Negotiators discuss possible Zelensky-Putin meeting
The discussions took place during their meeting in Istanbul this week, Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine has been pushing for a meeting between the two leaders and has expressed hope that US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for the warring parties to strike a deal, could also take part.
Mr Putin has said he is ready to meet Mr Zelensky but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the three-year war.
"We need an end to the war, which probably begins with a meeting of leaders," Mr Zelensky said in comments released to journalists including AFP.
"In talks with us, they have begun to discuss it. This is already progress toward some kind of meeting format," he added.
At a fresh round of talks in Istanbul on Wednesday, Ukrainian lead negotiator Rustem Umerov proposed to hold the talks before the end of August.
Trump deadline for peace in Ukraine
The timing would roughly align with a deadline set by US President Trump, who earlier this month gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal with Ukraine or face sweeping sanctions.
Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, however, downplayed the likelihood of an imminent meeting.
"The meeting must be properly prepared. Only then will it make sense," Mr Medinsky was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS.
Talks to end the conflict have so far yielded few results as the two sides have radically different positions.
Russia is still attempting to advance on several parts of the front, Mr Zelensky said.
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Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
EU-US trade deal live updates - 15 per cent tariffs agreed and trade war averted
Businesses across the country are sighing in relief after a 15 per cent import tariff deal was struck on most European Union goods between the US and EU. This is five per cent higher than the current rate, however, it is half of the 30 per cent that US President Donald Trump originally threatened. While it will take time for officials to work out the full impact of the deal, it is being widely welcomed as a bigger trade war has been averted. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said 15 per cent is 'not to be underestimated' but insisted 'it's the best we could get'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has insisted the deal is good for businesses, investors and consumers and will protect many jobs in Ireland. He said: 'The agreement achieved in Scotland between Presidents von der Leyen and Trump is very welcome. It brings clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US – the biggest in the world." The biggest worry is for the pharmaceutical sector, which isn't included in the deal struck between President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday. While there is currently zero per cent on EU pharmaceutical imports to the US, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke says future tariffs on the sector 'would not increase beyond 15 per cent'. Follow live updates below or check out the latest headlines on our homepage. 11:02 Ciara O'Loughlin The biggest worry is for the pharmaceutical sector, which isn't included in the deal struck between President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday. While there is currently zero per cent on EU pharmaceutical imports to the US, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke says future tariffs on the sector 'would not increase beyond 15 per cent'. He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: 'Pharmaceuticals are very complex. A lot of the product that is exported over to the US is not a complete product. 'Almost 70pc of it is components of the final product that will come together and that's why we do need to ensure that we have a very keen rate, to ensure we incentivise innovation in that sector, because that's so important for the global economy. 'We've about 100,000 employees in Ireland, 130 billion in exports in the life sciences sector, and the Government will be bringing forward a separate life sciences strategy later on this year, which will be key in continuing the investment and offering a very competitive proposition from Ireland's perspective.' 11:01 Ciara O'Loughlin Taoiseach Micheál Martin has insisted the deal is good for businesses, investors and consumers and will protect many jobs in Ireland. He said: 'The agreement achieved in Scotland between Presidents von der Leyen and Trump is very welcome. It brings clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US – the biggest in the world." The Taoiseach added that the government will now study the details of the agreement "in the weeks and months ahead'. He added: ''It does mean that there will now be higher tariffs than there have been and this will have an impact on trade between the EU and the US, making it more expensive and more challenging. 'However, it also creates a new era of stability that can hopefully contribute to a growing and deepening relationship between the EU and the US, which is important not just for the EU and the US, but for the global economy. 'Given the very real risk that existed for escalation and for the imposition of punitively high tariffs, this news will be welcomed by many.'
