advantageous to Moscow. Meanwhile, he invoked what sounded like kinship with the Ukrainians, adding even that 'naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well'. This might have surprised those Ukrainian civilians hiding in their air raid shelters at the time. However, his claim that Russians have 'always considered the Ukrainian nation … a brotherly nation' as 'we have the same roots' was really just a sugar-coated rendition of his usual claim that Ukraine is not really a genuine country, more an annexe of a greater Russia. It is not yet clear what Putin meant by this arch suggestion. The official translation of his word ponimanie is 'agreements' but really the looser 'understandings' is more accurate. We therefore don't know if there is any framework for an agreement — although there are recurring suggestions of a halt to mutual air attacks on Russia and Ukraine's cities and infrastructure — or just a sense of progress being made. In any case, Putin was astute enough not to dwell on this too much and instead to refocus on the Russian and American relationship. First he dangled the benefit to the United States of improved dialogue with Russia. 'It is clear that the US and Russian investment and business co-operation has tremendous potential,' he said. 'Russia and the US can offer each other so much in trade, digital, high tech and in space exploration. We see that Arctic co-operation is also very possible.' Then he spoke warmly of his own bond with his American counterpart. Trump may be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, but he still manifests an insecurity that Putin is happy to exploit. Speaking of the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 the Russian said: 'President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there would be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so' (as if the invasion had been some natural disaster, rather than something he initiated). As for Trump's peacemaking efforts, it was the Europeans and Ukrainians who were frustrating him, Putin suggested. He expressed the pious hope that they 'will not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress.' It was, of course, naked flattery, but it was also different from the kind of fawning obeisances some European leaders have adopted. Rather it was calibrated to convey a sense that the two men were equals and it came with the hint of an invitation to the club of strongman leaders: 'The president of the US has a very clear idea of what he would like to achieve. He sincerely cares about the prosperity of his nation. Still, he understands that Russia has its own national interests.' This sounded like a compliment, not condescension. Putin is not a rigid strategist but an opportunist. He likes to keep his options open. Having averted any ultimatum on a ceasefire, he made it clear that he will pursue both military and diplomatic tracks simultaneously, the very thing Kyiv has been trying to prevent. He can see if some deal that suits him emerges — or just use continuing negotiations to keep Trump paralysed and try to paint the Ukrainians and the Europeans as the obstacle. At this stage, he doesn't have to decide, and that's the way he likes it. One might think that this would be enough for him, but Putin wouldn't be Putin without a snarky parting shot. Just as Trump was wrapping up the brief press conference with a vague suggestion that the two men would 'probably' see each other again soon, Putin pounced. By inviting him, in English, to the Russian capital for their next meeting, he knew he was putting Trump very much on the spot. Obviously, this would be an even greater fillip for Putin, and pretty much guarantee that President Zelensky wasn't going to be present. It was a closing flash of the sharp teeth behind the bland smile: I am not, Putin could have been saying, just another second-tier national leader who can be pushed around. Professor Mark Galeotti's book, Forged in War: A Military History of Russia from its Beginnings to Today, is published by Osprey/Bloomsbury
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Russia jubilant after Putin leaves Trump summit without making concessions
Russia's reaction to Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska has been nothing short of jubilant, with Moscow celebrating the fact that the Russian leader met his US counterpart without making concessions and now faces no sanctions despite rejecting Trump's ceasefire demands. 'The meeting proved that negotiations are possible without preconditions,' wrote former president Dmitry Medvedev on Telegram. He added that the summit showed that talks could continue as Russia wages war in Ukraine. Trump entered the high-stakes summit warning, 'I won't be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire,' and threatening 'severe consequences' if Moscow refused to cooperate. But after a three-hour meeting with the Russian side that yielded no tangible results, Trump shelved his threats and instead insisted that the meeting was 'extremely productive,' even as Putin clung to his maximalist demands for ending the war and announced no concessions on the battlefield, where Russian forces are consolidating key gains in eastern Ukraine. On Saturday morning, Trump also publicly dropped plans for an immediate ceasefire he had himself championed for months, instead embracing Putin's preferred path to ending the war: pushing through a far-reaching agreement before halting any fighting. '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 wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. All in all, the view from Moscow is that Putin appears to have gained the upper hand. 'Putin gave Trump nothing, but still got everything he wanted. Trump finally listened to his demands,' said a member of the Russian foreign policy establishment, speaking on condition of anonymity. In his remarks after the meeting in Alaska, Putin gave little indication of softening his stance, repeating that Moscow wanted the 'root causes' of the conflict addressed – Kremlin shorthand for demands to demilitarise Ukraine, restrict its domestic politics and block its path to Nato. No economic incentives offered by Trump's team seemed to sway Putin – the economic delegations meeting was even scrapped – with observers stressing he would always prioritise the war in Ukraine over whatever financial gains peace might unlock. Trump admitted there were still 'one or two pretty significant items' left to resolve with Putin, but most worryingly for Kyiv, he ramped up pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity: 'Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done.' These comments were quickly seized upon in Moscow. 'Both sides directly placed responsibility for achieving future results in negotiations on ending military actions on Kyiv and Europe,' Medvedev, now the deputy chair of Russia's security council, wrote. Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, said: 'Trump now appears to be shifting much of the responsibility on to Kyiv and Europe. Ukraine is likely to face increased pressure from the US to begin substantive discussions of Putin's conditions.' She added that Trump was 'once again clearly charmed and impressed by his interlocutor', referring to the warm body language and effusive compliments the US president directed at Putin. The key question is how far Trump will press Zelenskyy, who is set to meet him in Washington on Monday, to accept a deal on Putin's terms and whether European allies can once again steer Trump on to a different course. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion 'Trump clearly did not fully accept the settlement plan that Putin is promoting,' cautioned Stanovaya. For now, though, confidence runs high in Moscow. 'The tasks of the special military operation will be accomplished either by military or diplomatic means,' wrote senior Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas on Telegram. Unfazed by Trump, officials close to Putin felt free to contradict him outright. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who attended the Alaska meeting with the US leader, said no talks had taken place about a three-way summit between Putin, Zelenskyy and Trump, directly rebutting Trump's claim to reporters that a meeting was in the works. Russian state media and the Kremlin elite were already in high spirits as Trump rolled out the red carpet and treated Putin as an equal, despite the Russian leader being wanted by The Hague for war crimes. 'Western media are on the verge of completely losing it,' wrote foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as Putin landed in Alaska. 'For three years they told everyone Russia was isolated and today they saw a beautiful red carpet laid out for the Russian president in the US,' she added. On Saturday morning, Russia's flagship Channel One morning news bulletin highlighted the pomp of the summit, its international visibility, and the warm welcome for Putin, a striking contrast to his isolation by western leaders since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 'The red carpet and handshakes … are in all global publications and TV channels,' a presenter cheered, noting it was the first time Trump had met a visiting leader at the airport.
