Omaha poised to have first Black leader after mayor concedes race

Omaha poised to have first Black leader after mayor concedes race

Omaha's first female mayor has conceded the city's mayoral race to a man who is poised to become the community's first Black mayor. Voters in Omaha were set to make history Tuesday by either reelecting the city's first female mayor to a rare fourth term or electing the community's first Black mayor. The winner will lead Nebraska's largest city, which makes up nearly a quarter of the state's population. The race between Mayor Jean Stothert and challenger John Ewing primarily revolved around local issues like street repairs and garbage service, but in the final stretch, the campaign touched on more national, hot-button issues such as President Donald Trump's administration and transgender rights. Stothert was trailing by nearly 11,000 votes in unofficial results late Tuesday night. At her election night event, Stothert said she called Ewing and conceded in the race, according to CNN-affiliateKETV. "I called John Ewing, and I congratulated him," Stothert said. "John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city, and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we love. We are grateful and we are hopeful." In campaigning for a fourth term, Stothert has portrayed Omaha as a city on a hot streak with a revitalized riverfront, plans moving ahead on a streetcar line and progress repairing city streets. "I have plans and can talk about them, and they are working," Stothert told the Omaha World-Herald. Ewing, the county treasurer, said the mayor hasn't focused enough attention on core issues like filling potholes, hiring more police officers and building more affordable housing. "People just feel like she's had her time, and it's time for somebody new," Ewing said. Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, the candidates have made it clear to voters that Stothert is a Republican and Ewing is a Democrat. Omaha is among the few spots in conservative Nebraska where Democrats have a reasonable chance of winning elected offices. Despite a focus on bread-and-butter issues like city services, the candidates issued more partisan messages as the election neared. A Stothert TV ad says, "Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls' sports." Ewing responded that he hasn't dealt with such transgender issues as treasurer and told KETV he wouldn't respond to hypothetical questions. Ewing has aired ads that connect Stothert to the Trump administration, showing the mayor on a split screen with Trump and saying, "Let's say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done." For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Omaha poised to have first Black leader after mayor concedes race

Omaha poised to have first Black leader after mayor concedes race Omaha's first female mayor has conceded the city's mayoral race to...

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A home away from home: Why Trump wishes America was more like the Gulf

