Latest news with #Washington-Moscow
New York Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
What to expect from Friday's Trump-Putin summit on US soil: Will a peace deal actually be reached?
WASHINGTON — President Trump's Friday meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may be the most-watched Washington-Moscow summit in decades — but don't expect any major decisions to be made as the US president seeks a 'more firm understanding' of how to end Moscow's war on Ukraine, sources and experts tell The Post. Trump, 79, plans to treat the meeting as a 'listening exercise' rather than a high-stakes negotiation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. While Putin, 72, has set audacious conditions for agreeing to a cease-fire with Ukraine, the US has made no concrete decision to date on whether to support them, sources familiar with the matter tell The Post. What Russia wants Among the demands reportedly pushed by Putin — almost entirely unchanged from the start of the war nearly three-and-a-half years ago — is the formal recognition by the US and Ukraine of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as Russian territory, despite Moscow being unable to secure them in 11 years of trying. Advertisement 4 Russia's President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. REUTERS This recognition would include the roughly 30% of Donetsk and Luhansk that Russia does not control. The Kremlin also seeks a freezing of the current front lines. Advertisement The desires were communicated to Trump by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin at the Kremlin last week, according to European officials. However, Russia has not made these demands public, which is one reason why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would like a sitdown with Putin — to get the terms direct from the horse's mouth. Russia has also pushed for Ukraine to formally agree to never join NATO, a halt to shipments of Western weapons to Ukraine and a prohibition on NATO-aligned soldiers from setting foot on Ukrainian territory. 4 Putin and Trump last saw each other in 2019. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Despite the White House insisting the war will be the primary topic, Russian officials have indicated they see the Alaska summit as a prime opportunity to discuss potential deals with the US — including opening up Alaskan airspace to Russian flights. 'We hope that the upcoming summit will give impetus to the normalization of bilateral relations,' Russia's deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told state media site Izvestia, noting that restoration of air traffic could be a possible topic. The Arctic and economic cooperation are also topics that interest Russia, Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov said, noting that the Kremlin hopes the meeting will lead to Trump going to Russia in the future. However, Russia observers have expressed concerns over the Alaska location — particularly as Moscow's hardliners have long 'lamented the loss of Russia's larger territorial extent throughout history,' George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday. Advertisement 'Russian nationalists have manufactured a pseudo-historical argument for why America's purchase of Alaska [in 1867] was illegitimate, and that Alaska is therefore actually legally Russian,' he said. 'This is all nonsense, of course.' 'The Russian nationalist doesn't respect the United States, but rather invents territorial disputes with its neighbors and seethes at Russa's diminished geography.' What Ukraine wants Zelensky, 47, has called Moscow's demands untenable for establishing a cease-fire, but has signaled openness to some concessions — so long as they are made as part of a final peace deal. Ending the war after more than three grueling years would be a positive for Zelensky, as his country has been ravaged by missile strikes, mines and Russian infantry. But the Ukrainian leader has been clear he will not accept peace at any price. 4 In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, July 31, 2025, a Russian Giatsint-S self-propelled gun fires towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. AP Zelensky has been adamant that Ukraine receive security guarantees, like NATO membership or nuclear weapons, to ensure Russia doesn't invade again in the future. 'It is impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will recognize that. That's why this conversation may be important for their bilateral track, but they cannot decide anything on Ukraine without us,' Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv Tuesday. 'I hope the US president understands that and takes into account.' What Trump wants Advertisement Friday will give the president a chance to observe Putin with his own eyes to better assess whether the Russian dictator is 'tapping [him] along' with empty promises of peace, as Trump himself has occasionally suggested might be the case. 'Only one party that's involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go in and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end,' Leavitt said. 4 Various aircrafts are seen at Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, United States on July 2, 2024. Anadolu via Getty Images Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly described the summit as a 'feel-out meeting, to be honest.' Advertisement 'The president talked to Putin on the phone three or four times, OK? And nothing has come of it — or at least we haven't gotten to where we want to be,' he said. 'And so the president feels like, 'Look, I've got to look at this guy across the table. I need to see him face-to-face. I need to hear him one-on-one. I need to make an assessment by looking at him.'' Trump made ending the war in Ukraine one of his major 2024 campaign promises, and securing a peace deal would provide a major bulwark for his foreign policy legacy. To that end, Trump is expected to raise the issue of land swaps between Russia and Ukraine to gauge Putin's reaction. The US president will also speak to European leaders ahead of Friday's meeting in addition to after the sitdown, sources familiar with the preparations say. 'The next meeting will be with Zelensky and Putin, or Zelensky and Putin and me. I'll be there if they need, but I want a meeting set up between the two leaders,' Trump said Monday. 'There'll be some land swapping.'
