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    Trump Confirms Direct Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks To ‘Begin Immediately’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Trump on Monday said that Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire, following phone calls with the leaders of each country. He also noted the Vatican has offered to host the talks.

    The White House said Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for about two hours, after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day. 

    Trump has been pushing for a 30-day ceasefire in the war, and the White House said before Monday’s calls that he was frustrated with both sides.

    The president called for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine before entering office, and more than two months of direct diplomacy has failed to get Putin to agree to even basic terms. 

    The announcement of direct negotiations comes after Putin last week skipped appearing at direct talks in Turkey that he proposed. 

    On Monday, Trump described the tone and spirit of his conversation with Putin as “excellent.”  

    “If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later,” he wrote in a post on his social media site, Truth Social.

    Trump said he agreed with Putin that “largescale TRADE” can happen between Russia and the U.S. “when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is ove

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Trump Announces Plan To Drop Sanctions On Syria

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    By The White House from Washington, DC - President Trump and The First Lady Participate in an Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony, Public Domain,

    President Donald Trump announced the United States will soon drop sanctions against Syria.

    During lengthy remarks on Tuesday, Trump laid out his vision for the Middle East, sharing a major announcement: He intends to drop sanctions against Syria.

    “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia, his first stop on the first international tour of his second term in office. 

    “In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” he said. “So I say good luck, Syria.”

    The nation was cut off from the global financial system under ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s government, imposed during 14 years of civil war. 

    Trump called the sanctions “brutal and crippling” but “important” at the time.

    Trump said both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan had encouraged him to lift the sanctions. 

    “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump quipped. 

    U.S. sanctions had slapped financial penalties on any foreign individual or company that provided material support to the Syrian government and prohibited anyone in the U.S. from dealing in any Syrian entity, including oil and gas, and Syrian banks were effectively cut off from global financial systems. 

    Trump also revealed he has invited Saudi Arabia to join his historic Abraham Accords.

    “It has been an amazing thing, the Abraham Accords,” Trump said at a Saudi Arabia investment conference. “And it’s my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia, a place I have so much respect for … will soon be joining the Abraham Accords. I think it will be a tremendous tribute to your country.”

    Trump negotiated the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, at the end of his first term in office. Now, he is hoping to see Saudi Arabia join it as well.

    During lengthy remarks, Trump laid out his vision for the Middle East. Minutes later, he made a second major announcement: He intends to drop sanctions against Syria.

    Special Envoy Reveals Ukraine Leader Apologized In Letter To Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5
    By President Of Ukraine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

    President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologized to Trump in a letter.

    “Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff said Monday on Fox News. “I think that it was an important step and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well.”

    U.S. and Ukrainian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this week to pick back up on peace negotiations to end the war with Russia.

    Witkoff said he thought Zelensky sending Trump a letter to apologize for the fiery meeting was “progress.”

    Witkoff said it’s important for the officials to discuss security protocols for Ukrainians, territorial issues and a utility plan.

    “These are not complicated things, they just … need to be put on the table and everybody needs to be transparent about what their expectations are, then we can begin to have a discussion about how we compromise,” he said.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    US And Ukrainian Officials To Convene In Saudi Arabia For Peace Discussions

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4
    By President Of Ukraine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

    Senior officials from the United States and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia next Wednesday to discuss efforts to end the ongoing war with Russia. This meeting marks the first significant dialogue between the two nations following a public dispute between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office last week.

    The scheduling of the meeting was finalized during a phone call between White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. President Zelensky mentioned in Brussels that both nations have resumed talks and anticipates a productive meeting.

    Ukrainian officials remain open to signing the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal that was put on hold last week.

    The Hill reports:

    The meeting signals a thawing of relations between the U.S. and Ukraine that ruptured abruptly following an explosive Oval Office confrontation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    “We are now in discussion to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or even potentially Jeddah,” Witkoff told reporters outside the White House.

    “So the city is moving around a little bit, but it will be Saudi Arabia. And I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”

    The meeting comes on the heels of a previous similar U.S.-Russia meeting in Riyadh.

    Zelensky has sought to repair relations with Trump following the Oval Office debacle, the fallout including Trump halting military assistance to Ukraine and cutting off intelligence sharing with the Ukrainians, harming Kyiv’s ability to hit high-value Russian targets.

    The international community will be closely monitoring these discussions, hoping they lead to a sustainable resolution to the conflict.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

    © Great America News Desk 2022