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Europe
Albania
17. 05. 2025 European Political Community Summit in Tirana. Europe stands ready to preserve peace and enhance the prosperity of the continent, stated the participants of the Sixth Summit of the European Political Community, which took place in Tirana on 16 May. The meeting brought together heads of state and government leaders from 47 European countries, along with senior representatives of key European and international institutions. Three high-level roundtables took place around the following topics: Europe’s security and democratic resilience, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; competitiveness and economic security; and mobility challenges and youth empowerment. In his address, Albania's PM Edi Rama called for a new European vision that went beyond military security. “The enemies of peace should not drag us into the glorification of weapons. Here in the Balkans, we have survived war, bombs, territorial conflicts, destruction, and disruption. It happened in our lifetimes, not in some distant black-and-white documentary archive. And we have learned that peace has no competitors. Perhaps, that is why hope in that other Europe is greatest here”, Rama stressed. (Source: European Western Balkans – headquarters Belgrade, Serbia)
Ukraine
Saturday 17 May 2025 Since U.S.-brokered talks began in March, Ukraine’s strategy has been to convince the Trump administration that Putin is unreliable and that Kyiv is serious about peace. All along, Zelenskyy's message, directed at the Trump administration, has been: The Russian leader cannot be trusted. But the political theatrics are underscored by stark realities on the ground. In this war of attrition against Russia's invasion, Ukraine’s position is poised to grow weaker as time goes on, unless powerful sanctions are imposed against Moscow and the U.S. continues arms deliveries. ’They're desperate to keep the Americans on their side,’ said Jarabik, an analyst specializing in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. Russia’s position has remained mostly consistent. The Kremlin kept repeating that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine - while making demands that were politically untenable for Zelenskyy, and would require Ukraine to make territorial concessions, neutralize its army and vow never to join NATO. Throughout the war, Moscow has also accused Kyiv and its Western allies of seeking to prolong the fighting and derailing peace efforts. Most recently, Russian officials underscore the effort to resolve the conflict is complex. “We understand that Washington wants to achieve quick success in this process, but at the same time we hope that there is an understanding that the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is too complicated, there are many questions and details that need to be addressed before the settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov told last month. The Istanbul talks were demoted to a technical meeting yesterday that failed to yield substantial results on ending the war. Putin’s no-show did not result in a strong reaction from Trump, which frustrated Ukrainian officials. The U.S. has expressed frustration with the stalled talks. Yesterday, Trump told reporters after boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Abu Dhabi that he may call Putin soon. “He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it, or maybe not,” Trump said. “At least we’ll know. And if we don’t solve it, it’ll be very interesting.” Ukraine is asking for an unconditional temporary ceasefire, during which time future diplomatic talks can take shape. Zelenskyy has expressed support for a sanctions package pushed in the U.S. Congress by Republican Sen. Graham 'that could impose 500% tariffs on Russian energy imports'. There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions against Russia’s energy sector and banks, Zelenskyy said at a European summit in Albania yesterday. For Ukrainian soldiers fighting along the 1,000-kilometer front line the theatricality of the week’s political developments stood in harsh contrast with the grinding war. Better to call it a circus, said a Ukrainian drone operator with the 68th brigade who gave only his call sign Goose. Russia likely gearing up for summer fighting campaign. “The feeling is that we will either hold out and allow the political leadership of the country to freeze the conflict along the contact line, or the enemy will break through,” said a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign Corsair Denis in the Sumy region. Russian forces recently intensified offensive operations in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, according to Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces spokesperson. Soldiers said Russia has a clear aim of reaching the borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region, to be able to claim the capture of two out of four partially occupied territories. Analysts say Russia is at a crucial crossroads in the war, where it can negotiate a truce and consolidate gains, or launch a summer military campaign to maximize wins before the onset of winter. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
’Litvinova contributed from Tallinn, Estonia’.
Ukraine
May 17, 2025 A Russian drone struck a passenger bus in Bilopillia city in northeastern Sumy region in Ukraine, around 10 kilometers from the front line and border with Russia, killing nine people and injuring four others. The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred. Yesterday, Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Turkey in an attempt to reach a temporary ceasefire, but the talks ended after less than two hours without a breakthrough. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. Zelenskyy was in Tirana, Albania, yesterday. He met with French President Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the second for the group since May 10. (Source: ABC News / Associated Press = U.S.)
