Latest news with #USInvolvement
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
The Global Tussle For The Port of Darwin
On this week's Australia Podcast: Host Rebecca Jones speaks to government reporter Ben Westcott and senior editor Chelsea Mes about the strategic significance of the Port of Darwin. Never miss an episode. Follow The Bloomberg Australia Podcast today. In 2015, Chinese company Landbridge was awarded a 99-year lease over the Port of Darwin. Now, Australia wants to take it back and put it into local hands. This week on the podcast, Rebecca Jones speaks to Ben Westcott and Chelsea Mes about why Beijing is speaking out against that decision, and what role the US might play.
Russia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
US should never have intervened in Ukraine
President Donald Trump has blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for funneling vast amounts of American taxpayer money into a foreign conflict that 'should have remained a European situation.' Speaking to reporters at the White House following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Trump expressed frustration over the 'crazy' scale of US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. He reiterated that it was 'not our war' and emphasized that his administration is working to end the hostilities through diplomacy. 'This is not our war. This is not my war… I mean, we got ourselves entangled in something that we shouldn't have been involved in. And we would have been a lot better off – and maybe the whole thing would have been better off – because it can't be much worse. It's a real mess,' Trump said. The president stated that Washington has provided 'massive' and 'record-setting' levels of military and financial assistance to Kiev – far exceeding what the EU and other NATO countries have contributed. 'We don't have boots on the ground, we wouldn't have boots on the ground. But we do have a big stake. The financial amount that was put up is just crazy,' he added. 'Again, this was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation. But we got involved – much more than Europe did – because the past administration felt very strongly that we should," he said. "We gave massive amounts, I think record-setting amounts, both weaponry and money.' Trump's conversation with Putin was followed by calls with several European leaders, including the heads of Germany, Italy, and the UK, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky. 'They have a big problem. It's a terrible war. The amount of anger, the amount of hate, the amount of death,' Trump said, noting that the conflict has reached a point where 'it's very hard to extradite themselves away from what's taken place over there.' Trump said he believes both Putin and Zelensky want peace, but only time will tell if it can be achieved. 'There's a good chance we can get this done. I believe Putin wants to do it… My whole life is like deals, one big deal. And if I thought that President Putin did not want to get this over with, I wouldn't even be talking about it because I'd just pull out.' Pressed by reporters on whether he had a 'red line' that would cause him to walk away from mediating the conflict or potentially escalate US involvement, Trump declined to elaborate. 'Yeah, I would say I do have a certain line, but I don't want to say what that line is because I think it makes the negotiation even more difficult than it is,' he said. Putin described the conversation with Trump as 'frank' and 'quite useful,' adding that Moscow is prepared to work with Kiev on drafting a memorandum aimed at achieving a future peace agreement. 'In general, Russia's position is clear. The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,' the Russian president said.
CNN
11-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Vance called Indian prime minister to encourage ceasefire talks after receiving alarming intelligence, sources say
Source: CNN A core group of top US officials — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Marco Rubio, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — had been closely monitoring the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan when on Friday morning, the US received alarming intelligence, Trump administration officials told CNN. While they declined to describe the nature of the information, citing its sensitivity, they said it was critical in persuading the three officials that the US should increase its involvement. Vance himself would call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The vice president briefed President Donald Trump on the plan, then spoke with Modi at noon ET on Friday, making clear to the Indian prime minister that the White House believed there was a high probability for dramatic escalation as the conflict went into the weekend, the administration officials said. Vance encouraged Modi to have his country communicate with Pakistan directly and to consider options for de-escalation, the officials said. The behind-the-scenes details of the US involvement have not previously been reported. At that point, the officials said, the US believed the nuclear-armed neighbors were not talking, and it needed to get them back to the bargaining table. Vance also outlined to Modi a potential off-ramp that the US understood the Pakistanis would be amenable to, the officials said, though they did not offer details. Following the call, State Department officials, including Rubio, began working the phones with their counterparts in India and Pakistan through the night, the sources said. Rubio had been calling people in the region beginning Tuesday with a general idea of how to reach a ceasefire, but the administration left the finer details of the agreement for India and Pakistan to work out directly. 'There was a lot of effort going on to try and tamp down escalation earlier in the week, and it was clear at that point that the two sides weren't talking,' one of the officials familiar with Rubio's calls to his counterparts said. 'The goal earlier this week was to encourage India and Pakistan to talk with our counterparts and figure out a path to de-escalation through a ceasefire, and through the course of those conversations, US officials were able to gain insights into what those potential off-ramps look like for both sides, and be able to help relay that message and bridge some of that communications divide, which then allowed the two sides to actually talk and get to the point where we are now,' the source said. The Trump administration was not involved in helping draft the agreement, the administration officials said and viewed its role mostly as getting the two sides to talk. But from the US perspective, Vance's call to Modi was a critical moment. Vance traveled to India and met with the prime minister last month, and Trump officials believed his relationship with Modi would help on the call, officials said. Vance's call with Modi came just a day after the vice president said the conflict was 'none of our business,' downplaying the potential for US influence. 