Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close

Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, Russia, April 25, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS)
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Updated 27 April 2025
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Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close

Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war, a day after saying a deal was close
  • “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said
  • “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?”

ROME: President Donald Trump said Saturday that he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were ” very close to a deal.”
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.

 

The new doubts aired by Trump come as the president and top aides intensify their push to come to a deal to end the war that began in February 2022 when Russian invaded Ukraine.
The comments also sharply contrasted with Trump’s positive assessment that the two sides were “very close to a deal” after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had met with Putin in Moscow on Friday.
The Trump-Zelensky conversation on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral was first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at the White House in late February. That confrontation led to the White House to briefly pause US military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Days after ordering the pause, Trump also announced he was “strongly considering” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia to try to prod Putin to negotiate in earnest. Trump has not yet followed through on the threat — something even some of his staunch Republican allies are now pressuring him to do.
It’s the second time a matter of days that Trump has rebuked Putin, whom the American president rarely publicly criticizes.
On Thursday, Trump publicly urged the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
After their brief meeting Saturday, Zelensky’s office had said the US and Ukrainian teams were making arrangements for the leaders to talk again Saturday. But Trump went directly to the Rome airport after the funeral and boarded Air Force One for the 10-hour flight back to the United States.
Zelensky’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, said Trump and Zelensky did not meet again in person because of their tight schedules.
Zelensky called it a “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.
“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he said on X. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you.”
The White House called the discussion “very productive” and said it would release more details later. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before Trump and Zelensky took their seats at the outdoor funeral service.
The Vatican long ago had offered to help facilitate peace talks and Francis had regularly called for peace and dialogue from the altar of the basilica. That Trump and Zelensky spoke privately, face to face and hunched over on chairs on the marbled floors of the pope’s home, on the day of his funeral, was perhaps a fitting way to honor his wishes.
Trump said on social media, after he arrived in Italy late Friday, that Russia and Ukraine should meet for “very high level talks” on ending the war.
Neither Putin nor Zelensky have commented Trump’s calls for direct talks.
Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to an agreement to end the war, but while Zelensky agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, Russia has not signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.
Putin did not attend Francis’ funeral. He faces an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which has accused him of war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in a statement Friday night, Zelensky said “very significant meetings may take place” in the coming days, and that an unconditional ceasefire was needed.
“Real pressure on Russia is needed so that they accept either the American proposal to cease fire and move toward peace, or our proposal — whichever one can truly work and ensure a reliable, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire, and then — a dignified peace and security guarantees,” he said.
“Diplomacy must succeed. And we are doing everything to make diplomacy truly meaningful and finally effective.”
The meeting Saturday also came shortly after Trump had issued his most definitive statement to date about the need for Ukraine to give up territory to Russia to bring the war to a close. He said in a Time magazine interview published Friday that “Crimea will stay with Russia.”
Russia seized the strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine in 2014, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022. Zelensky wants to regain Crimea and other Ukrainian territory seized by Russia, but Trump considers that demand to be unrealistic.
Referring to Crimea during the interview, which was conducted at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time,” meaning Russia.


Seoul slaps travel bans on two former acting presidents: Yonhap

Updated 12 sec ago
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Seoul slaps travel bans on two former acting presidents: Yonhap

Seoul slaps travel bans on two former acting presidents: Yonhap
SEOUL: South Korean authorities have imposed travel bans on two former acting presidents as part of an investigation into ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s December martial law bid, Yonhap news agency said Tuesday.
“Police said on May 27 that former prime minister Han Duck-soo and former finance minister Choi Sang-mok have been banned from leaving the country as they are being investigated as suspects in an insurrection case,” Yonhap reported, adding the ban came into effect in mid-May.
Yoon was formally stripped of office last month after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament.
He is currently on trial on insurrection charges over that declaration.
If found guilty, Yoon would become the third South Korean president to be found guilty of insurrection — after two military leaders in connection with a 1979 coup.
For charges of insurrection, Yoon could be sentenced to life in prison or the maximum penalty: the death sentence.
South Koreans go to the polls next week to elect Yoon’s successor, capping months of political turmoil since the martial law declaration.
Career bureaucrat Han had been touted as a possible candidate to replace him.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) this month was forced to backtrack after trying to revoke former labor minister Kim Moon-soo’s candidacy in favor of Han.

