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Europe
Bulgaria
18.02.2025 The US Embassy in Sofia and Bulgaria’s delegation to NATO sent questions to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry asking which countries could contribute to guarantees for Kyiv, whether they were ready to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peaceful solution to the conflict, and what the size of any European-led force should be. The ministry said that any decision to send soldiers to Ukraine is entirely within the jurisdiction of parliament. Bulgarian President Radev said today that he strongly opposes his nation sending troops to Ukraine in any form. "As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I am categorically against Bulgaria sending soldiers to Ukraine in any form. I expect the government and the National Assembly to state clearly and unequivocally that Bulgaria will not send troops." Radev said Bulgaria has been against participating in this war from the beginning. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)
France
(Tuesday), 18.02.2025 Too early to discuss sending troops to Ukraine, French foreign minister Barrot said after an emergency summit hosted by French President Macron in Paris. ‘We will continue to increase the cost of war for Putin,’ he added. It is too early to say what would be the guarantees, he told. Barrot announced that Europe would be imposing a new set of sanctions next Monday. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)
(18 February 2025) Long shadows over the stability of this continent - Europe's leaders divided over their tactics with Trump. Europe was - it still is - smarting at being sidelined. The head of the West's defence alliance Nato, European Union chiefs and leaders of Europe's most influential military nations scrambled together at speed, held emergency talks in Paris to discuss the war in Ukraine. To impress Trump, to elbow themselves a seat at the negotiating table at the peace talks he plans with Russia's Putin to discuss the future of Ukraine. Yes, they say they'll spend more on their own defence, ’as Trump demands’. Despite domestic concerns about limited government budgets and a cost of living crisis. The Paris meeting even discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to oversee an eventual ceasefire - unthinkable even a few weeks ago for Europe. That's what the US president wants. ’Those leaders in Paris failed to deliver a strong, united, sum-it-up-in-a-line-tweet response, that might have made the impatient businessman-cum-US president sit up and really take notice’. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that there must be equal division between the US and Europe on responsibilities in Ukraine. He is far from alone amongst European leaders, who suspect Trump is in a hurry to wash his hands of Ukraine and pivot his attention elsewhere. Perhaps China? They worry too that Europe may now need to defend itself against him and his policies. The UK prime minister is openly keen to use the 'special relationship' the UK hopes it still has with Washington ’as a bridge between Europe and the US’. Sir Keir hopes to grab a window of opportunity to press Europe's case when he heads to Washington for a meeting of his own with the US president next week. The US must stay by its allies' side, the prime minister has declared. If it doesn't, Europe's leaders will have to keep meeting untill they can agree a way forward for Ukraine and their common security. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
February 18, 2025 Three hours of emergency talks in Paris without a common view 'on possible peacekeeping troops' - an informal meeting of leaders from some European Union nations and the United Kingdom. They react on response to US criticism of its NATO allies after last week top U.S. officials from the Trump administration, on their first visit to Europe, left the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its European allies. Vice President Vance and Defense Secretary Hegseth in a flurry of speeches questioned both Europe’s security commitments and its fundamental democratic principles. Moscow and Washington said there was no role for Europe in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “I don’t know what they have to do at the negotiations table,” Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said as he arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with U.S. officials. Gen. Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said yesterday he didn’t think it was “reasonable and feasible to have everybody sitting at the table.” “We know how that can turn out and that has been our point, is keeping it clean and fast as we can,” he told in Brussels, where he briefed the 31 U.S. allies in NATO, along with EU officials, before heading to Kyiv for talks tomorrow with Zelenskyy. Shortly before the meeting in Paris, Macron spoke by phone with Trump - a 20-minute discussion. Highlighting the inconsistencies among many nations about potential troop contributions, Scholz said talk of boots on the ground was “premature.” Starmer will travel to Washington next week to discuss with Trump. Macron - who has long championed a stronger European defense - said he spoke to Zelenskyy following the meeting. (Source: AP – U.S.)