'What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we're not going to get involved in the middle of war that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America's ability to control it,' Vance told Fox News on Thursday. 'You know, America can't tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can't tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so, we're going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels,' Vance said. The ceasefire was reached following a day of intense fighting Saturday. The Trump administration officials said precise details of how the ceasefire will be monitored are still being determined. Blasts were heard in India-administered Kashmir and over Pakistan-administered Kashmir hours after the ceasefire announcement. Trump announced the 'full and immediate ceasefire' on social media Saturday morning, and Rubio minutes later posted, 'I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the ceasefire was a result of several conversations between Rubio and Vance over the past 48 hours between top officials in each country. 'It was a beautiful partnership,' Bruce said Saturday on NewsNation, praising Vance and Rubio for 'implementing the insight and vision of President Trump.' While Pakistan praised US involvement in the talks, India has downplayed it. 'We thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region,' Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X about three hours after Trump announced the ceasefire. India's foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, did not mention US involvement when announcing the agreement, and an Indian statement said the deal was worked out 'directly' between the two countries. It should not be surprising that these bitter rivals have given contradictory accounts of how the ceasefire was reached. In their long history of tensions, India and Pakistan have both viewed foreign intervention differently. India, which views itself as an ascendant superpower, has long been resistant to international mediation, whereas Pakistan, which is heavily dependent on foreign aid, tends to welcome it, analysts say. See Full Web Article
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vance called Indian prime minister to encourage ceasefire talks after receiving alarming intelligence, sources say
A core group of top US officials — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Marco Rubio, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — had been closely monitoring the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan when on Friday morning, the US received alarming intelligence, Trump administration officials told CNN. While they declined to describe the nature of the information, citing its sensitivity, they said it was critical in persuading the three officials that the US should increase its involvement. Vance himself would call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The vice president briefed President Donald Trump on the plan, then spoke with Modi at noon ET on Friday, making clear to the Indian prime minister that the White House believed there was a high probability for dramatic escalation as the conflict went into the weekend, the administration officials said. Vance encouraged Modi to have his country communicate with Pakistan directly and to consider options for de-escalation, the officials said. The behind-the-scenes details of the US involvement have not previously been reported. At that point, the officials said, the US believed the nuclear-armed neighbors were not talking, and it needed to get them back to the bargaining table. Vance also outlined to Modi a potential off-ramp that the US understood the Pakistanis would be amenable to, the officials said, though they did not offer details. Following the call, State Department officials, including Rubio, began working the phones with their counterparts in India and Pakistan through the night, the sources said. Rubio had been calling people in the region beginning Tuesday with a general idea of how to reach a ceasefire, but the administration left the finer details of the agreement for India and Pakistan to work out directly. 'There was a lot of effort going on to try and tamp down escalation earlier in the week, and it was clear at that point that the two sides weren't talking,' one of the officials familiar with Rubio's calls to his counterparts said. 'The goal earlier this week was to encourage India and Pakistan to talk with our counterparts and figure out a path to de-escalation through a ceasefire, and through the course of those conversations, US officials were able to gain insights into what those potential off-ramps look like for both sides, and be able to help relay that message and bridge some of that communications divide, which then allowed the two sides to actually talk and get to the point where we are now,' the source said. The Trump administration was not involved in helping draft the agreement, the administration officials said and viewed its role mostly as getting the two sides to talk. But from the US perspective, Vance's call to Modi was a critical moment. Vance traveled to India and met with the prime minister last month, and Trump officials believed his relationship with Modi would help on the call, officials said. Vance's call with Modi came just a day after the vice president said the conflict was 'none of our business,' downplaying the potential for US influence. 'What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we're not going to get involved in the middle of war that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America's ability to control it,' Vance told Fox News on Thursday. 'You know, America can't tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can't tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so, we're going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels,' Vance said. The ceasefire was reached following a day of intense fighting Saturday. The Trump administration officials said precise details of how the ceasefire will be monitored are still being determined. Blasts were heard in India-administered Kashmir and over Pakistan-administered Kashmir hours after the ceasefire announcement. Trump announced the 'full and immediate ceasefire' on social media Saturday morning, and Rubio minutes later posted, 'I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the ceasefire was a result of several conversations between Rubio and Vance over the past 48 hours between top officials in each country. 