By Muhammed Enes Calli
ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Ukraine rejecting US bid on rare metals, Europe’s exclusion from Russia-Ukraine peace talks, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan saying regional countries are in consensus on the issue of Syria.
TOP STORIES
- Zelenskyy blocks rare metals agreement with US
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday he stopped his government from signing an agreement with the US on rare metals, citing concerns over national interests.
Speaking at a news conference in Munich, Zelenskyy emphasized that the proposed agreement did not align with the interests of the Ukrainian people.
President Donald Trump had suggested the US was owed $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s resources in exchange for its assistance to the war-torn country.
- US envoy says Europe to be excluded from Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Europe will be excluded from talks aimed at ending Russia’s three-year-long war in Ukraine, the US Ukraine envoy said.
Keith Kellogg said Europe would not be directly involved in Ukraine peace talks, citing the failure of the Minsk II agreement in 2015, which included France and Germany.
European leaders, meanwhile, have insisted to be part of any discussions to the end the conflict.
- Regional countries in consensus on Syria’s future: Turkish foreign minister
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said regional countries are in consensus on the issue of Syria.
Speaking at a panel titled New Dawn for Damascus: Prospects for Syria’s Transition at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Fidan said: “When the Assad regime fell, we came together with the regional countries, and we discussed what we are expecting from the new administration in Damascus before taking any post-war steps."
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Europe must be ready to face challenges and make sacrifices to take charge of its own security, the French foreign minister said.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul expressed concerns over China's actions in the South China Sea and discussed ways to deter North Korea.
- Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Iwaya Takeshi said any outcome of the Ukraine-Russia war will impact the Asian region.
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their homeland.
- Canada rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal to reinstate Russia in the G7.
- More than a quarter of German voters are undecided with only eight days until the parliamentary elections, according to a new poll.
- Lebanese authorities have taken into custody over 25 people suspected of attacking a convoy of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
- Iraqi and US forces killed five Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in a joint airstrike near Rawa, a town on the Euphrates River about 320 kilometers (199 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
- Death toll in a stampede at a railway station in the Indian capital of New Delhi rose to 18.
- Israel and Hamas completed their sixth captive-prisoner swap, with three Israelis held in Gaza released in exchange for 369 Palestinians.
SPORTS
- Jannik Sinner banned from tennis for 3 months for doping
Tennis World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was banned for three months over doping, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said.
"The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation that led to him testing positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024," WADA said in a statement.