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Iran planning to execute 30,000 in repeat of horror 1988 ‘massacre' as part of desperate crackdown, insiders fear
IRAN'S merciless regime is plotting to kill tens of thousands of prisoners in a repeat of the 1988 massacre, insiders fear. Rattled supreme leader Ali Khamenei has ordered a surge in executions - turning hangings into public spectacles in a chilling warning to dissidents. 9 Executions are often well-attended public events Credit: AFP 9 Mehdi Hassani has been executed by Iran's regime Credit: NCRI 9 Behrouz Ehsani was also killed by the regime Credit: NCRI It comes as callous mullahs yesterday hanged two political prisoners who had been jailed on trumped-up charges. Mehdi Hassani, 48, and Behrouz Ehsani, 70, were killed in cold blood for daring to oppose the barbaric regime they were forced to live under. Earlier this year, The Sun shared a Ehsani meanwhile bravely More on Iran Iran has repeatedly unleashed lethal force on its own people - especially at times of crisis - in a sickening bid to stamp out rebellion. Glaring vulnerabilities in the regime's grip on power have been exposed after Israel and the US launched a monumental effort to destroy its nuclear threat. Executions and arrests are weaponised to scare dissidents, and it is feared panicked Ayatollah Khamenei is planning a similar plot to the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. The regime was also in turmoil that year after accepting a ceasefire with Iraq. Most read in The Sun Now, death sentences against those affiliated with the main democratic opposition, the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), are being expedited as Khamenei scrambles for control. Chillingly, state-run Fars News Agency - a mouthpiece of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - this month issued a public call to repeat 1998's inhumane massacre as the regime fears for its survival. Dad set to be executed in Iran shares powerful audio message blasting regime from behind bars British politicians and leading human rights lawyers have urged the UK government to intervene to prevent such an atrocity. Alongside the (NCRI), they also criticised the focus on Tehran's nuclear programme, warning that it has overshadowed the worsening human rights crisis. Baroness O'Loan DBE said: "Those threatening our national security are the same individuals planning atrocities in Iran's prisons. So, we must act, now." Dowlat Nowrouzi, the NCRI's UK representative, told The Sun: "The international community's failure to hold the regime accountable for its atrocities, including crimes against humanity and genocide, has allowed the regime to enjoy impunity. "It is long overdue to hold Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and others accountable for committing these crimes. It comes as one of Iran's longest-serving political prisoners has laid bare the dire situation in a handwritten letter shared with The Sun. More than 100 armed guards raided the ward Masouri was on, beating prisoners before hauling them across the floor with handcuffs and leg shackles and bags over their heads. Masouri has been exiled to the notorious Zahedan Prison - just days after penning a haunting letter warning a massacre is looming. 9 Saeed Masouri has been in jail for 25 years Credit: NCRI 9 He shared a chilling handwritten letter from inside jail Credit: SUPPLIED 9 Four Iranian convicts hanging after a public execution in 2007 Credit: AFP 9 Pictures show a man named Balal who was led to the gallows by his victim's family He wrote: "Just as it happened in 1988, today we fear that the same path is being repeated, albeit with different language and methods. "Back then, it was called the 'Death Committee'; today, it is 'Fire at discretion'. "But this widespread repression and intensification of executions are not signs of strength—they are admissions of the regime's helplessness in the face of truth and the will of the people. "Likewise, this so-called 'fire at discretion' is nothing but an attempt to conceal the depth of infiltration, decay, and structural collapse within the ruling system—failures they now seek to compensate for by exacting revenge on the people of Iran and their prisoners." All contact between political prisoners and their families has now been cut off. Ms Nowrouzi added: "The assault on Mr. Masouri is not an isolated incident. "It is part of a broader campaign of escalating executions, arbitrary detentions, and systematic repression. "The regime, emboldened by decades of impunity and inaction, is now openly signaling its intent to repeat the horrors of 1988. "As Mr. Masouri warned in his message from prison, 'a crime is in progress,' and the world must not remain silent." Iran's calculating mullahs meanwhile are refusing to hand the bodies of slain Ehsani and Hassani back to their grieving families. How Iran is stifling critics after defeat to Israel by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) TYRANNICAL leaders in Iran have demanded citizens act as undercover informants to turn in anyone who dares oppose the regime, insiders say. Panicked mullahs have also ordered "telecom cages" be installed around prisons as the regime Political prisoners - largely Insiders say their treatment is being weaponised to deter opposition. The fight against repression has loomed large for decades in the