International
Ukraine proposes a three-sto-one Zelenski-Trump-Putin meeting between June 20 and 30
Ukraine proposed this Monday to Russia, at the Istanbul meeting, that a three-way meeting be held between June 20 and 30 with the presidents of Ukraine, the United States and Russia – Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, respectively – to give impetus to peace negotiations.
“This is crucial to advance in the negotiation process,” announced the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, at the end of the meeting held in the Turkish city.
Zelenski’s willingness to meet with Putin was reaffirmed shortly after by the spokesman for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Guerogui Tiji.
“Our president is ready to meet tomorrow. If Putin says he wants to meet tomorrow, President Zelenski will meet with him tomorrow. We don’t have a problem with that. Unfortunately, the problem is on his side,” Tiji said from Istanbul.
Another key issue of the meeting was the Ukrainian request for a 30-day ceasefire to be declared to advance the talks to achieve peace.
According to Umerov, Ukraine will respond within a week to the conditions presented by Russia to declare that truce.
Umerov regretted that Russia had not delivered the documents with its conditions on the ceasefire and on the resolution of the conflict until the same meeting, despite the fact that Kiev had sent its positions to Moscow in advance and demanded that the Russian side do the same so that this Monday’s meeting already produced results.
“Our teams will take a week to review the documents and then we will be able to coordinate the steps to follow,” said the Ukrainian Minister of Defense.
The Russian chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinski, said that he proposed to Ukraine the steps to take to declare a total ceasefire on the front.
“We have delivered a memorandum that has two parts (…) The second includes the steps for a possible and total ceasefire,” Medinski said in his appearance before the press at the end of the talks.
The Russian negotiator assured that this ceasefire plan, which he described as “detailed”, includes two alternatives.
“The Ukrainian part decided to take it and study it. They will study it and answer. We’ll see,” he said.
In addition, Russia also proposed to Ukraine “concrete ceasefires: two-three days in certain sectors of the front (…) so that the commanders can collect the corpses of their soldiers.”
“This will now be dealt with by our military specialists with the Ukrainians,” he said.
Medinski explained that in certain areas the health situation is dangerous and there is “the danger of an epidemic”, so brief truces would allow these bodies to be quickly buried by the enemy.
In fact, he said that the Russians will unilaterally deliver 6,000 corpses of soldiers and officers in their possession.
Today’s meeting comes after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) destroyed more than forty Russian fighter jets this Sunday with a drone attack against the enemy rearguard and the derailment of two trains in Russian border regions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on the phone last night to address the situation in Ukraine.
In the call, Rubio expressed his sincere condolences for “the civilian victims caused by the blaze of the railway infrastructure in the (Russian) regions of Briansk and Kursk on June 1,” according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
For his part, Lavrov said that the competent authorities are carrying out a thorough investigation and that the results will be published soon.
“Those responsible will be identified and punished,” the Russian minister promised.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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