International

Russians and Ukrainians open peace negotiations three years later but do not stop the war

Russia and Ukraine reopened peace negotiations in Istanbul today, stagnant since the first year of the war (2022), and, although they did not stop the fighting, they agreed to study the plans of both sides for a future ceasefire.

“The direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side, organized on the initiative of the Russian president, have just been concluded. In general, we are satisfied with the results and we are willing to continue contacts,” said Vladimir Medinski, Russian chief negotiator, in an appearance before the press.

The talks, chaired by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, and which seemed to obviate the most controversial political aspects, lasted for an hour and fifty minutes at the Dolmabahce Palace.

“Today has been an important day for world peace,” Fidan wrote on the X network.

In addition, Moscow and Kiev left the door open to a summit between the presidents of both countries, the Russian Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky, after the former refused to travel to Istanbul.

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According to the Turkish network NTV, both delegations will leave the city in the next few hours.

Ukraine, both its president and its negotiators, had repeated ad nauseam in recent days that its main objective was to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities, for at least 30 days.

There was no agreement – Russia demands guarantees of monitoring and that the enemy will not rearm -, although Moscow opted for a formulation that does not force it for the moment to stop its offensive in the Donbass.

“We have agreed that each party will present its vision of a possible ceasefire and describe it in detail. Once that vision is presented, we consider it convenient – we have also agreed – to continue our negotiations,” said Medinski, who also participated in the March-April 2022 meeting.

In this regard, the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umérov, commented: “All the (possible) modalities have been discussed. Now our colleagues exchange documents.”

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What does this mean? Apparently, Russia wants to buy time. But the patience of the European Union (EU) has a limit and Brussels could apply at any time the 17 package of sanctions approved this week against the Russian banking and energy system.

In fact, at the end of the negotiations, Zelenski and the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland spoke by phone from Tirana with US President Donald Trump.

“Our position: if the Russians reject a total and unconditional ceasefire and put an end to the massacre, there must be forceful sanctions. The pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” Zelenski wrote on his social networks.

In the same vein, French President Emmanuel Macron considered it “unacceptable that, for the second time, President Putin does not respond to the demands made by the Americans and supported by Ukraine and Europe.”

In addition to the verbal commitment to hold a second round of negotiations, the only concrete agreement reached today is the exchange of a thousand prisoners on each side.

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In a clear measure to increase confidence between both sides, Moscow and Kiev announced that they will carry it out “in the coming days”.

This is the largest exchange of prisoners of war – Zelenski had proposed an exchange of all for all – since the beginning of the contest on February 24, 2022.

In turn, Medinski revealed that Kiev had proposed to Moscow a future summit between Putin and Zelenski, who have not been seen since December 2019 in Paris, a few months after the Ukrainian leader came to power.

“The Ukrainian side requested direct negotiations between the heads of state. We have taken note of that proposal,” said the Kremlin advisor.

Then, Umerov confirmed the request after Putin’s refusal to attend the appointment was about to destroy the negotiations.

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“We are also preparing a potential meeting between the leaders of both countries,” he said in a brief statement.

Trump, who had shown himself willing to meet with Putin and Zelenski, returned to the United States today after his first foreign tour without fulfilling his wish.

In this regard, he assured on Friday that he is willing to meet with Putin “as soon as we can organize it” and assured that he understands that the Russian president did not go to Istanbul without his presence.

“If I didn’t go, it was guaranteed that Putin wasn’t going to go and he didn’t go. I can understand it, but we’re going to get it,” he said.

The Kremlin today considered this summit “extremely important” to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.

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“Those contacts would be extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian arrangement (…) Without a doubt, that meeting is necessary,” said Dmitri Peskov, presidential spokesman, during his daily telephone press conference.

Yesterday was marked by the crossing of insults and reproaches between Moscow and Kiev and by the confirmation that the presidents of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski; Russia, Vladimir Putin; and the United States, Donald Trump; would not participate in the contacts, the first between Ukraine and Russia since April 2022.

Trump said on Friday that he is willing to meet with Vladimir Putin “as soon as we can organize it” and assured that he understands that the Russian president did not go to Istanbul without him being present to advance the peace talks between Kiev and Moscow.

“I would go from here, although I want to see my wonderful grandson,” Trump said at a bilateral event with companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in reference to the fact that his daughter Tiffany has just had a child and wants to return to meet him.

“If I didn’t go, it was guaranteed that Putin wasn’t going to go and he didn’t go. I can understand, but we are going to get it,” said Trump, who from the beginning was in favor of facilitating the meeting between Zelenski and Putin in Istanbul this Friday.

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The Kremlin considered today “extremely important” a possible summit between the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the United States, Donald Trump, for the peaceful settlement in Ukraine.

Finally, Putin, who initially proposed the meeting, did not travel to Istanbul to lead his delegation of negotiators, something that Zelenski did, who in the absence of the Russian president continued with an agenda that has now taken him to Albania.

For NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a mistake in sending a delegation in which no member reaches the rank of minister to the negotiations in Istanbul to try to end the war in Ukraine.

Rutte said that he “knows Putin well” from his time as Dutch prime minister and appreciated that the Russian president “knows perfectly well that the ball is in his field, that he has problems and that he has made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation.”

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International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.