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Trump should visit Ukraine: Zelensky

By
IFP Media Wire
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Volodymyr Zelensky

“The security of the world is at stake. If we do not stand firm, he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) will advance further. It is not just idle speculation; the threat is real,” Zelensky said.

“(P)lease, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see (the) people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead. Come, look, and then… let’s move with a plan… to finish the war,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky has repeatedly publicly invited Trump to visit Ukraine in the past. Earlier on April 13, Zelensky called for increased international pressure on Russia in response to a Russian attack on Sumy, which killed at least 34 and injured 117 people.

“(W)e can’t trust Russia. We can’t trust negotiations with Russia,” he said.

Zelensky condemned Putin for Russia’s war against Ukraine and said he could not be trusted in ceasefire negotiations.

“Putin? 100% hatred. Not even 99.9%. Though this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to end the war as soon as possible and transition to diplomacy. But how else can you see a person who came here and murdered our people, murdered children,” Zelensky continued.

Russia’s war against Ukraine could spread to the rest of the world if Russian troops make further advances, Zelensky added.

“Putin’s ultimate goal is to revive the Russian Empire and reclaim territories currently under NATO protection. And the United States being part of NATO means it will be involved in any potential conflict. Considering all of this, I believe it could escalate into a world war,” he stated.

The president urged people in the U.S. to avoid falling for Russian narratives and decried those who fail to recognize that Ukraine is the country that was invaded.

“I believe, sadly, Russian narratives are prevailing in the U.S. How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia’s information policy on America,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky condemned U.S. Vice President JD Vance for trying to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said he would not entertain Russian propaganda presented to him.

“It’s a shift in tone, a shift in reality, really yes, a shift in reality, and I don’t want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me,” Zelensky added when asked about his visit to the White House on Feb. 28.

EU to enhance financial support for Palestinian Authority

By
IFP Media Wire
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Palestine

Dubravka Suica, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, said the financial support would go hand in hand with reforms of the Palestinian Authority, which has been accused by critics of corruption and bad governance.

“We want them to reform themselves because without reforming, they won’t be strong enough and credible in order to be an interlocutor, not for only for us, but an interlocutor also for Israel,” Suica added.

The commissioner’s remarks came ahead of a first “high-level political dialogue” between European Union foreign ministers and senior Palestinian officials including Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Luxembourg on Monday.

The EU is the biggest donor to the Palestinians and EU officials hope the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, may also one day take responsibility for Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas comes to an end.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, however, has so far rejected the idea of handing over Gaza to the PA and shunned the EU’s broader aim of a two-state solution, which would include the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Suica said 620 million euros would go to financial support and reform of the PA, 576 million euros to “resilience and recovery” of the West Bank and Gaza and 400 million euros would come in loans from the European Investment Bank, subject to the approval of its governing body.

She added average EU support for the PA had amounted to about 400 million euros over the past 12 years.

“We are investing now in a credible manner in the Palestinian Authority.”

Iran’s FM to visit Russia to discuss JCPOA, Oman talks: Spokesman

By
IFP Media Wire
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Abbas Araghchi

Asked by reporters whether Iran will brief the JCPOA parties about the recent talks with the US, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said, “The JCPOA is a living and existent agreement in legal terms. It also has definite parties and we will proceed with interaction and consultations under the JCPOA. These interactions will be beneficial and this process will go on.”

He announced that Araqchi is scheduled to visit Russia this week, noting that the trip had been planned beforehand.

The Iranian foreign minister is going to hold consultations in Russia about the negotiations with the US, Baqaei stated.

The spokesman added Iran’s dialogue with the European parties is also in progress.

Delegations from Iran and the US held a round of indirect talks in Muscat on Saturday, mediated by the foreign minister of Oman.

The two sides, led by Araqchi and the US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, have expressed satisfaction with the initial steps.

The next round of negotiations is scheduled for April 19.

Memorial held in Tehran for victims of Israeli attack on Iranian Consulate in Damascus one year on

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Attendees included senior military officials, families of the victims, and members of the public.

The event honored those killed in the April 2024 strike on Iran’s diplomatic mission in Syria, which Tehran has blamed on Israel.

Notable attendees included Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the Iranian Leader’s senior military advisor, and Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani, Commander of the IRGC Quds Force.

The aggression resulted in the assassination of the Quds Force commander in Syria and Lebanon Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, his deputy, and five of their accompanying officers.

UK says E3 supports Iran-US negotiations

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran US Flags

In a post on X on Sunday, Falconer hailed the indirect talks between Iran and the United States in the Omani capital of Muscat as an “important first step.”

“I’m glad to be in Muscat to welcome the important first step in Oman between US-Iran in seeking a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear problem,” he wrote.

Falconer, who also serves as minister for West Asia and North Africa, warned that time remains short.

“The UK, alongside E3 partners, stand ready to support,” he emphasized.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy for West Asia affairs, led the first round of indirect talks in the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday.

Both sides described the talks as positive and constructive, with Araghchi saying that the next round is expected to take place on April 19 at the same level.

In 2018 and during his first term in office, Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a previous agreement on Iran’s nuclear program – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and launched a maximum pressure campaign against the country.

Trump restored that policy after returning to the White House for a second term in January, but he has since signaled a willingness to make a new deal to replace the JCPOA.

Washington says US, Saudi Arabia on ‘pathway’ to civil nuclear agreement

By
IFP Media Wire
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Wright, who had met with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Sunday, said Riyadh and Washington were on a “a pathway” to reaching an agreement to work together to develop a Saudi civil nuclear programme.

Wright, on his first visit to the kingdom as secretary as part of tour of energy-producing Gulf states, stated further details over a memorandum detailing the energy cooperation between Riyadh and Washington would come later this year.

