International
Zelenski asks for “guarantees” from the US, the EU and Turkey for a possible peace agreement with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky advanced this Tuesday in Ankara, moments before his meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will ask for “security guarantees” from the United States, the European Union and Turkey for any peace agreement reached with Russia.
“As a country, we want peace, we want the war to end. But we want the end of the war to be based on certain security guarantees,” Zelenski said in an interview with the Turkish agency Anadolu.
“We hope that these security guarantees will be offered by the United States, the European Union, Turkey and the whole of Europe,” specified the Ukrainian president, whose meeting with Erdogan is simultaneous to the beginning of the United States’ negotiations with Russia in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
By also referring to “all of Europe”, Zelenski also seems to ask for guarantees from other countries such as the United Kingdom or Norway, which have given great support to Ukraine but are not partners of the EU.
The Ukrainian president said he would like to “see Turkey involved” in the peace process “if Turkey can offer Ukraine the necessary security guarantees,” and stressed Ankara’s role as a mediator with Moscow in the past
At the same time, Zelenski ruled out officially ceding parts of Ukrainian territory to Russia.
“We will never, under any circumstances, recognize that our temporarily occupied territories are part of Russia. They are part of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president told the aforementioned agency.
He also insisted that neither in past negotiations had he accepted an “ultimatum” and that he would not accept it now.
The president stressed that, as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, had told him in a telephone conversation held yesterday, the current negotiations do not deal with the issue of prisoners of war, which he considered fundamental.
“If a truce is negotiated, first of all, our people must be allowed to return,” Zelenski said.
The president made these statements during an inauguration ceremony of a new building of the Ukrainian embassy in Ankara, moments before starting his meeting with Erdogan at the presidential palace.
He stressed the presence at the event of a delegation of Crimean Tatars, a Turkish-speaking ethnic group that Ankara considers persecuted by the Russian authorities, and thanked Turkey and Qatar for their help in promoting the release of Tatar political prisoners in Crimea.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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