Author: Anadolu Agency

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday said US President Donald Trump should be convinced to withdraw American troops from Syria, adding that it would be cost-effective for Washington. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Trump had a “highly positive” call, showing Trump’s respect for Erdoğan, which was clearly demonstrated during conversation, Fidan said during an iftar event with journalists. Ankara is cautious about the agreement signed by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Ferhat Abdi Şahin, said Fidan, adding that the country will closely monitor the process in the short term. The rights denied to Syria’s Kurds under the ousted…

Ukraine on Thursday said that at least 10 people were injured in the city of Kropyvnytskyi in the country’s central Kirovohrad region due to a Russian drone attack. “As of 7:15 a.m. (0415GMT), it is known that 10 residents, including four children, were injured. All were promptly provided with medical assistance, and several citizens were hospitalized,” Ukraine’s National Police said in a statement on Telegram. Indicating that private houses and high-rise buildings in Kropyvnytskyi were damaged, the statement said police and rescuers are working at the scene to provide people with the necessary assistance. Elsewhere, Kirovohrad Governor Andriy Raykovych on…

The Pentagon is planning a major restructuring of US military commands, possibly including the US stepping down from its position as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). This is a position America’s military leaders have upheld for nearly 75 years since its establishment in 1950, with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became president, at its helm. The current general in charge, who also leads the US European Command, has been overseeing support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. The reorganization timeline is unclear, and Congress could influence the process, potentially blocking parts of the plan through funding decisions,…

Achieving a ceasefire in the Ukraine war is “a necessary step towards peace,” China said Wednesday, in response to a phone call between the US and Russia’s presidents. “From the very beginning, China has advocated resolving the crisis through dialogue and negotiation,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters when asked about the conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Following the phone call, Trump said that he and Putin agreed on an “immediate” ceasefire that would temporarily halt attacks “on all energy and infrastructure” amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. “(The) Chinese side is…

The presidents of the EU Commission and the EU Council on Wednesday stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine. “A comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine must be the outcome of this terrible war,” said Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa on X. In reference to Tuesday’s phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, they said: “We hope that yesterday’s phone call is progress in this direction” “We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine,” von der Leyen and Costa added. In a 2 ½-hour phone call, Putin…

Some 1,200 US and South Korean troops are participating in a large-scale battle command drill aimed at strengthening their combined readiness against North Korean “military threats,” South Korea’s army said Wednesday. The five-day exercise, running through Thursday, is being held at training facilities in Incheon, west of the capital Seoul, and the border town of Paju, Yonhap News reported. Troops from various units, including the 17th Infantry Division, the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Command, and the Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the US 2nd Infantry Division/Korean-US Combined Division, are taking part in the drill. The exercise features computer-simulated drills,…

A boat carrying irregular migrants attempting to cross from Africa to Europe capsized off Lampione Island in the Mediterranean, leaving at least six people dead and 40 missing, local sources said on Wednesday. Italian authorities rescued 10 migrants from the capsized boat off Lampione Island, west of Lampedusa, while recovering the bodies of six others, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The boat was intercepted on Tuesday afternoon by Italian Coast Guard and Financial Police vessels near Lampione Island, located off the coast of Lampedusa. In the aftermath of the disaster, 10 survivors — six men and four women –…

Radio Free Europe has filed a lawsuit against the US Agency for Global Media and its officials to prevent the termination of its federal grant, it announced Wednesday. The case, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that cutting funding for Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL)-including Radio Liberty-violates federal law and the US Constitution, which grants Congress exclusive control over federal spending, said a statement. “The complaint makes the case that denying RFE/RL the funds that Congress appropriated for it violates federal laws-including the US Constitution, which vests Congress with exclusive power over federal spending,” it…

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday declared his readiness to sign the draft of a peace deal agreed upon between his country and neighboring Azerbaijan. “The draft of Peace Agreement between #Armenia and #Azerbaijan is agreed and waiting to be signed. I’m ready to put my signature under the agreed draft,” Pashinyan said in a statement on X. Pashinyan’s remarks came as both Azerbaijan and Armenia separately announced an agreement on the draft of a peace deal last Thursday, set to end a decades-long conflict and establish diplomatic ties between Baku and Yerevan. Relations between the two former Soviet…

Fitch Ratings has warned that Germany’s ‘AAA’ credit rating could face long-term pressure if its significant increases in military and infrastructure spending are not counterbalanced by fiscal consolidation or sustained economic growth. The rating agency released a report, titled German Spending Plans Show Willingness to Use Fiscal Space for Geopolitical, Growth Challenges, after the country unveiled plans for a major fiscal shift to address geopolitical and economic challenges. Germany’s governing coalition, led by the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party, has proposed substantial revisions to the country’s fiscal framework,…