Russian diplomat says US must make first step to improve ties

Russian diplomat says US must make first step to improve ties
The Kremlin has long sought to be a partner with the West, Russia‘s Foreign Ministry says. (Reuters)
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Updated 06 February 2025
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Russian diplomat says US must make first step to improve ties

Russian diplomat says US must make first step to improve ties
  • Relations between Russia and the United States have plunged to lows not seen in decades due to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine

The United States must make the first move in improving ties with Russia after years of failing to listen to the Kremlin and misguided policies intended to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said it was wrong to base a foreign policy on the need to “come to an agreement with the White House at any price.”
Relations between Russia and the United States have plunged to lows not seen in decades due to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
But since the election and inauguration of Donald Trump, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has made a point of describing the US president as smart and pragmatic and said he would like to meet him soon.
In a commentary on the Foreign Ministry website, Ryabkov said the Kremlin had long sought to be a partner with the West, “but no one was listening or, in theory, wanted to listen.
“And that is because the underlying aim was to weaken the geopolitical rival to the maximum,” he said.
Russia, he said, had regained “its lawful place in world geopolitics by frustrating the plans of Joe Biden’s administration ... to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Moscow in a hybrid war ‘to the last Ukrainian.’“
“Against the background of this failed policy and with the change of administration, it is the United States that must take the first step in normalizing relations on the basis of mutual respect and equal rights,” Ryabkov wrote.
Ryabkov said Russia was “open to dialogue and ready to reach agreement through hard bargaining while taking account of realities on the ground ... So it is up to D. Trump and his team to make a decision.”

PRELIMINARY CONTACTS
Russia’s ambassador to Britain, Andrei Kelin, quoted by the RIA news agency, described the contacts between the White House and the Kremlin as “very preliminary.” RIA said Kelin told ITV news that the discussions were “only to assess positions, to determine the boundaries of what is possible.”
Putin has said any talks on ending the war in Ukraine must take account of the realities of Russia holding large chunks of Ukrainian territory.
He has also questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a negotiating partner, saying he has remained in office beyond his mandate.
Zelensky, in his nightly video address, spoke of further diplomatic efforts with Washington to advance peace efforts.
“We are significantly intensifying our contacts with the American administration,” he said. “And we also have quite meaningful contacts with other partners.”
Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible and said he is ready to meet Putin.
Russian officials have denied any direct contacts with the US about preparations for a phone call between the two leaders as a first step to an eventual meeting later this year.
Two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters this week that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit.


Things to know about the limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine brokered by the US

Things to know about the limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine brokered by the US
Updated 19 sec ago
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Things to know about the limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine brokered by the US

Things to know about the limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine brokered by the US
  • Russia conditioned its part in opening Black Sea shipping on the US lifting sanctions, which Kyiv dismissed
  • While the benefits to Russia are clear, Ukrainian officials questioned how the Black Sea deal announced Tuesday would profit them

KYIV, Ukraine: After three days of intense negotiations, the Trump administration, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a limited ceasefire in which the key details, including what was covered and how it will start, were disputed by the warring sides, indicating the road to a complete truce will be long and mired with contention.
The negotiations focused on easing Black Sea shipping and halting long-range strikes on energy infrastructure, relatively low-hanging fruit that both sides had experience in negotiating before the US brokered indirect talks.
While much is yet unknown, here is a breakdown of the key elements of the partial ceasefire and what is at stake in the coming weeks as talks continue.
The limited ceasefire began with a rocky start
Conflicting statements emerged immediately after the talks on Tuesday. Both sides differed on the start time of halting strikes on energy sites and accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
Russia also conditioned its part in opening Black Sea shipping on the US lifting sanctions, which Kyiv dismissed.
Russian officials have greeted the results of the talks with optimism, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as a good start, though some Ukrainian officials have expressed discontent.
“Something tells me this is more advantageous for the enemy,” Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak told the Interfax Ukraine news agency.
 

