MOSCOW, March 4

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has not confirmed reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the proposal to help mediate nuclear weapons talks between the US and Iran.

"No, I can’t confirm it," he told reporters in response to a question on the subject.

Bloomberg earlier reported, citing sources, that US President Donald Trump asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during their February phone call to mediate in talks with Iran over that country's nuclear program, and the Russian side agreed.

Source: TASS

28-2-2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with a senior official of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, signaling Pyongyang's importance to Moscow as the two countries deepen their military ties.

The Russian presidential office says Putin held talks at the Kremlin on Thursday with the visiting secretary of the Workers' Party's central committee, Ri Hi Yong.

Russia and North Korea concluded a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty last year that requires each side to provide military and other assistance during times of emergency. North Korea has dispatched troops to assist Russia's continuing invasion of Ukraine.

A senior official of the ruling United Russia party met with a North Korean delegation in Moscow on Tuesday, and expressed appreciation for Pyongyang's support for what Moscow calls the special military operation in Ukraine.

Source: NHK World

US lawmakers voted Wednesday to confirm lawyer Jamieson Greer as Donald Trump’s trade envoy, rounding out the president’s top economic team with a key figure in tariff policy as the president threatens levies on friend and foe alike.
Trump has unveiled a volley of tariff threats in recent weeks, including to remedy trade imbalances, boost US industry and pressure countries into stronger action on concerns like illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling. Greer, as US Trade Representative, would be key to implementing Trump’s trade strategy.
He was confirmed by a vote of 56-43. The Trump administration has noted that tariffs can be a means to raise government revenue, bring more manufacturing to US shores, and tackle other countries’ trade practices.
Greer, a partner at law firm King & Spalding, served as chief of staff to Trump’s top trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer during the president’s first term. He also helped to see through a trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada in Trump’s first administration. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

25 Feb 2025 05:20PM

BEIJING: Beijing said on Tuesday (Feb 25) that its defence spending was "entirely necessary" after Russian President Vladimir Putin backed a suggestion by United States counterpart Donald Trump that Russia, the US and China cut their defence budgets in half.

Russia has massively ramped up military spending since launching its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but spending has also increased in China in recent years as tensions persist in the Asia-Pacific region.

"China has always adhered faithfully to the path of peaceful development," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing.

"Limited defence spending is entirely necessary to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests and to maintain world peace," he said.

Lin added that China has always "persevered in coordinated economic and defence development and does not engage in arms races with any country".

The comments come one day after a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin, during which the two leaders discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Putin said on Monday in a televised interview that Trump's proposal for 50 per cent cuts to the three countries' defence budgets was "a good idea", adding that he could not speak for China.

Beijing's foreign ministry said earlier this month that the US should "take the lead" in any reduction to military spending proposed by Trump.

Source:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-military-defence-spending-putin-backs-trump-us-russia-4958731

WASHINGTON: French President Emmanuel Macron insisted Monday (Feb 25) that peace cannot mean the "surrender" of Ukraine, warning as he met US counterpart Donald Trump against a world in which the "law of the strongest" wins.

Ukraine "fought over these past few years for its independence and for its sovereignty, but also for our collective security," Macron said.

"I think that no one in this room wants to live in a world where it's the law of the strongest and international borders can be violated from one day to the next."

In a sharp shift from his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump is pushing a resolution at the United Nations that calls for an end to fighting without speaking of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Source: CNA

BEIJING, Feb. 24 

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that history and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development.

Xi made the remarks when talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin over phone.

He also said that China-Russia ties enjoy strong internal driving force and unique strategic value, adding that the relationship does not target any third party nor would it be influenced by any third party. 

Source: https://english.news.cn/20250224/6a8ed9ceede443199d3ad9aedfd7508e/c.html

24 Feb, 2025

The UK is preparing to introduce its “largest ever” sanctions package against Russia ahead of the third anniversary of the Ukraine conflict, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced.

