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Trump to meet Russia's Putin in Alaska next week

Shafaq News

2 days ago

Politics
Shafaq News

Trump to meet Russia's Putin in Alaska next week

Shafaq News – Washington On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the event as 'a long-awaited meeting,' adding that further details will be disclosed later. According to a report by Russia's Ria Novosti, a Russian representative noted that Alaska is a location where Moscow and Washington's economic interests intersect, with potential for large-scale projects, adding that a future meeting could be held in Russia, as Putin has extended an invitation to Trump. No official agenda for the Alaska summit has been released. Situated across the Bering Strait from Russia, the US state also carries symbolic weight in the history of US–Russia relations, having been purchased from the Russian Empire in 1867. Earlier, Putin hosted Trump's special envoy, Stephen Witkoff, at the Kremlin for more than three hours. The discussions included exchanges on Ukraine and prospects for developing strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Trump envoy Witkoff meets Putin in last-ditch trip before sanctions deadline

NZ Herald

5 days ago

Business
NZ Herald

Trump envoy Witkoff meets Putin in last-ditch trip before sanctions deadline

He ordered the increase in tariffs on India to take effect in three weeks, once more providing a window of several more weeks for some kind of deal. But the delay also allows more time for Russian forces to advance in Ukraine. In addition to hitting India, Trump's order said the United States could increase tariffs on other countries buying oil from Moscow – such as China, another major importer of Russian oil. The tariff announcement seemed to contradict Russian officials who vaguely characterised Wednesday's meeting at the Kremlin as productive. The talks between Witkoff and Putin began shortly before midday Moscow time, and ended around 2.40pm, according to the Kremlin press pool. Earlier, Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, visited a restaurant in Zaryadye Park near the Kremlin, where they spent about 90 minutes, before visiting an observation deck overlooking the Moscow River, state-run Ria Novosti reported. After the meeting, Dmitriev described the talks as 'successful', adding, 'Dialogue will prevail,' in a post on X. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who was part of the Russian delegation at the meeting in the Kremlin, described it as 'useful and constructive'. Ushakov said the sides exchanged points of view on the war in Ukraine and that the possibility of strategic co-operation was also discussed. Trump, who has expressed impatience with Putin and moved closer to Ukraine in recent months, recently warned that he would sanction Russia and its trading partners if a ceasefire deal is not reached before August 8. On Sunday, he said that before imposing new sanctions, he was sending Witkoff to Russia, at Moscow's request. Instead of the full truce that Trump has demanded for months, Putin was reportedly considering a partial ceasefire, possibly by ending the missile and drone attacks it has ramped up against Ukrainian cities in recent months. More than 6700 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the first half of this year, according to the United Nations. Last week, Trump described Russia's attacks on Ukraine as 'disgusting' and 'a disgrace'. But there were no immediate indications from either side about whether Putin tried to deflect the sanctions on Russia's trading partners by offering a partial ceasefire. A partial truce might have halted the deadly attacks on civilians but would not prevent Russia from advancing in eastern Ukraine, where it has been making slow but steady progress, gaining 2295sq km from the end of December to the end of June, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War think tank. It would also have neutered Ukraine's most effective tool in the war: drone attacks on key Russian military facilities, including strategic air bases, bombers, spy planes, oil refineries, fuel and ammunition storage facilities and factories associated with military production. On Saturday, Ukrainian drone attacks hit two major Russian oil refineries, Reuters reported. The Ryazan oil refinery, operated by Rosneft oil company, has halved its refining capacity since the attack, and the company's Novokuibyshevsk refinery shut down. Ukraine is at a disadvantage in ground fighting because of chronic shortages of soldiers and weapons – another reason the partial ceasefire could benefit Russia. With Witkoff in Moscow, rescuers in Ukraine were responding to a Russian strike on a civilian recreation centre in the Zaporizhzhia region that killed two people and injured 12, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 'There is zero military sense in this strike – just cruelty aimed at instilling fear,' Zelenskyy posted on X. In Ukraine's Odesa region a Russian strike on a natural gas facility left hundreds of families without fuel, he said. Russia consistently claims that all its strikes target military facilities. 'No matter what the Kremlin says, they will only genuinely seek to end the war once they feel adequate pressure,' Zelenskyy said. 'And right now, it is very important to strengthen all the levers in the arsenal of the United States, Europe, and the G-7 so that a ceasefire truly comes into effect immediately. Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, of America, and of everyone who is helping. And we are counting on the necessary decisions to follow.' Before Wednesday, Witkoff, as Trump's emissary, had met Putin four times without denting the Russian leader's maximalist conditions to halt attacks, despite numerous concessions put forward by Washington, including keeping Ukraine out of Nato and enabling Russia to continue to occupy the territory it has illegally annexed. But little progress has been made, with Putin successfully deflecting US pressure for a ceasefire, arguing that the matter is too complex to be solved quickly and insisting that Russia would keep fighting. The most recent direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place last month in Istanbul and appeared to last less than an hour, with both sides agreeing on a prisoner exchange, while their positions on a ceasefire remained far apart. Witkoff has been criticised in the past for echoing Kremlin rhetoric, appearing not to know details about the conflict, attending lengthy meetings with Putin and other top Russian officials alone, and relying on a Kremlin-supplied interpreter. Despite Trump's criticism of Russia's apparent delaying tactics, Putin said last week that any disappointment over peace negotiations was due to 'excessive expectations', reiterating that Russia's conditions haven't changed. Putin insisted that Moscow was merely 'returning' Russian land – language he has used to justify his invasion since the start – and said that the peace process was 'positive overall', a message he is likely to reinforce in talks with Witkoff on Wednesday. On Sunday, pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov reported on Telegram that Russia might offer a partial ceasefire by proposing a halt to missile and drone attacks. In recent months, Russia has launched deadly missile and drone attacks on civilian targets, including apartments, maternity hospitals, civilian transportation and a playground. Markov suggested Tuesday that Moscow may mollify Trump but delay the implementation of a ceasefire. 'It is believed that during Witkoff's visit, Russia and the United States can agree on an air truce. This will remove August 8 as the date of Trump's ultimatum. And it will take a lot more time to organise the air truce,' he wrote on Telegram. After this failed to materialise, Markov wrote that Putin would ignore Trump's pressure on Russia's oil exports, adding that 'Trump's behaviour is becoming increasingly anti-Russian. Trump is turning into Biden'. Trump also spoke Tuesday with Zelenskyy, who reported that they discussed Russia's attacks on Kyiv and other cities and Trump's threat of sanctions. Trump has stepped back from direct military support for Ukraine but said last month that the US would sell weapons to Nato countries, including air defence systems and interceptors, which they could then send to Ukraine. Ukraine has for months called for tougher sanctions on Russia to press Putin to end the war. Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, wrote in The Washington Post on Monday that sanctions need to target Russia's military industrial complex, block major Russian bank Gazprombank and prevent dual-use electronics from reaching Russia. 'Trump's decision last week to raise tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil above the price cap surely rattled the Kremlin. It's a great first step, but more pressure is needed,' he wrote. Trump's threatened sanctions could pose a significant challenge to Russia, which is spending about 40% of its state budget on its military and security, amid a sharp decline in revenue from oil. Although the Kremlin appears confident that it could withstand new sanctions, its economy is under intense pressure from the war, with high interest rates bankrupting small businesses, regions struggling with high expenditures on military recruitment and manufacturing suffering a decline. The Izvestia newspaper reported Tuesday that nearly 141,000 Russian businesses were liquidated in the first six months of the year. Western sanctions include capping oil prices at US$60 a barrel for crude, designed to bar companies from trading and transporting Russian oil above the price cap. Russia has weathered sanctions so far through oil sales, mainly to China and India, evading restrictions via a 'shadow fleet' of several hundred ageing oil tankers with opaque ownership and registration details, flagged from countries with lax regulations. Sanctions on oil tankers have proved relatively successful, analysts say, with the Kyiv School of Economics reporting in June that the US, European Union, Britain and Canada had sanctioned a total of 496 tankers. But it said there was scope for better enforcement, with 135 sanctioned tankers recorded to have taken shipments at Russian ports between March and May. Russia and Ukraine have edged toward partial ceasefires in the past. Last year, the two sides were to meet in Doha, Qatar, to discuss a moratorium on strikes against energy and power infrastructure, but the planned talks were derailed by a Ukrainian attack on the Russian region of Kursk. Before his trip to Russia, Witkoff visited Israel and told relatives of hostages held in Gaza that the Trump administration was formulating an 'all or nothing' plan to bring home every remaining captive and that an end to the war was near. The Israeli Government is now debating a plan to occupy all of Gaza.

Russia becomes first country to officially recognize Taliban government in Afghanistan

LeMonde

03-07-2025

Politics
LeMonde

Russia becomes first country to officially recognize Taliban government in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's government said on Thursday, July 3 that Russia had become the first country to officially recognize its rule, calling it a "brave decision". The Taliban swept back to power in 2021 after ousting the foreign-backed government and have imposed an austere version of Islamic law. The announcement was made after Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, in Kabul. "This brave decision will be an example for others... Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone," Muttaqi said in a video of the meeting posted on X. "Russia is the first country which has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate," Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP, using the government's name for their administration. Moscow's special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told Russia's state news agency Ria Novosti that the government had "recognized" the Taliban government. Russia's foreign affairs ministry also confirmed the news to the TASS news agency. The move comes shortly after Taliban diplomat, Gul Hassan, assumed the role of Kabul's ambassador to Moscow. Moscow has taken steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities, removing their designation as a "terrorist organization" in April and inviting them to official events. Russia was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, and has announced plans to use Afghanistan as a transit hub for gas heading to Southeast Asia. In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban "allies in the fight against terrorism". Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates recognised the Taliban during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. This time, multiple other states, including China and Pakistan, have accepted Taliban ambassadors in their capitals, but have not officially recognieed the Islamic Emirate. There has been limited but growing engagement with the Taliban authorities, particularly from its regional neighbors, but also major global players China and Russia. However, its restrictions on women and girls, barring them from education and squeezing them from public life, have been key sticking points for Western nations. The Taliban authorities have keenly sought international recognition and investment, as the country recovers from four decades of war, including the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989.

Putin signs bill ratifying Russia-Seychelles treaty on mutual assistance in criminal cases

The Sun

07-06-2025

Politics
The Sun

Putin signs bill ratifying Russia-Seychelles treaty on mutual assistance in criminal cases

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a Bill that ratifies the treaty between Russia and the Republic of Seychelles on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, the Kremlin said on Saturday, according to Ria Novosti. 'The president signed the federal law on 'Ratification of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Seychelles on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters',' the Kremlin said. According to the text of the treaty, published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, legal assistance is provided 'if the offence, in connection with which the request was issued, is criminally punishable according to the law of both Parties'. At the same time, a side of the treaty may provide legal assistance 'upon its own consideration' even if the situation is not recognised by its legislation as a criminal matter. The treaty also notes that legal assistance may also be provided in connection with investigations, prosecutions or judicial proceedings in relation to financial and customs offences. Legal assistance includes procedures such as delivery of documents relevant to the criminal case; obtaining evidence; locating and identifying persons and objects; summoning witnesses, victims, experts and other persons to appear voluntarily before the competent authority of the requesting party.

Putin ratifies Russia-Seychelles legal aid treaty