A general view of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, where talks between Russia and the US were held on March 24, 2025, in an effort to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. (Reuters)

Stopping fighting around Black Sea shipping routes
The US said Tuesday it had reached a tentative agreement with Ukraine and Russia to stop fighting and ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea in separate talks with the two sides.
Details of the deal were not released, including how or when it was to be implemented and monitored, but it appeared to mark another attempt to ensure safe Black Sea shipping after a 2022 agreement that was brokered by the UN and Turkiye was halted by Russia one year later, in July 2023.
Russia said the Black Sea deal announced Tuesday could only be implemented after sanctions against the Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in food and fertilizer trade were lifted and their access to the SWIFT system of international payments was ensured.
Zelensky said Moscow was lying about the terms of the agreement, despite the US later saying it would help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports.
It’s unclear how the Black Sea deal would benefit Ukraine
While the benefits to Russia are clear, Ukrainian officials questioned how the Black Sea deal announced Tuesday would profit them. It isn’t clear, for instance, if it would also halt attacks on Ukrainian ports.
“Personally, I don’t think this will significantly boost our export capacity. Frankly speaking, thanks to Ukrainian naval drones, we have considerably expanded our capabilities in the Black Sea,” Ukrainian lawmaker Zhelezniak said.
That’s because Ukraine took matters into its own hands after Russia backed out in 2023 of the earlier deal to ensure safe Black Sea shipping. Ukraine carved out a trade route requiring ships to sail near the coast lines of Bulgaria and Romania, guided by the Ukrainian Navy. At the same time, Ukrainian forces launched a campaign of sea drone attacks to further push back Russia’s fleet.
“Unfortunately,” Zhelezniak said, the new deal “worsens our position in terms of influence in the Black Sea.”
Trading blame over halting of energy strikes
The ceasefire also included a halt to long-range strikes on energy infrastructure, but sharp differences emerged immediately after Tuesday’s announcement over when the halt to fighting would begin.
Moscow said the ceasefire had started on March 18 and accused Kyiv of violating the terms by striking energy sites inside Russia, a charge that Ukraine’s General Staff denied on Wednesday.
The Kremlin later posted a list of the types of facilities covered by the limited ceasefire.
It included refineries, oil and gas pipelines, oil storage facilities, including pump stations, power-generating and transmitting infrastructure, as well as power plants, substations, transformers, distribution switchgear, nuclear power plants and hydropower plant dams.


Canadian Prime Minister Carney calls Trump’s auto tariffs a ‘direct attack’ on his country

Canadian Prime Minister Carney calls Trump’s auto tariffs a ‘direct attack’ on his country
Updated 27 March 2025
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Canadian Prime Minister Carney calls Trump’s auto tariffs a ‘direct attack’ on his country

Canadian Prime Minister Carney calls Trump’s auto tariffs a ‘direct attack’ on his country
  • Autos are Canada’s second largest export, and Carney noted it employs 125,000 Canadians directly and almost another 500,000 in related industries
  • The tax hike on auto imports starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales

TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs are a “direct attack” on his country and that the trade war is hurting Americans, noting that American consumer confidence is at a multi-year low.
Trump said earlier Wednesday that he was placing 25 percent tariffs on auto imports and, to underscore his intention, he stated “This is permanent.”
“This is a very direct attack,” Carney responded. “We will defend our workers. We will defend our companies. We will defend our country.”
Carney said he needs to see the details of Trump’s executive order before taking retaliatory measures. He called it unjustified and said he will leave the election campaign to go to Ottawa on Thursday to chair his special Cabinet committee on US relations.
Carney earlier announced a CA$2 billion ($1.4 billion) “strategic response fund” that will protect Canadian auto jobs affected by Trump’s tariffs.
Autos are Canada’s second largest export, and Carney noted it employs 125,000 Canadians directly and almost another 500,000 in related industries.
“Canada will be there for auto workers,” he said.
Trump previously granted a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for US automakers.
The president has plunged the US into a global trade war — all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.
The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its USconsumer confidence index fell 7.2 points in March to 92.9, the fourth straight monthly decline and its lowest reading since January of 2021.
“His trade war is hurting American consumers and workers and it will hurt more. I see that American consumer confidence is at a multi-year low,” Carney said earlier while campaigning in Windsor, Ontario ahead of Canada’s April 28 election.
The tax hike on auto imports starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales.
Trump previously 25 percent tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products — as well as all of America’s trading partners — on April 2.
“He wants to break us so America can own us,” Carney said. “And it will never ever happen because we just don’t look out for ourselves we look out for each other.”
Carney, former two-time central banker, made the earlier comments while campaigning against the backdrop of the Ambassador Bridge, which is considered the busiest US-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25 percent of all trade between the two countries. It plays an especially important role in auto manufacturing.
Carney said the bridge carries $140 billion Canadian dollars ($98 billion) in goods every year and CA$400 million ($281 million) per day.
“Now those numbers and the jobs and the paychecks that depend on that are in question,” Carney said. “The relationship between Canada and the United States has changed. We did not change it.”
In the auto sector, parts can go back and forth across the Canada-US border several times before being fully assembled in Ontario or Michigan.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, whose province has the bulk of Canada’s auto industry, Ford said auto plants on both sides the border will shut simultaneously if the tariffs go ahead.
“President is calling it Liberation Day. I call it Termination Day for American workers. I know President Trump likes tell people ‘Your fired!” I didn’t think he meant US auto workers when he said it,” Ford said.
Trump has declared a trade war on his northern neighbor and continues to call for Canada to become the 51st state, a position that has infuriated Canadians.
Canadians booed Trump repeatedly at a Carney election rally in Kitchener, Ontario.
The new prime minister, sworn in March 14, still hasn’t had a phone call with Trump. It is unusual for a US president and Canadian prime minister to go so long without talking after a new leader takes office.
“It would be appropriate that the president and I speak given the action that he has taken. I’m sure that will happen soon,” Carney said.
Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said the tariffs will damage American auto workers just as they will damage Canadian auto workers.
“The message to President Trump should be to knock it off,” Poilievre said. “He’s changed his mind before. He’s done this twice, puts them on, takes them off. We can suspect that may well happen again.”


