The United States has disclosed that it has been holding direct talks with the Islamist group Hamas over the release of US hostages detained in the Gaza Strip. This is a highly unusual move as Washington regards Hamas as a terrorist organization. US news site Axios and other media outlets on Wednesday quoted sources as saying that Adam Boehler, serving as US envoy for hostage affairs, held meetings with Hamas officials in recent weeks in Doha.

Five US nationals are believed to be still detained in Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a news conference that talks are ongoing.

She went on to say that dialogue and talks with people around the world is a good faith effort by Trump to do what is right for the American people.

The US has long avoided direct negotiations with Hamas, which it designated as a terrorist organization in 1997.

Hamas also told Middle Eastern media that talks had been held with Boehler. It said the request to hold talks came from the US side.

Source: NHK World

US President Donald Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, plans to travel to Washington later this week to sign a minerals deal.

Zelenskyy is reportedly planning to meet Trump in the White House on Friday after officials agreed on the terms of the draft deal. The US aims to jointly develop Ukraine's mineral resources.

Ukraine has previously stated that it seeks security guarantees from the US as part of the deal.

According to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to the AFP news agency, while the draft mentions "security," it does not specify the US role.

However, Trump mentioned that "some form" of peacekeeping troops will be necessary for Ukraine.

Source: DW

After lengthy negotiations, Ukraine has agreed on the terms of a minerals deal with the US, the Financial Times newspaper, Reuters, and AFP news agency reported, citing unnamed officials. 

The Trump administration had been pushing Kyiv towards an agreement on the deal, which has been a source of tension between Kyiv and Washington as Trump pursues bilateral talks with Russia on ending the war. 

Bloomberg News reported that the Ukrainian Cabinet on Wednesday is expected to recommend the deal be signed.

Ukraine's Ukrainska Pravda news website, citing a copy of the agreement dated February 24, said the deal "lacked security guarantees" for Ukraine.

A Ukrainian official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the US had dropped unfavorable clauses in the deal, and that "government officials were working on the details." 

The official said the removed clauses included the demand that Ukraine provide $500 billion worth of resources.

The deal could be officially signed in Washington on Friday, the official added.

Source: DW

February 25, 2025 

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia's President Vladimir Putin offered the U.S. the opportunity for joint exploration of the country's rare earth metals deposits, as well as the supply of aluminum to the U.S. domestic market, outlining a future economic deal between the two countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier said that "major economic development transactions with Russia" would take place. Within two hours of Trump's statement, Putin chaired a meeting with his ministers and economic advisers on rare earth metals.

"We, by the way, would be ready to offer our American partners, and when I say 'partners,' I mean not only administrative and governmental structures but also companies, if they showed interest in joint work," Putin said on state TV after the meeting.

"We undoubtedly have, I want to emphasize, significantly more resources of this kind than Ukraine," Putin added. He mentioned that a potential U.S.-Ukraine deal involving rare earth metals is not a concern for Russia.

He noted that Russian companies could supply up to 2 million tonnes of aluminum to the U.S. market annually if the U.S. market reopens. Russia used to provide around 15% of U.S. aluminum imports before prohibitive duties were introduced in 2023.

Putin suggested that Russia and the U.S. could work jointly on hydropower generation and aluminum production in Russia's Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia, which is the home base for Russia's largest aluminum maker, Rusal.

In a transcript posted by the Kremlin, Putin said rare earths were a priority sector for Russia's economic development and competitiveness.

Putin said the government sought to "boost the potential of the domestic industry" extending from extraction to "manufacture of ready-made high-technology goods."

"Based on the results of the national project, the volume of output of such goods should increase several times over," he said.

Source: asia.nikkei.com   

23 Feb, 2025

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has expressed his readiness to “exchange” his position for NATO membership and step down if it is necessary to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Speaking at the ‘Ukraine. Year 2025’ forum in Kiev on Saturday, Zelensky said he does not intend to remain in power for many years. 

Zelensky confirmed he received the proposed deal, introduced by Washington after the first draft was shot down by Kiev, which involves a sum of $500 billion.

“It became clear that we are talking about a debt, that this is not an investment... If this money goes to the fund, and nothing comes from abroad, then we are paying off the debt,” Zelensky stated.

“We had 100 [billion]. I am not ready to pay off 500 [billion]. And I am not even ready to fix it at the 100 [billion mark], because I will not recognize grants as debts. We should not pay off the debt,” he added.

Paying off amounts such as this would put ten generations of Ukrainians in debt, which means the deal is completely unacceptable, Zelensky said.

Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024; critics have accused the Ukrainian leader of seeking to prolong the hostility in order to cling on power. Moscow has said it does not regard him as a legitimate representative of the country and that he lacks the power to sign any comprehensive peace deal. This week, Trump pointed to Zelensky’s shaky legal position as well, branding him a “dictator without elections” and claiming that he currently has an extremely low approval rating in his country.

ကိုးကား- RT

Photo: RNZ

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China and the United States should find the right way to get along.

China and the United States should follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and find the right way for the two major countries to get along well with each other, said Wang during a conversation with representatives of American society on the sidelines of a UN Security Council high-level meeting in New York.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China and the United States have vast common interests and there is broad space for cooperation.

The two sides should earnestly respect each other's core interests, strengthen communication, build trust, fend off distraction and overcome obstacles so that China-U.S. relations can be improved and stabilized, said Wang. 

Source: Xinhua

FRENCH Prime Minister Michel Barnier delivered a comprehensive one-and-a-half-hour speech Tuesday in the National Assembly, detailing his government’s key priorities including public deficit reduction, immigration reform, and retirement policies.

Barnier set ambitious target for France’s public deficit, aiming to bring it down to five per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 from this year’s six per cent, and further down to three per cent in 2029.

To achieve the goal, Barnier pledged to reduce public spending and introduce a more “effective” public spending scheme. He also called for an additional tax effort, under which large and very large companies that make significant profits should contribute more “without compromising the competitiveness” of France.

The wealthiest French people will also be targeted for an “exceptional contribution,” he added. Following the murder of a young student by an illegal immigrant who was supposed to be deported from France, Barnier acknowledged in the National Assembly that France’s migration and integration policies are no longer managed “in a satisfactory way”. — Xinhua

ON Saturday, Middle Eastern nations and Hezbollah’s allies responded to the reported killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.

Hezbollah confirmed his death, stating he had been a leader for over 30 years and was killed in a “treacherous” attack in a stronghold area of Beirut.

Israel’s military hailed Nasrallah as one of its greatest adversaries, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that his death avenged many Israeli casualties.

Iranian officials asserted that Nasrallah’s vision for Hezbollah would continue, emphasizing support for the Palestini an cause.

Palestinian group Hamas condemned the assassination, calling it a cowardly act and pledging solidarity with Hezbollah.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas expressed condolences over the attacks.

In Yemen, Huthi rebels stated that Nasrallah’s death would fuel their resolve against Israel.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the strikes, labeling them a shameful attack, while Syrian officials criticized Israel’s actions as barbaric.

In Bahrain, the opposition movement Al-Wefaq honored Nasrallah as asymbol of resistance. The reactions underscore a unified stance among various factions against Israeli military actions. — AFP