Germany
18/02/2025 A guide to Germany's 'colour-coded' party politics ahead of key election. Every German party is traditionally associated with a colour. Germany's main parties, their colours, leaders and what they stand for: Red: Social Democratic Party (SPD), the centre-left party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 66 is Germany's oldest with origins in the mid-1800s. The SPD prides itself on its principled opposition to the Nazis before it was banned and its members exiled. Prominent former SPD chancellors include Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schroeder. SPD’s key demands are fair wages, pensions and social benefits. Party lore says that dialogue with Moscow, rather than confrontation, helped end the Cold War. Black: Christian Democratic Union (CDU, Germany's main conservative party, now led by former corporate lawyer Merz, 69, prioritises boosting the economy, law and order and traditional social values. Well-known former CDU chancellors include Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl, dubbed the father of Germany's 1990 reunification. Merz has promised to steer the party back to its right-wing roots, away from the more centrist course charted by former chancellor Angela Merkel. He has vowed to strongly restrict irregular immigration and perhaps bring back nuclear energy, phased out under Merkel. CDU is in a permanent alliance with Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) led by Soeder. Yellow: Free Democratic Party (FDP) promotes liberal economic policies and small government. FDP ’s leader, former finance minister Lindner, 46, provoked government crisis and Scholz fired him on November 6. FDP has had a key role in building and bringing down governments as Germany's main third party. In 1982 the FDP switched sides, bringing down Schmidt, who was replaced by Kohl. It sees itself as a watchdog against government overreach, bureaucracy and red tape.The FDP is sometimes mocked as the party of the rich. Green: Alliance 90/The Greens . The party emerged out of the environmental, anti-nuclear and peace protest movement of the 1970s. Vice Chancellor Habeck, 55, is the top election candidate of the Greens. The first Green MPs in Bundestag showed up in knitted pullovers and put their feet on the benches in the early 1980s. The current alliance was built in 1993 with activist groups from the formerly East Germany. The party of Foreign Minister Baerbock advocates strong military support for Ukraine against Russia. Blue: Alternative for Germany (AfD). The ’far-right’ party started off a decade ago as Eurosceptic but has since embraced a virulent anti-immigration agenda. With its top candidate Weidel, 46, the AfD has been polling at 20 percent, with most of its support in the east. AfD railed against Merkel's 2015 green light to allow in more than a million migrants, many from war-torn Syria. AfD politicians tend to doubt climate change, hold ’pro-Moscow’ positions and support Trump whose ally Musk has strongly backed the party. Some AfD key figures have used Nazi-era phrases, and ’the domestic security service consider parts of the party as an extremist group, fuelling calls to ban it’. Other parties have committed to an anti-AfD ’firewall’, pledged not to cooperate with it. Merz breached this in late January to pass a motion calling for an immigration crackdown. Violet: Linke and Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).’Hard-left’ politician Wagenknecht, 55, left the Die Linke party to form a party a year ago named after herself. She labels the party left-wing conservative - pro-poor and sceptical of immigration. Wagenknecht, who grew up in East, promotes anti-capitalist views and opposes NATO and US bases in Germany. BSW, after strong regional election gains, is hovering around five percent again, while the Linke has gained support among young people. Scholz's collapsed red-yellow-green coalition was dubbed the "traffic light" government. In 2017 Germany almost got a black-yellow-green "Jamaica" coalition, before the FDP pulled out of talks. Polling suggests Germany could next be headed for a CDU-led "black-red" grand coalition with the SPD. If the FDP were to join in, their colours would match the national standard, creating a "Germany" coalition. If instead the Greens joined, this would lead to a black-red-green "Kenya" coalition. Also seen at the state level before, but highly unlikely at the national level, is a black-red-violet alliance of the CDU, SPD and BSW, dubbed the "blackberry". (Source: France24 / AFP = France)
18 February 2025 US and Russian officials have today held the first of peace talks in Saudi Arabia, forcing European countries to determine their role as a matter of urgency. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ‘European nations must step up’ which also means ’being ready to send British troops if necessary’. ’France suggested assembling a ‘reassurance’ force of up to 30,000 troops behind a future peace line in Ukraine to which it would contribute up to 10,000 men and women’. Scholz left the meeting visibly annoyed, telling reporters that such debates were „premature” and „highly inappropriate”. Three years ago, he promised a turning point for Germany. A special fund of €100 billion was made available to boost the country’s depleted military, and Berlin pledged to spend over 2 per cent of its GDP on defence annually. If he won unexpectedly the German elections this Sunday, Scholz’s strategy would be to borrow more money to give to Ukraine. Germany is indeed spending a lot of money on reviving its dilapidated Bundeswehr and has become Ukraine’s second-largest aid provider. But Scholz has never put credible conviction behind the idea that his country stands ready ’to defend Europe from Russian aggression’. The Zeitendwende has been largely about money, not a genuine change in attitude. He has previously ruled out sending German troops. When ’the Green Foreign Minister Baerbock suggested in December to commit German troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine’, his response was to criticise her as „irresponsible” because nobody was asking this question at the moment. There would certainly be vocal opposition to German boots standing ready against Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Historical alarm bells would ring loud in German ears and trigger demonstrations. When one of Scholz’s SPD predecessors, Helmut Schmidt, ’allowed more American nuclear weapons to be stationed in Germany' in 1979, this triggered huge peace protests for years. