KYIV: Ukrainian drones attacked energy facilities and a missile storage facility in Russia overnight, a security source in Kyiv said Friday, while a Russian aerial attack wounded several in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian and Russian drone barrages were less intensive compared to previous days and came after US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah proposed a 30-day ceasefire that the Kremlin on Friday said it was ‘cautiously optimistic” about.
The source said drones dispatched by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had hit gas compressor systems in the western Russian regions of Tambov and Saratov.
It added that a Ukrainian drone also hit a warehouse storing missiles used for S-300 and S-400 Russian air defense systems.
“The SBU conducted another successful special operation on enemy territory, which caused significant losses to the Russian budget, reduced its ability to finance the war against Ukraine and the military potential of the Russian army,” the source said in written comments.
The mayor of Moscow meanwhile said Russian air defense systems had shot down four Ukrainian drones that were heading toward the capital.
The Russian defense ministry said Ukraine had launched 28 drones overnight against over 300 in the early hours of Tuesday, when three people were killed.
The governor of the southern Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian attack had sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the Black Sea resort town of Tuapse.
A fuel tank containing up to 20,000 tons of oil products was on fire at the refinery, officials said.
Kyiv said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 27 drones overnight, a fraction of the number it usually sends over, with some recent barrages comprised of more than 100 drones.
Authorities in the eastern Kharkiv region said eight people were wounded by the Russian attacks overnight.
Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says
Ukraine drones hit Russian energy sites, Kyiv source says
- Drones dispatched by the Security Service of Ukraine had hit gas compressor systems in the western Russian regions of Tambov and Saratov
Iran, US to hold 4th round of talks as enrichment concerns grow
MUSCAT: Iran and the United States are set to attend a fourth round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program on Sunday, as US officials have voiced increasing opposition to Iranian enrichment.
The negotiations, mediated by Oman and held in its capital Muscat, follow earlier rounds that began nearly a month ago, marking the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Both sides have reported progress after previous talks, but there have been some delays and disagreements over Iran’s right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says is “non-negotiable” but a US envoy has called a “red line.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ahead of Sunday’s meeting that “the negotiations are progressing and, naturally, the further we go, the more consultations and considerations we need” and the more time is required “to review the issues raised.”
The fourth round was initially set to take place on May 3 but has been rescheduled. Mediator Oman cited “logistical reasons” for the delay, which was announced after the United States had imposed new sanctions on Iran.
Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, a claim Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60-percent purity — far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal with the United States and other world powers, but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has led Washington’s delegation to the Omani-mediated talks, said in a Friday interview that Iran’s “enrichment facilities have to be dismantled.”
“That’s our red line. No enrichment,” he told US right-wing outlet Breitbart News, after initially suggesting flexibility on Tehran maintaining low-level enrichment of uranium for civilian purposes.
Witkoff said that if the talks “are not productive... they won’t continue and we’ll have to take a different route.”
Trump has said he wanted “total verification” that Iran’s contested nuclear work is shut down, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that Tehran give up all uranium enrichment.
Araghchi, Tehran’s chief negotiator in previous rounds, has repeatedly defended Iran’s right to enrich uranium.
NUCLEAR DEAL
Iran adhered to the 2015 agreement for a year after Washington’s withdrawal before beginning to roll back its compliance.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” approach against Tehran, while backing nuclear diplomacy but warning of potential military action if it fails.
The talks are taking place amid renewed scrutiny of key aspects of Tehran’s nuclear program, particularly its stockpile of enriched uranium and the pace of its enrichment activities.
European governments are weighing whether to trigger the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 deal, which would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance — an option that expires in October.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes the Iran-US talks, has called for Tehran’s nuclear facilities to be dismantled and for its ballistic missile program to be stopped as part of any credible deal.
Tehran has insisted that the talks be solely focused on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions, ruling out negotiations on military capabilities.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that Iran’s delegation “consists of the experts and specialists needed at this stage of the talks, serving the highest interests of our country.”
Sunday’s meeting comes days ahead of a regional tour by Trump, which will take him to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Putin’s proposed Ukraine talks ‘not enough’: Macron
PRZEMYSL: President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, after Kyiv and its European allies called for a 30-day ceasefire, is “not enough,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition,” Macron told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish city of Przemysl on his return from a trip to Ukraine, adding that Putin was “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”
Western allies have repeatedly accused Putin of delaying tactics with regards to any potential bid to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has dragged on since February 2022.
Asked if this was another such example, Macron replied: “Yes, it is.”
Macron visited Kyiv on Saturday with the leaders of Germany, Britain and Poland, with the four of them and President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting on Monday.
