Author: Anadolu Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday he held a “good and honest” conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, during which they discussed joint preparations and “possible Russian provocations.” Zelenskyy wrote on X that he briefed Stubb on the battlefield situation and stressed the urgent need for air defense systems. “We will achieve a just and sustainable peace when Ukraine receives strong support packages, and Russia faces strong sanctions,” he said. He highlighted discussions with the US, particularly an American proposal for an unconditional ceasefire that he said Russia has refused for 36 consecutive days. “Only principled actions can turn such…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to discuss tariffs, as the EU seeks to avoid a trade war with the US. After meeting Trump in Washington, she will return to Rome to host US Vice President JD Vance on Friday. Meloni is expected to try to convince the Trump administration to negotiate with the 27-member bloc to resolve differences on tariffs, and is said to be in regular contact with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of her visit. The US recently rejected the EU’s zero-for-zero tariff proposal…

Belgium on Wednesday expressed serious concern over Israel’s continued blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza and recent remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz suggesting a permanent Israeli presence in Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian territories. Calling the developments “shocking and contrary to international law,” Maxime Prevot, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, called on the Israeli government to urgently facilitate humanitarian access and halt actions that violate international norms. “I urge the Israeli government to urgently allow humanitarian aid to enter and to cease its violation of international law, to commit to a ceasefire, and to respect the integrity…

At least one person was killed and 10 others were missing after a vessel capsized in the waters off Rizal in the Philippines’ Occidental Mindoro region, officials said. According to a statement from the Philippine Coast Guard, the vessel with 25 crew members, including 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese, capsized on Tuesday afternoon in moderate sea conditions off Rizal. “A total of 14 crew members have survived—six Filipinos and eight Chinese—while one Chinese has been recovered lifeless. Ten individuals remain missing, consisting of seven Filipinos and three Chinese,” the coast guard in Southern Tagalog said in a statement posted on…

Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, hailed what he called Türkiye’s “constructive stance” regarding indirect Oman-mediated nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Araghchi and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan exchanged views over the phone on the latest developments in bilateral and regional relations, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The two diplomats also discussed the process of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington, the statement noted. Araghchi appreciated Türkiye’s “constructive stance” regarding the negotiations and informed the top Turkish diplomat on Iran’s “principled positions on the matter.” Fidan, for his part, welcomed the negotiation process between the two countries…

Türkiye’s central government budget posted a 261.4 billion liras ($7 billion) deficit in March, according to official data released on Tuesday. The figure narrowed from a 301.1 billion liras ($8.4 billion) deficit in February, a report from Türkiye’s Treasury and Finance Ministry showed. The deficit rose by 25.1% compared to the same month of the previous year. Budget revenues hit 766.26 billion liras ($20.6 billion), while expenditures totaled 1.02 trillion liras ($27.6 billion). Non-interest expenditures reached 866.48 billion liras ($23.3 billion), with interest payments totaling 161.24 billion liras ($4.3 billion). The report showed that tax revenues came in at 645.1…

South Korean and the US forces on Tuesday held joint air drills involving at least one B-1B bomber over the Korean Peninsula, second such exercise since February. South Korean forces also mobilized F-35A and F-16 fighter jets and US F-16s, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean Defense Ministry. However, the ministry didn’t share further details about the location and number of B-1B bombers deployed. The ministry said the drills were designed to demonstrate the allies’ capabilities to respond to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats. The two countries also held similar air drills in February this…

Türkiye will oppose any efforts to prevent Syria from achieving lasting peace and stability, the Turkish president warned on Tuesday, reiterating continued support for the Syrian government. “Whoever tries to prevent Syria from achieving lasting peace and stability, I say this openly, will find us standing against them alongside the Syrian government,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara. “Just as we did not allow Syria to be divided through a terror corridor, we will not allow this country to be divided through other corridors either,” Erdoğan warned. “There is no possibility of going back…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Kuwaiti Emir Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on Tuesday stressed the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where nearly 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last 18 months, was made during a meeting between the two leaders as Sisi concluded his two-day visit to Kuwait. The Egyptian president and the Kuwaiti emir chaired an expanded session attended by delegations from both countries, followed by bilateral talks. According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, the Kuwaiti emir said Sisi’s…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed Moscow’s bewilderment on Tuesday regarding UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ accusations that Russia continues to launch attacks on Ukraine’s cities and towns in relation with the attack on the city of Sumy. Zakharova stressed in a statement that Russian forces have never deliberately struck, and will never strike on civilian population. “As the Russian Defense Ministry invariably points out, our targets are always and exclusively military facilities,” she claimed. While Ukraine maintains 34 people were killed in the attack during Palm Sunday celebrations, Russia said it hit a gathering of Ukrainian military officials. The…