Trump, Putin agree halt to Ukraine energy attacks but no ceasefire

Update Trump, Putin agree halt to Ukraine energy attacks but no ceasefire
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine war on Tuesday in a phone call which Washington hoped would convince Moscow to accept a 30-day ceasefire and move towards a permanent peace deal. (AFP/File)
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Updated 19 March 2025
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Trump, Putin agree halt to Ukraine energy attacks but no ceasefire

Trump, Putin agree halt to Ukraine energy attacks but no ceasefire
  • The Kremlin said the two leaders had a “detailed and frank exchange of views” on Ukraine
  • They discussed a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday on a halt in Russian attacks against Ukrainian energy targets — but fell far short of securing a full ceasefire in a highly anticipated phone call.
The US and Russian leaders spoke for more than an hour and a half and both expressed hopes for repairing relations between the countries.
However, there was no agreement from the Russian president for Washington’s proposed full 30-day ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.
The Kremlin said Putin agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days and that Putin had already given the order to his military. The White House said separately that the “leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire.”
Russia has launched a series of devastating attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout the three-year-old war. According to the Kremlin statement, Ukraine — which has bombed multiple Russian oil installations — had also agreed to the truce on energy targets, although Kyiv had yet to comment.
The two leaders agreed that broader truce talks would “begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said in its statement, also citing a “huge upside” if Russia and the United States improve their relations.
But the Kremlin statement said a “key condition” for peace would be ending Western military and intelligence support to Ukraine’s embattled military — a position that will alarm Kyiv and European capitals that have already accused Putin of stalling.
Trump had already made clear before the call that he was ready to discuss “dividing up certain assets” — what parts of occupied Ukraine that Russia would be allowed to keep.
The US president had said on his Truth Social network on the eve of the call that “many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains” to be settled.
US allies, alarmed by Trump’s recent pivot toward Russia, fear the Republican will give too much ground to the Russian president, a leader for whom he has repeatedly expressed admiration.
Kyiv had already agreed to the US proposal to halt fighting for 30 days. It said on Tuesday before the call that it expected Moscow to “unconditionally” accept to the ceasefire.
“It is time for Russia to show whether it really wants peace,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.
But Putin has repeatedly said that there were further issues that needed discussion, which Tuesday’s call apparently failed to fully resolve.
Putin gave a hard-line anti-Western speech Tuesday before the call, saying the West would still try to undermine Russia even if it lifted sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
He mocked the G7 group of rich democracies — from which Russia was expelled in 2018 — to wild applause from the audience, saying it was too small to “see on a map.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Putin does not want peace and is trying to achieve a better position militarily ahead of any halt in fighting.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with near daily barrages of drones and missiles for more than three years, occupying some 20 percent southern and eastern Ukraine and pressing a grinding advance in recent months.
The Kremlin has also hailed Moscow’s quick offensive in the Kursk region, parts of which Ukraine seized last year and was hoping to use as a bargaining chip.
The push toward a ceasefire began in February when Trump announced that he had spoken to Putin — a surprise call that broke Western efforts to isolate the Russian leader while his invasion continues.
As Trump upended years of US policy he then had a televised shouting match with Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, which led to the United States temporarily suspending its billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv.
On Sunday Trump said he would discuss issues of “land” and “power plants” with Putin — a likely reference to the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Trump is however intent on delivering on an election pledge to end fighting in Ukraine, blaming his predecessor Joe Biden’s policy on Russia for fueling the war.
“It must end NOW,” he said on Truth Social.


Zelensky cancels part of South Africa trip, returns to Kyiv after Russian attack

Zelensky cancels part of South Africa trip, returns to Kyiv after Russian attack
Updated 23 sec ago
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Zelensky cancels part of South Africa trip, returns to Kyiv after Russian attack

Zelensky cancels part of South Africa trip, returns to Kyiv after Russian attack
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he was canceling a part of his program in South Africa and returning to Ukraine after intense Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Zelensky said on the Telegram app that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha would conduct all necessary meetings in South Africa to inform leaders about the situation in Ukraine.