A home away from home: Why Trump wishes America was more like the Gulf

President Donald Trump would plainly like America to be more like the Gulf states he's touring on the first big foreign trip of his new term. He gota purple-carpeted welcomefit for a king in Saudi Arabia from Mohammed bin Salman, the ruthless and modernizing crown prince, that outstripped the showers of personal adulation from his top officials back home. More spectacle is on tap in Qatar Wednesday after Trump lands in his aging Air Force One jet – rather than the newer 747-8his hosts want to gift him. "We've launched the Golden Age of America," Trump said in a major speech in Riyadh. "The Golden Age of the Middle East can proceed right alongside of us." His trip, which also includes a stop in the United Arab Emirates, is already a window into his second term. The soliciting of hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign investment shows "America first" is as much an economic strategy as a foreign policy. And as Trump palled around with MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is widely known, it was clear the president is right at home with rich authoritarian leaders who head nations where the line between politics and personal enrichment is blurred. No one in Riyadh was complaining that his visit is also serving as a tacit endorsement of business deals his sons have clinched incountries along his route. But Trump's lavishing of attention on Gulf states is also highlighting the region's rise to geopolitical and economic might. The financial muscle of oil-rich Saudis, Qataris and Emiratis is engineering a power shift from the West to the East. This will be obvious in Qatar. The tiny state, smaller than Connecticut and home to 2.5 million people, is now a fulcrum of diplomacy and has made itself indispensable to the foreign policies of Republican and Democratic presidents. It connects warring nations and hostile groups including the United States, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Hamas, Israel, Lebanon and its rival factions, the Taliban, Congo and M23 rebels. If there's a war that needs to be ended or a hostage to be freed, Qatar, acting almost as a mini-United Nations, will be involved. Trump is on the hunt for $1 trillion of Gulf investment to balance his tariff-led strategy to reinvent the US economy. But his head was turned by transformations wrought by his hosts in their own backyards, which are unencumbered by the planning regulations and environmental curbs he often bemoans in the US. Armed with sovereign wealth funds, they're revolutionizing sports and the arts as they build vast modern cities, transport links and stadia to guarantee their futures when carbon resources are drained. Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, as part of an PR strategy critics decry as an attempt to "sports wash" its poor human rights record. Saudi Arabia launched spending sprees to bankroll sports teams and leagues. In a politics and sports double play, it founded a pro golf league and held events at Trump resorts. The World Cup is coming in 2034. Trump was sure to give FIFA supremo Trump fan Gianni Infantino a shoutout in his speech Tuesday. Admiration and even envy creep into Trump's voice in a region where he's far more comfortable than in the chancelleries of Old Europe. "Majestic skyscrapers," Trump, who's built a few towers himself, marveled in Riyadh. "It's amazing genius." He went on: "in other cities throughout the peninsula, places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi and Doha, Muscat, the transformations have been unbelievably remarkable. Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos, where it exports technology, not terrorism." In Trump's endorsement of the aggressive Gulf development model, it's hard not to see political aspirations for back home. What would Trump give for authoritarian powers, curbed political freedoms, no court and media scrutiny and the unlimited authority to spend billions that the region's leaders enjoy? The president's affection for strongmen is well-known. But an interaction with MBS on Tuesday was jarring even for him. "I like him a lot," Trump said, smirking at the de facto Saudi leader,blamed by US intelligencefor approvingthe gruesome 2018 killingof Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. "I like him too much. That's why we give so much. You know? Too much. I like you too much." The president made it clear that America under his watch is open for business and won't ask too many questions about where the cash comes from. "In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it's our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use US policy to dispense justice for their sins," Trump said, inaugurating a new age of an ultra-realist foreign policy Tuesday. "I believe it is God's job to sit in judgment – my job (is) to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace." Trump's endless search for "wins" came up with $600 billion in new investments