Author: Agencies And A News

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his country agrees with proposals to end ongoing hostilities in Ukraine. “We agree with the proposals to stop hostilities,” Putin told a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow. But Putin said a ceasefire proposal would be accepted by the Russian side only if it would “lead to long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis.” Moscow supports the idea of ending the Russia-Ukraine war through “peaceful means,” he added. On the situation in Russia’s border region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched an incursion last August, Putin…

NATO needs to produce more weaponry, the head of the alliance said Thursday during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House. “We are not doing enough, and not in the US, not in Europe, and we are lagging behind when you compare to the Russians and the Chinese,” Mark Rutte told Trump. “Europeans buying four times more here than the other way around, which is good because you have a strong defense industry, but we need to do more there to make sure that we ramp up the production and kill the red tape,” he added.…

Poland has proposed that Türkiye take an active role in initiating Russia-Ukraine peace talks, said the Polish premier on Wednesday in the Turkish capital. At a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Donald Tusk said Türkiye and Poland have wanted peace since day one of the Russia-Ukraine war, adding that Warsaw welcomes the talks held in Saudi Arabia this week. Following their meeting at the presidential complex with high-level discussions of bilateral and global issues, Erdoğan told reporters that Türkiye and Poland are key allies positioned on the eastern and southern flanks of NATO, commanding…

Ukraine has shown it is willing to adopt a ceasefire and now Russia must respond, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday, a day after US and Ukrainian officials agreed to put a truce proposal to Moscow. “Everything depends on whether Russia wants a ceasefire and silence, or it wants to continue killing people,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv, adding: “Ukraine has demonstrated its position… and today Russia has to respond to this.”

The European Commission announced Wednesday it launched a series of countermeasures against the US’ additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU. The commission recalled the suspended “rebalancing measures” against US President Donald Trump’s 2018 tariff moves during his first term, and noted that it will reimpose these suspended measures from 2018 and 2020. The commission will also create a new package of additional measures against the US, to include many products “ranging from boats to bourbon to motorbikes.” It said: “Since the new US tariffs are significantly broader in scope and affect a significantly higher value of…

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he hopes Russia will sign on to a 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine lent its support to following a closely-watched summit with the US. Trump hailed Ukraine’s acceptance of what he called a “total ceasefire” as a “big difference” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Feb. 28 White House visit. He said that if Russia does not sign on to the truce “lots of people” would continue to die amid the Kremlin’s war on its eastern European neighbor, and former Soviet republic. “Now we have to go to Russia and hopefully President Putin will agree…

Ukraine on Tuesday conveyed its readiness to accept a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, as delegations from Kyiv and Washington met in Saudi Arabia. “Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” said a joint statement released following the talks held in Jeddah. Indicating that both countries took important steps to restore “durable peace” for Ukraine, the statement said Washington will convey to the Russian side the need for Moscow’s reciprocity…

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised US President Donald Trump on Tuesday for facilitating a breakthrough in diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine. “I want to really note the fact that, thanks to him, there has now been a breakthrough when it comes to Ukraine, in terms of starting talks with both the Russians and the Ukrainians,” Rutte said in a joint press conference with Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Vjosa Osmani in Pristina. Remarks come amid increasing discussions within the alliance about post-war security arrangements in Ukraine, including the potential deployment of peacekeeping forces. While France and the…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made remarkable statements after the cabinet meeting. “Ankara taking precautions to be sure that no development occurs against Türkiye, we urge Syria to quickly alleviate tense atmosphere,” Erdoğan underlined. Here are the key highlights from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech: “We welcomed this Ramadan in a calmer and more joyful manner. Syria is experiencing Ramadan without fear. For the first time, our Palestinian brothers and sisters are observing Ramadan without the fear of bombs falling on them. I hope this Ramadan brings peace not only to our country but to the entire region. While we…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed Friday that the EU is playing “dangerous geopolitical games” with its decision to rearm. “By ignoring the real consequences of its decisions, Brussels continues to play dangerous geopolitical games,” Zakharova commented in a statement on an extraordinary summit by EU leaders on “Ukraine and defense.” She said discussions and outcomes of the summit showed that the EU, originally a trade and economic integration project, is rapidly transforming into a military alliance aimed at delivering a “strategic defeat” to Russia. Zakharova reminded that instead of seeking peaceful solutions, the EU announced plans to rapidly…