Aid funding cuts disrupt child vaccinations almost as much as pandemic, says UN

Aid funding cuts disrupt child vaccinations almost as much as pandemic, says UN
Updated 24 min 58 sec ago
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Aid funding cuts disrupt child vaccinations almost as much as pandemic, says UN

Aid funding cuts disrupt child vaccinations almost as much as pandemic, says UN
  • Outbreaks of infectious diseases, including measles, meningitis and yellow fever, have been increasing globally
  • Cuts to funding also reduced vaccine supplies and hampered disease surveillance

LONDON: Global aid funding cuts, led by the United States, are disrupting efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases almost as much as the COVID-19 pandemic did, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Outbreaks of infectious diseases, including measles, meningitis and yellow fever, have been increasing globally.
Emergency and routine vaccinations meanwhile were significantly affected in nearly half of countries at the start of April due to the funding cuts, according to reports from World Health Organization offices in 108 largely low and lower-middle income countries.
Cuts to funding also reduced vaccine supplies and hampered disease surveillance, the WHO and UNICEF said in a joint release with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“Setbacks (are) at a similar level to what we saw during COVID-19. We cannot afford to lose ground in the fight against preventable disease,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director. COVID-19 caused what was called the largest backslide in childhood vaccination in a generation, and aid funding cuts, led by the US – formerly the world’s largest donor – risked the same outcome, the joint release said.
They called for funding for childhood immunization to be maintained ahead of Gavi’s funding round, which will be launched in June. The group is seeking $9 billion for its work from 2026-2030.
Sania Nishtar, Gavi’s chief executive officer, said it was possible to fight the rise of infectious diseases but only if the group is fully funded.
Measles cases have increased year-on-year since 2021, while meningitis surged in Africa last year and yellow fever cases also rose after declines in the last decade, the agencies said. Last month, an internal US government document showed it would follow its cuts to UNICEF and the WHO, part of wider plans to streamline and focus foreign aid to align with the “America First” policy, by canceling its contribution of around $300 million annually to Gavi.
Last week, the US State Department told Reuters it had nominated Mark Lloyd, assistant administrator for global health, to Gavi’s 28-person board. The US seat had previously been vacant.
Both the US State Department and Gavi declined to comment about what this could mean for US funding.


Russia launched 215 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian air force says

Russia launched 215 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian air force says
Ukrainian rescuers operate at the site of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on April 24, 2025. (AFP)
Updated 32 min 53 sec ago
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Russia launched 215 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian air force says

Russia launched 215 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian air force says

DUBAI: Russia launched 215 drones and missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force said.
Air force units shot down 48 missiles and 64 drones, while 68 drones were redirected by electronic warfare, the air force said in a post on Telegram.


Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following deadly attack in disputed Kashmir

Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following deadly attack in disputed Kashmir
An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel (L) checks passports of Pakistan citizens returning to their country through the
Updated 24 April 2025
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Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following deadly attack in disputed Kashmir

Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following deadly attack in disputed Kashmir
  • Pakistan has denied the accusation and a previously unknown militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance has claimed responsibility for the attack.
  • India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

SRINAGAR: Tensions between arch rivals India and Pakistan were high on Thursday as New Delhi mounted a diplomatic offensive against Islamabad, blaming it for a deadly attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in disputed Kashmir.
India accused Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism” Wednesday night and imposed diplomatic measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties, suspending of a key water-sharing treaty and closing the main land border crossing with Pakistan.
Pakistan has denied the accusation and a previously unknown militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance has claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamabad said it would respond to India’s actions on Thursday and convene its National Security Committee, which is composed of senior civil and military officials.
“India has taken irresponsible steps and leveled allegations,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told local Dunya News TV channel. Dar said India’s steps had so far been “non-kinetic,” and added that “any kinetic step by India will see a tit-to-tat kinetic response” from Pakistan.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries were already weak, particularly after New Delhi after India revoked Kashmir’s semiautonomous status in 2019.
India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. The two sides have long accused each other of backing forces to destabilize one another, and New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.
India said a number of Pakistani diplomats were asked to leave New Delhi and Indian diplomats were recalled from Pakistan. Diplomatic missions in both countries will reduce their staff from 55 to 30 as of May 1, India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, announced Wednesday night.
Misri also said the only functional land border crossing between the countries would be closed, adding that India was also suspending a landmark water-sharing treaty.
The Indus Water Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allows for sharing the waters of a river system that is a lifeline for both countries, particularly for Pakistan’s agriculture. The treaty has survived two wars between the countries, in 1965 and 1971, and a major border skirmish in 1999.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an all-party meeting with opposition parties to brief them on the government’s response to the attack.
Some fear New Delhi may India may move beyond diplomatic sanctions as the country’s media and leaders from Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party call for military action.
Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said framing the Kashmir conflict as a security crisis of Pakistan’s creation, “which can be resolved only through harsh talk and actions,” brings political dividends to Modi’s government but could also leave it with few options in times of crises.
“The immense public pressure on the Modi government to retaliate strongly and militarily is self-created,” said Donthi. ”Soon, there will be no options left unless New Delhi starts looking to address the roots of political unrest in Kashmir,” Donthi said.
In 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a paramilitary convoy, killing 40 soldiers, India claimed to strike a militant training camp inside Pakistan. Pakistan responded with air raids, downed an Indian military aircraft and captured an Indian pilot who was later released.
Two years later, in 2021, the two countries renewed a previous ceasefire agreement along their border, which has largely held since despite attacks on Indian forces by insurgents in Kashmir.
The attack shocked residents of Kashmir, where militants fighting against Indian rule have rarely targeted tourists and have mainly mounted their attacks against Indian forces.
In Kashmir, locals shut down markets, businesses and schools on Wednesday in protest amidst worries that the attack would hurt the region’s tourism economy.
Funerals of several of those killed were also held across some Indian cities and people participated in candle-lit vigils at some places, including in Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir.


