Author: Anadolu Agency

NATO’s secretary general on Monday reiterated the military alliance’s support to Ukraine on the third anniversary of its war with Russia. “NATO will continue to support and stand with Ukraine,” Mark Rutte said on X, emphasizing the “vitality” of ensuring a “just and lasting peace.” Rutte said NATO has been supporting Ukraine “throughout Russia’s brutal war of aggression to keep the flame of freedom burning,” by supplying arms, equipment, and training. “European allies are ready and willing to do their part-including with robust security guarantees and more financial assistance,” he added. As the Ukraine war enters its fourth year, shifting…

Ahead of a new Russia-US meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday praised Washington’s efforts toward the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said Russia recognizes Washington’s genuine attempts to understand the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict. “We see that Washington is trying to truly grasp what led to this conflict, and we hope that this analysis will aid efforts toward its resolution,” he said. He emphasized that without a deep understanding of the root causes of the conflict, it is impossible to pursue a meaningful settlement. In contrast, Peskov noted that…

Downing Street has suggested that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has more optimistic views about the future of NATO and the transatlantic alliance than Friedrich Merz, the likely next German chancellor, who recently expressed concerns about the long-term viability of NATO and the EU-US relationship. During a lobby briefing on Monday, Starmer’s spokesperson responded to a question regarding Merz’s comments that US President Donald Trump is “indifferent” to Europe and that NATO in its current form may not survive. While Starmer’s views on NATO were not directly cited, the spokesperson seemed to imply that Starmer’s outlook is more positive than…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday said Ankara welcomes US President Donald Trump’s intention to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war via talks ‘in principle’, expressing Ankara’s readiness to support the path to lasting peace, including hosting negotiations. “The approach of ending the war at the negotiation table aligns with the policy Türkiye has pursued over the past four years,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara. Türkiye wants the war, which has cost lives of hundreds of thousands of people and caused both Russia and Ukraine to pay a heavy price, to come to an…

The Chinese and Russian leaders on Monday held a phone call, Chinese state media reported. China’s President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Xinhua News reported. The details of the call, made at the request of Moscow, are awaited. This was the second phone call between the two since US President Donald Trump assumed office last month. The timing of the phone call also coincides with the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war which began in February 2022. The phone call also comes amid a warming up of ties between Moscow and Washington after…

Israel informed the US that it is no longer committed to the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that was formulated during the administration of former President Joe Biden, Israeli daily Haaretz claimed on Monday. Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer told US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff during their two meetings in Florida that “Israel is not committed to the three-stage plan of the Biden administration, even if it signed it.” “Netanyahu’s plan, as Dermer presented it to Witkoff, is as follows: release all the remaining hostages in one big, single stage.…

On the third anniversary of Ukraine war on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged CAN$5 billion (US$3.52 billion) to the beleaguered country from seized Russian assets. In a direct contradiction of US President Donald Trump’s assertion earlier that Ukraine started the war with Russia, Trudeau pointedly told 12 other world leaders assembled at a peace and security summit in Kyiv that Ukraine was not the aggressor. “This is not a conflict Ukraine wanted, provoked or asked for in any way,” Trudeau said at the summit table, according to The Canadian Press. “This is a war started for one reason…

Nearly 171,000 Canadians have signed a petition asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to strip billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk of his Canadian citizenship. The petition, launched by British Columbia resident Qualia Reed and sponsored by New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Charlie Angus, argued that Musk “has engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada.” Noting that Musk, a key ally of US President Donald Trump, “has used his wealth and power to influence our elections,” the petition claimed that Musk is “a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty. “We, the undersigned, citizens…

President Donald Trump said Monday that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as soon as this week to sign a deal that would see the US receive a share of Ukraine’s critical mineral and natural resource revenues. “I will be meeting with President Zelenskyy. In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be nice. I’d love to meet him. We’d meet at the Oval Office,” Trump told reporters as he hosted French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House. “The agreement’s being worked on now. They’re very close to…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday stressed the importance of NATO membership for securing a “real and lasting peace” in Ukraine in 2025. “We will have no choice but to build NATO in Ukraine if NATO membership remains closed to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in his opening remarks at the “Support Ukraine” summit in Kyiv. “This means securing the necessary funding, military contingents, and defense production to guarantee peace. Can we do this alone? No,” he said. “We must be honest: Ukraine deserves not only EU membership but also the security guarantees that NATO provides,” Zelenskyy added. The summit, held on…