for the US on Tuesday. It's typical for such numbers to be inflated by back-counting of deals already on the books and future promises that never materialize. But there was also a win for the people of Syria, as Trumpannounced the lifting of US sanctionsfollowing the fall of the Assad regime last year – the latest of a string of presidential decisions that might irk Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The White House is emphasizing Trump's tour as primarily an economic mission. But the interlocking nature of US economic and security policy will be emphasized in his stop in Qatar. This is a country that defines the term "punching above its weight." To guarantee its safety in a violent region plagued by border conflicts, it's made itself indispensable to the US and its allies. At the vast, and once secret, Al Udeid Air Base that it built in the desert outside Doha, runways and US military installations stretch as far as the eye can see. As international geopolitical structures fray, the Doha government has made a name as a rare broker of intractable disputes between enemies, sometimes thousands of miles outside its own neighborhood. "We are a small country, but we have a long outreach," Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Washington Post inan interview published Monday. "Sometimes, being a small country enables you to move fast and to be able to engage with everybody." Qatar must have one of the busiest foreign ministries on the planet. It's worked onhostage releasesandceasefire effortsamid the Israeli war in Gaza and has sent billions of dollars in aid toPalestinian civilians. It played a huge role in facilitating the USevacuationfromAfghanistan. Just this week, Qatar joined Egypt in negotiating with Hamas to secure the release of the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander. Doha kept open channels to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine made it an international pariah. That helped it facilitate the release of several groups of Ukrainian children caught up in the conflict. Qatar also mediated between the Biden administration and the Maduro regime in Venezuela in a process that led to the release of 10 Americans. It is hosting peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels aimed at ending fighting that killed thousands of people and created a humanitarian crisis. Qatar's willingness to deal with even the most extreme groups has sometimes angered its neighbors, including the Saudis, with whom it has experienced several diplomatic schisms. In the United States, Al Jazeera, the news network partially funded by the Qatari government, was often accused of bias during the Iraq war. Washington lawmakers have frequently called on administrations to sever ties with Qatar for allowing extremists belonging to the Taliban, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood to live and work there. But its open door has often benefited US foreign policy. Qatar can talk to belligerents that a US government could never approach. It's become a proxy diplomatic toolbox for US presidents. And it reflects a region on the rise. "The Saudis are playing a role in mediating with the Ukrainians and the Russians. The Emirates have been instrumental in bringing Americans wrongfully imprisoned in Russia home," Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations told reporters in a recent briefing. "The Qataris obviously have had this big role to play in Gaza and to get a ceasefire there. And now you have the Omanis, who are deeply involved not only in the nuclear negotiations but … also with Houthis." Cook added, "It seems that the Trump administration sees America's partners in the Gulf as their trusted interlocutors, not treaty allies in Europe or other partners." The deft Qatari touch seems to have failed it in the new flap over Air Force One. The offer of a new 747 to bridge the gap until new presidential jets come online was seized upon by critics as a blatant bid to influence the transactional and ethically challenged Trump – who has said he'd be "stupid" to say no. Not only would such a giftappear to infringe the Constitution, but US intelligence would have to comb the jet to ensure it's not been compromised by foreign powers. And the offer has focused attention on a darker side of Qatar: a human rights record the Biden State Department said was stained by political imprisonments, restrictions on freedom of expression and a compromised legal system. Some Republicans arealso wary of the idea. "Many of their people are prevented from participating in the government. And some of the minority religious folks in Qatar are treated poorly. And so, I really haven't been a big fan," Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said on Fox News Monday. "I wonder if our ability to judge their human rights record would be clouded by the fact of this large gift." "So, I wouldn't take it. That's just me. I don't think it's a good idea. " For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