Macron warned that Russia would face “massive sanctions” if it did not comply.
The United States and other countries back the proposal, the leaders said.
Speaking at the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday, Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul in the coming days but did not address the 30-day ceasefire proposal.
“It’s a way of not answering... of showing that he is committed while also trying to maintain ambiguity in the eyes of the Americans,” Macron said.
“We need to stand firm with the Americans and say that the ceasefire is unconditional and then we can discuss the rest,” he added.
Macron also said that Putin’s proposal was “unacceptable for the Ukrainians because they cannot accept parallel discussions while they continue to be bombed.”
He also cast doubt on whether Zelensky would agree to talks in Istanbul given the “complicated” Russian-Ukrainian negotiations held there shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump says will increase trade 'substantially' with India, Pakistan
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said late Saturday he would increase trade "substantially" with India and Pakistan.
"I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations," he posted on TruthSocial after the arch-rivals agreed to a ceasefire after days of deadly fighting.
However, since the ceasefire was announced, both sides have traded accusations of truce violations.
Under Trump pressure, Columbia University ends semester in turmoil
- Biliana said she made sure to stay far away from these kinds of demonstrations, fearful she might show up in a photo and be falsely linked to the group
NEW YORK: Biliana, an international student at New York’s Columbia University, is studying for exams but fears being arrested by immigration police.
Columbia professors meanwhile are scrambling to save research funding in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s administration.
An atmosphere of crisis hovers over campus as the semester winds down, as the White House accuses the prestigious university and other Ivy League schools of anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology.
Several hundred foreign students nationwide have been threatened with the cancelation of their visas, while others have been targeted — and a few arrested, including at Columbia — over everything from participation in pro-Palestinian protests to traffic violations.
“The situation is just terrifying,” said Biliana, a 29-year-old law student, who feels such dread that she asked not to be identified by her real name or even the Latin American country she comes from.
“You feel like you cannot say anything, you cannot share anything.”
She went on: “Me and my friends, we have not been posting anything on Twitter,” and many are deleting old posts for fear of crossing an invisible red line.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do is just to go to normal classes,” she said.
Last week, with final exams looming, 80 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested after attempting to overtake the main library.
The university’s interim president quickly condemned the protest action.
Biliana said she made sure to stay far away from these kinds of demonstrations, fearful she might show up in a photo and be falsely linked to the group.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials were reviewing the visa status of the “vandals” involved, adding: “Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.”
For newly elected student body president Oscar Wolfe, “There is definitely a heightened level of anxiety among international students, regardless of their involvement in the protests.”
Wolfe arrived on campus in September 2023, just before Hamas militants launched their October 7 attack on Israel, sparking the Gaza war and giving rise to protests that continue. He said he has known little more than a month of “normal” campus life.
Reflecting the turmoil, Columbia — which normally draws thousands of tourists to its Manhattan campus featuring colonnaded buildings, sweeping lawns and famous Alma Mater statue — has largely cut off public access to its grounds.
The Trump administration has accused the university of allowing anti-Semitism to flourish on campus — something the school strongly denies — and has slashed some $400 million of Columbia’s federal funding.
Harvard, another Ivy League college, has defiantly pushed back — suing the administration to halt a federal freeze of $2 billion in grants.
Columbia, for its part, is negotiating with the government. But on Wednesday, interim President Claire Shipman announced that “nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants” were going to lose their jobs.
Rebecca Muhle, a professor of psychiatry, said her grant for a research project on autism was “not canceled, but it’s not funded — it’s in limbo.”
“I cannot hire anyone or make large purchases,” she said.
“There are many, many grants in this situation,” Muhle added. “It’s chaos, and you can’t conduct good science in chaos.”
History professor Matthew Connelly, who specializes in state secrets and their declassification, said he had been notified that the National Endowment for the Humanities had canceled two grants, with “no real reason given.”
The grants, he said, were intended to train scholars and archivists in analyzing and preserving historical records, particularly those in digital form — “one of the great challenges facing researchers.”
But Connelly said he was not about to throw in the towel.
“Universities are a target, because everything we do is completely contrary to what the Trump administration is trying to achieve,” he said.
“If we stopped teaching... if we stopped doing our research, we would be handing them a victory.”
Student leader Wolfe also views this as part of a broader battle.
“This is not just an attack on Columbia,” he said, “it is the opening act of an attack against civil society.”
