Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war

Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war
The Kremlin on Sunday declined to confirm or deny a US report of a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AFP)
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Updated 09 February 2025
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Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war

Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war
  • Trump said last week that the war was a bloodbath and that his team had had ‘some very good talks’
  • US president has repeatedly said he wants to end the war and that he will meet Putin to discuss it

MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump said he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone about ending the war in Ukraine, the New York Post reported, the first known direct conversation between Putin and a USpresident since early 2022.

Trump, who has promised to end the war in Ukraine but not yet set out in public how he would do so, said last week that the war was a bloodbath and that his team had had “some very good talks.”

In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday Trump told the New York Post that he had “better not say,” when asked how many times he and Putin had spoken.

“He (Putin) wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told the New York Post. The White House did not respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS state news agency that “many different communications are emerging.”

“These communications are conducted through different channels,” Peskov said when asked by TASS to comment directly on the New York Post report. “I personally may not know something, be unaware of something. Therefore, in this case, I can neither confirm nor deny it.”

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine’s armed forces.

Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022, calling it a “special military operation” to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine and counter what he said was a grave threat to Russia from potential Ukrainian membership of NATO.

Ukraine and its Western backers, led by the United States, said the invasion was an imperial style land grab and vowed to defeat Russian forces.

Moscow controls a chunk of Ukraine about the size of the American state of Virginia and is advancing at the fastest pace since the early days of the 2022 invasion.

Trump-Putin summit?

Trump, author of the 1987 book “Trump: the Art of the Deal,” has repeatedly said he wants to end the war and that he will meet Putin to discuss it, though the date or venue for a summit is still not publicly known.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit, Reuters reported earlier this month.

On June 14, Putin set out his opening terms for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia.

Reuters reported in November that Putin is open to discussing a Ukraine peace deal with Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.

The Kremlin has repeatedly urged caution over speculation about contacts with the Trump team over a possible peace deal.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian parliament’s international affairs committee, was cited by the state RIA news agency on Thursday as saying that preparations for such a meeting were at “an advanced stage” and that it could take place in February or March.

Putin last spoke to former US President Joe Biden in February 2022, shortly before Putin ordered thousands of troops into Ukraine. The two leaders spoke for about an hour then, the Kremlin said.

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, in his 2024 book “War,” reported that Trump had direct conversations as many as seven times with Putin after he left the White House in 2021.

Asked if that were true in an interview to Bloomberg last year, Trump said: “If I did, it’s a smart thing.” The Kremlin denied Woodward’s report.

On Friday, Trump said he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week to discuss ending the war.

Trump told the New York Post that he has “always had a good relationship with Putin” and that he has a concrete plan to end the war. But he did not disclose further details.

“I hope it’s fast,” Trump said. “Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”


UN migration agency laying off around 20 percent of HQ staff amid US aid cuts: sources

UN migration agency laying off around 20 percent of HQ staff amid US aid cuts: sources
Updated 4 sec ago
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UN migration agency laying off around 20 percent of HQ staff amid US aid cuts: sources

UN migration agency laying off around 20 percent of HQ staff amid US aid cuts: sources
Fresh cuts at IOM are expected to impact at least 20 percent

GENEVA: The UN migration agency, which has been hit hard by US foreign aid cuts, has launched more mass layoffs, impacting around a fifth of staff at its Geneva headquarters, employees said Friday.
Fresh cuts at the International Organization for Migration are expected to impact at least 20 percent of the more than 1,000 current headquarters staff, according to several sources familiar with the situation.

US hails ‘historic peace treaty’ between Armenia, Azerbaijan

US hails ‘historic peace treaty’ between Armenia, Azerbaijan
Updated 52 sec ago
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US hails ‘historic peace treaty’ between Armenia, Azerbaijan

US hails ‘historic peace treaty’ between Armenia, Azerbaijan
  • Azerbaijan and Armenia said Thursday that they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving the Caucasus neighbors’ decades-long conflict
WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday hailed a “historic peace treaty” finalized by Armenia and Azerbaijan and called on both sides to follow through.
“This is an opportunity for both countries to turn the page on a decades old conflict,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
“Now is the time to commit to peace, sign and ratify the treaty, and usher in a new era of prosperity for the people of the South Caucasus,” he added.
Azerbaijan and Armenia said Thursday that they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving the Caucasus neighbors’ decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty.
A deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkiye all jostle for influence.

