World
Ukraine to share revised peace plan with US on Tuesday, Zelenskiy says
Zelenskiy pointed to the delicate balancing act the European powers need to strike as they try to negotiate better terms to the proposed U.S. plan:
Ukraine will share a revised peace plan with the U.S. on Tuesday that is aimed at ending Russia’s war, after talks in London between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain.
As the war nears its four-year mark, Kyiv, under pressure from the White House to agree quickly to a peace settlement, wants to balance out a U.S.-backed draft that was widely seen as favourable to Moscow.
Monday’s hastily arranged meeting among British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Zelenskiy was aimed to strengthen Ukraine’s hand.
Zelenskiy told reporters after the meeting that the revised plan comprised 20 points, but that there was still no agreement on the issue of giving up territory – which Moscow has pushed for.
“The mood of the Americans, in principle, is for finding a compromise,” he said. “Of course, there are complex issues related to the territory, and a compromise has not yet been found there.”
He repeated his oft-stated position that Ukraine cannot give up any part of its land.
Zelenskiy later flew to Brussels, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said in social media posts that any peace deal had to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and guarantee its long-term security.
Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram, described his meeting with the two EU institution chiefs, as well as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, as “good and productive. We are acting in a coordinated and constructive manner.”
Earlier, a British government source had said Monday’s meeting would focus on using the value of Russian assets frozen in the West.
Leaders from Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden urged the European Union to move quickly with a stalled proposal to use those assets to provide funds for Ukraine.
Starmer, Macron, Merz and Zelenskiy are also aiming to get U.S. security guarantees to help deter any further attacks from Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The publication of a U.S. ceasefire plan last month has gone some way to focus the minds of European leaders, who fear that Kyiv could be forced to accept many Russian demands, which some say could destabilise the continent.
But although U.S. officials said they were in the final stage of reaching an agreement, there has so far been little sign that either Ukraine or Russia is willing to sign the framework deal drawn up by Trump’s negotiators.
“We stand with Ukraine and, if there was to be a ceasefire, it has to be a just and lasting ceasefire,” Starmer said after welcoming the leaders to his Downing Street residence.
Macron and Merz also expressed their determination to press on with a firm plan, at a time the German chancellor described as “decisive … for all of us”.
Zelenskiy pointed to the delicate balancing act the European powers need to strike as they try to negotiate better terms to the proposed U.S. plan:
“There are some things we can’t manage without the Americans, things we can’t manage without Europe; that’s why we need to make some important decisions.”
Zelenskiy told Ukrainians in a video address late on Sunday that a “new diplomatic week” was starting.
“First and foremost, security issues, support for our resilience, and support packages for our defence. First and foremost, air defence and long-term funding for Ukraine. Of course, we will discuss a shared vision and common positions in the negotiations,” he said.
Ukraine is enduring one of its toughest periods of the war. Russian troops are grinding forward in the east, and Ukrainian cities and towns are suffering hours of power cuts due to intensified Russian strikes on the energy grid and other crucial infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner brought a revised plan to Moscow last week, then held several more days of talks with Ukrainian officials in Miami, which ended on Saturday with no breakthrough.
Zelenskiy called the discussions constructive but not easy. Trump said on Sunday he was “disappointed” with Zelenskiy, accusing him of not having read the latest proposals backed by the U.S.
World
Trump rejects latest Iranian proposal to end war, US official says
According to officials familiar with the discussions, Iran’s latest plan would delay talks over its nuclear program until after the fighting ends and maritime disputes in the Gulf are resolved.
U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly dissatisfied with Iran’s latest proposal aimed at ending the two-month conflict between the two countries, according to a U.S. official, raising fresh doubts over prospects for a ceasefire.
The renewed diplomatic setback comes as the war continues to disrupt global energy markets, drive inflation concerns and deepen regional instability.