Huge crowds expected for second day of Pope Francis lying in state

Huge crowds expected for second day of Pope Francis lying in state
Updated 24 April 2025
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Huge crowds expected for second day of Pope Francis lying in state

Huge crowds expected for second day of Pope Francis lying in state
  • Close to 20,000 people filtered past the Catholic leader’s coffin in the first eight hours of the lying in state
  • Pope Francis died on Monday after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics

VATICAN CITY: Huge crowds were expected on Thursday for a glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes, after St. Peter’s Basilica stayed open almost all night to accommodate the crowds.
Close to 20,000 people filtered past the Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin in the first eight hours of the lying in state on Wednesday.
Instead of closing at midnight, it allowed people in until 5:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) on Thursday morning, before reopening at 7:00am, the Vatican said.
Italy is preparing a massive security operation for the funeral in front of St. Peter’s, with world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky due to join hundreds of thousands of mourners.
Francis died on Monday after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, during which time he made a name for himself as a pope of the marginalized.
Mourners queued for up to four hours on Wednesday to say their goodbyes to Francis, who was dressed in his papal vestments – a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes – and held a rosary.
Each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds, many hurriedly catching the moment on their smartphones.
Argentine Federico Rueda, 46, said that despite the rush, he would not have missed the opportunity.
“It is worth missing out on other places to say goodbye to an Argentine: a very worthy pope,” he said as he stood proudly wearing the jersey of Argentina’s national football team, the current world champions.
Mexican Leobardo Guevara, 24, draped in his country’s flag, said he felt “a sense of peace” as he filed past the body of the first pope from the Americas.
Francis, an energetic reformer who became pope in 2013, died on Monday aged 88 after suffering a stroke.
His death at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican came less than a month after he was released from five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.
Francis’s casket was initially put on display for Vatican officials and clergy in the Santa Marta chapel, before being transferred to St. Peter’s Wednesday in a procession including cardinals, clergy and Swiss Guards.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among those who paid respects on Wednesday, and scores of world leaders and dignitaries plan to attend the funeral.
They include Argentine President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William, although Russia – which has for centuries had icy ties with the Vatican – said it would send its culture minister.
Authorities, who expect up to 170 foreign delegations, have ramped up security for the funeral.
Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.
After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be taken to his favorite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
His will requested that he be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus.
Following that, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis’s successor.
Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope’s death.
Only those under the age of 80 – currently some 135 cardinals – are eligible to vote.
Cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called “novemdiales,” will begin on Saturday and conclude on May 4.
Another meeting of cardinals of all ages was set for Thursday at 9:00am (0700 GMT).
However, the Vatican brushed aside hopes of an announcement of the conclave date, insisting the focus is on the funeral.
At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors’ orders to rest for two months.
But the headstrong pope continued to make public appearances despite appearing tired and short of breath.
On Easter Sunday, one day before he died, he circled St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.