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in 1983 when a young Olaf Scholz wrote essays about what he saw as an aggressive-imperialist Nato strategy. No German chancellor would have an easy time dragging the country out of its comforting conviction that it would never have to be war-ready again. ’Pandering’ to platonic ideals of pacifism are latent in German society due to the guilt and trauma of two world wars. Such moves are part of his cultivated image of ‘Besonnenheit’ – ‘prudence’, which in practice translates into drip-feeding aid (albeit significant amounts) into Ukraine while knowingly giving the impression that Germany would never go beyond that. Trump’s push for a peace deal will require a clear stance from Germany very soon. The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which currently polls in second place prefers a lenient approach towards Russia with which it wants to restore ‘undisturbed trade’. Scholz recently blocked a €3 billion boost to military aid for Ukraine proposed by the Foreign Ministry. 'Merz is the man likely to succeed him'. It was his conservative CDU/CSU that rebuilt the (West) German military after the second world war as the front line of Nato’s deterrence against the Soviet Union. Merz has said he wants to ensure that Germany can spend 2 per cent of GDP on it long-term and then look at whether this can be boosted further. Whether the untested Merz will show more conviction and determination than his predecessor remains to be seen. At the Munich Security Conference this weekend, Merz also said: ‘I fully agree with all those who are demanding more leadership from Germany.’ For much of the Cold War, West Germany spent between 3 and 5 per cent of its GDP on defence, successfully contributing to keeping the peace for decades of high tension. Merz has avoided making Ukraine a major campaign topic. Merz will likely end up in a coalition with either the Greens or the SPD, possibly both. The Greens have been the most hawkish on defence. Their chancellor candidate Habeck has suggested boosting spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. In the SPD, Scholz might well step down 'in favour of his current defence minister Pistorius, who didn’t rule out Bundeswehr troops in Ukraine when asked in December'. Polls suggest that might put his party in third place with as little as 15 per cent of the vote. So there is political headroom for Merz on this issue. ’Half of Germans said in a poll that they would be in favour of Bundeswehr contributions to a peace force in Ukraine. That’s almost the same as the proportion of people in the UK according to a recent survey’ Germany’s next chancellor has a real opportunity ’to do what Scholz promised and never delivered: to create a strong, fighting-fit Germany in the centre of Europe to help deter Russian aggression'. (Source: The Spectator, a weekly news magazine – United Kingdom)
by Hoyer, an Anglo-German historian. Her latest book is Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990.
European Union
18.02.2025 Stating that the EU should take its policy in areas such as security and sanctions into its own hands in the era of US President Trump, EU commissioner for economic affairs Dombrovskis said before a meeting of EU member state finance ministers in Brussels: 'Work is underway to prepare the 16th sanctions package against Russia'. 'We are currently working on ways to provide more flexibility for defense spending under the EU's financial rules and options for providing additional funding for defense at the EU level,' he said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Russia
Feb 18, 2025 Seven explosive-packed drones yesterday hit a pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which carries Kazakh oil across southern Russia for export via the Black Sea, including to western Europe. The Ukrainian drone attack on the major oil export pipeline could reduce export volumes by almost a third over the next two months, Transneft, Russia's state controlled pipeline operator said today. The 1,500-kilometre pipeline is owned by a consortium in which the Russian and Kazakh governments as well as Western energy majors Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell hold stakes. It carries around 80 percent of Kazakhstan's crude oil exports and about one percent of total global supply. Three-quarters of the 63 million tonnes that flowed through the pipeline last year were pumped by Western energy companies, Transneft said today. Heavily reliant on Russian infrastructure, the Central Asian Kazakh nation has stepped up efforts to diversify its energy export routes amid the Ukraine offensive. Kyiv has targeted Russia's energy infrastructure throughout the three-year conflict, seeking to hit sites it says supply fuel to Moscow's army or provides funds to support its offensive. (Source:Barron's - U.S. / Agence France-Presse)
18 February 2025 Putin 'ready to meet Zelenskyy', Moscow says as Russia-US peace talks underway - but Zelenskyy’s legitimacy can be questioned. Russia would not stand in the way of Kyiv joining the European Union, Peskov continued. /Photo/ (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)
Europe
