Latest news with #NATO-related
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Putin, profit and peace: How Trump went from American eagle to cooing pigeon
What happened? How did he get from demanding a ceasefire under threat of 'very severe consequences' to '10 out of 10' with no ceasefire? And no consequences? 'It's bewildering,' says Peter Tesch, Australia's former ambassador to Moscow. 'Of course it fuels conspiracy theories that Putin has something over Trump. 'But I don't know why Trump goes to water every time he encounters Putin. He's enthralled. Putin turns Trump the bully into this cowed, servile individual. You see it time and time again. The man who said that we have to put an end to the killing has now accepted that killing should continue. 'The sight of American troops on their knees literally rolling out the red carpet for Putin in front of a plane with the word 'Russia' emblazoned on it really tells you where the true balance of power lies.' Even worse for US credibility, Trump gave the Russian dictator, a pariah in the West, a precious political gift. A professor of strategic studies at Scotland's University of St Andrews, Phillips P. O'Brien, observes: 'Trump has begun the process of normalising relations with war criminal Putin.' It was the first meeting between a US leader and a Russian one in four years. Putin has been invited in from the cold. Trump went further. He also appears to have given Putin geopolitical gold. Trump said that, instead of a ceasefire, the US and Russia would now 'go for' a full peace agreement. The Fox News interviewer Sean Hannity put to Trump: 'Most people think this ends with some land swaps ... and what Ukraine wants and needs desperately is a security measure that won't be NATO-related. Is that how this ends?' Trump: 'Those are points that we negotiated and points that we largely have agreed upon. I think we have agreed on a lot ... Ukraine has to agree to it, maybe they'll say no.' O'Brien's interpretation: 'So Trump has largely agreed on land swaps with Putin and now [Ukrainian president Volodomyr] Zelensky needs to act. Go ahead Ukraine – time for you to commit suicide!' Zelensky is bound to reject the suicide option. He's travelling to the White House to meet Trump and taking along a European cheer squad. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and the European Union will join the negotiation. But while they're supporting Ukraine, their interests are not identical to Ukraine's. The British and European leaders want Ukraine to emerge from the war sovereign and intact, but they also want to keep Trump committed to the NATO alliance. This means that 'Ukraine's fate is hostage to the wider security negotiation with Europe,' as Peter Tesch puts it. We are still left to wonder how Putin turned the fierce American eagle into a cooing pigeon in just a few hours. And we have a clue. Although the news coverage largely overlooked it, while the leaders were meant to talk peace, they also talked profit. Loading Putin's entourage included Russia's big-money man, Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. He said after the summit that 'it's very important that President Trump outlined the significant economic potential of co-operation between the US and Russia'. Putin seemed pretty keen, too. 'It's clear,' he said, 'that US and Russian investment and business cooperation has tremendous potential. Russia and the US can offer each other so much.' Trump needed no convincing. He volunteered to the press: 'We also have some tremendous Russian business representatives here. And I think you know, everybody wants to deal with us. We've become the hottest country anywhere in the world in a very short period of time. And we look forward to dealing. We're going to try and get this over with.' Get what 'over with'? He seems to have been referring to the Ukraine negotiations. This casts Trump's agenda in a different light. Putin may be waging a 'disgusting' war. Trump wants to make a killing of a different sort. He went into the meeting threatening to cut off Putin's petrodollars and came out wanting some of them instead. The Russian president's final remark at the post-summit press conference was the only time he used English. Just four words, spoken with an impish grin: 'Next time in Moscow.'
