logo
Russia open to peace with Ukraine but ‘our goals' must be achieved, says Kremlin

Russia open to peace with Ukraine but ‘our goals' must be achieved, says Kremlin

BreakingNews.ie4 days ago
Russia is open to peace with Ukraine but achieving 'our goals' remains a priority, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, days after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow a deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions.
Mr Peskov and other Russian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations from Kyiv and its Western partners of stalling peace talks.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Moscow continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, with more drones launched in a single night than during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate.
Mr Peskov told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin: '(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy.
'The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear.'
President Donald Trump has recently hardened his stance towards Moscow (Alex Brandon/AP)
The Kremlin has insisted any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured. It also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join Nato and accept strict limits on its armed forces, demands Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected.
Advertisement
Mr Trump threatened Russia on July 14 with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance towards Moscow after months of frustration following unsuccessful negotiations aimed at ending the war.
The direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul resulted in several rounds of prisoner exchanges, but little else.
Mr Trump said he would implement 'severe tariffs' unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but suggested they would target Russia's trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.
In addition, Mr Trump said European allies would buy 'billions and billions' of dollars of US military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine, replenishing the besieged country's supplies of weapons. Included in the plan are Patriot air defence systems, a top priority for Ukraine as it fends off Russian drones and missiles.
Advertisement
Doubts were recently raised about Mr Trump's commitment to supply Ukraine when the Pentagon paused shipments over concerns that US stockpiles were running low.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Brazil's WEG expects to mitigate most impacts from Trump tariffs
Brazil's WEG expects to mitigate most impacts from Trump tariffs

Reuters

time10 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Brazil's WEG expects to mitigate most impacts from Trump tariffs

SAO PAULO, July 24 (Reuters) - Brazilian motor maker WEG ( opens new tab said on Thursday it expects to offset most of the impact from the 50% tariff U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose on Brazilian goods partly by adjusting some export routes. Analysts have cited WEG - whose motors are used in vehicles, wind turbines and power transmission lines - among the most exposed firms to the steep tariffs, which are due to take effect on August 1. The company on Wednesday reported lower-than-expected second-quarter results, noting that geopolitical uncertainties have limited long-term visibility and led some clients to postpone investment decisions for large projects. Chief Financial Officer Andre Rodrigues suggested on Thursday the firm could use its Brazilian operations to supply countries such as Mexico and India, whose products would in turn meet U.S. demand. "The execution may take a few months, but once the change is implemented, we expect to be able to mitigate most of these impacts," he told a call with analysts, though warning the move would also depend on the levies Trump imposes on other nations. WEG has plants in over a dozen countries, including the United States and Mexico, and has touted its global presence and broad product portfolio as factors that might help shield it from the tariffs' impacts. Rodrigues said that products made in Brazil currently account for less than a third of WEG's U.S. sales. He noted that the effects on WEG's second-quarter results of the 10% tariff Trump had initially imposed in April were small, saying that the firm made some price adjustments in the U.S. to offset the impact of those levies. "Looking ahead, at this point it's not possible to have a firm stance, given the many uncertainties and volatility in the trade structures being discussed," Rodrigues added. "But if the current situation persists, WEG does have an action plan."

A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a Trump makeover
A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a Trump makeover

The Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • The Independent

A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a Trump makeover

A replica Oval Office on display near the White House now looks exactly like President Donald Trump 's. But it is not the blingy version he is currently using. Visitors starting Thursday will experience the mock Oval Office as it was in the Republican president's first term, until it is redecorated again next year to incorporate the golden touches and other flourishes Trump brought to the workspace after he returned to power in January. 'Just like the White House itself, our Oval Office is a living space, so it changes and evolves as the actual Oval Office changes,' Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, said Wednesday as he led The Associated Press on a tour of the space as it was being revamped. The mock-up is inside 'The People's House: A White House Experience,' an educational center the association opened last year one block west of the Executive Mansion. Few regular people ever see, let alone step inside, the real Oval Office, for security and other reasons. But the true-to-life model offers visitors a chance to see and experience it. It will be updated to match the decor of every sitting president. When the historical association opened the center last year, the replica Oval Office looked like Democrat Joe Biden's office because he was the president at the time. The association has to get copies made of every item in the real Oval Office and that process takes time, McLaurin said. He also preferred to wait until there was a 'critical mass" of items instead of doing a slow, piece-by-piece makeover. Trump decorated his first-term Oval Office with a beige-patterned rug from the Ronald Reagan era, gold-colored draperies from Bill Clinton's tenure and a lighter, floral wallpaper that replaced a striped wall covering installed by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump kept these same designs for his second term. Trump also kept the Resolute Desk, which has been used by nearly every president since it was gifted to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 by Queen Victoria. It was built using wood from the British ship HMS Resolute. Trump hung a large portrait of George Washington above the fireplace, flanked by portraits of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. He also displayed portraits of Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Franklin and had busts of Martin Luther King Jr. and Winston Churchill on tables on either side of the fireplace. The association is in the process of reproducing items in Trump's second-term office even as he continues to make changes by adding gilding, artwork and other objects. 'So probably in a year or a little more, we'll be able to make that transition when we have all of those items ready,' McLaurin said. The Biden items will be donated to his foundation for possible use in his future presidential library, and the same will be done in the future with the items reproduced for Trump's offices. The White House Historical Association was created in 1961 by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy to help preserve the museum quality of the interior of the White House and educate the public. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that receives no government funding. It raises money mostly through private donations and merchandise sales, including an annual Christmas ornament.

CBS News names '60 Minutes' veteran Tanya Simon as broadcast's new top producer
CBS News names '60 Minutes' veteran Tanya Simon as broadcast's new top producer

The Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • The Independent

CBS News names '60 Minutes' veteran Tanya Simon as broadcast's new top producer

CBS News said Thursday it has selected Tanya Simon as the top producer at '60 Minutes,' elevating a respected insider in a closely-watched appointment given the turmoil that enveloped the newsmagazine with the settlement of President Donald Trump 's lawsuit. Simon, daughter of the late '60 Minutes' correspondent Bob Simon, becomes only the fourth executive producer of the influential newsmagazine since it was invented by Don Hewitt in the late 1960s. She's been executive editor of the broadcast, and running it on an interim basis since her predecessor Bill Owens quit in April, saying he questioned whether he'd be allowed to lead the program as he saw fit. Owens had opposed settling Trump's lawsuit over the editing of last fall's interview with Kamala Harris. CBS News parent company Paramount Global agreed earlier this month to pay Trump $16 million to end their dispute. Simon has worked at '60 Minutes' for 25 years, and was strongly supported by many at the famously insular broadcast to take over for Owens. 'Tanya Simon understands what makes '60 Minutes' tick,' said Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News. 'She is an innovative leader, an exceptional producer, and someone who knows how to inspire people.' In May, seven '60 Minutes' correspondents signed a letter to Paramount Global management urging that Simon be appointed. 'As much as we will miss Bill Owens, we believe — no, we know — that his long-term successor must come from within,' the correspondents wrote. Crucially, Simon's appointment came before the Trump administration's approval of Paramount Global's proposed merger with Skydance Media, a takeover that is expected to result in changes at CBS News. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store