Author: Anadolu Agency

Talks between Russia and the United States, aimed at mending relations and addressing the conflict in Ukraine, began on Tuesday in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, according to Russian and US media reports. The discussions are being held at Diriyah Palace, provided by Saudi Arabia as part of the kingdom’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue. The Russian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and includes presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. On the US side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads the delegation, accompanied by National Security Adviser…

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia to end its aggression in Ukraine, emphasizing the need for a strong and lasting peace, following an emergency summit held Monday in Paris. “We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron said Tuesday. He warned that without such measures, any ceasefire could echo the failed Minsk agreements. Macron stressed that lasting peace could only be achieved through collaboration across Europe, the US, and Ukraine. He noted that he had…

The first session of Russia-US talks in Riyadh has concluded, with delegations taking a short break before resuming discussions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday. “A brief pause has been announced in the Russian-American talks in Riyadh. After the discussions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will address the media,” she stated at a press briefing in Moscow. Talks between Russia and the United States aimed at mending relations, addressing the conflict in Ukraine, and preparing a meeting between the Russian and US presidents. The discussions, held at Diriyah Palace and hosted by Saudi Arabia to support diplomatic…

Sudan and Iran agreed to expand cooperation and coordination across regional and international platforms, Sudan’s state news agency reported Tuesday. Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf and his Iranian counterpart, , met Monday to discuss ways to strengthen ties and implement a clear plan to enhance relations, according to the Sudan News Agency (SUNA). The two sides agreed to boost trade and economic exchange, with plans to convene a ministerial committee in the coming months, alongside a business forum bringing together companies and investors from both countries, SUNA reported. The agency noted that Iran would play an “active role” in Sudan’s…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday received his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital Ankara. Several other top Turkish officials were present at the closed-door meeting, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and Akif Çağatay Kılıç, the president’s chief foreign policy and security adviser. Following the bilateral meeting between Erdoğan and Zelenskyy, a working dinner will be held between the delegations, and an agreement-signing ceremony and joint news conference will be held. Zelenskyy is paying the official visit to Türkiye at the invitation of Erdoğan. His visit comes just shy…

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Tuesday that he strongly opposes his nation sending troops to Ukraine in any form, state broadcaster BNT reported. The US Embassy in Sofia and Bulgaria’s delegation to NATO sent questions to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry asking which countries could contribute to guarantees for Kyiv, whether they were ready to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peaceful solution to the conflict, and what the size of any European-led force should be, said BNT. Responding in a statement, Radev said Bulgaria has been against participating in this war from the beginning. With the global…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that his government was caught off guard by a Russia-US meeting in Saudi Arabia, also held Tuesday, as they learned of it only through the media. Speaking at a joint press conference in the Turkish capital Ankara alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zelenskyy said: “The Russia-US meeting (in the Saudi capital Riyadh) was a surprise to us. We learned about it from the media.” Touching on bilateral ties, Zelenskyy stressed that Türkiye-Ukraine relations are at a high level, as always, thanking the Turkish president and people for this. He also underlined that Türkiye…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged an “update” the world body to effectively address contemporary global crises. “Born out of the ashes of World War II, our organization was the result of a global commitment to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,'” Guterres told the Security Council. Describing the UN as “essential, one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights” for eight decades, Guterres said: “But eight decades is a long time.” “We have the hardware for international cooperation, but the software needs an update. An update in representation to reflect the realities of…

The South Sudanese government on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to end the recruitment and the use of child soldiers. “The Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare recognize the gravity of this issue, and we are deeply committed to ending the recruitment and the use of child soldiers. We are working diligently with our partners to ensure that children are no longer recruited, that those who have been released are supported, and that the root causes of child recruitment are addressed,” Esther Ikere the undersecretary at the Gender, Child and Social Welfare Ministry said at the commemoration of the International…

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Tuesday slammed a new hydrocarbon deal between the Greek Cypriot Administration and Egypt. Citing deals and pacts signed during Monday’s visit to Cairo by Nikos Christodoulides, the administration’s leader, the TRNC Foreign Ministry emphasized that any deal that is not approved by the Turkish Cypriots is null and void. The ministry also urged Christodoulides to abandon his endeavors that risk bringing the entire region to the verge of a conflict. The ministry added that the international community should realize that the Greek Cypriot Administration is pursuing an irreconcilable and provocative approach and…