Trump hails ‘productive’ truce talks with Russia, urges Putin to spare Ukrainians

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin late Thursday to lay out the details of a joint US-Ukrainian plan, which envisages a 30-day pause in hostilities between Moscow and Kyiv after three years of war. (AP/File Photo)
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin late Thursday to lay out the details of a joint US-Ukrainian plan, which envisages a 30-day pause in hostilities between Moscow and Kyiv after three years of war. (AP/File Photo)
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Updated 15 March 2025
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Trump hails ‘productive’ truce talks with Russia, urges Putin to spare Ukrainians

Trump hails ‘productive’ truce talks with Russia, urges Putin to spare Ukrainians
  • The Kremlin said earlier it was “cautiously optimistic” a deal could be reached
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of trying to “sabotage diplomacy”

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday his administration had “productive” talks with Russia about a ceasefire in Ukraine, urging counterpart Vladimir Putin to spare Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin late Thursday to lay out the details of a joint US-Ukrainian plan, which envisages a 30-day pause in hostilities between Moscow and Kyiv after three years of war.
“We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified to reporters that Trump had not spoken to Putin himself on Thursday.
The Kremlin said earlier it was “cautiously optimistic” a deal could be reached, but that Trump and Putin needed to speak directly before talks could progress.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of trying to “sabotage diplomacy” after the Russian leader said he had “serious questions” over how a ceasefire would work.
“He is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a ceasefire,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
Trump also appealed to Putin over what he said were “thousands” of Ukrainian troops who were “completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position.”
“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II,” he said.
Kyiv quickly denied Trump’s claim, saying there was “no threat” of its troops being encircled.
Russia has in the past week been driving much of Ukraine’s forces out of its Kursk region, parts of which Kyiv occupied last year.
The Kremlin said both Moscow and Washington understood a direct conversation between Putin and Trump “was needed.”
“When Mr.Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a Fox News interview that the US had “some cautious optimism” after Witkoff’s visit.
Commenting on Waltz’s remarks, Peskov said Friday: “There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic.”
“There is still much to be done, but the president has nevertheless identified with President Trump’s position.”
Putin said Thursday he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said he had “serious questions” about how it would be implemented that he wanted to discuss with Trump.
The Russian leader said he wanted any settlement to secure “long-term peace,” alluding to Moscow’s demand that Ukraine be barred from NATO.
Zelensky has called Putin’s ambivalent response a “very manipulative,” while Germany called it a “delaying tactic.”
The ceasefire proposal comes amid a rapid Russian counteroffensive in its western Kursk region.
Moscow has driven much of Kyiv’s forces out of its Kursk province, and has been advancing across the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region for the past year.
Ukraine hoped its hold on the territory would be one of its few bargaining chips in talks with Russia and was eyeing a potential land swap with Moscow, which has occupied around a fifth of Ukraine since it took Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale assault in February 2022.
Ukraine now risks losing its grip on the border region entirely, denying it this point of leverage.
Russia claims its troops have also crossed into Ukrainian territory in the Sumy region, from where Kyiv launched the shock incursion last August.
Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian border guard service, told Ukrainian state media that Russian forces were trying to enter Sumy.
“We continue to detect attempts by small assault groups to enter our territory and approach our border,” he said.
In the skies, Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone fire on Friday, but it was less intense compared to previous days.


Trump urges ‘free’ transit for US ships through Panama, Suez canals

Trump urges ‘free’ transit for US ships through Panama, Suez canals
Updated 7 sec ago
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Trump urges ‘free’ transit for US ships through Panama, Suez canals

Trump urges ‘free’ transit for US ships through Panama, Suez canals
  • “American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged free transit for American commercial and military ships through the Panama and Suez canals, tasking his secretary of state with making progress “immediately.”
Trump has for months been calling for the United States to take control of the Panama Canal but his social media post also shifted focus onto the vital Suez route.
“American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He claimed both routes would “not exist” without the United States and said he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “immediately take care of” the situation.
Egypt’s Suez Canal, a key waterway linking Europe and Asia, accounted for about 10 percent of global maritime trade before attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-backed rebels began targeting vessels after the start of the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians, forcing ships to take a long and costly detour around the southern tip of Africa.
Egypt said last year its canal revenues had plunged 60 percent, a loss of $7 billion.
The US military has been attacking Houthi positions since January 2024, but those assaults have intensified under Trump, with almost daily strikes in the past month.
Trump has vowed that military action would continue until the Houthis are no longer a threat to shipping.
 

