President Putin weighs in on Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Iran wars, clarifies Moscow's stance
Speaking on the Ukraine war, Putin claimed that external powers are actively blocking a peaceful resolution, accusing them of using Ukraine as a proxy to serve their own strategic goals.
'Ukraine deserves a better fate than to be a tool in the hands of external parties working against Russia,' he said, calling for a settlement that would ensure Ukraine's neutrality and end its pursuit of alliances, particularly military blocs.
He insisted that Ukraine must renounce any ambitions related to nuclear weapons, describing it as a critical step toward regional stability.
Putin also maintained that any lasting agreement must include recognition of the referendums held in four regions now claimed by Russia, warning that dismissing these results could reignite full-scale conflict.
He pointed to the 2022 Istanbul talks as a missed opportunity, suggesting both sides had come close to a deal before it was derailed.
Ukraine's current leadership, he said, should act in the country's own national interest rather than following the agenda of outside actors. Resolving outstanding humanitarian issues, he added, must be a key part of any future settlement.
On the intensifying standoff between Israel and Iran, Putin reaffirmed Moscow's support for Tehran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, adding that Russia stands ready to provide technical support.
While acknowledging that differences remain, particularly over Iran's nuclear programme, he said there is still space for agreement if both sides show flexibility. He stressed that the International Atomic Energy Agency had found no evidence that Iran possesses or is attempting to develop nuclear weapons.
Putin reiterated Russia's long-standing opposition to the spread of weapons of mass destruction and welcomed Iran's adoption of a resolution banning the use of nuclear arms, calling it a move worthy of serious international recognition.
He added that Moscow had repeatedly assured Israeli leaders that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons, urging open dialogue to ease tensions and strengthen regional security.
UNI ANV RN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Syria crisis: Chaotic scene in Sweida as armed men open fire on evacuation efforts
A group of armed men opened fire in the direction of a convoy evacuating civilians from Sweida on Tuesday (July 22) as it passed through T'ara. Footage showed crowds of people surrounding Red Crescent buses carrying civilians and shots being fired in their direction. Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday (July 21) as part of a U.S.-backed truce meant to end days of bloodshed in southern Syria, state media and witnesses said. With hundreds reported killed, the violence in the southern province of Sweida has posed a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, drawing Israeli airstrikes last week and deepening fissures in a country fractured by 14 years of war. Show more Show less
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Columbia Punishes 80 Students Over Anti-Israel Protests
Columbia University said Tuesday it has issued various punishments, including expulsions and degree revocations, against various students involved in anti-Israel protests on campus. The sanctions, which a student group said targeted nearly 80 people, come as the New York institution negotiates with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in cut federal funding. Trump has applied intense pressure on the prestigious university and others, accusing them of failing to address alleged anti-Semitism amid nationwide protests last year against Israel's war in Gaza. Columbia, which was the epicenter of the campus protests, has agreed to implement a series of policy reforms in an attempt to regain the federal funding, sparking anger from many students. Fellow Ivy League institution Harvard has also been targeted with billions in funding cuts, but is fighting the pressure campaign in court. The latest sanctions by Columbia stem from a library sit-in this past May, as well as an encampment set up during alumni weekend in spring 2024, the university said in a statement. The library protest disrupted hundreds of students during an exam study period, it said, with punishments including "probation, suspensions (ranging from one year to three years), degree revocations, and expulsions." "The University does not release individual disciplinary results of any student," the statement said. It did not specify which punishments had been issued for the spring 2024 encampment, which occurred after larger protests -- including the occupation of an academic building -- but Columbia said it was "the final set of findings from that period." The student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which calls for the school to cut all financial ties with Israel, said the library-related sanctions "hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations." "We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation," the group said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Columbia univ suspends, expels students over pro-Palestinian protests
Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university's student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism. Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community, the university said Tuesday. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules. Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. It did not disclose the names of the students who were disciplined. Columbia in May said it would lay off nearly 180 staffers and scale back research in response to the loss of funding. Those receiving nonrenewal or termination notices represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said. A student activist group said the newly announced disciplinary action exceeds sentencing precedent for prior protests. Suspended students would be required to submit apologies in order to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion, the group said, something some students will refuse to do. We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation, Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement. Columbia was at the forefront of U.S. campus protests over the war in spring 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has cut funding to several top U.S. universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism. The administration has also cracked down on individual student protesters. Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, was detained in March over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He is now suing the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.