rogue state - but the so-called 12-day war last month has made the barbaric Ayatollah more fearful than ever of being toppled. Sources inside Iran told The Sun how a direct alert has been issued to the public, urging them to report any activity linked to resistance groups of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Regime loyalists have been implored to act as informants - compiling detailed reports with photos, times, locations, licence plates and facial features of suspected individuals. Orders were publicised in an official government news outlet - marking a distinct shift in the paranoid regime's usual strategy of covert suppression. Insiders noted it points to the regime's growing perceived threat posed by the PMOI's grassroots operations. The PMOI has long fought for a secular, democratic Iran, and is understood to be gaining traction amid frustration with economic hardship, political repression, and international isolation. Insiders say they are instead planning to secretly bury them in a twisted bid to cover up their actions. Hassani's devastated daughter, who bravely campaigned for her dad's release, wept as she told how they had not been informed of his execution. In a harrowing video message shared with The Sun, she said: "They didn't grant him a final visit before the execution. "None of us knew, not even my father, who had told my sister to visit him on Monday. "I don't know what to say. I fought so hard. I had so much hope, so much… I still can't believe what has happened." Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI, has called on the United Nations to take "concrete and effective measures against a regime built on executions and torture". Mrs Rajavi said: "They [Ehsani and Hassani] now join the eternal ranks of those who have given their lives in the struggle for freedom and justice. "In what appears to be a desperate act during the twilight of his rule, Khamenei has perpetrated yet another grave crime - an effort to delay the inevitable collapse of his regime. Ayatollah 'on his heels' by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) IRAN'S merciless regime is "fully on its heels" - leaving the Ayatollah's days numbered, a former US ambassador says. But the West will not be able to topple Tehran's brutal dictatorship, Mark D. Wallace, CEO & Founder of United Against Nuclear Iran, warned. The ex-ambassador to the UN said it will be down to the Iranian people - who have suffered outrageous repression for decades - to finally end the regime's rule. Iron-fist fanatics have used violent and ruthless measures, including executions and torture, in a twisted bid to stamp out opposition and silence critics. The regime's future now appears to be hanging by a thread, however, as it sits in a "combustible state" following the obliteration of its nuclear empire by the US and Israel. Several of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's top military brass were wiped out in the 12-day war - leaving the barbaric ruler vulnerable. Power held by Iran's terror proxies - including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen - has also been severely depleted. Wallace told The Sun: "The regime isn't just wounded, they're fully on their heels." "Far from securing his hold on power, this brutality only intensifies the outrage of the Iranian people and reinforces the determination of Iran's courageous youth to bring an end to this theocratic tyranny. "Honour to these steadfast Mojahedin who, after three years of unwavering resistance under torture, pressure, and threats, fulfilled their solemn pledge to God and the people with pride and dignity." It comes after The Sun reported how Iran's wounded regime As Israeli missiles rained down on a nearby military site on June 16, panicked inmates at Dizel-Abad Prison in Kermanshah begged to be moved to safety. But they were instead met with a hail of bullets from the regime's merciless enforcers in a "deliberate and cold-blooded act", a witness said. Meanwhile, sweeping arrests are also plaguing Iran's population - with around 700 people understood to have been detained last month with reported links to a "spy network". Iran has one of the most horrific human rights records in the world, and according to campaigners also holds the harrowing title for the highest execution rate. Official records show that the number of executions last year reached 1,000 - the highest number in 30 years and 16 percent higher than the previous. Insiders believe this year that distressing toll will be much higher. 9 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes his first public appearance since the war with Israel on July 6 Credit: Getty 9 A demonstrator takes part in a protest against the Iranian government outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California on June 23 Credit: Reuters
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
EU-US trade deal criticised by German business leaders and French minister
