Trump seeks to hold trilateral summit as early as Aug 22: media
Zelensky said in an X post Saturday that he will meet Trump in Washington on Monday. Trump also invited the European leaders to join Monday's White House meeting, according to Axios.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Saturday that a trilateral summit is expected to follow Monday's meeting between Zelensky and Trump. So far, the Russian side has not publicly committed to a trilateral meeting
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Arab Times
6 hours ago
- Arab Times
European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump
KYIV, Ukraine, Aug 17, (AP): European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, with the possibility of US security guarantees now on the negotiating table. Leaders from France, Britain and Germany are rallying around the Ukrainian leader after his exclusion from Trump's summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their pledge to be at Zelenskyy's side at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February, when Trump berated Zelenskyy in a heated Oval Office encounter. "The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr Zelenskyy to the hilt,' said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations. "It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,' he said. Special US envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Putin agreed at the meeting in Alaska with Trump to allow the US and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that "we welcome President Trump's willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. And the 'Coalition of the willing' -- including the European Union -- is ready to do its share.' Von der Leyen was joined Sunday by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in saying they will take part in Monday's talks at the White House, as will secretary-general of the NATO military alliance, Mark Rutte. The European leaders' demonstration of support could help ease concerns in Kyiv and in other European capitals that Ukraine risks being railroaded into a peace deal that Trump says he wants to broker with Russia. Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said European leaders are trying to "shape this fast-evolving agenda.' After the Alaska summit, the idea of a ceasefire appears all-but-abandoned, with the narrative shifting toward Putin's agenda of ensuring Ukraine does not join NATO or even the EU. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC's "Meet the Press' on Sunday that a possible ceasefire is "not off the table' but that the best way to end the war would be through a "full peace deal.'
Kuwait Times
6 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Germany sacks rail chief with train network in crisis
FRANKFURT: The German government sacked the embattled head of Deutsche Bahn as it seeks to overhaul the ailing public rail network after years of criticism about deteriorating services. Once widely admired for its punctuality and efficiency, Germany's rail service has worsened dramatically in recent years owing to what critics say is chronic underinvestment. Passengers now often complain of long delays and cancelled trains in Europe's biggest economy—last year, almost 40 percent of long-distance services were late. Richard Lutz, who took the helm of the publicly owned institution in 2017, will leave his chief executive post two years before the end of his contract, the government confirmed. 'The situation at Deutsche Bahn is dramatic, if you look at customer satisfaction, punctuality figures or profitability,' Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder told a press conference to announce Lutz's departure. 'The company must become faster, leaner, more effective and also more economical.' The 61-year-old will stay on until a successor is found, with the government saying the hiring process would start immediately. Karl-Peter Naumann from rail passenger association Pro-Bahn warned that changing the boss would not solve Deutsche Bahn's problems. The situation would only change if policies improved and funding was increased, he told AFP. 'All previous transport ministers have more or less failed and have contributed greatly to the railways being in the situation they are in today,' he said. Lutz's days had seemed numbered since a new coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz took power in May. Schnieder had publicly complained earlier this month about the railways' poor punctuality and suggested he was looking at personnel changes. Workers on the railways—Deutsche Bahn has some 220,000 employees—had also spoken out against Lutz, with the GDL train drivers union calling in July for him to be sacked. The transport minister also said he would present a major plan to fix the network in late September. The government's is seeking to fix crumbling infrastructure more broadly, establishing a 500-billion-euro fund. Deutsche Bahn has already embarked on a push to renew parts of the network but it is likely to take years to complete. It has seen falling profits in recent years and is also saddled with more than 20 billion euros in debt. – AFP
Kuwait News Agency
10 hours ago
- Kuwait News Agency
GCC Chief welcomes US, Russia meeting in Alaska
Politics LOC13:28 10:28 GMT RIYADH, Aug 17 (KUNA) -- The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassem Al-Budaiwi, welcomed the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday in Alaska. In a press statement, Al-Budaiwi praised the positive atmosphere that accompanied the Alaska summit, which emphasized that resolving disputes and crises comes through cooperation, constructive dialogue, and peaceful solutions. He affirmed the GCC countries' steadfast position, based on supporting peaceful dialogue to resolve regional and international issues, and strengthening and supporting all international efforts aimed at resolving the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, as the best way to enhance international peace and security. (end)