18 Feb 2025 First a call, now a meeting. The EU is trying to find its way to a table. Trump’s call with President Putin last week came as an unwelcome shock to US allies in Europe. Top American and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia today. It marks a significant turnaround in US policy. Ukrainian and other European officials were notably absent from the meeting. The US has signalled it may support Russia keeping territory it has captured and denying NATO membership to Ukraine. It would want European and other non-US troops to take responsibility for monitoring any deal, with the US weighing how much support it would offer. Zelenskyy, who was visiting his counterpart in Turkey at the time of Russian-US talks, said he did not know ahead of time that the Saudi meeting was scheduled. European leaders are starting to realise that they have a problem. Trump is doing geopolitics in a hyper-transactional way. Kellogg, Trump's Ukraine envoy who did not attend the Saudi gathering, has assured European and Ukrainian officials that no one will impose a deal on Ukraine. He urged European counterparts get involved by coming up with concrete proposals and ’investing more in defence'. The EU has to agree with 27, Europe cannot speak credibly with one voice. A day ahead of the US-Russian meeting, French President Macron convened an emergency summit in Paris with six EU member states, EU officials and the United Kingdom. It ended inconclusively, with no consensus on what European countries might substantively contribute. The idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine has proven divisive. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed some support, along with Sweden and Denmark. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected boots on the ground. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk did, too. There was more agreement on following Poland's lead on defence spending. European Commission President ’der Leyen suggested the EU could temporarily waive strict budget rules to allow for it’. "Macron and Tusk have disagreements over the EU's role in a post-war Ukraine". Adding to the European disunity was criticism of how few European countries Macron invited. The Baltics, despite their geographic proximity to Russia and robust Ukraine policy, were not present. EU members with a mixed record confronting Russia, such as Hungary, were also absent. (Source: The Parliament Magazine – a monthy magazine, based in Brussels, Belgium, owned by a British company, United Kingdom)
by Van Rensbergen
Africa
Egypt
February 18, 2025 An extraordinary Arab League meeting on Gaza, initially set for next week, has been postponed to March 4, host Egypt said today. The new date was agreed with Arab League members as part of substantive and logistical preparations for the summit. (Source: Business Recorder - Pakistan)
Asia
Saudi Arabia
Tue 18 Feb 2025 Zelensky said he had postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia planned for tomorrow and that talks on how to end the war with Russia could not be held behind Ukraine's back. (Source: Irish Independent - Ireland)
18 February 2025 A stern-faced US Secretary of State Rubio, in office for less than a month, sat across from Lavrov, who has been Russia's foreign minister for more than two decades. The superpowers met in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv or the EU. Isolated by the West for three years, Russia is hoping for a "restoration" of ties with the US and a comeback to the international arena. The continent's defences were raised as part of the talks in Riyadh, Russia told the United States today that settling the war in Ukraine required a reorganisation of Europe's defence agreements. Before invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has long called for the withdrawal of NATO forces from and eastern Europe, viewing the alliance as an existential threat on its flank. "A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent," Kremlin spokesman Peskov told today. Europe, alarmed by Trump's overhaul of US policy on Russia, fears Washington re-write the continent's security arrangement in a Cold War-style deal between superpowers. European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris a day earlier, but struggled to put on a united front. "I don't think that people should view this as something that is about details or moving forward in some kind of a negotiation," US State Department spokesperson Bruce said. Russia's Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss "how to start negotiations on Ukraine". The sides will also discuss a possible Putin-Trump summit. Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but has thus far presented no concrete plan. The US has urged both sides that concessions will have to be made if any peace talks materialise. Russia on the eve of the summit said there cannot be even a "thought" on it giving up territory seized from Ukraine. Speeches by Trump's officials were indicating Washington does not see Moscow as a threat. The EU said it still wants to "partner" with the US on any truce talks. Trump's administration has given no clear answer on whether the EU would take part and Moscow has said it sees no point in Europe having a seat at the table. ’Financially and militarily, Europe has brought more to the table than anyone else’, the president of the European Commission, der Leyen, said on social media. ’We want to partner with the US to deliver a just and lasting peace for Ukraine’. Key Russian ally China welcomed "efforts towards peace" today. "At the same time, we hope that all parties and stakeholders can participate," foreign ministry spokesman Guo said. Russia has presented cautious optimism on the talks. The Kremlin said today that Ukraine had the right to join the European Union, but not the NATO military alliance. It also said Putin was ready to negotiate with Zelensky "if necessary", questioning his "legitimacy". Zelensky is due in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, though said he does not plan to meet with US or Russian officials. Moscow negotiator Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund told Russian state TV from Riyadh today he expects progress in talks on the economic front -- seeking the removal of Western sanctions -- in the next two-three months. (Source: Times of Malta / AFP - France)
2025. febr. 18. “The discussion was very positive,” the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Dmitriev, said in a brief interview at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, where the talks are being held. /Video/ (Source: The Semafor, a news website, its organization is based in New York City / X = U.S.)