India.com
14-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Trump threatens 100 pc secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian energy
New York: US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to impose a secondary 100 per cent tariff on countries that import oil, gas and uranium from Russia, saying he was 'very unhappy' with Moscow's intransigence in finding an end to the war with Ukraine. He gave a 50-day deadline for the punitive tariff to take effect if Russia did not make a peace deal with Ukraine, while speaking to reporters with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House. 'We're very, very unhappy with them, and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs. If we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 per cent, you'd call them secondary tariffs', he said. The tariff is directed against Russia, but if it comes into force, India, which is racing to finalise a bilateral trade agreement with the US, would be a collateral victim of the Washington-Moscow standoff. If China and India can be forced to stop buying energy from Russia, Washington expects it would impact Moscow's war machine by squeezing the funds available to it. It could also motivate China, in particular, to put pressure on Russia to make a peace deal, in the US reckoning. Trump said he supported a proposed bill that would impose a 500 per cent tariff on countries buying energy products from Russia. But, he said, 'I'm not sure we need it' since he can impose the punitive tariff by himself. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham proposed the 500 per cent bill, which has 85 co-sponsors, including many Democrats. Trump added, 'It's certainly good that they're doing it.' Graham held off introducing the bill till he got a go-ahead from Trump. Graham is working with House Speaker Mike Johnson, and it 'is probably going to pass very easily' with some 'little tweaks', Trump said. 'They've actually crafted a pretty good piece of legislation,' he said. Because of the tariff-imposing powers he has exercised, he said he does not need legislation 'because I don't want them to waste their time.' India has defended the oil purchase from Russia because it is needed for the development of the country, as well as helping stabilise international oil prices. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in December that Russia's oil 'is not necessarily cheap.' Given the tight oil market, he said, 'India did the entire world a favour by buying Russian oil because if we had not done so, the global oil prices would have skyrocketed to $200 a barrel. Trump also said he would impose 'very severe tariffs' on Russia. Expressing his anger at Russia's President Vladimir Putin, he said, 'My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night.' 'I felt we had a deal about four times″ between Russia and Ukraine, 'but it just kept going on and on', said Trump, who tried to broker a deal. He also announced that the US will send Patriot missiles and other arms to Ukraine.
Gulf Insider
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Trump Sees Imminent After Two-Hour-Call With Putin
Confirming the optimistic readout from the Kremlin, President Trump just posted on TruthSocial stating that his call with Putin 'went very well.' (emphasis ours) Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War. The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn't, I would say so now, rather than later. Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic 'bloodbath' is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country. Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately. I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin. The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin! And cue the European leaders and US neocons fuming over the potential for peace. Presidents Trump and Putin have ended their phone call, which lasted for more than two hours, according to RIA. This suggests some heavy lifting was done regarding peace in Ukraine, and restoring Washington-Moscow relations. Trump had reportedly phoned Zelensky just prior to speaking with Putin. It appears an overall 'positive' development, also given the emerging wire headlines: PUTIN CALLED HIS CONVERSATION WITH TRUMP USEFUL: TASS PUTIN: MEMORANDUM WITH UKRAINE MAY INCLUDE TRUCE TERMS: TASS RUSSIA READY TO WORK WITH UKRAINE ON FUTURE PEACE DEAL: TASS PUTIN SAYS HIS CONVERSATION WITH TRUMP WAS VERY MEANINGFUL: IFX PUTIN SAYS TRUCE IS POSSIBLE IF CERTAIN AGREEMENTS REACHED:TASS But this Putin reference to 'certain agreements' or conditions being reached will be the sticking point. Zelensky has repeatedly made clear 'this is Ukraine's land' when it comes to the annexed four eastern territories and Crimea. Very likely, Putin pressed this point with Trump – that Zelensky is refusing any level of compromise (which is precisely what Kiev is currently accusing Moscow of doing). As we await the call readouts from both sides, Vice President JD Vance's latest remarks upon returning to the US from Rome lay out where things stand: JD Vance:There's fundamental mistrust between Russia and the West. It's one of the things Trump thinks is frankly stupid, and we should be able to move beyond the mistakes that have been made in the past, but that takes two to tango. — Clash Report (@clashreport) May 19, 2025 Meanwhile… Guys, we are again allowed to admit that NATO's open door to Ukraine and integration with Kyiv was one of the causes of the war. Also that Russia is shaping its forces to counter NATO expansion. — Justin Logan (@JustinTLogan) May 19, 2025 President Trump is expected to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, followed by a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – after they were first announced Saturday. Writing in all caps, the president posted over the weekend to Truth Social, 'The subjects of the call with be, stopping the 'bloodbath' that is killing, on average, more than 5000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade.' He continued in the statement by saying 'hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end.' His highly optimistic note ended with 'God bless us all!!!' – again written in all caps. Trump has further indicated he'll be in contact with 'various' NATO leaders related to these ceasefire efforts, coming on heels of the Friday meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations – the first such direct engagement since efforts at talks ceased within the opening months of 2022 and the war's start. The NY Times has previewed: The call, which Mr. Trump said would take place at 10 a.m. Eastern, would be the third known phone conversation between the two men since the American president's second term began. The first two, which took place in February and March, were celebrated in Moscow as signs of weakening Western resolve to isolate and punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. And the Kremlin issued the following Monday: 'The conversation is important, taking into account the negotiations held in Istanbul,' Peskov said. 'As for the talks, we [in the Kremlin] have already said everything we could, we underscored the basic points,' he added. 'We will now wait for it. We will give the maximum information possible based on the results of the conversation,' he stated. There was little concrete which came out of the meeting, other than a new POW swap – which is to involve 1,000 captives returned on either side – and declarations that each side is open to meeting a gain. Still, the warring sides are far apart in terms of conditions, with Zelensky having reasserted on Friday, 'In all discussions – and I emphasize this – and this is my unwavering position – we do not legally recognize any of our temporarily occupied territories as Russian. This is the Ukrainian land.' Just ahead of the Putin-Zelensky calls at the White House on Monday: .@zerohedge reporter gets the first question during today's White House press briefing.@cosgrove_iv does not disappoint: question about financing foreign wars, comments on the "Clinton body count," and further probing of the Jeffrey Epstein files. — Liberty Nation (@libertynation) May 19, 2025 Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed the US administration's thinking on how things are really going at this point. He reiterated to CBS News' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday that the White House will not tolerate endless negotiations which simply drag the war and killing on further. 'On the one hand, we're trying to achieve peace and end a very bloody, costly, and destructive war. So there's some element of patience that is required,' he began by acknowledging. 'On the other hand, we don't have time to waste. There are a lot of other things happening in the world that we also need to be paying attention to. So we don't want to be involved in this process of just endless talks. There has to be some progress, some movement forward,' he then emphasized. The US is currently examining competing ceasefire proposals offered by each side. 'If those papers have ideas on them that are realistic and rational, then I think we know we've made progress,' he said. The following is reportedly among Moscow's top list of demands, which can be described as maximalist (at least from the West's perspective), per a recent Bloomberg report: Ukraine agreeing to neutral status regarding NATO No foreign troops in Ukraine No nuclear weapons in Ukraine De-facto recognition of Crimea and lost eastern territories as now Russia's Withdrawal of Kiev forces from these territories before a ceasefire takes effect But Ukraine has rejected the Kremlin's demand of de-facto recognizing the loss of its territories. Zelensky has time and again vowed to fight on, despite mounting losses and serious manpower issues. Getting Trump on side is not about Russia. UK/EU want the US bogged down in Ukraine, which means US bogged down in Europe, and US money continues to flow. They don't care about Ukraine, they care about the US remaining in Europe, invested in the globalist agenda. They… — Alex Christoforou (@AXChristoforou) May 19, 2025 The White House is likely to latch on to anything positive regarding these talks that it can; however, President Trump has clearly been exerting pressure for more speedy resolution, and is growing impatient. The Europeans are ready to slap more sanctions on Moscow, and Washington has also warned that this would essentially be plan B if Russia doesn't cooperate. But Russia's fresh maximalist demands will be a hard sell. Also read: Trump Tower Dubai Sales Are An Early Hit – Investors Eye '30% Resale Potential'
Daily Tribune
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Russia, US to name negotiators on ending Ukraine war: Washington
