International

Trump says he would “fly if he thought it would be useful” to the meeting of Russia and Ukraine in Turkey

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Monday that he would “fly if he thought it would be useful” to the meeting proposed by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, next Thursday in Turkey to pave the way for talks for a future ceasefire.

Trump, who is touring Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week, insisted that both countries must sit down at the table to agree on a cessation of hostilities.

“I don’t know where I’ll be at that particular moment. I will be somewhere in the Middle East, but I would fly there (to Turkey) if I thought it would be useful,” he told journalists before embarking on the trip abroad, the first since he returned to power in January.

Kiev informed its European allies on Monday that “the Russians are completely ignoring the offer of a complete and lasting 30-day ceasefire” that should have begun this Monday, according to information received directly from the Ukrainian Army.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrí Sibiga reported that Zelenski has not received a response to the offer made on Sunday to Putin to meet with him in person in Turkey on Thursday and begin at the highest level the direct negotiations that Russia wants to open without first declaring a ceasefire.

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Zelenski responded with this invitation to Putin’s proposal to start direct negotiations between both sides this Thursday in Turkey, which the Ukrainian leader raised to the highest level.

Sibiga also implied that Ukraine’s proposal to engage in dialogue is still standing despite the fact that Putin has not accepted the truce demanded of Kiev and several European countries.

The US president had already urged Ukraine on Sunday to accept “immediately” the invitation made by Russia to meet in Turkey and determine if an agreement is possible.

The Republican leader indicated on his network, Truth Social, that “Russia does not want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOOD BATH.”

The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland threatened on Saturday from Kiev to approve new sanctions against Russia if the Kremlin did not agree to put down the weapons for 30 days starting this Monday.

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According to these leaders from Kiev, Trump supported this ultimatum and was willing to coordinate the sanctions with the Europeans if Putin refused to put down his weapons again.

International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.