Argentina ratifies WHO withdrawal during US health chief’s visit

Argentina ratifies WHO withdrawal during US health chief’s visit
Updated 13 min 38 sec ago
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Argentina ratifies WHO withdrawal during US health chief’s visit

Argentina ratifies WHO withdrawal during US health chief’s visit

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina has ratified its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and reaffirmed its collaboration with Washington, during a visit to Buenos Aires by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy.
The decision to pull out of the WHO was initially announced in February by Argentina’s President Javier Milei, following in the footsteps of his US counterpart Donald Trump who had said in January the United States would withdraw.
Milei’s government justified its departure from the UN agency in a statement Monday.
“The WHO’s prescriptions do not work because they are not based on science but on political interests and bureaucratic structures that refuse to review their own mistakes,” the statement said.
Buenos Aires has previously accused the agency of “disastrous” management during the Covid pandemic with its “caveman quarantine.”
The announcement came as Kennedy and Argentine Health Minister Mario Lugones met to define “a joint work agenda that will strengthen transparency and trust in the health system.”
“Together with Robert Kennedy, we believe in the future of collaboration in global health. We have similar visions about the path forward,” Lugones said.
Kennedy, a controversial Trump pick for health secretary given his vaccine skepticism, is also expected to meet with Milei during his visit.
In a video broadcast at the WHO’s annual assembly last week, he urged other governments to withdraw from the agency and create other institutions.
In his speech, Kennedy alleged that the UN health agency was under undue influence from China, gender ideology, and the pharmaceutical industry.
The Argentine government also announced a “structural review” of national health agencies to “organize, update, and make transparent the structures and processes” of the health system “that for years operated with overlaps, outdated regulations, and limited oversight.”


Ancient bread rises again as Turkiye recreates 5,000-year-old loaf

Ancient bread rises again as Turkiye recreates 5,000-year-old loaf
Updated 33 min 7 sec ago
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Ancient bread rises again as Turkiye recreates 5,000-year-old loaf

Ancient bread rises again as Turkiye recreates 5,000-year-old loaf

ESKISEHIR: In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkiye.
Now, more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe — with customers lining up to buy it.
Round and flat like a pancake, 12 centimeters (five inches) in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir.
“This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape,” said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation.
“Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs,” he told AFP.
“But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried,” he said.
The bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300 BC.
A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was built.
“It makes us think of a ritual of abundance,” Turkteki said.


Unearthed in September 2024, the charred bread has been on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum since Wednesday.
“We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread,” said the city’s mayor, Ayse Unluce.
Analyzes showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as yeast.
Ancient emmer seeds no longer exist in Turkiye.
To get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analizing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur and lentils.
At the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning “People’s Bread” in Turkish), promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day.
“The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread,” said Serap Guler, the bakery’s manager.
The first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300-gram (11-ounce) cakes that cost 50 Turkish lira (around $1.28), sold out within hours.
“I rushed because I was afraid there wouldn’t be any left. I’m curious about the taste of this ancient bread,” said customer Suzan Kuru.


In the absence of written traces, the civilization of Kulluoba remains largely mysterious.
In the Bronze Age, the Hattians, an Anatolian people who preceded the Hittites, lived in the Eskisehir region.
“Kulluoba was a medium-sized urban agglomeration engaged in commercial activities, crafts, agriculture and mining. There was clearly a certain family and social order,” said archaeologist Deniz Sari.
The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought.
Once rich in water sources, the province of Eskisehir is today suffering from drought.
“We’re facing a climate crisis, but we’re still growing corn and sunflowers, which require a lot of water,” said Unluce, the local mayor.
“Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving toward less thirsty crops,” she added.
The mayor wants to revive the cultivation of Kavilca wheat in the region, which is resistant to drought and disease.
“We need strong policies on this subject. Cultivating ancient wheat will be a symbolic step in this direction,” she said.
“These lands have preserved this bread for 5,000 years and given us this gift. We have a duty to protect this heritage and pass it on.”


US aid kept many hungry Somali children alive. Now that money is disappearing

US aid kept many hungry Somali children alive. Now that money is disappearing
Updated 27 May 2025
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US aid kept many hungry Somali children alive. Now that money is disappearing

US aid kept many hungry Somali children alive. Now that money is disappearing
  • The US Agency for International Development once provided 65 percent of Somalia’s foreign aid