'It was a beautiful partnership,' Bruce said Saturday on NewsNation, praising Vance and Rubio for 'implementing the insight and vision of President Trump.' While Pakistan praised US involvement in the talks, India has downplayed it. 'We thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region,' Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X about three hours after Trump announced the ceasefire. India's foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, did not mention US involvement when announcing the agreement, and an Indian statement said the deal was worked out 'directly' between the two countries. It should not be surprising that these bitter rivals have given contradictory accounts of how the ceasefire was reached. In their long history of tensions, India and Pakistan have both viewed foreign intervention differently. India, which views itself as an ascendant superpower, has long been resistant to international mediation, whereas Pakistan, which is heavily dependent on foreign aid, tends to welcome it, analysts say. CNN's Kit Maher, Sophia Saifi and Christian Edwards contributed to this report.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vance called Indian prime minister to encourage ceasefire talks after receiving alarming intelligence, sources say
A core group of top US officials — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Marco Rubio, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — had been closely monitoring the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan when on Friday morning, the US received alarming intelligence, Trump administration officials told CNN. While they declined to describe the nature of the information, citing its sensitivity, they said it was critical in persuading the three officials that the US should increase its involvement. Vance himself would call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The vice president briefed President Donald Trump on the plan, then spoke with Modi at noon ET on Friday, making clear to the Indian prime minister that the White House believed there was a high probability for dramatic escalation as the conflict went into the weekend, the administration officials said. Vance encouraged Modi to have his country communicate with Pakistan directly and to consider options for de-escalation, the officials said. The behind-the-scenes details of the US involvement have not previously been reported. At that point, the officials said, the US believed the nuclear-armed neighbors were not talking, and it needed to get them back to the bargaining table. Vance also outlined to Modi a potential off-ramp that the US understood the Pakistanis would be amenable to, the officials said, though they did not offer details. Following the call, State Department officials, including Rubio, began working the phones with their counterparts in India and Pakistan through the night, the sources said. Rubio had been calling people in the region beginning Tuesday with a general idea of how to reach a ceasefire, but the administration left the finer details of the agreement for India and Pakistan to work out directly. 'There was a lot of effort going on to try and tamp down escalation earlier in the week, and it was clear at that point that the two sides weren't talking,' one of the officials familiar with Rubio's calls to his counterparts said. 'The goal earlier this week was to encourage India and Pakistan to talk with our counterparts and figure out a path to de-escalation through a ceasefire, and through the course of those conversations, US officials were able to gain insights into what those potential off-ramps look like for both sides, and be able to help relay that message and bridge some of that communications divide, which then allowed the two sides to actually talk and get to the point where we are now,' the source said. The Trump administration was not involved in helping draft the agreement, the administration officials said and viewed its role mostly as getting the two sides to talk. But from the US perspective, Vance's call to Modi was a critical moment. Vance traveled to India and met with the prime minister last month, and Trump officials believed his relationship with Modi would help on the call, officials said. Vance's call with Modi came just a day after the vice president said the conflict was 'none of our business,' downplaying the potential for US influence. 'What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we're not going to get involved in the middle of war that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America's ability to control it,' Vance told Fox News on Thursday. 'You know, America can't tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can't tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so, we're going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels,' Vance said. The ceasefire was reached following a day of intense fighting Saturday. The Trump administration officials said precise details of how the ceasefire will be monitored are still being determined. Blasts were heard in India-administered Kashmir and over Pakistan-administered Kashmir hours after the ceasefire announcement. Trump announced the 'full and immediate ceasefire' on social media Saturday morning, and Rubio minutes later posted, 'I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the ceasefire was a result of several conversations between Rubio and Vance over the past 48 hours between top officials in each country. 'It was a beautiful partnership,' Bruce said Saturday on NewsNation, praising Vance and Rubio for 'implementing the insight and vision of President Trump.' While Pakistan praised US involvement in the talks, India has downplayed it. 'We thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region,' Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X about three hours after Trump announced the ceasefire. India's foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, did not mention US involvement when announcing the agreement, and an Indian statement said the deal was worked out 'directly' between the two countries. It should not be surprising that these bitter rivals have given contradictory accounts of how the ceasefire was reached. In their long history of tensions, India and Pakistan have both viewed foreign intervention differently. India, which views itself as an ascendant superpower, has long been resistant to international mediation, whereas Pakistan, which is heavily dependent on foreign aid, tends to welcome it, analysts say. CNN's Kit Maher, Sophia Saifi and Christian Edwards contributed to this report.
