International

Trump talks to Zelenski and promises a “negotiation” and the “end of the war” in Ukraine

The former president and Republican candidate for the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Friday that he spoke with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, and promised that if he wins the elections next November there will be a “negotiation” between Ukraine and Russia for the “end of the war.”

On his Truth Media account, Trump described the phone call as “very good” and assured that Zelenski congratulated him on his recent nomination as a Republican candidate, who condemned the assassination attempt he suffered at a rally last Saturday and who highlighted the “spirit of unity” of the Americans.

“I appreciate that President Zelenski communicates (with me) because I, as the next president of the United States, will bring peace to the world and put an end to the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families,” Trump said about the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“Both parties will be able to get together and negotiate a pact that ends with violence and paves a way forward to prosperity,” the former president promised.

This has been the first conversation between the two political leaders since Trump left the White House in 2021 and it is also his first contact after the former president accepted his nomination as a presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention (CNR) on Thursday.

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Zelenski, for his part, indicated in his X account that in the call with Trump he pointed out the “vital” support of both parties and both legislative chambers in the United States, and expressed his gratitude for the country’s help aimed at improving its capacities to “resist Russian terrorism.”

“We have agreed with President Trump to discuss in a personal meeting what steps can lead to a just and truly lasting peace,” the Ukrainian president added.

Trump’s opposition to military aid to Ukraine has raised doubts about US support for Kiev in the event that the former president wins a second term.

In his speech at the CNR, Trump also promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, like that of Israel and Hamas, and boasted that “neither of them would have happened” if he were president.

Zelenski said on Thursday in an interview with the BBC that dealing with a Trump administration would be “hard work, but we are hard workers.”

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International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.