Saturday, December 20, 2025
type here...
Home Blog Page 15

Trump gives Zelensky ‘days’ to respond to Ukraine peace plan: FT

By
IFP Media Wire
-

One person told FT that US President Donald Trump was hoping to reach a deal by Christmas. Zelensky reportedly told US envoys that he needed time to consult with Kiev’s European backers.

Although Trump had said last month that he would like to see an agreement by Thanksgiving, he later told journalists that he did not have a specific timeline.

The US president submitted a peace plan in November that reportedly called for Ukraine to withdraw troops from part of Russia’s Donbass they currently control, one of Moscow’s key conditions for a broad ceasefire.

Zelensky acknowledged during his trip to London on Monday that the US was pushing him towards “a compromise,” but added that no agreement on territory had been reached. He reiterated that Ukraine was not willing to give up any land without a fight.

Russian troops have been making steady gains on different sections of the front line, while Ukrainian commanders say they are outgunned and struggling to replenish battlefield losses with new conscripts.

 

Zelensky sets conditions for elections in Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Zelensky, whose five-year presidential term formally expired in May 2024, had previously refused to hold the vote, citing martial law. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Ukraine to hold an election and in February branded Zelensky “a dictator.”

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Zelensky denied that he was trying to “cling to power.” He said authorities needed to determine how to hold an election “amid missile strikes” and ensure that soldiers on the front line could cast their votes.

“I’m ready for elections. Moreover, I am openly asking the US, together with our European partners, to ensure security, and within the next 60 to 90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold them,” Zelensky continued.

He added that he would ask parliament to draft amendments to the martial law legislation.

Trump renewed his call for a vote in an interview with Politico published on Tuesday.

“You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore,” he stated.

The plan submitted by Trump last month reportedly proposed Ukraine hold elections within 100 days after reaching a ceasefire with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he does not consider Zelensky a legitimate president and that his status could pose problems for signing a peace deal.

Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to 20.3% following a large corruption scandal in the energy sector implicating his close associates, UNN reported, citing an Info Sapiens poll. Valery Zaluzhny, the former top commander who now serves as ambassador to the UK, is polling at 19.1%, while Kirill Budanov, head of military intelligence, is at 5.1%.

 

Iran, China, Saudi Arabia conclude trilateral meeting with joint press statement

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

According to the communiqué, China emphasized its willingness to “continue supporting and encouraging the steps taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to expand their relations across various fields.”

The three countries welcomed the ongoing progress in Iranian–Saudi ties and highlighted the importance of opportunities for direct engagement between the two states at all levels. They also underlined the significance of reciprocal visits and sustained communication between senior officials, particularly in light of rising regional tensions that threaten both regional and global security.

The joint statement further called for the immediate cessation of Israeli attacks on Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, and condemned violations of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Iran, in turn, expressed appreciation for the clear positions taken by Saudi Arabia and China during the recent aggression.

All three countries reiterated their support for a comprehensive political solution in Yemen, grounded in internationally recognized principles and under the auspices of the United Nations.

Russia will achieve all its goals in Ukraine war: Putin

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Some of the key aims Putin outlined in 2022 were the protection of the people of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics from Kiev’s forces, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

“We will, of course, see this through to its logical conclusion, until the goals of the special military operation are achieved,” Putin said via video call at a presidential Human Rights Council meeting.

He added that the conflict was sparked by Ukraine sending its army to Donbass, a historically Russian region which rejected the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev. This forced Russia to use its military to end the conflict, according to the president.

“It’s about people. People who refused to accept the coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014, and a war began against them. With artillery, heavy equipment, tanks, and aircraft. That’s when the war began. We’re trying to end it, and we’re forced to do so by force of arms.”

Russia had attempted to diplomatically solve the conflict for eight years, and “signed the Minsk agreements, hoping that it could be resolved through peaceful means,” Putin told India Today last week.

However, “Western leaders openly admitted later that they never intended to honor those agreements,” only sighing them to buy Ukraine time to rearm, he stated.

Russia has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s renewed diplomatic push based on his 28-point peace plan as the basis for a settlement.

On Monday, Trump urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to start accepting peace proposals, and suggested that the Ukrainian leader had not even looked through the latest US plan.

Moscow has argued that Kiev is stalling peace talks, encouraged by its backers in Western Europe. Russia has maintained that it would prefer a diplomatic settlement, but has stressed that it will push toward its goals using military means while Ukraine delays negotiations.

Zelensky should hold elections: Trump

By
IFP Media Wire
-

He appeared to issue a new challenge to Vladimir Zelensky, whose presidential term expired in May 2024, but has declined to organize a presidential election, citing martial law.

Zelensky was elected in 2019 and declared in December 2023 that Ukraine would not hold presidential or parliamentary elections while martial law remains in force. It was imposed after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022 and has since been repeatedly extended by parliament.

Trump told Politico that Kiev should no longer use the ongoing conflict as an excuse to delay a vote.

“They haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump stated, adding, “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Asked directly if Ukraine should go to the polls, Trump said “it’s time” and argued it was “an important time to hold an election,” adding that while “they’re using war not to hold an election,” Ukrainians “should have that choice.”

Syria, Saudi Arabia sign deals in oil, gas sectors

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Saudi Arabia Aramco

The state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company inked four deals with Saudi companies at the headquarters of the Energy Ministry in the capital Damascus, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The deals cover “technical support services and the development of oil and gas fields in Syria,” the agency said, without naming the Saudi signatories of the agreements.

On Nov. 19, the CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, Youssef Qaballawi, announced the discovery of five new gas fields in the western Sahel region.

According to 2015 figures, proven gas reserves in Syria amounted to about 8.5 trillion cubic feet, while the average daily production of non-associated gas is about 250 million cubic meters, representing 58% of the country’s total gas production.