A home away from home: Why Trump wishes America was more like the Gulf

A home away from home: Why Trump wishes America was more like the Gulf President Donald Trump would plainly like America to be more like the...

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3 Myths About Tariffs

3 Myths About Tariffs

Last month, President Donald Trump proudly announced, "Liberation Day!…The day American industry was reborn!" Reborn because of his tariffs, which he called, "the most beautiful word in the dictionary." This is just wrong. The first time he was president, Trump raised tariffs on steel. That helped American steelmakers. They hired 1,000 more workers. Yippee. But more American companiesmakethings out of steel. They were hurt. The result: America lost about75,000 jobs. Gain a thousand jobs, lose 75,000. Doesn't sound like "liberation" to me. Former President Joe Biden didn't learn the lesson. He increased Trump's tariffs. That's Myth 1: Tariffs protect American jobs. Myth 2: We need tariffs because America runs trade deficits with other countries. We do run deficits. Our trade deficit with China so far this year is more than$70 billion. So what? I run a trade deficit with my supermarket. I give them money. They never give me money. That's fine. It's freedom. The economy sorts it out. There's nothing bad about a trade deficit or good about a surplus. America ran a trade surplus during the Great Depression. Myth 3: We need tariffs because global trade hollowed out America's manufacturing base. I hear that all the time, from politicians, comments on my X feed, and media commentators. "Disastrous economic policies have hollowed out the manufacturing base, sending jobs and production overseas," influencer Mario Nawfal posted on X. "Large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits have led to the hollowing out of our manufacturing base,"readsa White House fact sheet. It's silly. They're just wrong. American industrial output is near anall-time high. Unemployment, now at4.2 percent, is much lower than it was when I grew up. Politicians never learn. In 1930, at the start of what became the Great Depression, clueless legislators Reed Smoot and Willis Hawley got Congress to pass what became known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. "It deepened and lengthened the Depression,"writesthe Foundation for Economic Education. Still, Trump is right to complain about countries that put nasty tariffs on American goods. In mynew video, his press secretary points out that "Canada…[imposes a] nearly 300 percent tariff…[on] American cheese and butter…India, a 150 percent tariff on American alcohol." This mostly hurts Canadian and Indian consumers, but it also hurts American businesses. Seems sensible, then, for Trump to pressure those countries and get them to lower their tariffs. And Trump says he's making deals! He got China to reduce tariffs to 10 percent. But China charged 8 percent before Trump raised tariffs during his first term. Sigh. Some countries, in response to Trump's moves, raised their tariffs. Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on $107 billion worth of U.S. goods. Some small business owners, some with the help of the Liberty Justice Center, have sued Trump, arguing that his use of emergency powers to enact the fees was illegal. "If this is the end of my American dream," says one, "I'm going to go down swinging." Wine importer Victor Schwartz says there's only one way out for Trump. "Admit you made a bad decision and let's move on. That's what we do in business all the time. Free trade is really a beautiful thing." It is. We rarely notice how it enriches us, but it does. By bringing in cheaper goods and services from all around the world, it lets American workers specialize in areas where Americans do things best. That leaves almost all of us better off. Politicians should leave that alone. COPYRIGHT 2025 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. The post3 Myths About Tariffsappeared first onReason.com.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