 


French police hunt suspected killer of Muslim worshipper inside mosque

French police hunt suspected killer of Muslim worshipper inside mosque
Updated 27 April 2025
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French police hunt suspected killer of Muslim worshipper inside mosque

French police hunt suspected killer of Muslim worshipper inside mosque
  • The suspect was still at large on Saturday, regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini told AFP

MARSEILLE: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Saturday denounced the fatal stabbing of a Muslim worshipper inside a mosque as police hunted the killer, who filmed his victim as he lay dying.
The attacker stabbed the worshipper dozens of times then filmed him with a mobile phone while shouting insults at Islam in Friday’s attack in the village of La Grand-Combe in the Gard region of southern France.
“A worshipper was murdered yesterday,” wrote Bayrou in a message posted on X. “The Islamophobic atrocity was displayed in a video,” he added.
“We stand with the victim’s loved ones, with the believers who are so shocked. State resources are mobilized to ensure the killer is apprehended and punished,” wrote Bayrou.
Earlier Saturday, investigators said they were treating the killing as a possible Islamophobic crime.
The suspect was still at large on Saturday, regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini told AFP.
The footage taken by the killer showed him insulting “Allah,” the Arabic term for God, just after he carried out the attack.
The alleged perpetrator sent the video he had filmed with his phone, showing the victim writhing in agony, to another person, who then shared it on a social media platform before deleting it.
The killing itself was not shown on the images posted on social media but was filmed by security cameras inside the mosque. In his own footage the killer notices these cameras and is heard saying: “I am going to be arrested — that’s for sure.”

According to another source, who also asked not to be named, the suspected perpetrator, while not apprehended, has been identified as a French citizen of Bosnian origin who is not a Muslim.
“The individual is being actively sought. This is a matter that is being taken very seriously,” said the prosecutor Grini.
“All possibilities were being considered, including that of an act with an Islamophobic dimension,” he added.
He confirmed that the French anti-terror prosecutors’ office was considering whether to take over the case.
The victim and the attacker were alone inside the mosque at the time of the incident.
After initially praying alongside the man, the attacker then stabbed the victim up to 50 times before fleeing the scene.
The body of the victim was only discovered later in the morning when other worshippers arrived at the mosque for Friday prayers.
According to prosecutor Grini, the victim, between 23 and 24 years old, was a regular worshipper at the mosque. The killer had never been seen there before.
According to several people AFP spoke to at the scene on Friday, the victim was a young man who arrived from Mali a few years ago and was “very well-known” in the village, where he was highly regarded.
A former mining center about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the town of Ales, La Grand-Combe suffers one of the highest unemployment rates in France after the end of coal mining.
On Friday, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the murder as “appalling.”
He expressed his “support for the victim’s family and solidarity with the Muslim community affected by this barbaric violence in their place of worship on the day of prayer.”

 


Gabon’s constitutional court confirms Nguema’s victory

Gabon’s constitutional court confirms Nguema’s victory
Updated 26 April 2025
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Gabon’s constitutional court confirms Nguema’s victory

Gabon’s constitutional court confirms Nguema’s victory
  • The Constitutional Court announced a turnout of 70 percent in the election in which some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, were registered to participate across more than 3,000 polling stations

DAKAR: Gabon’s constitutional court has confirmed that Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Gabon’s interim president who staged a 2023 coup, won the Central African nation’s April 12 presidential election.
According to the final results announced by the Constitutional Court, Oligui Nguema won the election with 58,074 votes, which accounts for 94.85 percent.
Oligui Nguema’s tally increased by almost 5 percent compared to the provisional results announced the day after the April 12 vote by the Ministry of the Interior.
He defeated seven other candidates, including the immediate past Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who came in a distant second with 3 percent of votes cast. None of the other six candidates crossed the 1 percent mark.
Bilie-By-Nze recently said that Oligui Nguema took advantage of state resources to support his campaign. The government denies this.
Local observers deemed the conduct of the election satisfactory in nearly all the polling stations monitored.
The Constitutional Court announced a turnout of 70 percent in the election in which some 920,000 voters, including over 28,000 overseas, were registered to participate across more than 3,000 polling stations.
The Interior Ministry had previously announced a higher turnout of 87.21 percent in its provisional results announced the day after the vote.
Gabon’s first election since the 2023 military coup ended a political dynasty that lasted over 50 years.
It was seen as a crucial election for the central African nation’s 2.3 million people, a third of whom live in poverty despite its vast oil wealth.
Oligui Nguema, the former head of the country’s Republican Guard, toppled President Ali Bongo Ondimba nearly two years ago.
He hopes to consolidate his grip on power for a seven-year term in office and is set to be inaugurated on May 3.

 


African peacekeeping mission in Somalia ‘needs 8,000 more troops’

African peacekeeping mission in Somalia ‘needs 8,000 more troops’
Updated 26 April 2025
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African peacekeeping mission in Somalia ‘needs 8,000 more troops’

African peacekeeping mission in Somalia ‘needs 8,000 more troops’
  • Envoys hold a three-day meeting to discuss the security situation and the progress of ‘stabilization mission’

NAIROBI: The African peacekeeping mission in Somalia requires an additional 8,000 troops, even as Burundi is expected to withdraw its contingent, a statement from military heads from troop-contributing countries said.

The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, is tasked with combating the Al-Shabab group, whose attacks are stoking fears of a terrorist resurgence in the Horn of Africa nation.
But Burundi’s planned pullout, which diplomatic sources said was triggered by a spat with Mogadishu over the state of its soldiers’ equipment, would deprive the mission of around one-fifth of its current manpower.

