Witkoff’s last Moscow visit helped resolve misunderstandings between Russia and US – chief diplomat

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, center, and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner attend a meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 11 December 2025
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Witkoff’s last Moscow visit helped resolve misunderstandings between Russia and US – chief diplomat

  • Moscow had handed over Russia’s proposals on collective security guarantees to Washington

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that a visit to Moscow this month by US envoy Steve Witkoff had helped eliminate misunderstandings between Moscow and Washington.
The Kremlin said at the time that Russia and the US did not reach a compromise on a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine after a five-hour Kremlin meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Lavrov added that Moscow had handed over Russia’s proposals on collective security guarantees to Washington.


Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University

Updated 10 February 2026
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Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University

  • Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
  • She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions

JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.

Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.

The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.

“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.

This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.

She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.

“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.

“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”

Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.