Australia condemns Israel over closure of Gaza aid worker case
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom ...
Ukraine’s peace negotiators arrived in the United States on Saturday for talks on security guarantees and a post-war recovery package, Ukrainian officials said, as Kyiv seeks progress on a proposed agreement to end the nearly four-year war with Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that the senior delegation could sign agreements with Washington on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.
Speaking in Kyiv alongside Czech President Petr Pavel, Zelenskyy said the talks would also seek clarity from Washington on Russia’s position towards U.S.-backed diplomatic efforts to end the war.
“I think we have worked well with the American side, we are just not on the same side on some issues,” Zelenskyy said.
U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters earlier this week that he may meet Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Davos forum, a meeting the Ukrainian leader has publicly sought.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had completed its work on a proposed “prosperity package” to fund post-war reconstruction, as well as on U.S. security guarantees aimed at preventing a future Russian attack.
Ukrainian officials estimate reconstruction could cost about $800bn.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna, said senior officials would hold bilateral talks on the two agreements on Saturday in Miami.
“The purpose of the visit is to refine these agreements with American partners,” she said in a Facebook post, adding that they “may be signed … in Davos”.
The head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that the delegation had arrived in the United States and would meet White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
“Ukraine needs a just peace. We are working to achieve results,” Budanov said on the Telegram app.
Washington has been pressing Kyiv to agree to a peace framework that could then be presented to Moscow, while Ukraine and its European allies have sought firm, enforceable security guarantees to prevent another Russian attack.
Trump said on Wednesday that Russia was ready for a peace deal and described Zelenskyy as an obstacle to peace, an assessment that contrasts with the position of European allies.
Zelenskyy rejected that view, saying Russia was instead delaying peace efforts and pointing to recent strikes on Ukraine’s energy system.
“Each of these strikes against our energy sector and our cities quite clearly shows Russia’s real interests and intentions,” he wrote on social media. “They are not interested in agreements, but in the further destruction of Ukraine.”
He also renewed calls for more air defence ammunition to protect Ukraine’s power grid, saying several systems had been left without missiles until a new aid package arrived on Friday morning.
“Ultimatums are not, in my view, a workable model for democratic relations between countries,” Zelenskyy said.
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment