Latest news with #conflict
CNA
14 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Kremlin says 'committed' to peace in Ukraine after Trump's new deadline
MOSCOW: Russia is still committed to achieving peace in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Tuesday (Jul 29), in the first reaction to US President Donald Trump cutting his deadline for Moscow to cease fire in the conflict. The US president earlier said he would slash his initial 50-day deadline to "about 10 or 12 days" and that he was not interested in talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin anymore. "We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The SVO (special military operation) continues," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, using Russia's term for its offensive. He also noted a slowdown in attempts to restore ties with the United States after Trump's comments. "We would like to see more dynamics. We are interested in this. In order to move forward, we need impulses from both sides." Multiple Russian strikes killed over two dozen people across Ukraine on Tuesday, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman and at least 16 inmates who died in a single strike on a prison. But Peskov said Moscow still remained "committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests".
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Kremlin says ‘committed' to peace in Ukraine after Trump's new deadline
MOSCOW: Russia is still committed to achieving peace in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Tuesday, in the first reaction to US President Donald Trump cutting his deadline for Moscow to cease fire in the conflict. The US president earlier said he would slash his initial 50-day deadline to 'about 10 or 12 days' and that he was not interested in talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin anymore. 'We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The SVO (special military operation) continues,' spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, using Russia's term for its offensive. He also noted a slowdown in attempts to restore ties with the United States after Trump's comments. 'We would like to see more dynamics. We are interested in this. In order to move forward, we need impulses from both sides.' Multiple Russian strikes killed over two dozen people across Ukraine on Tuesday, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman and at least 16 inmates who died in a single strike on a prison. But Peskov said Moscow still remained 'committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests.' The latest round of talks between Moscow and Kyiv held last week yet did not yield a breakthrough, but only provided for the exchange of prisoners.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
'Thank God, we fled': Thai grandmother returns to ruined home after border conflict
KANTHARALAK, Thailand, July 29 (Reuters) - After hearing that a nearby convenience store had been hit by shelling from Cambodia last week, Koon Kantho quickly packed her essentials, locked up her home and scurried to safety at a relative's house with her family. Moments after they left, the 68-year-old said she heard a loud blast but didn't turn back to see what had happened. It wasn't until her son-in-law returned later that she learnt that her home in the Kantharalak district of Thailand's Sisaket province had been reduced to rubble by firing from across the border. "Thank God, we fled," Koon said on Tuesday, as she walked through the debris of the structure that had sheltered her family of six, including her seven-year-old granddaughter, and also housed a small grocery store. "If we hadn't fled, we would have perished." Border communities in Thailand and Cambodia bore the brunt of the five-day conflict between the neighbours - the heaviest fighting between them in over a decade - before it was halted by a ceasefire agreement announced on Monday. The border clashes, during which Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia used BM-21 missile launchers, have left at least 40 people dead, many of them civilians, and displaced over 300,000 people on both sides. With calm returning to the frontier, some residents like Koon - who also fled her house for a day during clashes in 2011 - are making their way back to their villages to see what is left of their homes and lives. Thailand has estimated the initial costs of evacuation and damaged property at more than 10 billion baht ($307.88 million), Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Tuesday, adding the government is preparing an initial budget of 25 billion baht to mitigate the conflict's economic impact. When she returned after the ceasefire announcement, Koon said her heart pounded as she saw her home reduced to splintered wood and twisted beams. "I still have a lot of luck, if not I wouldn't be standing here," she said, almost in tears. Walking through the debris of her home, Koon picked up a few precious mementos: a photo of the monk she prays to, a framed picture of a family member and her wristwatch. Koon said she never imagined losing the home this way, and hopes that the government will step in to help. "I don't know where I will live now," she said. "It's all gone, nothing is left."
Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Fadhli won't say sorry over cartoon allegedly belittling Thai-Cambodia peace efforts
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari had faced backlash over a cartoon which critics said mocked Malaysia's role in brokering peace between Thailand and Cambodia. PETALING JAYA : PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has refused to apologise over a now-deleted social media post featuring a cartoon which appeared to belittle Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's role in mediating the Thailand-Cambodia conflict. Fadhli, who is also the Pasir Mas MP, said he would leave the matter to the police following reports lodged against him by several parties. 'I leave it to the police, as reports have already been made. I do not intend to apologise,' he briefly told FMT. The cartoon in question depicted a monkey acting as a judge between a goat and a sheep fighting over bananas, with the caption: 'The goat and sheep shouldn't need a monkey to mediate their banana dispute.' Earlier today, Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan and PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim said Fadhli should apologise to the people of Cambodia and Thailand over the posting. 'If you can't contribute positively, at the very least, don't be a disruptive and negative voice,' Syahredzan said in a Facebook post. Kamil, meanwhile, said Fadhli's behaviour undermined national dignity, adding that Malaysia would not condone such 'reckless and foolish actions that show no respect for other nations'. Several Pakatan Harapan MPs have since lodged police reports at the Dang Wangi police headquarters over the matter. A ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand took effect at midnight on Monday, ending five days of intense border fighting that left at least 38 people dead and displaced more than 300,000. The agreement was reached after Malaysia, as Asean chair, along with the US and China, brought both sides to the table for peace talks in Putrajaya on Monday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Thailand-Cambodia Border Calm as Military Commanders Hold Talks
Military commanders from Thailand and Cambodia held talks on Tuesday as calm returned to their disputed border and displaced residents began trickling back, following the Southeast Asian neighbors announcing a truce to end five days of fighting. Thai and Cambodian leaders met in Malaysia on Monday and agreed to a ceasefire deal to halt their deadliest conflict in more than a decade that has killed at least 40 people, mostly civilians, and displaced over 300,000 in both countries. Although Thailand's military said that there had been attacks by Cambodian troops in at least five locations early on Tuesday, violating the ceasefire that had come into effect from midnight, commanders from both sides met and held talks, a Thai army spokesperson said. Cambodia denied the charge, insisting that its troops have strictly abided by the ceasefire since midnight and continue to uphold it, according to a statement by Defense Minister Tea Seiha. Negotiations so far include those between the general leading Thailand's 2nd region army, which oversees the stretch of the frontier that has seen the heaviest fighting during the conflict, and his Cambodian counterpart, Thai Major Gen. Winthai Suvaree told reporters. The commanders, who met at the border, agreed to maintain the ceasefire, stop any troop movement, and facilitate the return of the wounded and dead bodies, he said. "Each side will establish a coordinating team of four to resolve any problems," Winthai said. Both militaries have agreed not to deploy more troops along their disputed border, said Lim Menghour, Director-General of the Commission on Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the National Assembly of Cambodia, who also underlined the need for international observers to monitor the ceasefire. "That is the key to monitor all the terms and agreements from the meeting yesterday," he told Reuters. In Bangkok, Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said his government had filed complaints with Malaysia, the United States and China over Cambodia's alleged ceasefire violations, but calm had returned to border areas. Vehicular traffic and daily activity resumed in the Kantharalak district of Thailand's Sisaket province on Tuesday, about 30 km (20 miles) from the frontlines, where Thai and Cambodian troops remain amassed. Chaiya Phumjaroen, 51, said he returned to town to reopen his shop early on Tuesday, after hearing of the ceasefire deal on the news. "I am very happy that a ceasefire happened," he said. "If they continue to fight, we have no opportunity to make money." In Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, 63-year-old Ly Kim Eng sat in front of a makeshift tarpaulin shelter, waiting for directions after hearing of the ceasefire deal. "So, if the authorities announce it is safe for all of the refugees to return home, I would immediately return," he said. TALKS AND TRADE The Southeast Asian neighbors have wrangled for decades over their disputed frontier and have been on a conflict footing since the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish late in May, which led to a troop buildup on both sides and a full-blown diplomatic crisis. Monday's peace talks came after a sustained push by Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump, with the latter warning Thai and Cambodian leaders that trade negotiations would not progress if fighting continued. Thailand and Cambodia face a tariff of 36% on their goods in the US, their biggest export market, unless a reduction can be negotiated. After the ceasefire deal was reached, Trump said he had spoken to both leaders and had instructed his trade team to restart tariff talks. Pichai Chunhavajira, Thailand's finance minister, said on Tuesday that trade talks with Washington are expected to be concluded before August 1, and that US tariffs on the country are not expected to be as high as 36%. The ceasefire deal reflected a rare convergence of interest between the US and China, which also pushed for the talks, but the agreement itself remained fragile and third-party monitoring was essential to keep it in place, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "The ceasefire agreement has to be enforced," he said. "It cannot be left to Thailand and Cambodia to implement because the hostilities are running so deep now."
