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Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Germany's Merz warns EU not to ‘overestimate' influence on Ukraine conflict
The EU and UK should not overestimate their influence on the settlement of the Ukraine conflict as the US will continue to play the leading role in the peace process with Russia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met in Alaska on Friday for their first face-to-face encounter since 2018. Possible ways to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine topped the agenda during the negotiations. Trump then held a phone call with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky and the leaders of several Western European countries which are backing Kiev, including Merz, to inform them about his discussions with Putin. The German chancellor told broadcaster ZDF on Saturday that 'the talks have begun' on settling the Ukraine conflict, which escalated in February 2022. 'They will continue on Monday [when Zelensky is expected to arrive in Washington for a meeting with Trump], and of course, the Europeans will play a role,' he said. However, Merz warned that Western Europe 'must not overestimate ourselves. European unity is important, but the decisive role in this war will continue to be played by the US.' Trump 'has the power, both militarily and with appropriate sanctions, to influence Russia,' he claimed. The 'good news' that came from the Alaska summit is that 'there are no territorial negotiations between Putin and Trump over the heads of Ukraine and the Europeans,' the chancellor added. In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump insisted that Zelensky should 'make the deal,' stressing that Putin 'wants to see it done' and urging Western Europe to 'get involved a little bit.' Putin reiterated on Saturday that the elimination of the root causes of the crisis is key to the settlement of the conflict. According to Moscow, in order for lasting peace to be achieved, Ukraine should renounce its ambitions for NATO membership, demilitarize, and recognize the current territorial realities.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
‘Everyone is to blame' for Ukraine conflict
The Ukraine conflict is a 'situation that should never have started,' US President Donald Trump has said, claiming that 'everybody' involved is to blame for the hostilities. Trump made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to the press at the Oval Office. Asked whether his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin or broader incentives for peace were a reward for Moscow, Trump reiterated his position that the conflict should have never begun in the first place. 'I think that we have a situation that should never have started, it should never have started. It didn't start under me, and for four years it wasn't even discussed,' he said, suggesting that all parties, including the previous US leadership, were to blame for the enduring hostilities. 'Everything that we did was wrong. Everything that was done was wrong. Everybody's to blame. Putin's to blame. They're all to blame,' he claimed. Earlier this week, Trump dismissed suggestions that the summit with his Russian counterpart was in itself a victory for Moscow. 'Very unfair media is at work on my meeting with Putin,' Trump said on Wednesday, criticizing outlets for 'constantly quoting fired losers and really dumb people like John Bolton, who just said that, even though the meeting is on American soil, 'Putin has already won.'' 'What's that all about? We are winning on EVERYTHING,' he added, dismissing the criticism as 'fake news.' The summit, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, is expected to focus on the Ukraine conflict, as well as on a broader range of issues related to bilaterial Russia-US ties. Washington and Moscow have both been cautious about their expectations, signaling the meeting was expected to be the first top-level event in a string of talks rather than yield an immediate breakthrough.
Bloomberg
07-08-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
This Isn't How You Deal With Free Riders
With high tariffs and asymmetric trade deals, President Donald Trump is remaking the global economy. He's also re-engineering US global leadership. Trump's gamble is that his strategy will recharge US power and rebalance key relationships. He may simply rupture a democratic community America still badly needs. Trump's policies mark the close of a post-1945 era in which Washington bore unequal burdens in support of free-world allies, and the onset of a period in which America extracts benefits more aggressively than ever before.
National Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Anthony Koch: At G7, Carney has his elbows way down for Trump
The last federal election was not an honest conversation about Canada's place in the world. It was a performance — slick, poll-tested, and ultimately hollow. Mark Carney presented himself as a principled adversary to Donald Trump, a steward of Canadian sovereignty who would stand up to a dangerous and unpredictable United States. And now, just months into his premiership, he insists 'the G7 is nothing without U.S. leadership,' his government has resisted retaliating against American tariffs, and has even expressed desire to join Trump's Golden Dome missile defence program. Article content Article content Let's dispense with the polite fiction: Carney never meant what he said. The campaign rhetoric wasn't just exaggerated, it was fabricated. There was no principled foreign policy vision, no doctrine of Canadian independence. It was anti-American cosplay, staged for a segment of the electorate that wanted to feel morally superior to our southern neighbours without having to actually think seriously about Canada's strategic position in the world. Article content Article content Article content And here's the truly galling part: voters didn't mind. Not really. Carney's flip-flop hasn't cost him much because many of the people who cheered his fiery condemnations of Trump didn't actually care if he followed through. For a certain kind of upper-middle-class Canadian Liberal, politics isn't about outcomes, it's about vibes. It's about feeling right, looking progressive, and imagining yourself on the right side of history while outsourcing all your material security to American economic and military power. These are the same voters who nodded along when Carney spoke about 'de-risking' our relationship with the United States, who applauded when he warned of creeping authoritarianism from Washington. And now they nod along just as enthusiastically when he floats ideas for joint continental defence initiatives, shared strategic supply chains, and deeper financial integration. They are not engaged citizens. They are consumers of political affect — buying whatever narrative makes them feel smart and virtuous in the moment. Article content Article content But the consequences of this self-indulgent politics are real. By campaigning on a lie, Carney squandered the opportunity for a serious, grown-up conversation about our geopolitical future. Should Canada pursue closer integration with the United States? Perhaps. Should we coordinate more closely on military defence in the Arctic? Maybe. But those decisions should be debated openly and honestly, not buried under layers of electoral theatre and bait-and-switch messaging.
South China Morning Post
09-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Canada to hit 2% defence Nato spending target, years ahead of schedule, says Carney
Canada will hit Nato's defence spending threshold of two per cent this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday, warning that in a 'darker' world, Canada must reduce its security dependence on the United States. 'I am announcing today that Canada will achieve Nato's two per cent target this year, half a decade ahead of schedule,' Carney said during a speech at the University of Toronto. 'The threats that Canada faces are multiplying,' he added. Carney's pledge followed similar announcements by members of the alliance and comes after consistent pressure by US President Donald Trump for Nato members to spend more on defence. 'In a darker, more competitive world, Canadian leadership will be defined not just by the strength of our values, but also by the value of our strength,' Carney said. Since taking office in mid-March, Carney has delivered a series of stark warnings about what he terms the changing nature of US global leadership under Trump.
