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.

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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.

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“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.

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International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.