Latest news with #CeaseFireandFinalAgreement
Asharq Al-Awsat
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump Urges Putin to Spare Ukrainian Troops in Kursk
US President Donald Trump urged Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday to spare Ukrainian troops being pushed back out of Russia's Kursk region and said there was a "very good chance" the war could end. Trump posted on social media after his envoy, Steve Witkoff, held a lengthy meeting with Putin on Thursday night in Moscow that Trump described as "very good and productive". "There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," he said. The US president said thousands of Ukrainian troops were "completely surrounded" by the Russian military and "in a very bad and vulnerable position". "I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!" Military analysts have said Ukrainian forces in Kursk are nearly cut off after rapidly losing ground in what had been their only foothold in Russian territory. Putin said on Friday that Russia will guarantee the safety of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region if they surrender. Kyiv's military, however, said there was no threat of encirclement, and that its troops were pulling back to better positions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at a G7 meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, said Witkoff is returning to the United States and there may be discussions about Ukraine over the weekend. "But we certainly feel like we're at least some steps closer to ending this war and bringing peace. But it's still a long journey," he told reporters. Moscow said on Friday that its forces had recaptured another village in their drive to dislodge Ukrainian forces from their last remaining footholds inside Russia's Kursk region. The Kremlin said Putin had sent Trump a message about his ceasefire plan via Witkoff, expressing "cautious optimism" that a deal could be reached to end the three-year-old conflict. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump himself had not spoken to Putin yet. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who met Trump on Thursday, told Fox News that Trump's drive to get Russia to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers was "extremely helpful and extremely important." The Trump administration launched its latest round of outreach to Moscow this week after Ukraine agreed in principle to a ceasefire at talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia. TRUMP URGES PUTIN TO SIGN CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH UKRAINE On Friday, Trump again pressed Russia to sign and complete "a Cease Fire and Final Agreement", saying on his private social media platform that he would extract the US from what he called a "real 'mess' with Russia". Putin said on Thursday that he supported Trump's proposal in principle, but that fighting could not be paused until several crucial conditions were worked out, raising the prospect of longer negotiations. Despite Putin's apparent conditions, Trump called Putin's statement "very promising". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Putin - who has expressed concern that Ukraine would exploit any truce to regroup - had used the late-night meeting with Witkoff to convey information and "signals" to Trump. "There are certainly reasons to be cautiously optimistic," Peskov said. "(Putin) said that he supports President Trump's position in terms of a settlement, but he voiced some questions that need to be answered together". Peskov said the timing of a phone call between the presidents would be worked out once Witkoff had briefed Trump. Putin has said he wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions to join NATO, Russia to control the entirety of the four Ukrainian regions it has claimed as its own, and the size of the Ukrainian army to be limited. He has also made clear he wants Western sanctions eased and a presidential election to be held in Ukraine, which Kyiv says is premature while martial law remains in force. Peskov played down reports suggesting Russian officials had told US counterparts they did not want Trump's Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg to be involved in top-level discussions on the war. He said Moscow had no intention of meddling.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Unloads on All His Haters in Incoherent Rant
Despite being back in the Oval Office, Donald Trump is still stuck in the past. In an early morning Truth Social rant Friday, the president continued to blame all his problems on President Joe Biden. Those problems ran the gamut from the Ukraine-Russia War (which started in 2014), the October 7 attack on an Israeli music festival, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, inflation and the economy, and 'illegals' at the border. In an effort to skirt the ire of the nation under his increasingly unpopular policies, Trump claimed that the 2020 election conspiracy was the fulcrum of the country's woes, urging that 'THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS TO US SHOULD GO TO JAIL.' 'Crooked Joe Biden got us into a real 'mess' with Russia (and EVERYTHING ELSE!), but I'm going to get us out,' Trump posted. 'Millions of people are needlessly dead, never to be seen again … and there will be many more to follow if we don't get the Cease Fire and Final Agreement with Russia completed and signed. There would have been NO WAR if I were President. It just, 100%, would not have happened. 'Likewise, there would have been no October 7th with Israel, the pullout from Afghanistan would have been done with strength and pride, and would not have been the most embarrassing day in the history of our Country, it could have been a moment of glory,' Trump continued. 'Also, there would not have been any perceptible inflation—Instead we had Record Setting, Country Destroying Inflation, like we have never seen before. Also, we would have had an impenetrable Border, with very few illegals getting in. 'Oh, what a difference A RIGGED & CROOKED ELECTION HAD ON OUR COUNTRY, AND THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS TO US SHOULD GO TO JAIL! GOD BLESS AMERICA AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Trump added. But it may just be easier for Trump to reimagine the past than it is for him to confront the future. Trump's own economic plans have sparked fears that the country—which just last year had a strong economy—could be en route for a recession. Trump's own foreign policy, which involves a global trade war, has instigated unrest with some of America's longest allies, and his administration's handling of the Ukraine conflict has led a coalition of countries to question if they should continue sharing intelligence with the Pentagon.
Al Manar
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Biden Administration Guilty of Worsening US-Russian Relations, Trump Says
The administration of the 46th US President Joe Biden is to blame for the fact that US-Russian relations have deteriorated so badly, US President Donald Trump has said. 'Crooked Joe Biden got us into a real 'mess' with Russia <…>, but I'm going to get us out,' he wrote on the Truth Social network. 'Millions of people are needlessly dead, never to be seen again…and there will be many more to follow if we don't get the Cease Fire and Final Agreement with Russia completed and signed,' the American leader believes. On March 11, negotiations took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between delegations from the United States and Ukraine. Following these discussions, a joint statement was issued, indicating that Ukraine is willing to accept the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. In return, Washington will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume military assistance to Kiev. On March 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to media inquiries by expressing gratitude to former President Trump for his involvement in the peace negotiations and endorsing the idea of a ceasefire. However, Putin raised several critical questions regarding the status of Ukrainian military personnel who had invaded the Kursk Region, the mechanisms for monitoring the ceasefire, and Ukraine's potential actions during this period. He stated that Moscow was open to proposals for ending hostilities in Ukraine, provided they paved the way for long-term peace and addressed the root causes of the crisis.