Indians welcome spring with Holi, the world’s most colorful festival

Indians welcome spring with Holi, the world’s most colorful festival
Updated 14 March 2025
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Indians welcome spring with Holi, the world’s most colorful festival

Indians welcome spring with Holi, the world’s most colorful festival
  • One of India’s biggest festivals, it is also among major homecoming seasons
  • People visit, play music, dance, and pelt each other with powdered pigments

NEW DELHI: Millions of Indians celebrated on Friday the festival of colors, Holi, which marks the end of winter.

Symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, Holi is observed on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna with bonfires, sweets, dancing to traditional music, and splashing others with colorful powders.

One of India’s biggest festivals, it is also among the major homecoming seasons, when people head to their native towns to reunite with family members.

“We start our morning by visiting other people’s houses and we meet people who we have not interacted with for a year. We apply colors on each other and then we sit together and eat. We play music and dance,” said Dr. Ashok Kumar Sharma, lecturer at Kurukshetra University in the northern state of Haryana.

“Holi is a festival to connect with the people and it’s a time when we embrace each other forgetting our differences and disputes.”

Holi derives its name from Holika, the demon sister of the evil King Hiranyakashipu in Indian mythology, who tried to forbid his son from worshiping the Hindu deity Vishnu and wanted to kill him with her help.

Hiranyakashipu ordered the two of them to sit on a burning pyre, lying to the son that his aunt, who was immune to fire, would protect him. But when the flames struck, it was Holika who burnt to death and the demon king’s son survived with the help of Vishnu.

The night before Holi, Hindus burn pyres to symbolize the death of Holika and the triumph of good over evil. As the next day arrives, they pelt each other with powdered pigments.

“This is a festival to enjoy without getting into formal dress and formal manner. We have nice food and also reflect how we should live together ... We connect with the people with (whom we) have fought. We try to connect by forgetting personal differences,” Ravi Kumar, an entrepreneur, told Arab News.

As president of a housing society in Vikaspuri, West Delhi, he made arrangements for celebrations in his area.

“This is a community festival where in our housing colony we seek collective opinion what they want to eat on this special occasion ... We have made arrangements for cooking special mutton and rajma (red kidney beans in tomato gravy) and people will contribute to that and all of them will enjoy them,” Kumar said.

“We also made a special arrangement for a DJ on the grounds of the housing society. People will play colors and dance and enjoy themselves.”

Those who enjoy Holi the most are children, as they can get away with various types of mischief and enjoy a day off from school.

“For kids, I think this is one of the most fun festivals in the year. Kids use a lot of watercolors and it’s the one time of the year they can spray colors on total strangers and get away with it. So, for kids this means having a lot of sweets, pranks and total liberty,” said Simran Sodhi, a media worker in Delhi.

For her, it was mainly a time for family and friends. “And a time to celebrate the bonds we have created in our lives,” she told Arab News.

“I feel it’s the time of the year when we welcome the spring season, and for me it means life continuing its cycle of colors and bonds.”


Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says

Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says
Updated 14 March 2025
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Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says

Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says
  • Drones dispatched by the Security Service of Ukraine had hit gas compressor systems in the western Russian regions of Tambov and Saratov
KYIV: Ukrainian drones attacked energy facilities and a missile storage facility in Russia overnight, a security source in Kyiv said Friday, while a Russian aerial attack wounded several in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian and Russian drone barrages were less intensive compared to previous days and came after US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah proposed a 30-day ceasefire that the Kremlin on Friday said it was ‘cautiously optimistic” about.
The source said drones dispatched by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had hit gas compressor systems in the western Russian regions of Tambov and Saratov.
It added that a Ukrainian drone also hit a warehouse storing missiles used for S-300 and S-400 Russian air defense systems.
“The SBU conducted another successful special operation on enemy territory, which caused significant losses to the Russian budget, reduced its ability to finance the war against Ukraine and the military potential of the Russian army,” the source said in written comments.
The mayor of Moscow meanwhile said Russian air defense systems had shot down four Ukrainian drones that were heading toward the capital.
The Russian defense ministry said Ukraine had launched 28 drones overnight against over 300 in the early hours of Tuesday, when three people were killed.
The governor of the southern Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian attack had sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the Black Sea resort town of Tuapse.
A fuel tank containing up to 20,000 tons of oil products was on fire at the refinery, officials said.
Kyiv said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 27 drones overnight, a fraction of the number it usually sends over, with some recent barrages comprised of more than 100 drones.
Authorities in the eastern Kharkiv region said eight people were wounded by the Russian attacks overnight.

Philippine ex-President Duterte set to appear in Hague courtroom to face ‘war on drugs’ charges

Philippine ex-President Duterte set to appear in Hague courtroom to face ‘war on drugs’ charges
Updated 14 March 2025
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Philippine ex-President Duterte set to appear in Hague courtroom to face ‘war on drugs’ charges

Philippine ex-President Duterte set to appear in Hague courtroom to face ‘war on drugs’ charges
  • The hearing Friday afternoon comes days after his stunning arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to the deadly “war on drugs” he oversaw while in office
  • The 79-year-old Duterte is the first Asian former leader arrested on an ICC warrant

THE HAGUE: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to make his first appearance before judges of the International Criminal Court on Friday, days after his stunning arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to the deadly ” war on drugs ” he oversaw while in office.
The 79-year-old Duterte, the first Asian former leader arrested on an ICC warrant, will be read his rights and formally informed of the charges of crimes against humanity that the court’s prosecutors filed against him after a lengthy investigation.
Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported up to the 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.
The court will also seek to set a date for a key pre-trial hearing — likely months from now — at which judges will assess whether there is enough evidence to proceed to a full trial, which could take years. If Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Duterte was arrested Tuesday amid chaotic scenes in the Philippine capital after returning from a visit to Hong Kong. He was swiftly put on a chartered jet and flown to the Netherlands. After a series of medical checks on arrival, he was taken to the court’s detention center, located behind the high brick walls of a Dutch prison complex close to the North Sea coastline.
Prosecutors accuse him of involvement as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in multiple murders, amounting to a crime against humanity for allegedly overseeing killings from November 2011 until March 2019, first while he was mayor of the southern city of Davao and later as president of the Philippines.
Duterte will not be required to formally enter a plea at Friday’s hearing.
According to the prosecution request for his arrest, as Davao mayor Duterte issued orders to police and other “hitmen” who formed so-called “Davao Death Squads” or DDS.
He told them “that their mission was to kill criminals, including drug dealers, and provided clearance for specific DDS killings,” prosecutors allege, adding that he recruited, paid and rewarded the killers and “provided them with the necessary weapons and resources, and promised to shield them from prosecution.”
The document seeking an ICC warrant for Duterte said that prosecutors built their case using evidence including witness testimony, speeches by Duterte himself, government documents and video footage.
Human rights groups and victims’ families have hailed Duterte’s arrest as a historic triumph against state impunity, while the former president’s supporters have slammed what they call the government’s surrender of a rival to a court whose jurisdiction they dispute.
“We are happy and we feel relieved,” said 55-year-old Melinda Abion Lafuente, mother of 22-year-old Angelo Lafuente, who she said was tortured and killed in 2016.
“Duterte’s appearance before the ICC is a testament to the courage and determination of the victims, their families, and Filipino activists and journalists to pursue justice no matter how long it takes,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Other leaders facing ICC arrest warrants, like Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, should take note that even those who seem untouchable today can end up in The Hague.”
Duterte’s legal team said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration should not have allowed the global court to take custody of the former leader because the Philippines is no longer a party to the ICC.
“Our own government has surrendered a Filipino citizen — even a former president at that — to foreign powers,” Vice President Sara Duterte, the ex-president’s daughter and a political rival of the current president, said Tuesday before her father was flown out of Manila.
Judges who approved Duterte’s arrest warrant said the court has jurisdiction because the crimes alleged in the warrant were committed before Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the court in 2019.