Author: Daily Sabah With DPA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy has said he had a “good meeting” with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican. “We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelensky wrote on X on Saturday. He expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine would bring results. Zelensky said his goal was to achieve a “reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.” He thanked Trump for the conversation, which he called a “very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.” According…
US President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions on Russia after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. There is no reason for Russian President Vladimir Putin “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” he continued. His comments come as Washington puts pressure on Ukraine to accept an…
The number of Syrians living in Germany fell slightly from February to March, a drop largely due to naturalization rather than returns. According to the Interior Ministry, 968,899 Syrian nationals were registered in Germany at the end of March, down from 972,470 one month earlier — a decrease of 3,571. Many Syrians who arrived during the 2015–16 refugee influx now meet the criteria for German citizenship. Once naturalized, they are no longer counted as foreign nationals, even if they hold dual citizenship. Many Syrians fled their homeland during the bloody civil war. The conflict finally ended late last year with…
The European Commission on Wednesday imposed fines on Apple and Meta totalling €700 million ($796.7 million), accusing them of violating EU legislation on digital markets. Apple was ordered to pay €500 million, while Meta received a €200 million penalty. The fines can still be contested in court. The companies are alleged to have violated the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) which regulates large online platforms operating in the bloc. Wednesday’s fines are the first non-compliance decisions under the DMA which entered into force in 2022. The penalties could have an impact on the current tensions between the United States…
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the resistance organization Hamas to release the hostages it is holding. Speaking at a gathering in Ramallah on Wednesday, Abbas said that ending the Gaza war was the top priority. “Hand over those you are holding and end this situation,” he demanded. He further stated that Israel must not be given any pretext to continue the war, adding that hundreds of Palestinians are being killed every day in the Gaza war. According to Israeli sources, 24 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, along with the bodies of 35 abductees. Israel…
A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed during an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday. The boy was struck in the thigh and abdomen during the shooting in the town of Yamun, near the city of Jenin, the ministry said. When asked for comment, the Israeli military said the boy had fired an explosive device at soldiers who were on duty in Yamun. “The soldiers then opened fire and eliminated the terrorist,” it said. The account could not be independently confirmed. The security situation in the West Bank has…
Spain’s prime minister says he wants to achieve NATO’s 2% target for defence spending this year, as it tries to catch up with other countries in the military alliance. Pedro Sánchez announced in Madrid on Tuesday that just under €10.5 billion ($12.04 billion) in additional spending would be required to meet the target. The head of the left-wing minority government said that parliamentary approval would not be necessary. Until now, Madrid had only promised to reach the NATO minimum target “by 2029 at the latest.” With military spending of just under €20 billion, or around 1.3% of gross domestic product…
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi has expressed optimism on talks between the United States and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Both sides were “prepared to discuss concrete aspects with each other,” Grossi told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. Talks between Washington and Tehran, which are being mediated by Oman, are due to continue on Saturday. The venue is moving from the Italian capital to Muscat in Oman for the third round. Grossi said he was satisfied with progress to date. “The talks really could have collapsed in this second round. Then everything…
Russian forces launched fresh drone attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight, targeting residential areas, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Saturday. No further details were immediately available. The strike came just a day after a Russian missile attack on the city killed one man and injured at least 50 others. Elsewhere, the city of Zaporizhzhya was also hit by a Russian drone during the night. Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov reported the attack on Telegram, saying a fire had broken out and that emergency services were responding. Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion with Western…
The US government will abandon efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine if meaningful progress is not achieved within “a matter of days,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday, as Washington and Kyiv reportedly agreed on a controversial minerals deal. “If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on,” he told reporters before departing Paris, where he took part in high-level talks between Ukraine’s European allies and representatives from Kyiv about the war on Thursday. Rubio’s warnings came hours before Vice President JD Vance said he was “optimistic” about negotiations, as…