Red Sea International achieves 44% growth in operating profits for H1 2025 The company announces Q2 2025 financial results    European leaders tentatively hopeful after call with Trump ahead of Putin summit    Humanitarian groups call on Israel to end 'weaponization of aid' in Gaza    Melania Trump threatens to sue Hunter Biden for $1bn over Epstein claim    Australia and Vanuatu agree to $328m security and business deal    Baby Shark did not plagiarize, South Korea's top court rules    Bayut KSA wins 3 Employee Happiness Awards 2025    'Cryptocrash king' Do Kwon pleads guilty to fraud    Saudi Arabia advances education reform with AI curricula, teacher training, and global partnerships    Regulations updated for billboards to improve urban landscape and enhance visual appeal    Makkah tops among 6 Saudi regions witnessing heavy rainfall    Unreasonable wages, salary delays to trigger violations under Mudad system    PIF raises $9.83 billion in 2024, boosts global ranking to 11th, says Yasir Al-Rumayyan    Visual Arts Commission set to launch Art Bridges Cultural Programs in Scotland, Japan, Korea, and Spain    Saudi Pro League unveils 2025-26 fixture list with blockbuster opening clashes    Donations of living organs rise to 4.9% in Saudi Arabia in 2024    Saudi Arabia exit FIBA Asia Cup after overtime heartbreak against Philippines    Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez announce engagement after eight years together    Mexico accuses Adidas of cultural appropriation in sandal design    Al Hilal sign Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez from Liverpool    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



European leaders tentatively hopeful after call with Trump ahead of Putin summit
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 08 - 2025

European leaders appeared cautiously optimistic after holding a virtual meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump reportedly told the Europeans that his goal for the summit was to obtain a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.
He also agreed that any territorial issues had to be decided with Volodymyr Zelensky's involvement, and that security guarantees had to be part of the deal, according to France's Emmanuel Macron.
Speaking to Trump had allowed him to "clarify his intentions" and gave the Europeans a chance to "express our expectations," Macron said.
Trump and Vice-President JD Vance spoke to the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland as well as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Nato chief Mark Rutte.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet with Zelensky in London on Thursday morning.
Their talks will take place at No 10 Downing Street, just 24 hours before the summit between Trump and Putin.
The Europeans have been sidelined from the hastily organised summit in Alaska and their phone call on Wednesday was a last-ditch attempt to keep Ukraine's interests and the continent's security at the forefront of Trump's mind.
To an extent, it seemed to work. On Wednesday evening Trump rated the meeting "a 10" and said Russia would face "very severe" consequences unless it halted its war in Ukraine.
He also said that if Friday's meeting went well he would try to organise a "quick second one" involving both Putin and Zelensky.
Still, in their statements European leaders restated the need for Kyiv to be involved in any final decision – betraying an underlying nervousness that Putin could ultimately persuade Trump to concede Ukrainian land in exchange for a ceasefire.
"It's most important thing that Europe convinces Donald Trump that one can't trust Russia," said Poland's Donald Tusk, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the leaders had "made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place".
If the Russian side refused to make any concessions, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure", Merz said.
Since the US-Russia summit was announced last week, Trump has made several references to "land-swapping" between Kyiv and Moscow – sparking serious concerns in Ukraine and beyond that he could be preparing to give in to Putin's longstanding demand to seize large swathes of Ukrainian territory.
On Wednesday morning Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexey Fadeev reiterated that Russia's stance had not changed since Putin set it out in June 2024.
At the time Putin said a ceasefire would start the minute the Ukrainian government withdrew from four regions partially occupied by Russia - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He also said Ukraine would need to officially give up its efforts to join the Nato military alliance.
These are maximalist demands which neither Kyiv nor its European partners see as viable.
Zelensky has said he is convinced that Russia would use any region it was allowed to keep as a springboard for future invasions.
A way to counter this threat could be security guarantees - intended as commitments to ensure Ukraine's long-term defence.
In statements issued after the phone call with Trump, several European leaders said such guarantees had been mentioned and Sir Keir said that "real progress" had been made in that respect.
He also praised Trump's efforts to reach an agreement, saying: "For three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on and we haven't got anywhere near the prospect of an actually viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.
"Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in."
Since the spring the UK and France have been spearheading efforts to create a so-called "Coalition of the Willing" - a group of nations who have pledged to deter Russia from further invading Ukraine.
On Wednesday the group said it stood "ready to play an active role" including by deploying "a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased" - although the shape, composition and role of such a force is yet unclear.
Meanwhile, on the front lines, Russia's summer offensive continues to press on. Referencing the sudden advance of Moscow's troops near Dobropillya, in the embattled Donetsk region, Zelensky said Putin was pretending that sanctions were not effective at damaging the Russian economy.
"I told Trump and our European allies that Putin is bluffing," the Ukrainian president said, urging them to apply "more pressure" on Russia.
For his part, Trump appeared to admit that even when he meets Putin face-to-face he may not be able to get him to stop killing civilians in Ukraine.
"I've had that conversation with him...but then I go home and see that a rocket has hit a nursing home or an apartment building and people are lying dead in the street.
"So I guess the answer to that is probably no." — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.