Putin tells Trump Russia is ready for next round of Ukraine talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart Donald Trump Saturday that Moscow was ready to hold a fresh round of peace talks with Kyiv after June 22, once the sides complete exchanging prisoners and soldiers’ bodies.Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile did not mention whether Ukraine would agree to the next round of talks, only saying that “the exchanges will be completed and the parties will discuss the next step.”Putin and Trump held a call for the fifth time since the Republican took office and sought to reset relations with Moscow, in a stark pivot from the approach of his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration.Trump’s approach has stunned Washington’s allies, raising doubts about the future of US aid to Kyiv and leaving Europe scrambling to work out how it can fill any gap in supplies if Trump decides to pull US military, financial and intelligence support.”Both leaders expressed satisfaction with their personal relations” during the call, in which they also discussed the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the Kremlin said.It added that the presidents “communicate in a businesslike manner and seek solutions to pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda, no matter how complex these issues may be”.- ‘Happy birthday’ call -Trump posted on Truth Social to say Putin had called “to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday” on the day he turned 79, but that “more importantly” the two discussed the Iran-Israel crisis.”He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump said, referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.Zelensky urged the United States to “shift tone” in its dialogue with Russia, saying it was “too warm” and would not help to end the fighting.”Any signals of reduced aid, or of treating Ukraine and Russia as equals, are deeply unfair. Russia is the aggressor. They started this war. They do not want to end it,” the Ukrainian President said on X.The recent escalation sparked fears Washington might relocate resources at its expense, to beef up the defence of its close ally Israel which unleashed a large-scale attack on Iran Friday.”We would like to see aid to Ukraine not decrease because of this,” he said. “Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine.”- More soldiers exchanged -Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine and Russia swapped prisoners in the fourth such exchange this week, part of a large-scale plan to bring back 1,000 wounded prisoners from each side and return bodies of killed soldiers.The prisoner agreement was the only visible result of two recent rounds of talks in Istanbul.Photos published by Zelensky on Telegram showed men of various ages, mostly with shaved heads, wearing camouflage and draped in Ukrainian flags.Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling.Moscow’s defence ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting “Glory to Russia” and “hooray”, some raising their fists in the air. As part of the Istanbul agreements, Kyiv also said it had received another 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia. It said Moscow had said they were those of “Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.” Ukraine did not say whether it returned any bodies to Russia.Russia has rejected calls to halt its three-year offensive. It has demanded Ukraine cede territory and renounce Western military support if it wants peace.Since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, the assault has forced millions of people to flee their homes as towns and cities across eastern Ukraine have been flattened by heavy bombardments.Meanwhile, Russia intensified its advances along the front line, especially on the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, where it seeks to establish a “buffer zone”.By doing it, Moscow seeks to protect its bordering region of Kursk, previously partly occupied by Ukraine. Zelensky said Russia’s advance on Sumy was stopped and that Kyiv’s forces had managed to retake one village.He also denied Moscow’s earlier claims that its troops entered the Dnipropetrovsk region. He said 53,000 Russian soldiers were involved in the Sumy operation.

US capital divided by Trump’s military parade

As Donald Trump supporters queued to watch a military parade in Washington, hundreds of protesters marched less than a mile away chanting that the US president was a “fascist.”The divided US capital epitomized a political rift in the United States that Saturday’s display of soldiers, tanks and fighter jets looked to further deepen. For Shaun Dailey, who traveled from neighboring Pennsylvania, the parade was simply a chance to honor the US Army on its birthday, which coincided with Trump’s 79th. “Some of them say that, ‘Oh, it looks like North Korea. Oh, it looks like Russia,’ because America doesn’t do very many military parades. I don’t know, because we’re told to be ashamed of who we are,” the 22-year-old said.”But I personally don’t see that as authoritarian. I don’t see it as fascist or whatever. I just see it as a celebration.”Brent Kuykendall, 66, who flew from Texas with his wife to see the parade, agreed that it was a form of “patriotism.””It’s more than Trump. It’s to celebrate our country,” said Kuykendall, who carried a bag styled with US flags.But many in liberal Washington were uneasy with the huge military display that has seen much of the downtown area shut down by roadblocks. Secret Service agents, some with sniffer dogs, prowled the entry points to the National Mall area where the parade was taking place Saturday.The White House — typically visible for tourists behind a single metal fence — was cordoned off with a large black barrier reading “Do not enter.”- ‘Military as pawns’ -A few hundred protesters marched to the perimeter to voice their opposition to the military parade — and Trump’s second presidency.”I flew in to oppose Trump’s fascist birthday parade,” said Sam Richards, a US army veteran from Minneapolis, some 1,000 miles from Washington. “All of this feels like a cruel joke, to use people that swore an oath to the Constitution and are devoting their lives to the military as pawns for a guy who wants to be a king,” Richards, 34, said.He was surrounded by activists who held signs reading “Pro USA, anti Trump” and “Americans will not be ruled.”There was also a wooden model where protesters had gathered earlier depicting Trump with an elongated nose, sitting on a toilet with suit trousers around his ankles. Organizers emphasized the rally should be nonviolent — but some were still wary of Trump’s promise last week that anyone trying to derail the military parade would be met by “heavy force.””It’s very important to stand out here today because there’s so many people that are afraid,” said Anahi Rivas-Rodriguez, 24, who is from Washington. She acknowledged she felt “intimidated” by comments made by the president.”But that does not stop me, because protesting is patriotic.”The Washington protest was among hundreds of rallies taking place across the United States on Saturday, including New York City and Los Angeles.Bill Kennedy, 68, traveled to the capital from neighboring Pennsylvania as he believed it was crucial to display opposition to Trump.”I think he needs to see that. You know, he’s not going to get away with intimidation, threats, violence and thuggery, that people will still be opposed no matter what,” he said. 

Euro-2025 Espoirs: La France miraculée contre la Géorgie

Miracle à Zilina: l’équipe de France Espoirs a arraché la victoire à la toute dernière seconde contre la Géorgie (3-2) à l’Euro-2025, samedi, et s’est bien placée pour se qualifier pour les quarts de finale.Le héros s’appelle Thierno Barry. L’attaquant de Villarreal avait cru signer la remontada des Bleuets au début du temps additionnel (90+2), mais son but a été refusé pour un hors-jeu détecté par le VAR.Mais il est revenu à la charge tout au bout du match pour reprendre un centre de Castello Lukeba (90+12) et offrir une victoire aux Bleuets, deuxièmes de leur groupe à égalité de points avec le Portugal, contre qui ils avaient fait match nul (0-0) lors de la première rencontre.Les Lusitaniens ont de leur côté écrasé la Pologne (5-0) dans l’autre match. Tout le suspense était concentré sur France-Géorgie.Les joueurs de Gérald Baticle, en quête d’esprit d’équipe avec un groupe qui a dû être reconstruit au dernier moment en raison des nombreux forfait, ont vécu des moments qui peuvent cimenter leur histoire commune.Face à des Géorgiens athlétiques, qui avaient battu la Pologne (2-1) au premier match, les Français dominaient mollement, jusqu’à un penalty sifflé pour une faute du défenseur central Saba Sazonov, un pied levé qui a frappé Tel à la mâchoire.Le joueur de Tottenham a lui-même transformé la sanction (35e, s.p.) en trompant le gardien Luka Kharatishvili, parti du mauvais côté.- Thierno ce héros -Tel, positionné en pointe par Gérald Baticle à la place de Matthis Abline, qui avait été aligné contre le Portugal, avait été le Bleuet le plus dangereux, notamment sur une frappe enveloppée sortie par le portier géorgien (22e) ou une volée manquant de peu le cadre (52e).Mais faute de prendre le large, les Bleuets se sont fait piéger. Ils dominaient, mais Gabriel Sigua a chipé le ballon dans les pieds de Matthis Abline, qui venait de remplacer Tel, et a servi Giorgi Abuashvili qui a trompé Guillaume Restes (77e).Deux minutes avant, l’attaquant nantais avait buté sur le gardien pour la balle de 2-0 (75e).Les Espoirs français ont cru tout perdre quelques minutes plus tard quand Sazonov a marqué de la tête le but du 2-1 (84e).Mais Johann Lepenant a égalisé sur une passe de Lucien Agoumé (89e), de retour de blessure, et le temps additionnel a viré à la folie.Thierno Barry a cru marquer mais ne s’est pas découragé et a signé le but vainqueur dans les tous derniers instants. Les Bleuets sont en position de force avant de défier la Pologne, bon dernier du groupe, mardi.