According to officials familiar with the discussions, Iran’s latest plan would delay talks over its nuclear program until after the fighting ends and maritime disputes in the Gulf are resolved.
That approach is believed to have angered Trump, whose administration insists that any agreement must address Iran’s nuclear activities from the outset.
A U.S. official briefed on a Monday meeting between Trump and senior advisers said the president was unhappy with the proposal because it postponed one of Washington’s core demands.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales declined to discuss negotiations publicly, saying the United States “will not negotiate through the press” and had already made its red lines clear.
Iranian officials say their proposal envisions a phased process beginning with an immediate end to U.S. and Israeli military operations, followed by guarantees against renewed attacks.
The next stage would address the U.S. naval blockade and the future of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes.
Only after those issues are settled would broader negotiations begin on Tehran’s nuclear program, including Iran’s demand for recognition of its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear activities are peaceful.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has recently travelled to Pakistan, Oman and Russia in an effort to build support for negotiations.
During a visit to Moscow, Araqchi met President Vladimir Putin, who reportedly offered diplomatic backing.
Planned peace talks in Islamabad were also dealt a blow after Trump cancelled a proposed visit by special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.
With no clear breakthrough in sight, oil prices rose again in Asian trading on Tuesday as traders focused on continued disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Ship-tracking data indicated that maritime traffic through the chokepoint has dropped sharply since the conflict began, with several tankers reportedly turned back in recent days.
Before the war, more than 120 vessels passed through the strait daily. Analysts say that number has fallen dramatically, increasing pressure on global energy supplies.
Trump is also facing growing domestic pressure to end the war, particularly as economic concerns mount and public support weakens.
Iranian officials say Washington has failed to meet its military objectives, while the White House insists pressure will continue until U.S. demands are met.
World
Turkey’s Erdogan offers support to Trump in call after White House dinner shooting
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan offered his support for U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the Turkish presidency said late on Sunday.
“Erdogan said he saw the incident as a heinous act against democracy and press freedom,” the presidency said in a statement on X, Reuters reported.
Earlier, Erdogan had condemned the incident in a separate statement on X, saying he was happy that Trump and first lady Melania Trump were unharmed.
World
Trump safe after shooting at White House correspondents dinner, suspect in custody
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday night after a man armed with a shotgun tried to breach security, officials said.
The armed man fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said.
All federal officials, including Trump, were safe. About an hour after Trump was rushed from the event, he posted on Truth Social that a “shooter had been apprehended.”
“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added.
‘GET DOWN, GET DOWN!’
Shortly afterwards, he posted, “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.” He said he would be holding a White House press conference on Saturday night.
Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said the service was investigating a shooting near the main screening area at the entrance to the event.
After the sound of shots, dinner attendees immediately stopped talking and people started screaming “Get down, get down!” Many of the 2,600 attendees took cover while waiters fled to the front of the dining hall.
Security agents pushed cabinet officials to the ground, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Other security personnel in combat fatigues stormed the stage and evacuated Trump and his wife. Some security personnel took up position on the stage, pointing their rifles into the ballroom. Cabinet members were then evacuated from the venue one by one.
Trump and the first lady bent down behind the dais before being hustled out by Secret Service officers. Trump stayed backstage about one hour, a source told Reuters. “We are staying,” he was overheard saying, the source said.
The event eventually was canceled for the evening. Trump posted on social media that he hoped it could be rescheduled in 30 days.
Saturday was the first time Trump has attended the correspondents’ dinner as president.
He was the subject of two assassination attempts in 2024, after he left the White House in 2021 and while he was campaigning for reelection.
The most serious occurred while Trump was campaigning at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Trump was shot and wounded in his upper ear by a 20-year-old gunman. The gunman was shot dead by security personnel.
Just over two months after the Butler shooting, Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun and hiding in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was on the course. It was deemed an assassination attempt and the suspect was sentenced to life in prison in February.
The site of Saturday’s dinner, the Washington Hilton, was the scene of an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981.
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