The EU-US trade deal, clinched in a ballroom at Donald Trump's golf resort in Scotland on Sunday, has been criticised by France's prime minister and business leaders across Germany. The deal, which will impose 15% tariffs on almost all European exports to the US including cars, ends the threat of a punitive 30% import duties being imposed on Mr Trump's August 1 deadline for a deal, but it is a world apart from the zero-zero import and export tariff the EU offered initially. It also means European exporters to the US will face more then triple the average 4.8% tariff now in force, with negotiations to continue on steel, which is still facing a 50% tariff, aviation, and a question mark over future barriers to pharmaceutical exports. The deal has been cautiously welcomed on the Irish side, with Government sources saying it provides certainty to businesses. One senior source said 'nobody was jumping with joy' over the deal due to baseline tariffs, but that it did provide certainty to businesses. Reacting to the deal, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it brought 'clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US'. 'That is good for businesses, investors and consumers. It will help protect many jobs in Ireland,' Mr Martin said. 'We will now study the detail of what has been agreed, including its implications for businesses exporting from Ireland to the US, and for different sectors operating here. However, Mr Martin said the baseline tariff would make trade between the EU and US 'more expensive and more challenging'. France's prime minister, François Bayrou, said Europe had submitted to the US, on a 'dark day' for the union. 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, gathered to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission,' Bayrou posted on X. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, rapidly hailed the deal, saying it avoided 'needless escalation in transatlantic trade relations' and averted a potentially damaging trade war. German exporters were less enthusiastic. The powerful BDI federation of industrial groups said the accord would have 'considerable negative repercussions', while the country's VCI chemical trade association said the accord left rates 'too high'. It is also clear that the US tariff of 15% on automotive products will place a burden on German automotive companies in the midst of their transformation, hitting sales and profits. The president of the car industry federation VDA, Hildegard Müller, said it was 'fundamentally positive' that a framework deal was agreed but warned of huge costs to come. European stock markets hit a four-month high at the start of trading on Monday, amid relief that a deal had been reached. Germany's Dax jumped by 0.86%, and France's Cac 40 index rose by 1.1%. France's minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, said on Monday that the agreement would provide 'temporary stability … but it is unbalanced'. Victory for Trump The German bank Berenberg said the deal brought to an end the 'crippling uncertainty' but said it was a victory for Mr Trump. 'It is great to have a deal. In two major respects, however, the outcome remains much worse than the situation before Trump started his new round of trade wars early this year,' said Holger Schmieding, Berenberg's chief economist. 'The extra US tariffs will hurt both the US and the EU. For Europe, the damage is mostly frontloaded,' Mr Schmieding said in a note to clients on Monday morning. 'The deal is asymmetric. The US gets away with a substantial increase in its tariffs on imports from the EU and has secured further EU concessions to boot. In his apparent zero-sum mentality, Trump can claim that as a 'win' for him,' he added. The Italian bank UniCredit also said Mr Trump had got the better out of the EU. 'Is this a good deal for the EU? Probably not. The outcome is heavily asymmetrical, and it leaves US tariffs on imported EU goods at much higher levels than EU tariffs on imports from the US,' UniCredit said in a note to clients. '15% is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get,' the European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged. Initially the EU had tried to hardball the US by threatening but pausing €21bn worth of retaliatory measures in April, and adding another list of €73bn-worth of US imports that would be taxed earlier this month. But it pivoted to a quick UK-style deal after the Nato summit in June, swapping a comprehensive trade deal for security and defence promises from Mr Trump. By contrast, China, which threatened the US with a cascade of punitive tariffs, is still negotiating with Mr Trump, who over the weekend froze technology transfer restrictions to create space for a deal with Beijing. Berenberg said the deal would affect the German economy, but the decline in growth would be offset by the Bundestag's recent growth stimulus package, it added. The EU had pushed for a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota into the US before tariffs would apply. Mr Trump appeared to rule that out, saying steel was 'staying the way it is', but Ms von der Leyen insisted later that 'tariffs will be cut and a quota system will be put in place' for steel. He also ruled out a carve-out for pharmaceuticals but later Ms von der Leyen said the 15% tariff would apply to EU medicine exports and that any other tariffs were up to the US president. The EU is now subject to a 25% levy on cars, 50% on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10%, which Washington had threatened to increase to 30% in a no-deal scenario. The bloc had been pushing hard for tariff carve-outs for critical industries from aircraft to spirits, and its car industry, crucial for France and Germany, is already reeling from the levies imposed so far. The Guardian
