U.S. and Russian officials concluded more than four hours of talks in Riyadh on Tuesday in their first high-level discussion aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting, closely watched by Kyiv and its European allies, saw Moscow introduce a significant new demand.
Russian negotiator Yuri Ushakov told Interfax that the talks went well and included discussions on conditions for a future meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Ushakov noted that a summit was unlikely to take place as early as next week.
During the session, Russia signalled a hardening of its position. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated from Moscow that preventing Ukraine’s NATO membership is not sufficient. “It is not enough for NATO not to admit Ukraine as a member,” she said, insisting that the alliance must also disavow its 2008 promise at the Bucharest summit that Kyiv would eventually join NATO. Zakharova warned that failing to address this issue could continue to “poison the atmosphere on the European continent.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently argued that NATO membership is essential to secure Kyiv's sovereignty and independence. Meanwhile, European leaders expressed concern that a rushed deal between the United States and Russia might ignore Ukraine’s security interests, reward Russia for its military actions, and leave Moscow with greater leverage in the region.
Critics have pointed out that President Trump’s team appears to have already ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and questioned the feasibility of Kyiv regaining all of its lost territory. U.S. officials, however, maintain that their position is a realistic acknowledgment of current circumstances.
As talks continue to evolve, Ukrainian officials have reiterated that no agreement can be reached on their behalf without Ukraine’s direct involvement. The international community now awaits further developments as diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict advance.
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World Trade Organization (WTO) talks broke up with no agreement on Monday on a plan for reform or even on extending a moratorium on e-commerce, piling more pressure on the trade body that finds itself increasingly sidelined by economic nationalism.
A senior Iranian military officer warned that American troops will become ‘food for sharks’ on Sunday if the U.S. launches a ground offensive in Iran. The threat came as contingents of U.S. Marines began to arrive in the Middle East, with thousands expected to be deployed in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
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The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
A senior Iranian military officer warned that American troops will become ‘food for sharks’ on Sunday if the U.S. launches a ground offensive in Iran. The threat came as contingents of U.S. Marines began to arrive in the Middle East, with thousands expected to be deployed in the region.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
A Russia-flagged tanker carrying about 700,000 barrels of crude has arrived in Cuba’s Matanzas Bay, marking the first major oil delivery to the island since the Trump administration cut off its fuel supplies.
China and Kenya have agreed to revive a long-delayed railway project, signalling renewed momentum in infrastructure cooperation and a shift towards more sustainable financing models across Africa.
HHungary’s foreign minister has been drawn into controversy after an audio recording, released by an investigative outlet, appeared to show him discussing EU sanctions with his Russian counterpart days before an election that could shape Budapest’s relationship with Moscow, Reuters reports.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.
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