KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he warned US President Donald Trump ahead of his talks with Vladimir Putin this week that the Russian leader is “bluffing” about his desire to end the war.
Trump and Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday, where Kyiv and its allies are worried the two leaders may try to dictate the terms of peace in the 3-1/2-year war.
“I told the US president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing,” he said at a joint briefing in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine.”
Zelensky’s comments, made after a virtual call with Trump and European leaders, come as Russian forces step up pressure on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, aiming to force Kyiv to give up land.
Zelensky, who said he hoped the main topic of the talks in Alaska would be an immediate ceasefire, added that any discussions regarding territory should be covered during a three-leader meeting.
“Regarding our principles and territorial integrity, in the end this is all decided at the level of leaders,” he said. “Without Ukraine, it is impossible to decide this. And, by the way, everyone also supports this.”
Zelensky said Trump told him he would debrief him about his talks with Putin.
Zelensky warns Trump that Putin is ‘bluffing’
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Zelensky warns Trump that Putin is ‘bluffing’
- Trump and Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday for talks on ending Ukraine war
- Zelensky’s comments came after a virtual call with Trump and European leaders
China acts against 40 Japanese entities over military ties
BEIJING: China’s commerce ministry took action against 40 Japanese companies and entities on Tuesday, citing national security concerns over their military ties.
It imposed export controls on 20 entities, including Mitsubishi and the Japanese space agency, accusing them of helping to enhance Japan’s military capabilities.
The ministry added a further 20 Japanese entities, including Subaru, to a “watch list” requiring stricter reviews of exports of “dual-use items.”
“The above measures are aimed at curbing Japans’ ‘remilitarization’ and nuclear ambitions and are completely legitimate, reasonable and lawful,” a commerce ministry statement said.
“China’s lawful listing actions target only a small number of Japanese entities, relevant measures target dual-use items and do not impact normal economic and trade between China and Japan,” it said, adding that “honest and law-abiding Japanese entities have nothing to worry about.”
Companies can apply to be removed from the “watch list” if they cooperate with Beijing’s verification terms.
China has ramped up pressure on its neighbor since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo may react militarily to an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to seize control of by force if necessary.
Last month, Beijing announced a broad ban on the export of “dual-use” goods with potential military applications.
China has since begun restricting exports to Japanese companies of scarce and expensive “heavy” rare earths, as well as the powerful magnets containing them, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two exporters in China.
