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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“Having a good security relationship with the United States is of utmost importance for the Japanese as a whole,” said Professor Seijiro Takeshita of the University of Shizuoka, highlighting the strategic stakes ahead of Japan’s national election.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 6th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
France’s “absolute priority” remains the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday (5 February) during talks with his Syrian counterpart in Damascus, as Paris reassesses its counter-terrorism strategy.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization has added the Nipah virus to its list of the world’s top 10 priority diseases, alongside COVID-19 and the Zika virus, warning that its epidemic potential highlights the global risk posed by fast-spreading outbreaks.
Uzbekistan is accelerating plans to expand uranium production and deepen international nuclear cooperation, positioning the sector as a pillar of long-term industrial growth and resource security.
U.S. and Iranian delegations on Friday (6 February) started Oman-mediated indirect talks focusing on the nuclear issue, Iran's state broadcaster said.
“Having a good security relationship with the United States is of utmost importance for the Japanese as a whole,” said Professor Seijiro Takeshita of the University of Shizuoka, highlighting the strategic stakes ahead of Japan’s national election.
Indonesia and Australia have signed a security treaty on Friday (6 February) that commits them to consult each other if either country is threatened, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 6th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Security services say they have now rescued all 166 worshippers who were kidnapped by gunmen during attacks on two churches in northern Nigeria last month, a Christian group said on Thursday (5 February).
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