MOGADISHU, Somalia: The cries of distressed children filled the ward for the severely malnourished. Among the patients was 1-year-old Maka’il Mohamed. Doctors pressed his chest in a desperate attempt to support his breathing.
His father brought him too late to a hospital in Somalia ‘s capital, Mogadishu. The victim of complications related to malnutrition, the boy did not survive.
“Are you certain? Did he really die?” the father, Mohamed Ma’ow, asked a doctor, shocked.
The death earlier this month at Banadir Hospital captured the agony of a growing number of Somalis who are unable to feed their children — and that of health workers who are seeing hundreds of millions of dollars in US support disappear under the Trump administration.
The US Agency for International Development once provided 65 percent of Somalia’s foreign aid, according to Dr. Abdiqani Sheikh Omar, the former director general of the Ministry of Health and now a government adviser.
Now USAID is being dismantled. And in Somalia, dozens of centers treating the hungry are closing. They have been crucial in a country described as having one of the world’s most fragile health systems as it wrestles with decades of insecurity.
Save the Children, the largest non-governmental provider of health and nutrition services to children in Somalia, said the lives of 55,000 children will be at risk by June as it closes 121 nutrition centers it can no longer fund.
Aid cuts mean that 11 percent more children are expected to be severely malnourished than in the previous year, Save the Children said.
Somalia has long faced food insecurity because of climate shocks like drought. But aid groups and Somalis alike now fear a catastrophe.
Former Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalin told state-run TV last month that USAID had provided $1 billion in funding for Somalia in fiscal year 2023, with a similar amount expected for 2024.
Much of that funding is now gone.
A US State Department spokesperson in a statement to the AP said “several lifesaving USAID humanitarian assistance programs are active in Somalia, including programs that provide food and nutrition assistance to children,” and they were working to make sure the programs continue when such aid transitions to the State Department on July 1.
The problem, aid workers say, is the US hasn’t made clear what programs are lifesaving, or whether whatever funding is left will continue after July 1.
The aid group CARE has warned that 4.6 million people in Somalia are projected to face severe hunger by June, an uptick of hundreds of thousands of people from forecasts before the aid cuts.
The effects are felt in rural areas and in Mogadishu, where over 800,000 displaced people shelter. Camps for them are ubiquitous in the city’s suburbs, but many of their centers for feeding the hungry are now closing.
Some people still go to the closed centers and hope that help will come.
Mogadishu residents said they suffer, too.
Ma’ow, the bereaved father, is a tailor. He said he had been unable recently to provide three meals a day for his family of six. His wife had no breast milk for Maka’il, whose malnutrition deteriorated between multiple trips to the hospital.
Doctors confirmed that malnutrition was the primary factor in Maka’il’s decline.
The nutrition center at Banadir Hospital where Ma’ow family had been receiving food assistance is run by Alight Africa, a local partner for the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and one that has lost funding.
The funding cuts have left UNICEF’s partners unable to provide lifesaving support, including therapeutic supplies and supplemental nutrition at a time when 15 percent of Somali children are acutely malnourished, said Simon Karanja, a regional UNICEF official.
One Alight Africa worker, Abdullahi Hassan, confirmed that the group had to close all their nutrition centers in several districts of Mogadishu. One nutrition project supervisor for the group, Said Abdullahi Hassan, said closures have caused, “tragically, the deaths of some children.”
Without the food assistance they had taken for granted, many Somalis are seeing their children waste away.
More than 500 malnourished children were admitted to the center for malnourished children at Banadir Hospital between April and May, according to Dr. Mohamed Jama, head of the nutrition center.
He said such increases in patients usually occur during major crises like drought or famine but called the current situation unprecedented.
“The funding gap has impacted not only the malnourished but also health staff, whose salaries have been cut,” he said.
Fadumo Ali Adawe, a mother of five who lives in one of the camps, said she urgently needed help for her 3-year-old daughter, malnourished now for nine months. The nearby nutrition center she frequented is now closed.
“We are unsure of what to do next,” she said.
Inside that center, empty food packages were strewn about — and USAID posters still hung on the walls.


US lawmaker says denied access to man deported to El Salvador

US lawmaker says denied access to man deported to El Salvador
Updated 27 May 2025
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US lawmaker says denied access to man deported to El Salvador

US lawmaker says denied access to man deported to El Salvador

SAN SALVADOR: US lawmaker Glenn Ivey said Monday that authorities in El Salvador had prevented him from visiting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man deported from the United States by the Trump administration due to an administrative error.
US President Donald Trump has delivered on campaign promises by launching a sweeping crackdown on migrants to the United States since coming to power in January.
Rights groups have alleged that Trump’s government is committing rights abuses and denying undocumented migrants due process, claims that courts have, in part, upheld in cases that are ongoing.
Abrego Garcia’s case is one of the most prominent to have come to light. US authorities admit that he was deported to a notorious El Salvadoran prison for violent criminals due to an error, but have refused to comply with court orders to return him to the United States.
Ivey is the sixth US Democratic lawmaker to visit El Salvador in an effort to secure the return of Abrego Garcia, 29, who is being held in a penal facility in Santa Ana, 70 kilometers  from the Salvadoran capital, after being deported in March.
“We were not able to meet with Kilmar, for sure,” Ivey told a press conference in San Salvador. “We went out to the Santa Ana prison today and got there, and we spoke to the people at the gate. They wouldn’t open the gate and let us in.”
Ivey said he was told to obtain a permit for a visit, but he had already spoken to senior officials in order to arrange the meeting.
He said he had spoken to Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States Milena Mayorga and that he intended to speak to Abrego Garcia “to make sure that he’s okay, to discuss his legal rights and the like.”
The US lawmaker said he had met leaders of human rights groups, but was unable to meet officials from the government of President Nayib Bukele, a key Trump ally who has also refused to facilitate returning Abrego Garcia to the United States.
Chris Newman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia’s family, said this was his third visit to El Salvador to try and secure the release of his client.
“We want access to Mr. Abrego Garcia so he can receive legal services,” he said.
El Salvador has received 288 migrants deported from the United States, including 252 Venezuelans, who are being held in a maximum security prison.
The Trump administration says — without proof — that Abrego Garcia is a violent criminal who is a member of the MS-13 gang, which has been declared a “terrorist” organization by Washington.
Trump’s government has used an obscure wartime law to summarily deport alleged gang members, a process some US courts have halted and that one, in Texas, has deemed “unlawful.”