Washington said Russia and the United States will name teams to negotiate a path to ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, as the superpowers met yesterday in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv or the EU. However, no specifics on a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin emerged from the gathering in Riyadh, the first high-level official Washington-Moscow talks since Ukraine's 2022 invasion. Some European leaders, alarmed by Trump's overhaul of US policy on Russia, fear Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow and re-write the continent's security arrangement in a Cold War-style deal between superpowers. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to 'appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible', the State Department said. Washington added the sides had also agreed to 'establish a consultation mechanism' to address 'irritants' to Russia and America's relationship, noting the sides would lay the groundwork for future cooperation. Russia offered less detail on the outcome of the talks, saying: 'We discussed and outlined our principled positions, and agreed that separate teams of negotiators will be in touch on this topic in due course.' 'It is still difficult to talk about a specific date for a meeting between the two leaders,' said Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy aide. Russia sketched out some of its perspectives on future talks to ending the fighting in Ukraine, arguing that settling the war required a reorganisation of Europe's defence agreements. Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from eastern Europe, viewing the alliance as an existential threat on its flank. 'A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, responding to a question by AFP. Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow had demanded NATO pull out of central and eastern Europe. European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris a day earlier, but struggled to put on a united front. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Turkey on Tuesday, said on the eve of the talks that he was not invited and would not 'recognise any things or any agreements about us without us'. Isolated by the West for three years, Russia is hoping for a 'restoration' of ties with the United States and a comeback to the international arena. At the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, negotiations began without visible handshakes. 'How to start negotiations' Both Russia and the United States have cast Tuesday 's meeting as the beginning of a potentially lengthy process and downplayed the prospects of a breakthrough. Russia's Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss 'how to start negotiations on Ukraine'. Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but has thus far presented no concrete plan. The United States has urged both sides that concessions will have to be made if any peace talks materialise. Russia on the eve of the summit said there cannot be even a 'thought' on it giving up territory seized from Ukraine. The Kremlin said Tuesday that Ukraine had the 'right ' to join the European Union, but not the NATO military alliance. It also said Putin was 'ready' to negotiate with Zelensky 'if necessary', though repeated its questioning of his 'legitimacy' -- a reference to his five-year term expiring last year, despite Ukrainian law not requiring elections during wartime. The Ukrainian leader was in Turkey on Tuesday for discussions on the conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is due in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, though he said he does not plan to meet with US or Russian officials.
Express Tribune
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Russia, US discuss peace sans Ukraine
The Russian and US delegations attend a meeting at Riyadh's Diriyah Palace. Photo: AFP Russia and the United States will name teams to negotiate a path to ending the war in Ukraine, the powers decided on Tuesday in discussions that drew a rebuke from Kyiv over its exclusion. Washington noted European nations would have to have a seat at the negotiating table "at some point", after the first high-level official Washington-Moscow talks since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to "appoint respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible", the State Department said. Washington added the sides had also agreed to "establish a consultation mechanism" to address "irritants" to Russia and America's relationship, noting the sides would lay the groundwork for future cooperation. Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide, confirmed the negotiating teams' appointment but said it was "difficult" to discuss a date for a potential Trump-Putin meeting. "We did not just listen but heard each other, and I have reason to believe the American side has better understood our position," Lavrov told reporters. The veteran diplomat noted Russia opposed any deployment of NATO-nation troops to Ukraine as part of an eventual ceasefire. "A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, responding to a question by AFP. "There are other parties that have sanctions (on Russia), the European Union is going to have to be at the table at some point because they have sanctions as well," said Rubio. At the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, negotiations began without visible handshakes. Both Russia and the US have cast Tuesday's meeting as the beginning of a potentially lengthy process and downplayed the prospects of a breakthrough. Russia's Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss "how to start negotiations on Ukraine". The Kremlin said Tuesday that Ukraine had the "right" to join the European Union, but not the NATO military alliance.
