After Putin call, Trump says Russia-Ukraine talks to begin ‘immediately’

US President Donald Trump said his call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday went very well. (File/AFP)
US President Donald Trump said his call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday went very well. (File/AFP)
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Updated 19 May 2025
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After Putin call, Trump says Russia-Ukraine talks to begin ‘immediately’

US President Donald Trump said his call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday went very well. (File/AFP)
  • Under pressure from Trump, delegates from the warring countries met last week in Istanbul for the first time since 2022
  • “Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately,” Trump said in a Truth Social post

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said his call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday went very well and that Moscow and Kyiv would immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and end to the war.
Under pressure from Trump, delegates from the warring countries met last week in Istanbul for the first time since 2022, though they failed to agree to a truce. Kyiv says it is ready for a ceasefire now; Moscow says conditions must be met first.
“Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately,” Trump said in a Truth Social post following his call with Putin, which lasted two hours.
Trump said he held a joint call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as the leaders of the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and Finland following his call with Putin. Trump informed those leaders that negotiations would start immediately, he said.
Trump floated the idea of newly installed Pope Leo as host for the talks, saying: “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations.”
Trump said that the “tone and spirit of the conversation (with Putin) were excellent,” and that Russia wants to do “largescale” trade with the US once the war is over.
He said that Ukraine would also benefit from trade “in the process of rebuilding its country.” 


Pope Leo urges international diplomacy to prevent ‘irreparable abyss’

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Pope Leo urges international diplomacy to prevent ‘irreparable abyss’

Pope Leo urges international diplomacy to prevent ‘irreparable abyss’
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo on Sunday said the international community must strive to avoid war that risks opening an “irreparable abyss,” and that diplomacy should take the place of conflict.
US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites overnight, joining an Israeli assault in a major new escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself.
“Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” Pope Leo said during his weekly prayer with pilgrims.
“No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future. Let diplomacy silence the weapons, let nations chart their future with peace efforts, not with violence and bloody conflicts,” he added.
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population, especially in Gaza and other territories, risks being forgotten, where the need for adequate humanitarian support is becoming increasingly urgent,” Pope Leo said.

Winds fuel fears of new Croatia wildfires

Winds fuel fears of new Croatia wildfires
Updated 8 min 58 sec ago
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Winds fuel fears of new Croatia wildfires

Winds fuel fears of new Croatia wildfires

ZAGREB: Firefighters in southern Croatia were on high alert Sunday in fear that expected strong winds could rekindle blazes in the Balkan nation.
Crews, with the help of water bombers, managed to get control Saturday over wildfires on the southern Adriatic coast, after a series of blazes started in recent days.
The fires, near Croatia’s second largest city Split, that started Saturday morning close to the coastal village of Pisak was put under control but were still smoldering.
They have burnt 300 hectares (740 acres) and dozen of houses, authorities said.
According to the Split-Dalmatia county firefighting commander, Ivan Kovacevic during the night several small fires were put down by the firefighters.
“The damage is huge, but it could have been bigger having given the number of structures that were threatened,” Kovacevic said.
No death have been report, while one firefighter and some civilians have suffered minor injuries.
According to Civil protection headquarters at least 94 people, mostly tourists were evacuated in Omis, but late Saturday they returned to their accommodation.
Deputy prefect of Split-Dalmatia county, Stipe Cogelja said the village of Marusic on the Adriatic coast suffered the most damages, adding it was “pure luck” that no one had died.
Police said they are “intensively investigating” the possibility of arson in the fires and called on the citizens to help by immediately reporting any suspicious behavior.


Iran’s Paris-based opposition head says time for Khamenei to go, after US hits nuclear sites

Iran’s Paris-based opposition head says time for Khamenei to go, after US hits nuclear sites
Updated 22 June 2025
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Iran’s Paris-based opposition head says time for Khamenei to go, after US hits nuclear sites

Iran’s Paris-based opposition head says time for Khamenei to go, after US hits nuclear sites

PARIS: Maryam Rajavi, head of the Paris-based opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran said on Sunday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was responsible for the nuclear program that had now “gone up in smoke” and needed to go.
“Now Khamenei must go. The Iranian people welcome the end of the war and seek peace and freedom,” she said in a statement, following unprecedented US strikes that President Donald Trump said had “obliterated” its key nuclear facilities.
“Khamenei is responsible for an unpatriotic project that, in addition to costing countless lives, has cost the Iranian people at least $2 trillion— and now, it has all gone up in smoke.”


Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days

Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days
Updated 22 June 2025
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Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days

Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days
  • The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbors

TOKYO: Japan spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, Tokyo’s coast guard said Sunday.
The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbors.
On Sunday, Japan said it observed four Chinese coast guard vessels sailing in the “contiguous” zone, referring to a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond Japan’s territorial waters.
Last year, Chinese vessels sailed near the Tokyo-administered island chain a record 355 times, including for a period of 215 consecutive days, a Japanese coast guard spokesman told AFP.
Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of the Chinese coast guard and other vessels in the waters surrounding the remote, disputed islands.
Relations between Japan and China were strained by Tokyo’s decision to “nationalize” some of the islands in 2012.
On Friday, Japan’s coast guard and its US and Filipino counterparts staged joint training drills off Japan’s southwest shore — the second time the countries’ coast guards have held training drills together, and the first in Japan.
Territorial disputes with China have pushed Japan to forge deeper ties with the Philippines and the United States.
Earlier this month, Tokyo and Beijing traded barbs over close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas.


UN watchdog says no increase in radiation off sites that the US hit

UN watchdog says no increase in radiation off sites that the US hit
Updated 22 June 2025
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UN watchdog says no increase in radiation off sites that the US hit

UN watchdog says no increase in radiation off sites that the US hit
  • The UN nuclear watchdog says there's 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after US strikes on Iran nuclear sites.

TEL AVIV: The International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that there has been “no increase in off-site radiation levels” after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The UN nuclear watchdog sent the message via the social platform X on Sunday.
“The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” it said. The “IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.”