Gas associated with oil constitutes 28% of production, most of which comes from the east of the Euphrates River.

The new Syrian government, under the presidency of Ahmad al-Sharaa, seeks to improve the country’s energy sector by signing agreements and MoUs with several governments and institutions to support the reconstruction and economic recovery of the country after 14 years of war.

 

France won’t let EU seize chunk of frozen Russian assets: FT 

By
IFP Media Wire
-

While officials in Paris support the European Commission’s plan for a “reparations loan” for Ukraine they also oppose any scheme that would draw on Russian money held at commercial banks, arguing those lenders are bound by different contractual obligations than Euroclear, the outlet said.

Last week, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen set out two options to provide Kiev with €90 billion ($105 billion) over the next two years: EU-level borrowing backed by the bloc’s budget, or a long-debated “reparations loan” backed by profits from the blocked assets that would require institutions holding Russian cash to transfer it into a new loan vehicle.

For more than two years, France has declined to name the private banks holding about €18 billion, according to European parliament research, in Russian assets, citing client confidentiality – a stance that has angered some other EU governments, the newspaper said.

Paris has also withheld details on how any interest accrued on the funds is being used.

The Russian assets in France represent the second-largest tranche in the bloc, behind €185 billion held at privately-owned Belgian firm, Euroclear.

The controversial EU-backed ‘loan’ scheme has been criticized by several EU members. Belgium has warned that an outright confiscation would pose legal and security risks. Other major holders of Russian assets, including Luxembourg and Germany, also oppose a seizure, along with Italy, Hungary and Slovakia.

Recent media reports have said the US is lobbying several EU members to block plans to use frozen assets as collateral for the €140 billion loan to Ukraine, arguing the funds should be kept as leverage in peace talks with Kiev and Moscow. Politico earlier reported that Washington wants the EU to return the money once Russia signs a peace agreement with Ukraine.

Russia has condemned any use of its sovereign assets as theft and warned of legal action and retaliation.

 

Germany warns of Russia threat to 2026 regional polls

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Sinan Selen, head of the BfV intelligence service, said in a Berlin speech that Germany was especially in Moscow’s sights because it is a central logistics hub of the NATO alliance on the continent.

Speaking later to AFP, Selen said about Russian disinformation campaigns that “we’ve repeatedly seen that elections play a very significant role here, and as you know we have several state elections in Germany next year.”

Russia is blamed by Western security services for a spate of drone flights, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and online disinformation campaigns in Europe, which have escalated since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“We are being attacked here and now in Europe,” Selen stated in a speech marking 75 years since the founding of the BfV, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

“In its role as a logistics hub for collective defense and support of Ukraine, Germany is more heavily targeted by Russian intelligence services than other countries,” he added.

“Above all Russia, as a hybrid actor, is undoubtedly aggressive, offensive and escalating. Its intelligence services employ a wide range of attack vectors from its toolbox.”

“A clear sign of a highly dangerous escalation is the preparation and execution of sabotage attacks in Germany and other European countries, for which the Kremlin is considered the primary instigator. There is no sign of any relief in sight,” he continued.

Germany next year holds five regional elections, including in the ex-communist east, where the far-right and Moscow-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party hopes to make further strong gains.

Selen, speaking about hybrid threats, said that “every sector of society can be affected, and this will be especially true in the coming year.”

The course of the Ukraine war would also strongly influence the actions of Russia, which Selen stated “can scale the intensity of its sabotage operations at will.”

Selen added that “this war of aggression is more than a struggle for Ukrainian territory, it is a litmus test in the ongoing systemic conflict between authoritarianism and democracy in a multipolar and complex world.”

 

Iran arrests man accused of posing as ‘cosmetic surgeon’

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Police

Arabloo was first publicly flagged in June, when the Social Affairs Department of the Iranian Medical Council issued a warning about 52 unlicensed individuals involved in illegal medical treatment and drug prescribing.

The notice stressed that all individuals on the list lacked any authorization to practice medicine and could face prosecution.

In August, Iran’s cyber police published Arabloo’s photograph, asking citizens to help identify him.

According to officials, the suspect presented himself as a plastic surgery specialist despite holding only a high-school or associate-degree diploma.

Over the past seven years, he operated in clinics and even hospitals, carrying out numerous invasive procedures that left many patients, mostly women, with severe and sometimes irreversible harm.

Investigators say Arabloo had previously been tried and imprisoned but repeatedly resumed his activities after release.

Some licensed physicians allegedly collaborated with him by giving him access to their prescription pads and surgical facilities; one hospital operating room was recently sealed by court order.

Authorities report a growing number of complaints filed after his image was circulated.

Arabloo denies presenting himself as a “subspecialist,” but prosecutors say documented evidence contradicts his claim.

Concerns over US visas for Iran players ahead of 2026 World Cup preparations

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Taj said on Monday that the issue emerged after a US visa was refused for Saeed Alhoei, a member of the national team’s coaching staff, reportedly due to the location of his military service.

He noted that players with similar backgrounds may face complications. “If for any reason they tell a player not to come, we must have replacements. We have already started this process,” he said.

Taj also criticized FIFA, saying the organization “could have taken a stronger stance” against the US regarding visa restrictions.

On preparations for friendlies ahead of the World Cup, Taj confirmed advanced talks with Portugal for two matches in June and potential matches involving Spain, Qatar, Scotland or Iceland. Spain and Egypt are expected to travel to Qatar, creating possible scheduling opportunities.

Taj said the team has inspected a training camp 56 km from Los Angeles and hopes “no obstruction” will prevent its allocation.

He added that Iranian residents abroad can purchase World Cup tickets, though supporters inside Iran are unlikely to obtain visas.

1...141516...5,005Page 15 of 5,005

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks