International
Putin asks to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin, was in favor of resuming peace negotiations with Ukraine on Friday, although he expressed his doubts about the legitimacy of his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose mandate expired on May 20.
“Peace negotiations must be resumed and not through an ultimatum, but with common sense,” Putin said during a press conference in Minsk, the Belarusian capital.
Putin called on Ukraine to return to the negotiating table, although he warned that these should have as their final objective “the signing of legally binding documents.”
He recalled that Ukraine already signed a document of that kind at the end of March 2022 in Istanbul, but withdrew the signature under pressure from the West.
“Again there is talk of the need to return to the negotiations. Let them come back! But that they return not starting from what a party wants (…), but from the current situation on the ground. We are willing,” he said.
Putin wondered: “Who to negotiate with? It is not a trivial question (…) Russia is aware that the legitimacy of the current head of state (of Ukraine) has expired.”
“I believe that one of the objectives of the conference that was announced in Switzerland is that the Western community, the sponsors of the current Kiev regime, confirm the legitimacy of the current or no longer existing head of state,” he said.
When the time comes, Putin stressed that Moscow must be “completely sure” that it is dialoguing with a “legitimate power.”
Putin made this statement just as Russian troops are gaining ground both in the Donbas and in the second front that the Russian army opened in the northeastern region of Kharkov.
The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmitro Kuleba, attributed this Friday the alleged willingness of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to declare a ceasefire with the current demarcation line on the front to the fear that inspires him by the possibility of the triumph of the Peace Summit promoted by Kiev that will take place in Switzerland next month.
“Why are there Russian sources suddenly telling the media that Putin is willing to stop the war with the current lines on the battlefield? It’s simple. Putin is desperately trying to derail the Peace Summit of June 15 and 16 in Switzerland,” Kuleba wrote on his social network account X.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister referred to information published in international media that cited four Russian sources according to which Putin would be willing to stop hostilities if Ukraine and the West agree to freeze the conflict.
Kuleba assured that “Putin have no intention at this time to stop the aggression against Ukraine.” According to the Ukrainian minister, the Russian president fears that the Swiss summit will end with a message of “unity” from “a global majority” that forces him to “opt for peace instead of war.”
“This is what the Peace Summit aspires to achieve. And that’s what he fears,” Kuleba said.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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