News In Diaspora
Proposed Meeting of Trump with Putin Called off
The anticipated second meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been called off, a senior White House official confirmed on Tuesday.
The cancellation, a reversal of the president’s statement last week, followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday.
The president’s office stated that an additional in-person meeting between the top diplomats “is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
The State Department had indicated that Rubio and Lavrov discussed next steps following the 16 October call between President Trump and President Putin.
According to the readout, Rubio emphasised “the importance of upcoming engagements” as an opportunity to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution to the Russia–Ukraine war.
In a Truth Social post last Thursday, Trump announced that he would soon meet Putin in Budapest, Hungary, after initial sessions to be attended by officials from Washington and Moscow.
Ukraine: Trump, Putin to meet in Hungary
The following day, Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at the White House, where the leaders discussed America’s increased support for Kyiv in the ongoing conflict.
Zelensky, who has been urging the United States to strengthen his country’s air defence system, has repeatedly requested Tomahawk missiles, which have long-range capabilities.
Speaking on the request, Trump told reporters that he wanted an end to the war through a peaceful resolution but added that the U.S. was interested in acquiring Ukrainian drones.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his readiness for one-on-one talks with President Vladimir Putin to work out a permanent ceasefire to end the Ukraine war.
Zelensky reiterated the commitment on Wednesday at a press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting.
“I’m ready for direct negotiations with Putin to end this war,” he said in Kyiv. “Rather than wait while everybody finishes all the conflicts in the world.”
Zelensky noted that ballistic missiles are Russia’s “last argument” in the war, confirming his country has been responding with the American-made Patriot systems.
The leader insists the recent strikes by Ukraine were justified, as they were carried out in response to the Russian attacks on its territory.
“If they continue using drones and missiles against us, we will be doing the same,” Zelensky vowed. “But we respond exclusively against oil refineries or justified military targets.”
The President, however, hinted that the greatest threat Ukraine currently faces is Russia’s capability to produce up to 120 ballistic missiles per month.
Rutte praised Ukraine for its resilience, saying the nation has become so successful that Putin was only able to organize the May 9 parade with an official presidential decree by Zelensky.
Iran has warned residents in northern Israel to leave their homes if Israel follows through on its threat to attack Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The warning was issued by Iran’s central military command and reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.
According to the statement, the message was a response to an Israeli military evacuation order issued for Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut.
The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said residents in northern Israel should evacuate in the event of an Israeli strike on the area, signalling a further escalation in tensions between the two sides.
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