Russia says it favours new round of peace talks with Ukraine, highlights gulf between them
MOSCOW - The Kremlin said on Monday that Moscow was in favour of a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine but the two sides' positions were diametrically opposed so there was a lot of diplomatic work to be done.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold another round of peace talks this week, and that he wants to speed up negotiations for a ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that as soon as there was a definitive understanding of the date for the next round of talks then Moscow would announce it.
"There is our draft memorandum, there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far," Peskov said.
Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war. REUTERS

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Straits Times
17 minutes ago
- Straits Times
‘Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict enters second day
Thai residents queuing to register their details with authorities at an evacuation centre in Buriram. – The explosions were loud and came without warning. It was quickly apparent that the blasts were too close for comfort, and the decision was made to flee. 'We were alarmed, shocked,' said Ms Sopa Suayprakhon, 54, a rice farmer from Ban Kruat district in Thailand's Buriram province, bordering Cambodia. 'Just very scared.' She said villagers estimated that the blasts on July 25 were less than a kilometre away. Similar scenes have been playing out at hot spots along the long, porous and disputed border Thailand shares with Cambodia since fighting erupted on July 24. The Thai authorities said more than 130,000 people from four north-eastern border provinces have been evacuated to emergency shelters as at July 25, with the number expected to rise as heavy artillery fighting intensified and spread into new areas. At least 16 people have been killed, including 14 Thai civilians. Both countries have accused each other o f starting the conflict and shown little appetite for de-escalation. Cambodia says Thailand deployed cluster munitions – bombs that spread many smaller explosives over a wide area, posing an indiscriminate threat to civilia ns. Thailand, meanwhile, has accused Cambodia of deliberately targeting civilians by using its Russian-made rocket systems to shell areas including hospitals and schools. Several hospitals near Thailand's border with Cambodia have been either fully or partially closed because of the ongoing fighting, Thailand's Health Ministry said. 'The current situation involves acts of intrusion and aggression that are causing harm to the people's lives,' Thailand's Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said. 'The situation has intensified and could potentially escalate into a state of war. At present, it is still considered a skirmish involving heavy weapons.' Cambodia's national government has yet to provide updates on casualties or evacuations, but local media reports said more than 20,000 Cambodians have been evacuated from the northern border province of Preah Vihear. Wire agency AFP reported that one Cambodian civilian had been killed and five wounded, with 1,500 families evacuated, citing a provincial official. The UN Security Council said it would be holding an emergency meeting at its headquarters in New York on July 25 at 3pm (3am on July 26, Singapore time) to discuss escalating tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. In Buriram, the city's motor sport racing track has been converted into one of the largest Thai evacuation centres. There was an air of quiet resignation as evacuees contemplated settling in for a second night of rough sleeping on improvised beds on straw matting and in tents. Officials in the command centre said that they registered and processed more than 8,000 residents. There was plenty of food, water and other necessities to go round, as well as support from health services and other government authorities. But evacuees' thoughts are turning towards the uncertainty over when they will be able to return home and what they have left behind, with the initial shock of leaving home starting to settle. Ms Saowaree Loyprakhon, 54, said that, despite the danger, some men in her village, including her husband, stayed behind to tend to the livestock and animals on their farms, to protect their families' livelihoods. 'Nothing like this has happened before,' she said. 'It's a big disruption.' Thailand and Cambodia share a long history of border tensions, which recently flared after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in the disputed Emerald Triangle on May 28. Amid heightened nationalist sentiment on both sides, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra attempted to negotiate with influential former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, father of Prime Minister Hun Manet. However, this only resulted in an embarrassing leaked phone recording on June 18 that ultimately led to her suspension from office, and the disintegration of the once-close relationship between the countries' leading political families. Tensions again flared after Thailand expelled Cambodia's ambassador and recalled its own envoy from Phnom Penh in response to five Thai soldiers being injured by a landmine explosion in a disputed border area on July 23, the second such incident in a week. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is chairing Asean in 2025, has said Thailand and Cambodia have expressed willingness to agree to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, following a call with both leaders on July 24. Mr Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on July 25: 'I made it clear... that Cambodia agreed with his proposal for a ceasefire because Cambodia did not initiate this fighting.' But he said that, after an hour, the Thai government backtracked on its decision on the ceasefire. 'Therefore, the key to resolving the current armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is the genuine willingness of the Thai side to accept a ceasefire,' he said.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
International Planned Parenthood condemns plan to burn US-funded contraceptives
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
EU's von der Leyen says will meet Trump on Sunday to discuss trade
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst//File Photo BRUSSELS - EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday said she will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Scotland on Sunday to discuss trade relations between the European Union and the United States. "Following a good call with @POTUS, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong," von der Leyen said in a post on X. Trump on Friday said there was a 50-50 chance or perhaps less that the United States would reach a trade agreement with the European Union, saying Brussels wanted to "make a deal very badly". The European Commission on Thursday said a negotiated trade solution with the United States was within reach, even as EU members voted to approve counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109.01 billion) of U.S. goods in case the talks collapse. REUTERS