“For a U.S. partnership and involvement in nuclear here, there will definitely be a 123 agreement … there’s lots of ways to structure a deal that will accomplish both the Saudi objectives and the American objectives,” he added.

A so-called 123 agreement with Riyadh refers to Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and is required to permit the U.S. government and American companies to work with entities in the kingdom to develop a civil nuclear industry.

Saudi authorities have not agreed to the requirements under the act, Wright continued. It specifies nine non-proliferation criteria a state must meet to keep it from using the technology to develop nuclear arms or transfer sensitive materials to others.

Progress on the discussions had previously been difficult because Saudi Arabia did not want to sign a deal that would rule out the possibility of enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel – both potential paths to a bomb.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long said that if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would follow suit, a stance that has fuelled deep concern among arms control advocates and some U.S. lawmakers over a possible U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear deal.

Wright did not mention a wider arrangement with the kingdom, which the previous administration of U.S. president Joe Biden had been seeking and included a civil nuclear agreement and security guarantees in the hopes it would lead to normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is seeking to generate substantial renewable energy and reduce emissions, under the crown prince’s Vision 2030 reform plan. At least some of this is expected to come from nuclear energy.

Iran: IAEA chief to visit Tehran for scheduled meetings this week

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Rafael Grossi

In his weekly press briefing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said the visit, which had been planned well in advance, is part of the ongoing framework of routine cooperation between Iran and the IAEA.

The trip is unrelated to the recent indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States held in Muscat, according to Baqaei.

He emphasized that Iran’s primary objective in the talks remains the complete removal of ‘unjust and illegal sanctions’ imposed on the Iranian people, as a central and non-negotiable demand.

The spokesperson also addressed speculation on the location of the next round of indirect talks with the US, hinting that it will take place outside of Oman. He assured that while the location may change, the format and framework of indirect negotiations through Oman’s mediation will remain consistent.

Baqaei further criticized contradictory statements from American officials regarding Tehran’s approach to the negotiations, accusing them of maintaining an inconsistent and counterproductive stance.

He stated that such contradictions must be resolved for meaningful progress to occur.

Houthis say six killed in US strikes on Yemen’s capital

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israel Yemen Attack

Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah news reported on Sunday that two US raids also targeted the al-Yatmah area in Khab and al-Sha’af District in al-Jawf governate, northern Yemen.

In a separate statement on Sunday evening, the group announced a US MQ-9 drone was shot down in the airspace of Hajjah governorate by a locally made surface-to-air missile. The US has not commented on that so far.

Houthi-held areas of Yemen have seen near-daily deadly strikes blamed on the US since Washington launched an air campaign against the group on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.

Dozens of people in Yemen have been killed in the latest US strikes. Civilians have been targeted, families wiped out, military sites destroyed and soldiers killed.

The Houthis began targeting ships transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, pausing the attacks during a January ceasefire.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its offensive on the Palestinian territory on March 18, ending the short-lived truce. Since then, the Houthis have launched attacks targeting US military ships and Israel in solidarity with Palestinians.

The group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a missile launched towards a military base in the Israeli port city of Ashdod and Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military claimed it believed it was successful in intercepting the incoming missile.

The Houthis have backed the Gaza ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas and have repeatedly pledged to halt their military operations if a truce comes into force.

Trump says he was told Russia “made a mistake” with deadly attack on Ukrainian city

By
IFP Media Wire
-

”I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing. I think, for that war to have started, is an abuse of power. This country would have never allowed that war to have started if I were president. That war is a shame,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Asked to clarify what he meant by Russia making a “mistake,” Trump said, “They made a mistake. I believe it was — look, you’re gonna ask them.”

Punting to familiar criticisms of former President Joe Biden, Trump added: “Remember this: This is Biden’s war. I’m just trying to get it stopped so that we can save a lot of lives.”

Russian missiles hit residents gathering for Sunday church services in the northeastern city of Sumy, killing at least 34 people in the deadliest attack of the conflict this year. Two children were among the scores of people killed in the strikes, while 117 people were wounded, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

Trump also stated he met Sunday with his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He had good meetings having to do with Russia-Ukraine,” Trump stated.

The US special presidential envoy for Ukraine also said Russia’s deadliest attack on the country this year highlights “why President Trump is working hard to end this war.”

“Today’s Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency,” Keith Kellogg wrote on X.

“As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war,” he added.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also described the strikes as “horrifying” in a statement that echoed Kellogg’s comments about the US efforts to resolve the war.

In recent months, the relationship between the US and Ukraine has stood on wobbly footing as President Donald Trump has tried to broker a minerals deal and ceasefire agreement in the region.

Trump temporarily withheld military aid and paused intelligence sharing after a spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February over the minerals deal. But both were reinstated shortly after Ukraine agreed in principle to a US ceasefire proposal.

President Putin did not accept that US-proposed ceasefire deal, however, and Trump on Friday urged Moscow to “get moving” on ending the war.

“Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!” Trump wrote.

US president says he expects to make a decision on Iran ‘very quickly’

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Trump, who has threatened military action if no deal is reached on halting Iran’s nuclear program, told reporters aboard Air Force One that he met with advisers on Iran and expected a quick decision.

He gave no further details.

“We’ll be making a decision on Iran very quickly,” the president added.

Axios cited two sources with knowledge of the issue as saying that a second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran would take place next Saturday in Rome.

The talks held in Oman on Saturday were the first between Iran and a Trump administration, including the U.S. president’s 2017-2021 first term. Officials say they took place in a “productive, calm and positive atmosphere.”

On Saturday, Trump told reporters the U.S.-Iran talks were going “okay”, adding, “Nothing matters until you get it done, so I don’t like talking about it, but it’s going okay. The Iran situation is going pretty good, I think.”

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