BACKGROUND

Officials say insufficient troops have created security gaps ‘resulting in the resurgence of Al-Shabab taking control of significant territory in both Middle and Lower Shabelle.’

Envoys from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, the African Union, and multilateral organizations held a three-day meeting in Uganda this week to discuss the security situation in Somalia and the progress of AUSSOM.
In a statement, the officials said insufficient troops had created security gaps “resulting in the resurgence of Al-Shabab taking control of significant territory in both Middle and Lower Shabelle.”
“As a consequence, both Jowhar and Mogadishu are under imminent threat by Al-Shabab,” the statement said.
Somalia has long struggled with the violent Islamist insurgency.
However, the Al-Qaeda-linked group had been forced onto the defensive in 2022 and 2023 by Somali forces backed by African Union-led peacekeepers.
Recent attacks in key towns have provoked worries of the organization’s resurgence, with the militants targeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy in the capital, Mogadishu, in March.
The security representatives recommended “an additional 8,000 to AUSSOM Troops to address the current security situation in Somalia so as not to roll back the hard-earned gains.”
The mission, which replaced the previous ATMIS deployment, has 11,146 soldiers.
But the withdrawal of Burundi troops with no prospect of replacement “will create more gaps and exacerbate the already deteriorating situation,” the statement added.
Somalia and Burundi have been at loggerheads over the number of troops Burundi should contribute to the mission, with Mogadishu requesting only around 1,000 Burundian soldiers — far below Burundi’s proposal of 2,000.
According to an African diplomat, Somalia “felt that Burundi was not sufficiently equipped for such a large number of soldiers.”
“Our government saw the Somali proposal as a lack of consideration, a lack of respect when you consider the sacrifices Burundi has made to bring peace back to Somalia,” a senior Burundian official said.
A statement by the AU dated April 15 instructed the UN office in Somalia to facilitate the repatriation of Burundi’s contingent.
The envoys also addressed the mission’s significant financial challenges, urging international partners to address the deficit of $96 million for ATMIS and $60 million to cover four months of AUSSOM — which has been in operation since January.

 


Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close

Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close
Updated 26 April 2025
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Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close

Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close
  • “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said
  • “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?”

ROME: President Donald Trump said Saturday that he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were ” very close to a deal.”
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.
The new doubts aired by Trump come as the president and top aides intensify their push to come to a deal to end the war that began in February 2022 when Russian invaded Ukraine.
The comments also sharply contrasted with Trump’s positive assessment that the two sides were “very close to a deal” after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had met with Putin in Moscow on Friday.
The Trump-Zelensky conversation on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral was first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at the White House in late February. That confrontation led to the White House to briefly pause US military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Days after ordering the pause, Trump also announced he was “strongly considering” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia to try to prod Putin to negotiate in earnest. Trump has not yet followed through on the threat — something even some of his staunch Republican allies are now pressuring him to do.
It’s the second time a matter of days that Trump has rebuked Putin, whom the American president rarely publicly criticizes.
On Thursday, Trump publicly urged the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
After their brief meeting Saturday, Zelensky’s office had said the US and Ukrainian teams were making arrangements for the leaders to talk again Saturday. But Trump went directly to the Rome airport after the funeral and boarded Air Force One for the 10-hour flight back to the United States.
Zelensky’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, said Trump and Zelensky did not meet again in person because of their tight schedules.
Zelensky called it a “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.
“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he said on X. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you.”
The White House called the discussion “very productive” and said it would release more details later. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before Trump and Zelensky took their seats at the outdoor funeral service.
The Vatican long ago had offered to help facilitate peace talks and Francis had regularly called for peace and dialogue from the altar of the basilica. That Trump and Zelensky spoke privately, face to face and hunched over on chairs on the marbled floors of the pope’s home, on the day of his funeral, was perhaps a fitting way to honor his wishes.
Trump said on social media, after he arrived in Italy late Friday, that Russia and Ukraine should meet for “very high level talks” on ending the war.
Neither Putin nor Zelensky have commented Trump’s calls for direct talks.
Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to an agreement to end the war, but while Zelensky agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, Russia has not signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.
Putin did not attend Francis’ funeral. He faces an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which has accused him of war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in a statement Friday night, Zelensky said “very significant meetings may take place” in the coming days, and that an unconditional ceasefire was needed.
“Real pressure on Russia is needed so that they accept either the American proposal to cease fire and move toward peace, or our proposal — whichever one can truly work and ensure a reliable, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire, and then — a dignified peace and security guarantees,” he said.
“Diplomacy must succeed. And we are doing everything to make diplomacy truly meaningful and finally effective.”
The meeting Saturday also came shortly after Trump had issued his most definitive statement to date about the need for Ukraine to give up territory to Russia to bring the war to a close. He said in a Time magazine interview published Friday that “Crimea will stay with Russia.”
Russia seized the strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine in 2014, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022. Zelensky wants to regain Crimea and other Ukrainian territory seized by Russia, but Trump considers that demand to be unrealistic.
Referring to Crimea during the interview, which was conducted at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time,” meaning Russia.