Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov drew attention in Anchorage on Friday when he arrived for a high-profile summit between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin wearing a vintage sweatshirt bearing the Soviet-era “CCCP” emblem.
Lavrov, a senior member of Russia’s delegation, landed in Alaska ahead of Putin and was seen stepping out of a black vehicle in a black gilet over a sweatshirt emblazoned with the Russian abbreviation for the USSR. The outfit appeared to play on accusations from Putin’s critics that he seeks to restore Soviet influence.
In recent years, statues of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin have reappeared in Russia, including a monument unveiled in a Moscow metro station earlier this year. Speaking before the summit, Lavrov said Russia “never plans ahead” in response to Trump’s remarks that there was a 25% chance the meeting to arrange peace between Ukraine and Russia could fail. “We know that we have arguments, a clear, understandable position. We will state it,” he said in a video posted by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In a Fox News radio interview on Thursday, Trump said he was unsure if an “immediate ceasefire” could be reached but wanted a broad peace deal concluded quickly. The Kremlin has said the summit will begin with a one-on-one between the two leaders, followed by delegation talks and a working breakfast, ending with a joint press conference.
Trump has shifted in describing the meeting, initially calling it a “feel-out” session but also warning of “very severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to end the fighting. He has suggested that any deal could involve “some swapping of territories,” though it is unclear what that would entail. Other reports have pointed to potential financial incentives for Russia, including access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders have voiced concern over the idea of land swaps, with Zelensky warning that Putin is “bluffing” about a ceasefire. Trump has said that if talks with Putin go well, he will move to arrange a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.
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Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to one daily flight to its airports until 31 May due to the Iran crisis, raising fears of significant revenue losses for Indian carriers, industry letters show.
The U.S. and Iran are meeting in Pakistan under a fragile ceasefire but remain deeply divided over Tehran’s nuclear programme, sanctions and regional security. With fighting in Lebanon escalating, the talks face mounting pressure.
A French fashion label is placing China at the heart of its global ambitions, choosing Shanghai for its worldwide debut in a move that shows growing confidence in the country’s consumer market and cultural influence.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun that “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese” and that the future of cross-strait ties should be decided by “the Chinese people themselves”.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah.
At least six people have died after weeks of heavy rainfall triggered flooding in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan. The latest victim, an elderly woman, was found beneath rubble in the village of Mikhaylovka, the Russian Emergency Ministry said on Tuesday (7 April).
Some geographies are small on the map yet immense in history. The Strait of Hormuz is one. About a quarter of global oil trade and a fifth of LNG flows pass through this narrow corridor - around 20 million barrels per day sustaining the global system.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun that “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese” and that the future of cross-strait ties should be decided by “the Chinese people themselves”.
Three months following the U.S. raid that captured socialist President Nicolas Maduro on 3 January, the Venezuelan National Assembly approved a new law on Thursday loosening the state’s grip on mining investments to open the sector for private and foreign companies.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 10 April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked an attempt led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to restrict presidential war powers over military action involving Iran.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday an Easter ceasefire with Ukraine lasting 32-hours and said that Kyiv has agreed to abide by the measure. The ceasefire is expected to begin at 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on Saturday 11 April and last until midnight Sunday 12 April, the Kremlin said.
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