The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
Putin, profit and peace: How Trump went from American eagle to cooing pigeon
What happened? How did he get from demanding a ceasefire under threat of 'very severe consequences' to '10 out of 10' with no ceasefire? And no consequences? 'It's bewildering,' says Peter Tesch, Australia's former ambassador to Moscow. 'Of course it fuels conspiracy theories that Putin has something over Trump. 'But I don't know why Trump goes to water every time he encounters Putin. He's enthralled. Putin turns Trump the bully into this cowed, servile individual. You see it time and time again. The man who said that we have to put an end to the killing has now accepted that killing should continue. 'The sight of American troops on their knees literally rolling out the red carpet for Putin in front of a plane with the word 'Russia' emblazoned on it really tells you where the true balance of power lies.' Even worse for US credibility, Trump gave the Russian dictator, a pariah in the West, a precious political gift. A professor of strategic studies at Scotland's University of St Andrews, Phillips P. O'Brien, observes: 'Trump has begun the process of normalising relations with war criminal Putin.' It was the first meeting between a US leader and a Russian one in four years. Putin has been invited in from the cold. Trump went further. He also appears to have given Putin geopolitical gold. Trump said that, instead of a ceasefire, the US and Russia would now 'go for' a full peace agreement. The Fox News interviewer Sean Hannity put to Trump: 'Most people think this ends with some land swaps ... and what Ukraine wants and needs desperately is a security measure that won't be NATO-related. Is that how this ends?' Trump: 'Those are points that we negotiated and points that we largely have agreed upon. I think we have agreed on a lot ... Ukraine has to agree to it, maybe they'll say no.' O'Brien's interpretation: 'So Trump has largely agreed on land swaps with Putin and now [Ukrainian president Volodomyr] Zelensky needs to act. Go ahead Ukraine – time for you to commit suicide!' Zelensky is bound to reject the suicide option. He's travelling to the White House to meet Trump and taking along a European cheer squad. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and the European Union will join the negotiation. But while they're supporting Ukraine, their interests are not identical to Ukraine's. The British and European leaders want Ukraine to emerge from the war sovereign and intact, but they also want to keep Trump committed to the NATO alliance. This means that 'Ukraine's fate is hostage to the wider security negotiation with Europe,' as Peter Tesch puts it. We are still left to wonder how Putin turned the fierce American eagle into a cooing pigeon in just a few hours. And we have a clue. Although the news coverage largely overlooked it, while the leaders were meant to talk peace, they also talked profit. Loading Putin's entourage included Russia's big-money man, Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. He said after the summit that 'it's very important that President Trump outlined the significant economic potential of co-operation between the US and Russia'. Putin seemed pretty keen, too. 'It's clear,' he said, 'that US and Russian investment and business cooperation has tremendous potential. Russia and the US can offer each other so much.' Trump needed no convincing. He volunteered to the press: 'We also have some tremendous Russian business representatives here. And I think you know, everybody wants to deal with us. We've become the hottest country anywhere in the world in a very short period of time. And we look forward to dealing. We're going to try and get this over with.' Get what 'over with'? He seems to have been referring to the Ukraine negotiations. This casts Trump's agenda in a different light. Putin may be waging a 'disgusting' war. Trump wants to make a killing of a different sort. He went into the meeting threatening to cut off Putin's petrodollars and came out wanting some of them instead. The Russian president's final remark at the post-summit press conference was the only time he used English. Just four words, spoken with an impish grin: 'Next time in Moscow.'
Sky News AU
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Outside chance' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles could meet face-to-face with Trump this week after Albanese's G7 snub
There is an 'outside chance' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles could meet President Donald Trump face-to-face at the NATO summit in the coming days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was snubbed at the G7 last week. The summit is set to take place at the Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24 to the 26. A Canberra source told Sky News political correspondent Cameron Reddin the Defence Minister had an 'outside chance' of becoming the first member of government to meet the leader of the free world, although it was a 'very fluid situation'. Trump is due to fly to the Netherlands on Tuesday and may meet with the four Indo-Pacific nations, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan, who form the IP4 meeting, to take place this week. However, Mr Albanese was not alone in his decision not to attend the NATO summit and was joined by South Korea and Japan whose leaders would also skip the trip. Japan's Fuji Television said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was pulling out because a planned meeting between NATO and the group of four Indo-Pacific nations (IP4) was not likely to take place, and because a meeting with Trump was also unlikely. Japan said Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will travel to the Netherlands to attend NATO-related functions and hold bilateral meetings. Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said if Mr Marles did manage to score a one-on-one with Trump it would be 'very embarrassing' for the Prime Minister. 'This is a big problem now that our Prime Minister hasn't met with President Trump six months after his election,' he said. ' There has been ample time to do that.' Mr Canavan said he did not blame Mr Albanese for being snubbed at the G7 as it was 'out of his control', but a meeting in Washington in the six months since Trump's inauguration should have occurred. 'Many other leaders have done this. We're one of the Five Eyes nations, so one of the four most important allies to the United States,' he said. 'It is unacceptable that our government, our Prime Minister, has not met with the new Prime Minister six months after (Trump's) election.' Over the weekend, Sky News revealed Mr Albanese had yet to receive a phone call from Trump after their meeting was cancelled at the G7 summit in Canada. As of Saturday, Mr Albanese had not received a phone call from Trump, even though he contacted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. There has been no indication that the President has contacted other cancelled counterparts, such as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, or Mr Albanese. The Albanese government has suggested there is no cause for concern, despite the highly-visible diplomatic snub. A meeting between the two leaders is still agreed to, according to senior government sources - and the question is simply when, not if. -with Reuters
Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Japanese leader joins regional allies in skipping NATO summit
TOKYO/WASHINGTON - Japan said on Monday its Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has cancelled plans to attend this week's NATO summit, joining other Indo-Pacific countries in saying that their leaders will not attend and raising questions about future regional cooperation. Japan's foreign ministry announced the scrapping of Ishiba's June 24-26 trip just three days after announcing he would attend the meeting in The Hague to "reaffirm with NATO allies and others the recognition that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable." The decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump joined Israel's air war against Iran and mooted the possibility of the Tehran government being toppled. The Japanese ministry said "various circumstances" led to the cancellation. The U.S. State Department said it had no comment on the cancellations and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Japan's Fuji Television said Ishiba was pulling out because a planned meeting between NATO and the group of four Indo-Pacific nations (IP4) was not likely to take place, and because a meeting with Trump was also unlikely. South Korea and Australia, which along with Japan and New Zealand are key U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific and make up the IP4, have also said their leaders would not attend. Trump had wanted to hold a summit with the IP4, a source told Reuters previously. Japan said Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will travel to the Netherlands to attend NATO-related functions and hold bilateral meetings. LITTLE BENEFIT Japan's leader has attended every NATO summit since 2022, when it was first invited to participate following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Former President Joe Biden pushed European allies to pay more attention to the threats in the Indo-Pacific, particularly from China, and for Indo-Pacific countries to get involved with Ukraine, but the Trump administration has encouraged regional allies to focus on their own security. Christopher Johnstone, a former Biden White House official now with Asia Group strategic consultancy, said the absence of the Australian, Japanese and South Korean leaders signalled, at least for now, a symbolic breaking of the connection between security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. "Although it appears that the proximate cause of Ishiba's withdrawal was his inability to secure a meeting with President Trump, it's also probably the case that all three leaders see little benefit to joining a meeting that will feature intensified U.S. pressure on allies to increase defense spending," he said. Last week the Financial Times said Japan had canceled an annual high-level meeting the United States after it asked Tokyo to boost defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product, higher than an earlier request of 3%. At NATO this week, Trump is expected to press his demand that all European allies boost defense spending to 5% of GDP. The Nikkei reported on Saturday that the Republican president was demanding the same level from Asian allies, including Japan. The FT said the higher spending demand was made in recent weeks by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, who has also recently upset Australia, another key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, by launching a review of a massive project to provide it with nuclear-powered submarines. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Japanese leader joins regional allies in skipping NATO summit
By Yoshifumi Takemoto and David Brunnstrom Japanese leader joins regional allies in skipping NATO summit TOKYO/WASHINGTON -Japan said on Monday its Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has cancelled plans to attend this week's NATO summit, joining other Indo-Pacific countries in saying that their leaders will not attend and raising questions about future regional cooperation. Japan's foreign ministry announced the scrapping of Ishiba's June 24-26 trip just three days after announcing he would attend the meeting in The Hague to "reaffirm with NATO allies and others the recognition that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable." The decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump joined Israel's air war against Iran and mooted the possibility of the Tehran government being toppled. The Japanese ministry said "various circumstances" led to the cancellation. The U.S. State Department said it had no comment on the cancellations and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Japan's Fuji Television said Ishiba was pulling out because a planned meeting between NATO and the group of four Indo-Pacific nations was not likely to take place, and because a meeting with Trump was also unlikely. South Korea and Australia, which along with Japan and New Zealand are key U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific and make up the IP4, have also said their leaders would not attend. Trump had wanted to hold a summit with the IP4, a source told Reuters previously. Japan said Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will travel to the Netherlands to attend NATO-related functions and hold bilateral meetings. LITTLE BENEFIT Japan's leader has attended every NATO summit since 2022, when it was first invited to participate following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Former President Joe Biden pushed European allies to pay more attention to the threats in the Indo-Pacific, particularly from China, and for Indo-Pacific countries to get involved with Ukraine, but the Trump administration has encouraged regional allies to focus on their own security. Christopher Johnstone, a former Biden White House official now with Asia Group strategic consultancy, said the absence of the Australian, Japanese and South Korean leaders signalled, at least for now, a symbolic breaking of the connection between security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. "Although it appears that the proximate cause of Ishiba's withdrawal was his inability to secure a meeting with President Trump, it's also probably the case that all three leaders see little benefit to joining a meeting that will feature intensified U.S. pressure on allies to increase defense spending," he said. Last week the Financial Times said Japan had canceled an annual high-level meeting the United States after it asked Tokyo to boost defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product, higher than an earlier request of 3%. At NATO this week, Trump is expected to press his demand that all European allies boost defense spending to 5% of GDP. The Nikkei reported on Saturday that the Republican president was demanding the same level from Asian allies, including Japan. The FT said the higher spending demand was made in recent weeks by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, who has also recently upset Australia, another key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, by launching a review of a massive project to provide it with nuclear-powered submarines. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
