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Ukraine war briefing: Putin tells Trump in phone call Moscow ready to resume peace talks | Ukraine
Vladimir Putin told US counterpart Donald Trump on Saturday that Moscow was ready to hold a fresh round of peace talks with Kyiv after 22 June, once the sides complete exchanging prisoners and soldiers’ bodies. Putin and Trump held a 50-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said. 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. Putin and Trump held a call for the fifth time since the Republican took office, in a stark pivot from the approach of his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration. Trump hinted at follow-up discussions on the war in Ukraine in the coming week.
Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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.” Zelenskyy 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. He said he hoped that the escalation between Israel and Iran would not result in a drop in military aid to Kyiv, according to remarks published on Saturday: “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.” 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.
A sharp rise in global oil prices following Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on Friday in comments that were under embargo until Saturday afternoon. Speaking to journalists in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said the surge in oil prices threatened Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, especially because western allies have not enforced effective price caps on Russian oil exports. “The strikes led to a sharp increase in the price of oil, which is negative for us,” Zelenskyy said. “The Russians are getting stronger due to greater income from oil exports.”
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 the bodies of dead soldiers. The prisoner agreement was the only visible result of two recent rounds of talks in Istanbul. Photos published by Zelenskyy on Telegram showed men of various ages, 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. However, Russian state media reported that Moscow had not received any of its war dead back from Kyiv, echoing a statement Russia made on Friday, when it returned the bodies of 1,200 slain Ukrainian soldiers. Zelenskyy said he expected the prisoner swaps to continue until 20 or 21 June.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had recaptured Andriivka village in northeastern Sumy region. Zelenskyy also claimed “successful actions” near Pokrovsk, for months a focus of Russian attacks in their slow advance on the eastern front, and “strong results” near Kupiansk, an area in northeastern Ukraine that has come under heavy Russian pressure. Global news agencies including Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports. Since the start of the month, Russia has intensified its advances along the frontline, especially in the north-eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, where it seeks to establish a “buffer zone”. Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had seized the village of Zelenyi Kut, southwest of Pokrovsk. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian troops had maintained defensive lines along more than 1,000 km of the frontline. He also dismissed Moscow’s claims that Russian troops had crossed into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk. Dnipropetrovsk borders three regions that are partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia now controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Zoya Mateen

BBC News, Ahmedabad

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in a residential neighbourhood in the city of Ahmedabad

AFP via Getty Images A picture of the crash site of the Air India plane — The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in a residential neighbourhood in the city of Ahmedabad

For Mistry Jignesh, 72 hours feel like an eternity.

Since Thursday evening, Mr Jignesh and his family have been doing the rounds of the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, trying to find details of his 22-year-old niece – one of the 242 passengers that died in an Air India plane crash earlier that day.

Authorities had been telling him they would return his niece’s body in the 72 hours normally required to complete DNA matching – which end on Sunday.

But on Saturday, he was told that it might take longer as officials are still searching for bodies from the site of the crash, he claimed.

“When people are still missing, how can they possibly complete the DNA process by tomorrow? What if my niece’s remains have not even been found? The wait is killing us,” he said.

Officials have refused to comment on Mr Jignesh’s claim, but a fire department officer and a police official told the BBC on the condition of anonymity that a search for remains of the passengers is still under way.

Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent of the Civil Hospital, said on Saturday that 11 victims had been identified so far based on their DNA samples, adding that their families had been informed.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was on its way to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed and erupted in a fireball shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s main airport, in what has been India’s worst aviation disaster.

Only one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived. At least eight others were killed as the plane struck the hostel of a medical college when it came down on a densely populated residential area near the airport.

Things have moved swiftly since.

The Indian government has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident and has ordered all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers to be inspected.

While the reason of the crash remains unknown, the country’s aviation authority has said it is looking into all possible causes for the accident, also bringing in foreign aviation experts to assist with the inquiry.

Back at the hospital, doctors are racing to complete the DNA sampling of the victims so that they can start returning bodies to their families.

But for families like Mr Jignesh’s, time passes in dragging lulls.

Officials have talked about how the process of identifying bodies has been extremely challenging – and is being carried out in small batches – as most of the remains have been charred beyond recognition.