Asia
Gaza
May 17, 2025, 04:48 PM Israel’s airforce killed at least 58 Palestinians in new attacks on Gaza overnight, as the country appeared set to press ahead with a new ground offensive. More than 300 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes since May 15, according to local health authorities. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore)
(Saturday) 17/05/2025 - 10:40 The Israeli military said today it had launched extensive strikes in the Gaza Strip over the past day as part of the initial stages of a fresh offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory. More than 300 Gazans have been killed in Israeli strikes since Thursday. (Source: France 24)
05/17/2025, 10.10 The Israeli army has announced that it launched large-scale strikes in the past 24 hours, marking the “initial phases” of the Gideon’s Chariots operation, which involves troops taking control of strategic areas in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians were forced to evacuate areas in northern Gaza following orders by Israeli forces, while indiscriminate airstrikes have killed at least 115 people since dawn yesterday. (Source: AsiaNews, an official press agency of the Catholic Church's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) - headquarters Roma, Italy)
Pakistan
17.05.25 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has publicly acknowledged that Indian ballistic missiles struck the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi and other key military sites during Operation Sindoor. Satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies later showed damage at multiple locations. Images captured on April 25 and May 10 indicated structural damage at four sites - Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad. (Source: Telegraph India)
Turkey
17 May 2025 Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul. In its messaging ahead of the talks, the Russian side depicted the talks as a return to the failed Istanbul negotiations of early 2022. The implied message was that the Ukrainians could have taken what the Russians offered then, and now, after the loss of so much human life, they were back to where they started. Much is still unknown about the 2022 peace talks and they remain highly contentious. But what is known is that they produced something called the Istanbul Communiqué, a draft treaty that would have declared Ukraine a permanently neutral state, meaning it would agree to never host foreign military bases or to join Nato. Further, the proposed treaty listed a number of potential guarantors of Ukraine’s future security, including the permanent members of the Security Council, (including Russia), Canada, Turkey, Poland, Belarus, and Italy. These states would be obliged to assist the Ukrainians in restoring peace in the event of an attack on its territory. The Communique envisioned a path for the country’s eventual EU membership. There were also some glaring omissions. Most significantly, the Communique did not address the burning issue of territory and borders. The Russian side has claimed that both sides were close to an agreement, but that it was ultimately thwarted by Boris Johnson, who purportedly pressured the Ukrainians not to sign because he wanted them to fight in order to weaken Russia at any cost. Though Western leaders were indeed skeptical of the talks, and Johnson reportedly told Zelensky that any deal with the Russians would deliver the Kremlin a victory of sorts, the West’s main issue with the treaty was reportedly that it would have necessitated engaging Russia diplomatically in order to hammer out the specifics of Ukraine’s security guarantees. And neither direct diplomatic engagement with Russia nor the provision of security guarantees were things the West was interested in doing. The Ukrainians were also infuriated by the discovery of Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, in the city of Bucha. Further, Russia’s failure to take Kyiv convinced Zelensky that with sufficient Western military aid, ’Ukraine could win the war’. In another nod to 2022, the Russian delegation would once again be led by the Ukraine-born Russian nationalist and Kremlin aide Medinsky. The Russians are reportedly looking at any potential settlement on Ukraine as part of a larger grand bargain with the Americans, one that would also keep the Trump administration onside. From the outside, all the diplomatic activity of Turkey looks impressive: just this week, it hosted Russia-Ukraine talks, nuclear talks between the Europeans and Iran, and the Nato foreign ministers’ meeting. Though this week’s peace talks failed to deliver peace, at the end of yesterday, it was announced the Russia and Ukraine had agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, the largest of the war. It wasn’t peace; it wasn’t even a ceasefire, but 'it was more than nothing'. As this week’s peace talks failed to deliver, Trump asserted that no deal on Ukraine was possible until he met with Putin. And perhaps he’s right. (Source: The New Statesman - United Kingdom)
North America
17/05/2025, Saturday US President Trump said yesterday that he has to come together with Putin to end the Ukraine war. "I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we'll make a deal. We have to get together, and I think we'll probably schedule it up," Trump told in Abu Dhabi. "I think Putin is tired of this whole thing," he said, adding he would use leverage if he had to. "Nobody uses leverage better than me," he added. Istanbul hosted Russia-Ukraine talks yesterday to advance peace efforts between the two countries which resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side as a confidence-building measure. Turkish FM Fidan said Ukrainian and Russian officials agreed in principle to meet again for negotiations on a ceasefire. Trump said he is tired of having other people "go and meet and everything else." (Source: Yeni Safak / Anadolu Agency = Turkey)
May 17, 2025 Axios obtained the audio of former President Biden's October 2023 interviews with special counsel Hur. /Audio - 5 h 10 min/ (Source: YouTube - U.S.)
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