“This is also the time to turn the screws on Putin’s Russia,” Lammy said in a statement on Sunday. “Tomorrow, I plan to announce the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war – eroding their military machine and reducing revenues fueling the fires of destruction in Ukraine.”

Lammy said that the new restrictions would be unveiled in a “critical moment” for Ukraine. “We remain committed to providing £3 billion ($3.78 billion) of military support a year to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible,” he said. Lammy added that, if necessary, he is “ready and willing” to contribute troops as part of peacekeeping forces.

Since the start of the conflict in 2022, the UK has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia, targeting 1,900 individuals and organizations, as well as key industries and energy exports. 

Source: RT

Berlin February 23
German voters went to polls Sunday to decide the composition of the next Bundestag, the country's lower house of parliament.
The election was scheduled for September this year, but a snap election was triggered by the collapse of the current ruling coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party last year.
The latest polls show that the sister parties of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) are taking the lead.
According to Friday's survey conducted by the Forsa Institute, support for CDU and CSU stood at 29 percent, compared with 21 percent for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and 15 percent for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD.
It takes a majority of the 630 seats in the Bundestag to form a stable federal government.
The Forsa survey also showed that 22 percent of respondents were still unsure of their choice shortly before the election.
Polling stations closes at 18:00 local time (1700 GMT) on Sunday when the counting of votes begins. A total of 4,506 candidates stand for the election in 299 constituencies, with at least 59.2 million people eligible to vote, official figures show. Xinhua

Source: Yadanarbon Newspaper

DOHA, Feb. 23 

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met here on Sunday with Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to discuss bilateral cooperation and the latest developments in Syria, according to a statement by Qatar's Foreign Ministry.

The discussions centered on enhancing cooperation between the two countries and addressing current developments in Syria, as well as other topics of mutual interest.

Al Thani reiterated Qatar's steadfast support for Syria's unity, sovereignty, and independence, and affirmed the country's commitment to the aspirations of the Syrian people for a dignified life and the establishment of a state governed by institutions and the rule of law.

He also affirmed Qatar's support for efforts aimed at reconstruction, development, and stability in Syria. 

Source- https://english.news.cn/20250224/31c827eebb694d3cb019753e921b7a54/c.html

WASHINGTON February 22 

Ukraine will face “a lot of problems” if it doesn’t agree to sign over the rights to a large chunk of its natural resources to the US, President Donald Trump has warned. 

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky first floated the idea of granting Washington access to his country’s rare-earth minerals back in October. Earlier this month, Trump said he would pursue a deal and demanded the “equivalent of US$-500 billion” worth of natural resources, as compensation for aid provided to Ukraine throughout its conflict with Russia. 

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump stated that “we’re going to either sign a deal or there’s gonna be a lot of problems with [Ukraine].” The US President added that an agreement would “hopefully [take place] in the next fairly short period of time,” with Washington receiving “four or five hundred billion dollars back.”

Trump criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, over US aid to Ukraine, saying he “just gave them money. We’re spending our treasure on a country that’s very, very far away.” In contrast, Trump claimed European countries would be reimbursed for their aid to Kiev as it is “in the form of a loan.” According to The Economist, citing anonymous sources, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bes sent gave Zelensky just one hour to agree to a proposal during a visit to Kiev last week. The Ukrainian leader declined to sign the agreement. 

At the Munich Security Conference last weekend, Zelensky told journalists he was seeking a “connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment.” 

The Associated Press quoted an unnamed official as describing the agreement in its current form as “colonial.” 

On Monday, White House National Security Council spokes man Brian Hughes accused Zelensky of being “short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine.”

Amid the back-and-forth, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker claimed on Thursday that the US had halted weapons sales to Kiev. 

On Saturday, Reuters cited anonymous sources as alleging that the US has also threatened to block the Ukrainian military’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet terminals if it continues to dig its heels in on a minerals deal. 

According to the 2024 World Economic Forum report, Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” that could be “essential” for defense, the technology sector, and green energy. Much of those resources are, however, located in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which joined Russia in 2022.

Source: RT

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper