Moscow Plays Hardball in Ukraine Ceasefire Talks
Putin Snubs Zelensky, Sends Low-Level Delegation to Turkey for Negotiations
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul on Thursday to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the Kremlin. Late Wednesday evening, the Kremlin finally announced who would represent Moscow at what was supposed to be the first direct talks between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. The Russian delegation will be led by Putin's presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who represented Moscow at the first attempt at talks in Istanbul in March 2022. Apart from Medinsky, Russia will be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin and Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU). Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will not be travelling to Turkey either. Moscow waited until the end of the day on Wednesday to announce who would attend the Istanbul talks with Ukraine. Over the past weekend, Putin suggested that Russia and Ukraine should sit down for direct talks. Ukraine’s president promptly responded that he would travel to Istanbul himself to meet with Putin for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. In his evening address on Wednesday, released before the Kremlin announced the delegation line-up, Zelenskyy said he was waiting for the final list before deciding on Ukraine’s course of action. Ukraine’s president said Kyiv had several meetings regarding the format of the meeting in Turkey, adding, "I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will determine what steps Ukraine should take. So far, their signals in the media are unconvincing." - Euronews
Donald Trump will also not go to Turkey for the talks after Russia's leader announced the list of Russian attendees, all of whom are relatively low-level officials - FT
My hot-take comment: Earlier today, I tweeted that Putin was unlikely to travel to Istanbul and would instead send his gruff foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. It now appears the Kremlin has downgraded the delegation even further for the upcoming Ukraine ceasefire talks. Still, if both sides meet in Istanbul on Thursday, it would mark the first face-to-face negotiations between the warring parties since the early days of the invasion. Crucially, it also signals a tacit acknowledgment by Moscow of the Zelensky administration—despite its long-standing claims that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate. Kyiv now faces a delicate choice: proceed with the talks or boycott them entirely. While a boycott is technically an option—especially given the downgraded Russian delegation—it would likely draw sharp criticism from the Trump administration, whose continued support remains vital as Ukraine’s largest military backer.
An Israeli air strike on the European Hospital in Gaza has killed 28 people and injured dozens, according to the Hamas-run civil defence agency. The Israeli army says it was targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure. CCTV footage obtained and verified by the BBC shows the moment before impact and the immediate aftermath. Munitions experts told BBC Verify that the strikes and destruction are consistent with the use of so-called "bunker buster" bombs - designed to hit underground targets - BBC
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel during a sit-down meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday. Trump told al-Sharaa he had the opportunity “to do a great job for the Syrian people,” and encouraged him to sign the Abraham Accords — a U.S.-led initiative which aims to normalize relations between Israel and Arab nations — and to “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria,” according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Speaking to the press on board Air Force One after the talks, Trump said: “I think they have to get themselves straightened up. I told him [al-Sharaa], ‘I hope you’re going to join when it’s straightened out.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do.” Israel and Syria have technically remained in a perpetual state of war since the establishment of Israel in 1948, including decades of hostilities over disputed territory, particularly the Golan Heights. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also present during the meeting, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined by phone. Trump said his team had been in touch with Israel about his decision announced Tuesday to lift sanctions on Syria. “I mean, we told them we’re doing it. The reason I did it, and I think it’s been very popular, certainly in the Middle East.” Trump added that he talked to Erdoğan and the Saudi leader who “thought it was important you do. It gives them a much better chance of survival as a country.” - Politico
Afghan refugees who sought shelter in America after the Taliban seized power in 2021 now face imminent deportation, possibly putting them at grave risk in a move that may come to be seen as a shameful betrayal. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claims that Afghanistan’s “improved security situation and its stabilising economy” mean Afghans no longer merit the Temporary Protected Status that let them live and work in the US since 2022. Ms Noem also said some Afghans were being investigated for fraud. Her main reasons for sending thousands of people back to Afghanistan make no sense, given that they run counter to other US assessments of the many dangers prevailing there. Many of the Afghans in the US under the TPS come from ethnic minorities or other groups under the focus of the Taliban. Others worked with US and western agencies and businesses, putting them at greater risk of retribution. The hardline former insurgents are still hunting down “traitors” who served in the Afghan security forces; journalists have been beaten or imprisoned; and the UN has documented a litany of human rights abuses including the near-total erasure of women from public life, as well as extrajudicial killings - The National
Thai officials said Wednesday they seized 238 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States at the port of Bangkok, one of the biggest lots they’ve found this year. The waste, which came in 10 large containers, was declared as mixed metal scrap but turned out to be circuit boards mixed in a huge pile of metal scrap, said Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department. It was found Tuesday in a random inspection. A U.N. report last year said electronic waste is piling up worldwide. Some 62 million tons of electronic waste was generated in 2022 and that figure is on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030, the report said. It said only 22% of the waste was properly collected and recycled in 2022 and that quantity is expected to fall to 20% by the end of the decade due to higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, and inadequate management infrastructure. Theeraj said Thai authorities are looking to press charges including falsely declaring imported goods, illegally importing electronic waste and planning to return the waste to its country of origin - AP
The journals…
