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Polish prime minister hopes for peace in Ukraine within weeks

Tusk also hinted at the possibility of U.S. troops being sent to the line of contact between Ukraine and Russia, but he gave no details of such a proposal and the White House did not immediately comment on his remarks.

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Peace could be achieved in Ukraine within weeks thanks to U.S. security guarantees although success is still “far from 100% certain”, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.

Tusk also hinted at the possibility of U.S. troops being sent to the line of contact between Ukraine and Russia, but he gave no details of such a proposal and the White House did not immediately comment on his remarks, Reuters reported.

Tusk is a fierce critic of Russia over its war in Ukraine, but his comments reflected a positive response by European leaders to talks on Sunday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at which Zelenskiy said agreement was reached on security guarantees for Kyiv.

“Peace is on the horizon, there is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly, but it is still a hope, far from 100% certain,” Tusk told a Polish government meeting after talks with allies.

“When I say peace is on the horizon, I’m talking about the coming weeks, not the coming months or years. By January, we’ll all have to come together… to make decisions about the future of Ukraine, the future of this part of the world.”

Trump said on Sunday that he and Zelenskiy were “maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war although “thorny” territorial issues remained. He was more cautious than Zelenskiy on security guarantees, but said they were 95% of the way to such an agreement and that he expected European countries to “take over a big part” of that effort with U.S. backing.

“The key result of recent days is the American declaration… (of) willingness to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine after a peace agreement, including the presence of American troops, for example, on the border or on the line of contact between Ukraine and Russia,” Tusk said.

“We’ll see how consistent our partners across the Atlantic will be, but this gives hope for a successful outcome.”

Russia has said any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine is unacceptable. It also said on Tuesday that its negotiating position will toughen after accusing Kyiv of attacking a Russian presidential residence, an allegation that Kyiv said was baseless and intended to prolong the conflict, read the report.

Tusk underlined the need for movement on territorial issues, with Russia demanding Ukrainian forces pull out of the last part of the Donbas area in eastern Ukraine that they still hold nearly four years after Russia’s invasion. Kyiv wants fighting halted along current front lines.

“Understandably, from his (Zelenskiy’s) perspective, a referendum would be necessary. The Ukrainian people would have to consent to territorial decisions,” Tusk said.

After Tusk spoke, Zelenskiy said Ukraine and the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” group of nations backing Kyiv planned to hold their next meetings early in January, Reuters reported.

Zelenskiy said the countries’ national security advisers would meet in Ukraine on January 3, and then leaders in France on January 6.

World

US and Denmark reach deal on Greenland, Trump says

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the deal “permanently ​and completely” addressed Washington’s ⁠national security concerns with respect to the island.

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The United States, Denmark and Greenland have entered into an agreement for the US to ‌develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting US adversaries from building their own bases on the island, Donald Trump said on Friday.

In a Truth Social post, the US president wrote that no US enemies would be able to make sensitive investments on the island without the approval of the United States and that the agreement had no expiry date, Reuters reported.

“At my ​direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do ​what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of ⁠America,” Trump wrote.

Earlier on Friday, Reuters exclusively reported that the US and Denmark were closing in on a deal that would result in an increased ​US military presence in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, but would stop well short of Trump’s long-held dream of acquiring the island for the United ​States.

The US already has nearly total overflight and basing rights in Greenland due to a 1951 treaty.

Trump’s announcement suggests he was nonetheless pleased with the outcome of the negotiations and that he might not revive his territorial claims, at least in the near future. He said, without elaborating, that the US would soon be rolling out a large military presence ​on the island, which already hosts one Space Force base in its remote northwest.

“This is a dream come true for the United States of America,” Trump ​wrote.

EXTENT OF AGREEMENT REMAINS UNCLEAR

The Danish prime minister’s office said on Friday that the agreement would strengthen North Atlantic and Arctic security.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a ‌statement that ⁠the agreement recognized Greenland’s interests and the Arctic island’s place in international cooperation. “This benefits us all,” he said.

Much was unclear as of Friday night, including whether any new US bases would be constructed as a result of the agreement. Trump’s Truth Social posts about negotiations or agreements often lack context or specifics.

Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council think tank, said it would be new if the US can build bases without the approval of ​Greenland or Denmark but that largely “it seems ​that Washington could have achieved ⁠a lot of these objectives through diplomacy and dialogue without straining the broader US-NATO relationship.”

It was also unclear how the agreement would be received in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island’s residents aspire to independence and have bristled at ​US attempts to assert control.

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the deal “permanently ​and completely” addressed Washington’s ⁠national security concerns with respect to the island.

“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” he wrote.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss specific terms, said the deal prohibits non-NATO countries from building a base in ⁠Greenland and will ​allow only the US and its allies to make unspecified “sensitive investments.” The official said the ​agreement grants the US permanent access, basing and overflight rights, and would continue to apply even if Greenland becomes independent.

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UN allows Palestinian president to again speak via video after US denies visa

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The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address ​the annual gathering of world leaders next week via video – ‌for the second year in a row – after the United States again denied him a visa to travel to New York.

The resolution received 152 votes in favor and three ​votes against, while four countries abstained. It also allows Abbas and ​any other high-level Palestinian officials to take part in U.N. ⁠meetings or conferences via video over the next year if they are ​prevented from traveling to the United State, Reuters reported.

The US said last year that ​Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by its decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization and the West Bank-based ​Palestinian Authority. Washington announced on Wednesday that it had extended the visa ​bans.

“If the PA wants to be treated as a partner, it must stop subsidizing ‌terror ⁠and stop using diplomatic theater as a substitute for serious governance,” Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce told the assembly before the vote.

Palestinian leaders rejected and condemned the move by the United States, Palestinian ​UN envoy Riyad Mansour ​told the General ⁠Assembly.

Without naming specific officials, the US State Department said on Wednesday it would extend visa sanctions against Palestinian ​officials over actions they took to “internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” ​including pursuing ⁠cases against Israel at international tribunals.

A Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Abbas’ visa had been denied.

Under a 1947 U.N. “headquarters agreement,” the U.S. ⁠is ​generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats ​to the UN in New York. However, Washington has said it can deny visas for ​security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.

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World

North Korea’s Kim vows to expand ties with Russia, backs victory in ‘sacred war’

Kim ​delivered a ⁠similar message to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a reply published by KCNA ​on Sunday.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would “expand and deepen” joint work with Russia ​in a message to Russian President Vladimir ‌Putin, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.

In a reply sent on Monday to Putin’s congratulations for North Korea’s 78th ​founding anniversary, Kim said Pyongyang’s government had a ​firm will to broaden cooperation with Russia “in a ⁠comprehensive way” based on friendship, mutual assistance, and ​what he described as the countries’ alliance relations.

Kim ​also said he was convinced of Russia’s victory in the current “sacred war for defending the security interests of the country and international ​justice”, language that appeared to refer to Russia’s war ​in Ukraine.

He pledged his “invariable support” for Putin and the Russian ‌people.

The ⁠remarks come as Moscow and Pyongyang have drawn markedly closer, with North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024 and deepening military cooperation under a ​mutual defence pact.

Kim ​delivered a ⁠similar message to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a reply published by KCNA ​on Sunday, saying North Korea would ​work with ⁠China to further develop their traditional friendship and advance their shared socialist cause.

Both messages were responses to ⁠congratulatory ​letters sent by Putin and Xi ​on September 9, when North Korea marked the 78th anniversary of ​its founding.

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