18 Feb 2025 Ready to be carved up? Ukraine on the surgeon's operating table. Top US and Russian diplomats were meeting in Saudi Arabia. Following the meeting, it was confirmed US and Russia have agreed to appoint high level teams to begin working on ending the war in Ukraine, according to the US State Department. They said both countries need to "establish a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalise the operation of our respective diplomatic missions." The countries look to strike a deal which benefits them economically. President Trump is after material gains for the US – especially Ukraine’s mineral resources. Currently, China dominates supply chains of rare earth metals - used in military technologies for example. China is the US’ ultimate target, the global context of the talks with Russia. Trump says he wants at least $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth deposits, around half of which actually lie in territories currently occupied by Russia. In return, Trump offers Ukraine security. Hence, the talks with Russia, to try and do a ‘deal, Head of Department of International Politics at City, University of London, Professor Parmar said. "Given what we know about the Trump administration’s material goals, hence desire to grab Greenland, Panama, Canada, etc – and Trump’s deal-maker personality – the war in Ukraine has little to do with defending democracy or sovereignty: it is a struggle for resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if not more. Trump also wants Ukraine to buy more US liquid natural gas". Mr Indeerjet added: "Ukraine increasingly resembles a body on the US, EU and Russian surgeon’s operating table”. This deal is likely to exclude or subordinate Europeans’ interests in the same minerals. As the EU foreign policy head, Kallas, noted recently, the EU has poured large amounts of aid into Ukraine and does not want to see Russia taking Ukrainian territories, the US securing natural resources, and Europe paying the bill. (Mirror – United Kingdom)
2/18/2025 The talks in Saudi Arabia saw the U.S. and Russian sides broadly agree on three key objectives, according to reports: the establishment of closer relations and economic cooperation, the formation of a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow. In a statement, Rubio stressed that the talks marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done. Lavrov seemed to echo Rubio’s sentiment as he said that “the conversation was very useful… We not only listened, but also heard each other.” United States military volunteers - former U.S. military servicemembers - fighting on Kyiv’s side for nearly three years, have branded President Trump over his private phone call with President Putin the previous week, Knewz.com has learned. (Source: MSN / Knewz = U.S.)
18/02/2025 US delegation addresses reporters following talks with Russian delegation. /18 min Video/ (Source: France 24)
(18 February 2025) Three Americans and three Russians made up the two teams at the talks in Saudi Arabia that have underscored an end to Western isolation of Moscow. The men described the meeting as preparing the groundwork for broader "high-level" talks. They agreed to reset their countries' diplomatic relations. US Secretary of State Rubio had already spoken to his veteran Russian counterpart Lavrov over the phone three days before the talks took place. He said after today's meeting he was convinced Russia was ready for a "serious process" to end the war and the two countries would resume diplomatic relations. Rubio has long sought an end to the war in Ukraine and voted against a $6bn US military aid package in 2024. He sees China as America's biggest adversary and believes Beijing is happy for the US to be ’bogged down in Europe’. Rubio has cautioned that "one meeting is not going to solve [the war]". He made clear that both Ukraine and Europe will have to be involved too: "No-one is being sidelined here." National Security Adviser Waltz spoke after the talks of pushing for a permanent, not a temporary end to the war. He suggested at the weekend that US deserves "some type of payback" for the billions it has paid out to Ukraine since it began. He thinks Ukraine should share its mineral wealth in partnership with the US "in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas". Waltz believe that Europeans have to ’own this conflict’ in terms of future security guarantees. Witkoff was the man Trump chose to send to Moscow only last week for talks with Putin. Ostensibly, he's Trump's Middle East envoy, but clearly the president's former golf partner is far more significant than that and he is being seen as the president's loyal and favoured dealmaker. He was part of talks on forging Israel's ceasefire with Hamas but was then sent to Russia to help with the exchange of US prisoner Fogel for a Russian, Vinnik, in jail in America. Russia chose two top diplomats for this initial exchange of views. Both are veterans and know the US well: Putin foreign policy adviser Ushakov and Lavrov, foreign minister since 2004. It has been up to Lavrov to convey Moscow's message. Explaining that the US delegation had proposed a halt to attacks on energy facilities, Lavrov said Russia had never targeted Ukraine's civilian supply. A cruel denial of the truth. When he took part in doomed ceasefire talks with Ukraine shortly after the full-scale war began, Lavrov even denied there had been an invasion. As former ambassador to the US, 77-year-old Ushakov has a good idea of how to talk to