Talks on Ukraine truce. Russian negotiators began meeting with a U.S. delegation today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the U.S. delegation met with Ukrainian negotiators yesterday. Envoys are discussing the technical details of a partial cease-fire. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that attempts to halt further escalation of the war were “somewhat under control.” Over the weekend, Russian strikes in Ukraine killed at least seven people, while Ukrainian strikes in Russia killed at least two, officials on both sides said.
Canada sets election date. Prime Minister Mark Carney called an election for April 28. Polls suggest that his Liberal Party is closing the gap with the Conservatives, which enjoyed high popularity before Trump took office and made trade threats against Canada. Earlier this month, Carney halted a consumer carbon tax that had been a primary point of criticism from Conservatives.
China-Japan-South Korea diplomacy. Foreign ministers from the three countries met on Saturday in Tokyo, with Japan’s foreign minister saying that they hoped to host a trilateral leaders’ summit by the end of the year. The countries pledged to work together to address issues such as declining birth rates and aging populations. Later in the day, Japan and China held their first high-level economic dialogue since 2019.
Trump ally meets Chinese premier. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) said that his Sunday meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing was “the first step” toward a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Daines said he voiced U.S. concern about China’s role in global fentanyl supply chains during the meeting, which also covered trade. He did not specify when a Trump-Xi meeting might occur. Daines, who worked for Procter & Gamble in China in the past, traveled to Beijing with executives from U.S. companies attending a business forum.
Venezuela accepts U.S. deportees. For the first time in weeks, Venezuela accepted a U.S. deportation flight on Sunday. Caracas had previously stopped receiving such flights after Washington announced new restrictions on its oil sector. Venezuela’s return to accepting deportees came after the United States transferred Venezuelan migrants to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. The United States has limited diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
South Korean PM’s impeachment reversed. The country’s Constitutional Court overturned the legislature’s impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo today, restoring his position as the country’s acting president. Han took the post of acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for a short-lived declaration of martial law. But lawmakers also impeached Han over his blockage of new Constitutional Court judges.
U.S. visits to Greenland. U.S. Second Lady Usha Vance and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz are expected to visit Greenland as part of separate delegations this week. Vance is due to visit a dogsled race and Waltz, a military base. Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte B. Egede called the visits “highly aggressive” in an interview with a Greenlandic newspaper. Trump has proposed annexing Greenland. The prime minister of Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, said the country takes the visits “seriously” and aims to cooperate with the United States based “on the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”
Pakistani envoy in Kabul. Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan carried out a three-day visit to Kabul, where both sides pledged to increase high-level dialogue. The thaw in ties comes after the recent reopening of the countries’ main border crossing. The delegations discussed the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan—which is carrying out a deportation drive—and the status of the Pakistani Taliban. During the visit, Pakistan’s army said it thwarted an “attempt to infiltrate” its troops on the Afghan border and killed sixteen militants.
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