Kremlin says 'committed' to peace in Ukraine after Trump's new deadline
The US president earlier said he would slash his initial 50-day deadline to "about 10 or 12 days" and that he was not interested in talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin anymore.
"We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The SVO (special military operation) continues," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, using Russia's term for its offensive.
He also noted a slowdown in attempts to restore ties with the United States after Trump's comments.
"We would like to see more dynamics. We are interested in this. In order to move forward, we need impulses from both sides."
Multiple Russian strikes killed over two dozen people across Ukraine on Tuesday, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman and at least 16 inmates who died in a single strike on a prison.
But Peskov said Moscow still remained "committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Syrian FM on Moscow visit says wants Russia ‘by our side'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox MOSCOW - Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani said his country wants Russia 'by our side' and called for 'mutual respect' between the two nations following the overthrow of Syria's previous Moscow-backed government in 2024. Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian ally in the Middle East, reportedly fled to Moscow in 2024 after being ousted in a lightning rebel offensive that ended five decades of rule by the Assad family. Russia's naval base in Tartus and its air base at Hmeimim – both on Syria's Mediterranean coast – are Moscow's only official military outposts outside the former Soviet Union. 'The current period is full of various challenges and threats, but it is also an opportunity to build a united and strong Syria. And, of course, we are interested in having Russia by our side on this path,' he told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during a visit to Moscow, according to a Russian translation of his comments. 'But, of course, there are a number of factors that determine and complicate these relations on the ground,' Mr al Shaibani said, adding that the relations should be based on 'mutual respect'. It is unclear whether the new Islamist government, against whom Russia supported Assad's forces with airstrikes in the civil war, will allow Moscow to keep its bases in the country. Mr Lavrov said Russia was 'ready to provide the Syrian people with all possible assistance in post-conflict reconstruction.' AFP
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Cambodia urges Thailand to return soldiers taken in border clashes
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia called on Thailand on Thursday (Jul 31) to return 20 soldiers it said were taken captive hours after a ceasefire to halt the neighbours' bloodiest border clashes in decades. The two countries agreed a truce on Tuesday following five days of clashes that killed at least 43 people on both sides – the latest eruption of a long-standing dispute over contested border temples on their 800km frontier. Bangkok said there were no reports of violence during the night up to 7am, after both sides traded allegations of ceasefire breaches on Wednesday. Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thursday that talks were underway for the release of 20 soldiers. "We will do our best to continue negotiations with the Thai side in order to bring all our soldiers back home safely and as soon possible," she told a briefing. "We call on the Thai side to send all 20 military personnel back to Cambodia as soon as possible." The troops were captured around 7.50 am on Tuesday, she said, nearly eight hours after the ceasefire came into effect. Thailand's government said Wednesday the detained soldiers were being treated in line with international humanitarian law and military regulations, and would be returned when the border situation stabilises. UN rights chief Volker Turk urged the neighbouring nations to implement their ceasefire deal in full and take rapid steps to build confidence and peace. "This crucial agreement must be fully respected, in good faith, by both sides, as diplomatic efforts continue, in a bid to resolve the root causes of the conflict," he said. The agreement to stop fighting was sealed in Malaysia after an intervention by US President Donald Trump – who both Thailand and Cambodia are courting for a trade deal to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs. Nearly 300,000 people fled their homes as the two sides battled with jets, rockets and artillery along the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Thailand has said 15 of its soldiers and 15 civilians were killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths. The death toll is significantly higher than in the last major flare-up of violence on the border, when 28 were killed in sporadic fighting from 2008 to 2011.
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Straits Times
Explainer-Could the Palestinians become a full member of the United Nations?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gestures speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin (not pictured) as they meet at the Kremlin, in this file photo, in Moscow, Russia, 10 May 2025. Yuri Kochetkov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo UNITED NATIONS - Momentum seems to be building for more countries to recognize a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory after France said last week it would do so in September. Britain said Tuesday it would follow suit at the U.N. General Assembly unless Israel had taken steps to ease the Gaza crisis and bring about peace. The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where the delegation is officially known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and has no vote in the 193-member General Assembly. Here are some details about the status of the Palestinians at the United Nations: WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE PALESTINIANS AT THE U.N.? The Palestinians are a non-member, observer state at the United Nations - the same status as the Holy See (Vatican). The General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to "non-member state" from "entity." There were 138 votes in favor, nine against and 41 abstentions. WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR? Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating Singapore 3 taken to hospital after fire in Marsiling flat Singapore School, parents on alert after vape peddlers approach primary school pupil Singapore Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular among first-time home buyers in July HDB launch Sport Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore Singapore Jail, fine for man linked to case involving 3 bank accounts that received over $680m in total Singapore Provision shop owner who raped 11-year-old gets more than 14 years' jail Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made In May 2024, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full member by recognizing it as qualified to join and recommending the U.N. Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably." That resolution also granted the Palestinians some additional rights and privileges from September 2024 - like a seat among the U.N. members in the assembly hall. The May vote by the General Assembly amounted to a global survey of support for the Palestinian cause to become a full member - a move that would effectively recognize a Palestinian state - after the United States vetoed the step in the Security Council in April 2024. The Palestinians remain a non-member observer state as the 15-member Security Council has not acted on the General Assembly recommendation. HOW DOES THE UNITED NATIONS ADMIT NEW MEMBER STATES? Countries seeking to join the United Nations usually present an application to the U.N. secretary-general, who sends it to the Security Council for an assessment and vote. A council committee of the 15 members first assesses an application to see if it satisfies the requirements for U.N. membership. The application can then either be shelved or put forward for a formal vote in the Security Council. Approval requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the U.S., Russia, France, China or Britain. If the council approves the membership request, it then moves to the General Assembly for approval. A membership request needs a two-thirds majority to be cleared by the assembly. A country cannot join the United Nations unless both the Security Council and General Assembly approve. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PALESTINIAN APPLICATION IN 2011? A U.N. Security Council committee assessed the Palestinian application for several weeks to see if it satisfied requirements for U.N. membership. But the committee was unable to reach a unanimous position and the Security Council never formally voted on a resolution on Palestinian membership. Diplomats said the Palestinians lacked the minimum nine votes needed to adopt a resolution. Even if they had won enough support, the United States had said it would veto the move. WHAT IS THE U.S. POSITION? The United States, Israel's most powerful and influential ally, has said a Palestinian state can only be established through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The latest round of those negotiations broke down in 2014 and the process remains frozen, with prospects for revival dimmed further by the ongoing, devastating war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. Under U.S. law, Washington cannot fund any U.N. organization that grants full membership to any group that does not have the "internationally recognized attributes" of statehood. The United States cut funding in 2011 for the Paris-based U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, after the Palestinians joined as a full member. REUTERS