Washington. Within days of Trump's return to the White House he made clear Russia was ready for talks if the US sent "relevant signals". Days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he accused the Biden administration of peak ’hysteria’ in suggesting Russian troops were preparing to go to war. A third Russian was not in the room at that point, but Dmitriev's presence in the delegation is a mark of just how important Putin sees the economic potential of the Saudi talks. Dmitriev, 49, is head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund and later joined his colleagues to discuss economic relations. "We also need to make joint projects, including, for example, in the Arctic Region, and in other areas," he told. Dmitriev played a key role in working with Witkoff in the prisoner exchange that preceded Trump's phone-call with Putin last week, along with Saudi Arabia's Salman. Dmitriev has close connections to Putin's family - his wife is close to one of Putin's daughters. Few Russians know America's finance and business sector better than Dmitriev, as a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs and a graduate of Harvard Business School. Although he is adamant Russia's economy is doing well, 43% of the budget is going on the war and internal security, inflation is just under 10% and interest rates have hit 21%. The two Saudi hosts chaired the start of the meeting but did not stay in the room. Foreign Minister Prince Farhan has played an active role as top Saudi diplomat this year, visiting Lebanon and Europe and hosting an international meeting aimed at lifting sanctions on Syria. Saudi national security adviser Aiban has also played a prominent part in promoting Saudi ties with Syria's new leader Sharaa. Although Crown Prince Salman takes the lead on foreign policy, these two men are regularly by his side. (Source: BBC – United Kingdom)
18 February 2025 4:08 pm Earlier this month, Trump disrupted U.S. policy on Ukraine and Russia by stating that he and Putin had reached an agreement to start talks on ending the conflict. Senior Russian and U.S. officials gathered in Saudi Arabia today negotiating a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine - another essential step by the Trump administration to reverse US policy on isolating Russia. It is meant to pave the way for a meeting between US President Trump and Russian President Putin. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs adviser Ushakov arrived in the Saudi capital yesterday night. Ushakov said the talks would be purely bilateral and would not include Ukrainian officials. “Only together can Russia and the US tackle numerous global challenges, resolve international conflicts, and provide solutions," Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, whom the Kremlin indicated might participate in the meeting, emphasized the significance of the gathering before the discussions. Dmitriev mentioned that he and his team would concentrate on economic matters during the talks. The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al Arabiya, citing the Russian delegation, described Moscow's priority as “real normalization with Washington”. US Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Adviser Waltz, and Special Envoy Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation. Writing in the London-based but Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al Awsat, journalist Dhaidi described the summit as a major step on the international political chess arena, revealing the status of Saudi Arabia and its positive influence. In the neighboring United Arab Emirates, the prince also has maintained close relations with Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically as well. The recent US diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won't be favourable to them. Zelenskyy will likely travel to Saudi Arabia later this week. France convened an urgent meeting of some European Union nations and the UK yesterday to determine how to react. (Source: Outlook India, „with AP inputs”)
Turkey
18.02.2025 Turkish President Erdogan holds talks with Ukrainian counterpart in Ankara - meeting at the invitation of Erdogan. /Photo/ (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
North America
Canada
18 February 2025 The moment Delta plane crash lands and flips over on icy runway in near-disaster as all 80 passengers survive. /Video/ (Source: Daily Mail - United Kingdom)
United States
Feb 18, 2025 White House has recently said that Musk does not have “formal authority to make government decisions” and by no means a formal employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Yesterday, a filing by Fisher, Director of the Office of Administration, clarified that "Mr Musk is an employee of the White House... a non-career Special Government Employee" and retains the title of "Senior Advisor to the President." "Like any other senior advisor to the President, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself," Fisher said. "The U.S. DOGE Service is part of the Executive Office of the President. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization exists within the U.S. DOGE Service. Neither is part of the Office of the White House," Fisher continued. "Mr Musk is an employee of the White House Office. He is not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. Mr. Musk is not the Temporary Administrator," Fisher added. (Source: Hindustan Times - India; "With inputs from AFP" - France)
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