Morning Briefing, Jan. 23, 2025

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including US President Donald Trump urging Russia to end the Ukraine war and warning of sanctions if a deal is not reached, Russia beginning "internal preparations" for possible "contact" between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, and Iran expressing hope for reaching a new nuclear agreement with Trump.

TOP STORIES

• Trump urges Russia to end Ukraine war, warns of sanctions if deal not reached

US President Donald Trump demanded that Russia "settle now" and end the war in Ukraine, warning of high taxes, tariffs and sanctions on Russian exports if a resolution is not achieved soon.

"I’m not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin - and this despite the Radical Left’s Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

"All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries. Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!" he added.

• Russia begins 'internal preparations' for Putin-Trump possible contact

Russia has begun "internal preparations" for possible "contact" between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"There is no agreement to establish contact for now. Internal preparations continue. When we probably hear something clearer and more concrete from Washington, then we will get down to coordinating schedules and technical matters," Ryabkov said in an interview with Russian state news agency TASS.

The official noted that Moscow would like to engage in communications with the US counterparts "very soon."

• Iran hopes for new nuclear deal with Trump

Iran expressed hope for reaching a new nuclear agreement with US President Donald Trump.

This came during the participation of Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Asked if Iran believes the US might agree to a new deal, Zarif said: “I hope that this time around, a ‘Trump 2’ will be more serious, more focused, more realistic.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) could severely impact humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip and lead to a collapse of health care and education systems in the West Bank, a newly published report warned.
• South Korea’s main opposition welcomed US President Donald Trump’s willingness to resume talks with North Korea.
• At least two soldiers were killed and a dozen injured when gunmen ambushed troops providing security to UN officials in southern Basilan province in the Philippines, according to the military.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed to continue bilateral cooperation based on mutual respect and trust.
• Two people were killed and several others injured in a knife attack at a park in southern Germany.
• US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 308 illegal migrants on the first full day of President Donald Trump's administration.
• US President Donald Trump wants to withdraw 20,000 troops from Europe, Italian media reported.
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged to work “with utmost determination” to ensure the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
• A Palestinian was killed and two others were injured in the northern Gaza Strip due to the explosion of an object believed to be remnants of Israeli explosives, a local medic said.
• More than 200 people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol were freed after President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people.
• 2024 was a pivotal year for thoroughly discussing Türkiye-EU relations and recognizing the importance of cooperation, according to Türkiye's permanent representative to the EU.
• Yemen’s Houthi group released the crew of an Israeli ship after a ceasefire deal that halted Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
• UK Defense Secretary John Healey issued a strong warning to Russia after a “Russian spy ship” was spotted loitering near the UK’s critical undersea infrastructure.
• The war in Ukraine cannot be stopped without addressing the root causes of the conflict, Russia’s foreign minister said.
• Russia and Uzbekistan adopted a military strategic partnership program for the period between 2026 and 2030.
• Conservative leader Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc maintains a substantial lead in the latest opinion surveys as Germany enters the crucial final month of electoral campaigning.
• China claimed it has never interfered in the Panama Canal amid threats of overtaking the shipping channel by newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump, state media reported.
• Saudi Arabia has called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria since the time of the former Assad regime that was toppled last month.
• The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, sought German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s support in creating a safe zone for Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine State under UN supervision.
• The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced that 1.4 billion people traveled internationally in 2024, marking a significant recovery for global tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the sector's worst crisis in 2020-2021.
  

SPORTS

• Besiktas secure morale-boosting victory over Athletic Club in Europa League

Besiktas secured a morale-boosting win to stop their weak performance after beating Athletic Club 4-1 on UEFA Europa League matchday seven.

Besiktas opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Milot Rashica found the net with a close-range finish, assisted by Rafa Silva, at Besiktas Tupras Stadium.

However, Athletic Club equalized just before halftime, with Unai Gomez scoring from inside the penalty area.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US tech giants teaming up to invest up to $500B in AI

US tech giants OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank are teaming up to establish a venture which will invest up to $500 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the US, OpenAI announced.

On X, ChatGPT creator OpenAI said they will begin investing $100 billion immediately in the project, called Stargate, adding: "This infrastructure will secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world."

"This project will not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies," it added.

• Tesla dominates world’s automakers as Chinese brands ramp up competition

Tesla has dominated the world’s automakers with a market cap of $1.37 trillion, while Chinese carmakers ramped up their competition.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) company currently tops the list of the world’s 50 most valuable automakers, according to data compiled by Anadolu from the companiesmarketcap.com website.

Japanese carmaker Toyota followed Tesla with $240 billion in market cap, which was then followed by Chinese firms Xiaomi and BYD with $111.9 billion and $110.1 billion, respectively.