Putin to take questions from international journalists
by Naharnet Newsdesk 18 June 2025, 15:04
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take questions Wednesday from international journalists on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Putin scheduled a roundtable session with senior news leaders of international news agencies, including The Associated Press. Among other issues, he's expected to spell out Moscow's position on the conflict between Israel and Iran that he offered to help mediate in a weekend call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the confrontation.
Putin's comments will also be watched closely for clues to his strategy in the three-year conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has intensified its aerial campaign and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.
The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
On the sidelines of the forum, Putin is set to have meetings with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He's also expected to confer with top officials from China, South Africa and Bahrain and the head of the OPEC group of oil-producing countries.
On Friday, he is set to attend a panel discussion at the forum, a venue he has used to make policy statements.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
17 minutes ago
- Nahar Net
Trump says two weeks is 'maximum' for Iran decision
by Naharnet Newsdesk 21 June 2025, 12:42 U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight that Iran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible U.S. air strikes, indicating he could take a decision before the fortnight deadline he set a day earlier. Trump added that he was not inclined to stop Israel attacking Iran because it was "winning," and was dismissive of European efforts to mediate an end to the conflict. "I'm giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum," Trump told reporters when asked if he could decide to strike Iran before that. He added that the aim was to "see whether or not people come to their senses." Trump had said in a statement on Thursday that he would "make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks" because there was a "substantial chance of negotiations" with Iran. Those comments had been widely seen as opening a two-week window for negotiations to end the war between Israel and Iran, with the European powers rushing to talks with Tehran. But his latest remarks indicated Trump could still make his decision before that if he feels that there has been no progress towards dismantling Iran's nuclear program. Trump meanwhile dismissed talks that European powers Britain, France, Germany and the EU had with Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday. - Europe 'didn't help' - "They didn't help," he said as he arrived in Morristown, New Jersey, ahead of a fundraising dinner at his nearby golf club. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the talks in Geneva that Tehran would not resume negotiations with the United States until Israel stopped its attacks. But Trump was reluctant. "It's very hard to make that request right now," Trump said. "If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody's losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens." Trump meanwhile doubled down on his claims that Iran is weeks away from being able to produce a nuclear bomb, despite divisions in his own administration about the intelligence behind his assessment. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, said in a report in March that Iran was not close to having enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon. "She's wrong," Trump said of Gabbard, a longtime opponent of U.S. foreign intervention whom Trump tapped to coordinate the sprawling U.S. spy community. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Nahar Net
19 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Canadian tariffs on US steel and aluminum could rise, Carney says
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 15:09 Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he will impose new tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum imports on July 21 depending the progress of trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney, who met with Trump at the Group of Seven meetings in Alberta this week, reiterated Thursday that Canada and the U.S. "agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within the coming 30 days." "We will review our response as the negotiations progress," Carney said. He added: "In parallel, we must reinforce our strength at home – and safeguard Canadian workers and businesses from the unjust U.S. tariffs. That's why today we are announcing Canada will be introducing a series of countermeasures to protect Canadian steel and aluminum workers and producers. "First, Canada will adjust its existing counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum products on July 21 to levels consistent with progress made in the broader trading agreement with the United States." Carney said Trump's trade war is running the risk of a global recession. "The world is in the middle of a trade war and several wars, actual wars, including wars that can have quite significant implications for commodity prices and global growth," said Carney, who led the central banks of both Canada and the United Kingdom. Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire. Canada and Mexico face separate tariffs of as much as 25% that Trump put into place under the auspices of stopping fentanyl smuggling, through some products are still protected under the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed during Trump's first term. Canada is the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.6 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. "We need to stabilize the trading relationship with the United States. We need to have ready access to U.S. markets," Carney said. Trump announced with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May. The trade framework included quotas to protect against some tariffs, but the 10% baseline would largely remain as the Trump administration is banking on tariff revenues to help cover the cost of its income tax cuts. Carney didn't say if he would sign a deal with the U.S. if any tariffs remain in place on Canada. "This a negotiation, and it is better for the Americans, and of course for Canada, to have true free trade between our countries, particularly in the steel, aluminum and auto sectors," he said.
Nahar Net
19 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Shares and oil prices gain as world waits to see if US will join Iran war
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 15:10 World shares are mostly higher and crude oil prices have rebounded as investors wait to see if the U.S. will join Israel's war against Iran. Britain's FTSE 100 was 0.4% higher at 8,829.82 and the CAC-40 in Paris gained 0.6% to 7,595.06. Germany's DAX rose 0.9% at 23,256.98. U.S. futures edged lower after Wall Street was closed on Thursday for the Juneteenth holiday, with contracts for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.2%. U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 52 cents to $75.66 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard added 31 cents to $77.01 per barrel. Oil prices have been gyrating as fears rise and ebb that the conflict between Israel and Iran could disrupt the global flow of crude. Iran is a major producer of oil and also sits on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's crude passes. Investors remained wary after the White House said President Donald Trump could decide on whether to launch an attack on Israel within the next two weeks, but that he "still believes diplomacy is an option," said Anderson Alves, a trader at ActivTrades. "The stock market's risk premium isn't just rising — it's recalibrating for a world where every macro lever now doubles as a tripwire," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary, adding that traders are bracing for what comes next. "A delayed fuse is still a fuse," he said. Trump's tariffs agenda may have been eclipsed by the conflict in the Middle East, but it remains another major factor weighing on markets. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index edged 0.2% lower to 38,403.23 after Japan reported that its core inflation rate, excluding volatile food prices, rose to 3.7% in May, adding to challenges for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government and the central bank. "Core Japanese inflation rose more than expected in May. Even so, the Bank of Japan is likely to prioritize the negative impact of U.S. tariffs, Min Joo Kang of ING Economics said in a commentary. "For now, it's more concerned about the risk that US trade policies could break the virtuous circle of wage growth and inflation." Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed to 1.3% to 23,530.48, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,359.90. China's central bank kept its key 1-year and 5-year loan prime rates unchanged, as expected. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2% to 8,505.50, while South Korea's Kospi gained 1.5% to 3,021.84. On Thursday, the Bank of England kept its main interest rate at a two-year low of 4.25%, citing risks that the conflict between Israel and Iran will escalate. The U.S. dollar slipped to 145.37 Japanese yen from 145.46 yen. The euro rose to $1.1516 from $1.1498.