Trump touts ‘great progress made’ on first day of US-China tariff talks
- "A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform
- US delegation led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is meeting in Geneva with the China team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng
GENEVA: The first day of sensitive talks between US and Chinese delegations over tariffs that threaten to upend the global economy ended without major breakthroughs being announced, but President Donald Trump nonetheless touted “GREAT PROGRESS.”
The meeting lasted over 10 hours in Switzerland and featured Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and a delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Hours after talks had concluded, Trump took to social media to suggest that a full reset of trade between the US and China could be on the table.
“A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to. A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “We want to see, for the good of both China and the US, an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!”
But he gave no further details, and officials at the White House also offered little information during and after the opening day of discussions.
Trump’s post followed an official telling The Associated Press that talks had wrapped up for the day and would continue Sunday. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, which could help stabilize world markets roiled by the US-China standoff. The talks have been shrouded in secrecy, and neither side made comments to reporters on the way out.
Several convoys of black vehicles left the residence of the Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva, which hosted the talks aimed at de-escalating trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks took place.
The opening day of negotiations were held in the sumptuous 18th-century “Villa Saladin” overlooking Lake Geneva. The former estate was bequeathed to the Swiss state in 1973, according to the Geneva government.
Trump’s assessment aside, prospects for a major breakthrough appeared dim when the talks opened. Still, there is hope that the two countries will scale back the massive taxes — tariffs — they have slapped on each other’s goods, a move that would relieve world financial markets and companies on both sides of the Pacific Ocean that depend on US-China trade.
Trump last month raised US tariffs on China to a combined 145 percent, and China retaliated by hitting American imports with a 125 percent levy. Tariffs that high essentially amount to the countries’ boycotting each other’s products, disrupting trade that last year topped $660 billion.
And even before talks got underway, Trump suggested Friday that the US could lower its tariffs on China, saying in a Truth Social post that ” 80 percent Tariff seems right! Up to Scott.″
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, noted it will be the first time He and Bessent have talked. She doubts the Geneva meeting will produce any substantive results.
“The best scenario is for the two sides to agree to de-escalate on the ... tariffs at the same time,” she said, adding even a small reduction would send a positive signal. “It cannot just be words.”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has aggressively used tariffs as his favorite economic weapon. He has, for example, imposed a 10 percent tax on imports from almost every country in the world.
But the fight with China has been the most intense. His tariffs on China include a 20 percent charge meant to pressure Beijing into doing more to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States.
The remaining 125 percent involve a dispute that dates back to Trump’s first term and comes atop tariffs he levied on China back then, which means the total tariffs on some Chinese goods can exceed 145 percent.
During Trump’s first term, the US alleged that China uses unfair tactics to give itself an edge in advanced technologies such as quantum computing and driverless cars. These include forcing US and other foreign companies to hand over trade secrets in exchange for access to the Chinese market; using government money to subsidize domestic tech firms; and outright theft of sensitive technologies.
Those issues were never fully resolved. After nearly two years of negotiation, the United States and China reached a so-called Phase One agreement in January 2020. The US agreed then not to go ahead with even higher tariffs on China, and Beijing agreed to buy more American products. The tough issues — such as China’s subsidies — were left for future negotiations.
But China didn’t come through with the promised purchases, partly because COVID-19 disrupted global commerce just after the Phase One truce was announced.
The fight over China’s tech policy now resumes.
Trump is also agitated by America’s massive trade deficit with China, which came to $263 billion last year.
Trump slaps hefty tariffs on Switzerland
In Switzerland Friday, Bessent and Greer also met with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter.
Trump last month suspended plans to slap hefty 31 percent tariffs on Swiss goods — more than the 20 percent levies he plastered on exports from European Union. For now, he has reduced those taxes to 10 percent but could raise them again.
The government in Bern is taking a cautious approach. But it has warned of the impact on crucial Swiss industries like watches, coffee capsules, cheese and chocolate.
“An increase in trade tensions is not in Switzerland’s interests. Countermeasures against US tariff increases would entail costs for the Swiss economy, in particular by making imports from the USA more expensive,” the government said last week, adding that the executive branch “is therefore not planning to impose any countermeasures at the present time.”
The government said Swiss exports to the United States on Saturday were subject to an additional 10 percent tariff, and another 21 percent beginning Wednesday.
The United States is Switzerland’s second-biggest trading partner after the EU – the 27-member-country bloc that nearly surrounds the wealthy Alpine country of more than 9 million. US-Swiss trade in goods and services has quadrupled over the last two decades, the government said.
The Swiss government said Switzerland abolished all industrial tariffs on Jan. 1 last year, meaning that 99 percent of all goods from the United States can be imported into Switzerland duty-free.