Mass Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, nine injured

Mass Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, nine injured
Updated 27 March 2025
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Mass Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, nine injured

Mass Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, nine injured
  • Mayor Ihor Terekhov said there had been at least 12 drone strikes on the city, a frequent target of Russia’s military, located some 30 km from the border

Russian forces launched a mass drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, late on Wednesday, injuring nine people and causing considerable damage, emergency services and officials said.
Emergency services, posting on the Telegram messaging app, said the attacks started four fires in the city center and posted pictures of firefighters battling flames alongside piles of rubble. The strikes, it said, caused serious damage to buildings.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said there had been at least 12 drone strikes on the city, a frequent target of Russia’s military, located some 30 km (18 miles) from the border.
Kharkiv resisted capture in the early weeks of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but has been repeatedly hit by drones and missiles and Russian forces changed the focus of their campaign to Ukraine’s east.
A drone attack also triggered fires in the central city of Dnipro, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram. Pictures posted online showed smoke and flames drifting skyward.
No casualties were immediately reported in the city.


South Sudan VP Machar’s party trying to locate him after arrest warrant issued

South Sudan VP Machar’s party trying to locate him after arrest warrant issued
Updated 27 March 2025
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South Sudan VP Machar’s party trying to locate him after arrest warrant issued

South Sudan VP Machar’s party trying to locate him after arrest warrant issued
  • Earlier on Wednesday, the United Nations reported clashes over the past 24 hours between forces loyal to the two men outside the capital Juba

The party of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar said on Wednesday it was trying to locate him after the defense minister and chief of national security “forcefully entered” his residence and delivered an arrest warrant.
In a statement, the SPLM-IO party condemned “a blatant violation of the Constitution and the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” which ended a 2013-2018 civil war between forces loyal to Machar on one side and to President Salva Kiir on the other.
“His bodyguards were disarmed, and an arrest warrant was delivered to him under unclear charges. Attempts are currently being made to relocate him,” the statement said.
A government spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Earlier on Wednesday, the United Nations reported clashes over the past 24 hours between forces loyal to the two men outside the capital Juba.
Those clashes followed weeks of tensions that originated in fighting in the country’s northeast between government troops and a militia that has historically been close to Machar’s forces.
Kiir’s government, in turn, detained several officials from Machar’s party, including the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army, leading the UN to warn of the risk of renewed civil war.
The civil war from 2013-2018 resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the world’s youngest nation, which won its independence from Sudan in 2011.


Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on foreign-built cars, light trucks

Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on foreign-built cars, light trucks
Updated 27 March 2025
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Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on foreign-built cars, light trucks

Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on foreign-built cars, light trucks

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced imposition of 25 percent tariffs on all cars and light trucks not built on US soil.
“What we’re going to be doing is a 25 percent tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States. If they’re made in the United States, it is absolutely no tariff,” he announced at the White House.