Putin will have to ‘come to table,’ UK PM says hosting coalition call

Putin will have to ‘come to table,’ UK PM says hosting coalition call

UK premier Keir Starmer said the “ball was in Russia’s court” and that President Vladimir Putin would “sooner or later” have to “come to the table,” after a virtual summit on Saturday to drum up support for a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine. The British leader told some 26 fellow leaders…

France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction

France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction

The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave. “The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement…

UK says ‘no agreement’ on Ukraine partial truce proposal

UK says ‘no agreement’ on Ukraine partial truce proposal

France and Britain have not agreed on a partial truce plan for Ukraine, a UK minister said on Monday, after French President Emmanuel Macron said it had been proposed by the two nations. Macron told France’s Le Figaro newspaper on Sunday that London and Paris are proposing a one-month truce in Ukraine “in the air, at…

White House row with Ukraine raises stakes for European summit in London

White House row with Ukraine raises stakes for European summit in London

It was supposed to cap a week of whirlwind diplomacy advancing the prospect of peace in Ukraine. But a summit of European leaders on Sunday has been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding by US President Donald Trump of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday for being ungrateful for US support. The…

France expects US to provide backup after Ukraine ceasefire

France expects US to provide backup after Ukraine ceasefire

French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said he expects the US to provide backup for European troops to help maintain peace once a ceasefire is agreed between Ukraine and Russia. The UK, Germany, France and other European countries are willing to send troops to guarantee a truce, he told Bloomberg Television in an interview in Cape Town, where…

Iran condemns new US sanctions as ‘clear sign of hostility’

Iran condemns new US sanctions as ‘clear sign of hostility’

Iran on Wednesday condemned a new round of US sanctions as a “clear sign of hostility” after Washington blacklisted more than 30 people and vessels linked to its oil trade. Washington announced the measures on Monday, targeting the head of the national oil company and others accused of brokering oil sales. It was the second wave of…

Kremlin disputes Trump comments that Russia would accept Nato peacekeeping troops in Ukraine

Kremlin disputes Trump comments that Russia would accept Nato peacekeeping troops in Ukraine

During his regular media briefing this morning, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov appeared to dispute Donald Trump’s claim that Russia would accept European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. Addressing reporters, Peskov said the Kremlin had nothing to add to the foreign ministry’s position on the unacceptability of Nato peacekeepers in Ukraine. On Monday, in a joint appearance with…

US wants UN Security Council to vote first on Ukraine on Monday, say diplomats

US wants UN Security Council to vote first on Ukraine on Monday, say diplomats

The United States wants the UN Security Council to vote on a brief draft resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Monday before the 193-member General Assembly votes on the same text, diplomats said on Saturday. The US move at the UN pits it against Ukraine and the European Union, who…

G7 ministers link future Russia sanctions to good faith talks

G7 ministers link future Russia sanctions to good faith talks

G7 foreign ministers agreed on Saturday to continuing working together to get a strong peace deal for Ukraine with robust security guarantees and linked future sanctions on Russia to good faith negotiations by Moscow. “Any new, additional sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation enters into real, good-faith efforts to bring…

UN chief says Israel must halt operations in south Lebanon

UN chief says Israel must halt operations in south Lebanon

UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Friday that Israel’s military operations and “occupation” in south Lebanon must cease, nearly two months after the truce that ended the war with Hezbollah. “The continued occupation by the Israel (military) inside the UNIFIL area operations and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory are violations of resolution…

Attack on Iran’s nuclear program more likely with Trump presidency

Attack on Iran’s nuclear program more likely with Trump presidency

European diplomats are scrambling to see if there is a way to minimize the risk of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear program ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. “We believe Israel has taken the decision to attack following the developments in the Middle East over the last several months,” one senior…

Syria’s foreign minister says he will visit Turkey on Wednesday

Syria’s foreign minister says he will visit Turkey on Wednesday

Syria’s foreign minister said he would visit Turkey on Wednesday on the first official trip to the country since the opposition toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month. “We will represent the new Syria tomorrow in the first official visit to the Turkish republic, which has not abandoned the Syrian people for 14 years,” interim Foreign…

Toll from French tram crash rises to 68 injured

Toll from French tram crash rises to 68 injured

The toll from a collision of two trams in Strasbourg has risen to 68 injured in a rare accident that sowed panic near the eastern French city’s main train station, authorities said Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, a stationary tram at the underground stop at Strasbourg’s main railway station was violently hit by another tram, which…

US general praises Lebanon’s army after touring border with Israel

US general praises Lebanon’s army after touring border with Israel

The LAF has cleared over 9,800 pieces of explosive ordnance from more than 80 locations The American general tasked with monitoring the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire deal on Friday praised the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) after touring a region in southern Lebanon. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers visited LAF soldiers in the South Litani Area, including a stop in Khiam,…