Belarus' Lukashenko meets with US envoy Kellogg, Belta reports
Lukashenko discussed with Kellogg the political situation in the world and the bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States, Belta reported.
Earlier this week, sources in Washington told Reuters of Kellogg's plan to visit Belarus and meet Lukashenko. They said that while the exact agenda for the meeting was unclear, the envoy viewed it as a step that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
In a video of the meeting released by Belta, Lukashenko warmly embraces Kellogg.
'Who doesn't know him? He is the most media-savvy person around these days,' Lukashenko said.
Kellogg is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the authoritarian state in years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
21 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump says US will work with Thailand and Cambodia, adds both 'want to settle'
A view of broken windows at a damaged hospital, caused by Cambodia's shelling in Sisaket province, as Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire, Thailand, July 27, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting. "I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off, I think they want to settle now," Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnbery, Scotland. Trump said he believed Thai and Cambodian officials were due to meet in coming days. (Reporting by Andrew Gray; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Will Dunham)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Romanian deputy PM resigns after bribery case resurfaces
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian deputy prime minister Dragos Anastasiu resigned on Sunday after an old corruption scandal in which he was involved as a witness resurfaced at a time when the one-month-old coalition government is trying to enforce cost-cutting reforms. Anastasiu had been tasked by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan with overseeing the reform of state-owned companies, part of broader efforts to reduce the largest budget deficit in the European Union and root out waste and inefficiency. Last week, an old corruption case revealed that one of Anastasiu's firms had been blackmailed by a tax authority inspector into paying bribes disguised as consultancy fees for eight years from 2009 or risk lengthy inspections. The company later denounced the inspector, who was convicted in 2023. Anastasiu and his business partner were never charged with a crime. Anastasiu said his company had paid all its taxes and the bribes were "for survival, not profit". "I encourage every entrepreneur to speak out and say under what conditions business has been done in Romania and no longer accept what we did while making mistakes," he told reporters on Sunday. The government, which will hike several taxes from August and is laying off staff and cutting bonuses, has already faced several street protests but has narrowly avoided a ratings downgrade from the lowest rung of investment grade. The European Union and NATO state has been rocked by political instability in the wake of a presidential election, which was cancelled in December and re-run in May, with market turmoil boosting borrowing costs and crashing the leu currency. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; editing by Giles Elgood)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Ukrainian drones target St Petersburg as Putin attends scaled-down Navy Day
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen onboard a Raptor patrol boat on Russia's Navy Day in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 27, 2025. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) -Ukrainian drones targeted St. Petersburg on Sunday, Russian authorities said, forcing the airport to close for five hours as Vladimir Putin marked Russia's Navy Day in the city, despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns. St. Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televised navy parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River and is attended by Putin. Last year, Russia suspected a Ukrainian plan to attack the city's parade, according to state television. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Sunday that this year's parade had been cancelled for security reasons, following first reports of its cancellation in early July. Putin arrived at the city's historic naval headquarters on Sunday by patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. "Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet," Putin said in a video address. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday, below a record 524 drones downed in attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, said that over ten drones were downed over the area, and falling debris injured a woman. At 0840 GMT on Sunday Drozdenko said that the attack was repelled. St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to other airports, according to a statement. Pulkovo resumed operations later on Sunday. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Peskov, said Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for 2 hours on Sunday. (Additional reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