3 Myths About Tariffs

3 Myths About Tariffs Last month, President Donald Trump proudly announced, "Liberation Day!…The day American industry was reborn!...

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What to know about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

What to know about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The talks have taken place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe. Now, all eyes are finally turning to Istanbul to seek an end to Russia's 3-year-old,full-scale invasionof Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putinproposed restarting direct peace talksThursday with Ukraine in the Turkish city that straddles Asia and Europe. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyychallenged the Kremlin leaderto meet in Turkey in person. What will unfold remains unclear. The Kremlin has refused to confirm who's going to Turkey and whether it will include Putin. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Zelenskyy will only sit down with the Russian leader. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that "if Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war." What's known about the possible talks: How did the idea of talks in Turkey arise? On Saturday, Zelenskyy hosted French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a show of unity. They issued a coordinated call for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine starting Monday. The plan has received backing from the European Union and U.S.President Donald Trump, who had promised during his campaign to swiftly end the war that is now in its fourth year. The leaders pledged tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin did not accept the proposal. In remarks to the media early Sunday, however,Putin effectively rejectedthe offer and proposedrestarting direct talks with Ukrainein Istanbul instead "without preconditions." He did not specify whether he envisioned the talks to involve Zelenskyy and himself personally, or with lower-level officials. Zelenskyy responded by insisting on a ceasefire, saying he will travel to Turkey — and challenged Putin to do the same: "I will be waiting for Putin in (Turkey) on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses." Who's coming and why? Pressed by reporters on who will represent Russia in Istanbul, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to say, stressing that Putin had outlined Russia's position clearly enough. Trump's administration initiated separate talks with Russia and Ukrainein Saudi Arabiain March. But since then, the administration has indicated it might withdraw from the process if no tangible progress is made. Trump said Monday he was optimistic about the talks — a sharp contrast to a contentious Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy on Feb. 28. There is "the potential for a good meeting" between Putin and Zelenskyy, Trump said in Washington. He added he was "thinking about flying over" after his visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but later said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others from the U.S. will go to Turkey for the talks. Podolyak on Tuesday told a YouTube broadcast by prominent Russian journalists in exile that the Ukrainian leader won't be meeting any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Putin. He added that "there are always people" in Zelenskyy's entourage who can "conduct certain negotiations at corresponding levels" with the Russians but questioned the point of a lower-level meeting. "Undoubtedly, only Putin can make the decision to continue the war or stop the war," he said. Zelenskyy said Tuesday he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara, and wait there. If the Russian leader chooses Istanbul for the meeting, Zelenskyy said, then he and Erdogan will travel there. If Putin doesn't show, European and U.S. leaders should follow through with additional sanctions against Russia, he added. What happened at talks in Istanbul in 2022? The Kremlin billed Thursday's talks as a "restarting" of peace negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, early on in the war, that quickly fell apart. Moscow had blamed Ukraine and the West for their alleged desire to continue fighting, while Kyiv said Russia's demands amounted to an ultimatum rather than something the sides could mutually agree on. Zelenskyy has said the Russian delegation's demands included Ukraine's recognition of Russian control over the Donbas, an area in eastern Ukraine consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk regions; constitutional amendments to declare neutrality; a significant reduction of Ukraine's armed forces; and the surrender of long-range weaponry. "There were never any negotiations; it was an ultimatum from a murderer," he said in 2022. Putin accused Ukraine of derailing a peace deal that was basically agreed on and included clauses of Ukraine's neutral and nonnuclear status and details on how much its army would be reduced. "The Kyiv authorities ... just threw it all away. They turned it down," Putin said in 2023. The Kremlin has said repeatedly "the Istanbul agreements" could serve as a basis for further peace talks. After Moscow illegally annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in September 2022, Russian authorities started saying that Kyiv should also recognize "the reality on the ground." What are both sides' demands to end the war? Putin last year demanded that Ukraine cede the four regions, which it still does not fully control. He also wants Kyiv to recognize the Crimean Peninsula, also illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, as Russian; Ukraine also must renounce its bid to join NATO and drastically reduce its army. He also demanded that the West lift sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion. Kyiv, in turn, refused to cede any land and wants robust security guarantees against future Russian aggression. Trump, who has engaged in a broad diplomatic effort to end the war since taking office, has said that Crimea, "will stay with Russia." He has also said that Kyiv was unlikely to ever join NATO. What's happening on the battlefield? Both sides are preparing a warm weather campaign on the battlefield, where a war of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said Russia is "quickly replenishing front-line units with new recruits to maintain the battlefield initiative." In 2024 and more recently, Russian troops have made slow but steady gains in several sections along the front. Putin said in March that Russian troops have "gained steam" and "are holding strategic initiative all along the line of contact." Zelenskyy warned that Russia was delaying talks in preparation for bigger offensives. Last month, Moscow's forces also declared that they fully reclaimed chunks of Russia's Kursk region bordering Ukraine that Kyiv's forces seized in a surprise incursion in August 2024. Kyiv denied the claim, but it has been steadily losing ground there as Moscow, aided by North Korean soldiers, worked to push them out and leave Ukraine without a key negotiating chip. Several attempts to establish at least a partial ceasefire have been unsuccessful. Russia effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce; the Kremlin instead declared two short, unilateral ceasefires for holidays in the last two months -– one for30 hours at Easterand another for 72 hours to coincide withRussia's World War II Victory Daycelebrations. In both cases, Kyiv and Moscow accused each other of failing to halt the fighting. Russia and Ukraine also pledged in March to observe a 30-day halt to attacking energy infrastructure that was brokered by the Trump administration. Both sides repeatedly accused each other of massive violations until the measure expired.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

What to know about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

What to know about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The talks have taken place in the warring capitals ...

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A still-unfolding diplomatic road seeking peace in Ukraine has had many twists and turns

A still-unfolding diplomatic road seeking peace in Ukraine has had many twists and turns

It was a weekend of diplomatic announcements onthe war in Ukraine. First, European leaders assembled in Kyiv on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin fora ceasefire. Then, after midnight, the Kremlin leader surfaced in Moscow tounveil a proposal for talksin Istanbul, Turkey. If both Putin and Zelenskyy sit down with each other,it would be a firstin the 3-year-old war. Key events that have shaped efforts to end the war since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022: Feb. 28, 2022: Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet in neighboring Belarusfor the first timeafter the invasion. Talks continue over the next two weeks, but no apparent agreements emerge other than a decision to set up humanitarian corridors for civilians. March 21, 2022: Zelenskyy calls for direct talks with Putin but is rebuffed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A day later, Zelenskyy says he is prepared todiscuss a commitmentfor Ukraine to not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine's security. March 29, 2022: Talks begin in Istanbul, Turkey, with Moscow saying it's willing to"fundamentally cut back" military activitynear Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, while Ukraine said it was open to discussing neutral status for Ukraine if its security is backed by other nations. April 7, 2022: Lavrov rejects aUkrainian peace proposal as "unacceptable." He says Kyiv has walked back on an agreement to exempt the Crimean Peninsula from wider Ukrainian security guarantees. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. April 26, 2022: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visits Russia to discuss ending the war. May 13, 2022:U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austincalls his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in their first contact since before the start of the war. July 22, 2022: Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the U.N., agreeon a dealto unblock supplies of grain stuck in Ukraine's Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened global food security. The deal expires a year later. Sept. 22, 2022:Zelenskyy addresses the U.N. General Assembly, laying out five "nonnegotiable" conditions, including a "just punishment" for Russia. Sept. 30, 2022: Russiaillegally annexesthe Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, even though it doesn't fully control any of them. Ukraine responds by applying to join NATO and by enacting a decree thatdeclares negotiations with Putin "impossible". Nov. 15, 2022: Zelenskyy unveils a 10-point peace plan at the G20 summit in Bali. June 25, 2023: Officials from 15 countries, including the U.S., the European Union, India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss Zelenskyy's peace plan. Aug. 5, 2023: Two days of discussions on the war begin in Saudi Arabia with delegates from 40 countries, but not Russia. No joint statements are issued. Oct. 28, 2023: Delegates from 65 countries meet in Malta to continue talks on Zelenskyy's peace plan. Russia, which has dismissed the talks, was not invited. June 15, 2024: Representatives of 92 nations meet inNidwalden, Switzerland, to discuss Ukraine's peace plan. Despite the growing number of delegates, a consensus remains elusive. The summit's final statement is backed by most – although not all – participants. Dec. 7, 2024: U.S. President-electDonald Trumptravels to Paris and meets Zelenskyy and other European leaders. Feb 12. 2025: Trump and Putin speak directly via telephone and agree to begin negotiations on ending Ukraine war in a phone call that abruptly ended a three-year U.S.-led effort to isolate Putin over Ukraine. Feb. 18, 2025: Russian and U.S. officials, including Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meet in Saudi Arabia and agree to work toward ending the war, as well as restoring bilateral ties. Ukrainian officials are not invited. Feb. 28, 2025: Zelenskyy meets with Trump, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in the White House but tensions break out in the Oval Office and a proposedminerals deal between the countriesis left unsigned. March 11, 2025: U.S. and Ukrainian officials meet in Saudi Arabia, with American officials putting forward a plan for a 30-day ceasefire. Kyiv agrees to the proposed truce. March 13, 2025: Putin effectively rejects the ceasefire plan, stating certain issues still must be resolved. He also meets with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow. Witkoff would travel to Russia two more times in April to meet Putin. March 18, 2025: A proposal is put forward for a temporary halt on strikes on energy infrastructure. Both sides agree to the plan, but soon accuse each other of violations, and the measure later expires. April 19, 2025:Putin announces a 30-hour ceasefireto mark the Easter holiday, although attackscontinue across Ukraine. April 28, 2025: The Kremlin declares a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting May 8 to mark Russia's Victory Day celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Kyiv does not agree, preferring a 30-day truce proposed by U.S. officials. Both sides accuse each other of violating it. May 10, 2025: French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv and urge Russia to enact a 30-day truce starting May 12. May 11, 2025:Putin proposes restarting direct talkswith Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, "without preconditions," but does not agree to the 30-day ceasefire Zelenskyy challenges Putin tomeet personally in Turkey. May 12, 2025: Trump says he is "thinking about flying over" to Turkey for the talks after his visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but later says Rubio and other U.S. officials will go. May 13, 2025: Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says Zelenskyy won't meet with any representative of Russia in Turkey except for Putin. Zelenskyy says he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will wait for Putin in Ankara, adding: "If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war."

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

A still-unfolding diplomatic road seeking peace in Ukraine has had many twists and turns

A still-unfolding diplomatic road seeking peace in Ukraine has had many twists and turns It was a weekend of diplomatic announcements onthe ...

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