Latest news with #KremlinPressOffice
IOL News
10-08-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
What to expect at upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Alaska?
Russian President Vladimir Putin with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, August 6, 2025. Image: Kremlin Press Office / Handout via Xinhua US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet on August 15 in Alaska to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, marking the first talks between the leaders of the two countries since 2021. On the campaign trail in 2023 and 2024, Trump made repeated claims that he would end the Ukraine crisis within 24 hours of winning presidency. The summit, Trump's latest push for peace in the region, has been billed by the White House as a high-stakes push to end the Ukraine crisis. But the prospects for a breakthrough appear uncertain, with the two leaders approaching the talks from sharply different positions and many of America's allies warning that any deal struck without Kiev's participation will lack legitimacy. The plans for the face-to-face meeting between the two leaders surfaced after Putin's three-hour working meeting with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff during the latter's visit to Moscow on Wednesday. Putin this week offered the Trump administration a broad ceasefire proposal that requires significant territorial concessions from Kiev and seeks international acceptance of Russia's claims in return for stopping the fighting, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing European and Ukrainian officials. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 11, 2025. Image: Xinhua / Liu Kai Trump said Friday that he intended to secure a ceasefire, even suggesting that "swapping of territories" could be part of the deal. While he has not specified what that would entail, the phrase has drawn immediate pushback from Ukraine and its allies. Ukraine has repeatedly said it will not accept any arrangement that cedes its territory. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday criticised the Alaska talks for excluding his government and warned that lasting peace cannot be achieved without Ukraine at the table. "Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace," Zelenskyy said in a video address. "They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work." European capitals reacted swiftly to Trump's suggestion of a land swap. Leaders from the European Commission, France, Italy, Britain, Germany, Poland and Finland issued a joint statement on Saturday affirming that Ukraine's borders, as recognised internationally, cannot be changed by force. The statement underscored that Ukraine must be directly involved in any negotiations regarding its sovereignty. The last round of Russia-Ukraine talks held in Istanbul on July 23 concluded with no breakthrough towards a ceasefire but an agreement on another prisoner swap with civilian detainees included. Russia and Ukraine remain quite apart from each other while exchanges of drone and missile attacks continue to inflict heavy casualties and infrastructure damage. Analysts say that even if Trump and Putin agree on broad principles, achieving a workable ceasefire will be far from simple, as Russia controls significant territory, including areas it has fortified heavily over the past year, while Ukraine remains committed to regaining its land. A halt to fighting would require agreement on troop withdrawals, security guarantees and the future status of disputed regions – issues that have defied resolution since the conflict began in 2022. Without clear enforcement mechanisms, experts warn, any truce could unravel quickly. Whether the Alaska summit moves the Ukraine crisis toward resolution or entrenches a fragile stalemate will depend on whether the leaders can bridge deep divides. With positions hardened and trust in short supply, a ceasefire, if it comes at all, will not be easy. Xinhua
Ya Libnan
12-07-2025
- Business
- Ya Libnan
Putin urges Iran to take 'zero enrichment' nuclear deal with U.S., sources say
File: Putin (R) meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow in January. Photo: Kremlin Press Office via Getty Russian President Vladimir Putin has told both President Trump and Iranian officials that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, sources familiar with those discussions tell Axios. Russia has been Iran's main diplomatic backer on the nuclear issue for years. But while Moscow publicly advocates for Iran's right to enrich, Putin has taken a tougher position in private in the wake of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Moscow has encouraged the Iranians to agree to 'zero enrichment,' according to three European officials and one Israeli official with knowledge of the issue. Israeli and U.S. strikes seriously damaged Iran's nuclear facilities but did not destroy all of Iran's highly enriched uranium. It's unclear whether any of Iran's centrifuges survived. Putin and other Russian officials have conveyed their support for a 'zero enrichment' deal to the Iranians several times of the last few weeks, the sources say. Friction point Putin's position is particularly notable given the extensive support Iran has provided Russia during its war with Ukraine, including by supplying hundreds of attack drones and surface-to-surface missiles. The Russians have made clear in public and private that if a deal is reached, they are willing to remove Iran's highly enriched uranium. White House envoy Steve Witkoff has been talking to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about resuming nuclear negotiations.
Vox
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Vox
Trump's call with Putin, briefly explained
US President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the first day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019. Kremlin Press Office/Handout/This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: Today we're focusing on a new development in Ukraine that gives us more insight into Donald Trump's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin. What's the latest? Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy are each supporting a 30-day pause in attacks on 'energy and infrastructure,' such as power plants and refineries. The planned pause follows a lengthy phone call between Trump and Putin earlier today. Putin did not agree to a full ceasefire, which Trump has proposed and which Ukraine had assented to earlier. Russia put out a post-call statement suggesting that it would only agree if foreign countries cut off military and intelligence aid to Ukraine — a demand Trump has not agreed to. What hasn't changed? Fighting along the front lines, and presumably also drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, will continue. The US will also continue providing weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, after briefly suspending both earlier this month. What's the big picture for Ukraine? The optimistic take on what happened today is that the two sides are talking — via the US — and that this could be the basis for a broader ceasefire. On the other hand, recent statements from Russian officials suggest they're still pushing for a demilitarized and subservient Ukraine. And Putin may be doing just enough to keep Trump happy while continuing to press his advantage on the battlefield. What did we learn about Trump? Trump didn't totally sell Ukraine out, which seemed like a real possibility just a few weeks ago. On the other hand, he also doesn't seem to put pressure on Russia to agree to a real ceasefire, as he did with Ukraine. Trump's own statement about the call makes it seem like he was satisfied with the result, despite Putin's unwillingness to back down. And with that, it's time to log off... Part of the lure of social media is the promise of external validation, and so I really appreciated this piece from my Vox colleague Allie Volpe. It explains why we're hard-wired to seek validation — and how we can avoid being trapped by that need. I particularly loved this line: 'What is far more nourishing than the sugar high of validation is an internal process of recognizing your own worthiness.'