“There is no scope for mistakes here – we have to ensure that every family receives the right body,” said HP Sanghvi, the director of Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gandhinagar city. “But DNA identification is a time-consuming process. Besides, given the scale of the disaster, there is also a possibility that the DNA of several passengers was damaged due to the extremely high temperature of the blast.”

Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist at the hospital, told reporters that his team has been trying to collect dental records from charred bodies, as that might be the only source of DNA left.

Distraught relatives wait outside the hospital mortuary in Ahmedabad on Friday

Getty Images People mourn after their relatives were killed the previous day after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport, whilst waiting outside the hospital mortuary in Ahmedabad, India on June 13, 2025. — Distraught relatives wait outside the hospital mortuary in Ahmedabad on Friday

The wait has been beyond agonising for the families, many of whom refused to speak to the media, saying they just want to go back home with “whatever is left of their loved ones”.

“We are in no condition to say anything. Words fail us right now,” a woman, who was waiting with three members of her family outside the autopsy room, told the BBC impatiently, as she quickly slipped into her car.

Meanwhile, officials at the BJ Medical College have started to vacate several wards of the hostel, near which the plane struck. So far, four wards – including the hostel canteen, the site of the crash – have been completely emptied out.

But students living in other nearby wings of the hostel have also begun to leave.

“In one of the wards, there are just three people left – everyone else has gone back to their homes for now. They will leave soon too, but until then, they are sitting there, all alone, haunted by the memory of what has happened,” their friend, who is also a student at the college and wanted to stay anonymous, said.

But between the college and hospital – in the vast expanse of this city of more than seven million people – there are many others who also are reeling from the tragedy.

The last Kartik Kalawadia heard of his brother Mahesh was on Thursday, some 30 minutes before the crash.

It was a phone call Mahesh made to his wife: “I am coming home,” he said to her.

She never heard from him again.

A music producer in the Gujarati film industry, Mahesh had been on his way back home from work that day and was crossing the area when the plane hurtled down and crashed into the buildings.

Mr Kalawadia told the BBC that his brother’s last location before his phone became unreachable was just a few hundred metres away from BJ Medical college.

The family has since filed a police complaint and has made countless visits to the Civil Hospital. They have found nothing so far.

“The hospital told us they have no record of my brother. We also tried tracing his scooter, but nothing came of that either,” Mr Kalawadia said.

“It’s like he vanished into thin air.”

Mahesh Kalawadia, a music producer in the Gujarati film industry, was walking in the area where the plane crashed

A photo of Mahesha Kalawadiya — Mahesh Kalawadia, a music producer in the Gujarati film industry, was walking in the area where the plane crashed

At a press conference on Saturday, Civil Aviation Secretary SK Sinha admitted that the last two days had been “very hard”, but assured the investigation was proceeding smoothly and in the right direction.

But Mr Kalawadia wondered if any of these inquires – into the plane crash, the victims and beyond – would help him find his brother, dead or alive.

“We don’t know the answer, but we can hope it’s a positive one, I guess,” he said.

Back at the Civil Hospital, the wait continues to haunt families.

When the BBC last met Imtiyaz Ali Sayed over Thursday night, he was still in denial that his family – his brother Javed along with his wife and two children – could have died in the crash.

But on Saturday, he seemed closer to “accepting the truth”.

“With just a few hours left, we are now trying to decide what will it be: will we bury him here, or in the UK, where his wife’s family lives,” he said.

“To me, it makes no difference you know?” he continued, “because he’s gone, from ashes to dust and back to God.”

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G7 leaders gather for summit in shadow of Middle East crisis and trade wars

BANFF, Alberta (AP) — Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economic powers will arrive in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit overshadowed by a widening war across the Middle East and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war with allies and rivals alike.

Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest sign of a more volatile world as Trump seeks to withdraw the U.S. from its role as world policeman.

Speaking on a flight to Canada to attend the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the situation with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as other world leaders.

Britain is sending Royal Air Force jets and other military reinforcements to the Middle East.

“We do have longstanding concerns about the nuclear program Iran has. We do recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, but I’m absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region and more widely,” Starmer said, adding he expected “intense discussions” would continue at the summit.

Trump is summit’s wild card

As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communique, at the end of the meeting.

With other leaders wanting to talk to Trump in an effort to talk him out of imposing tariffs, the summit risks being a series of bilateral conversations rather than a show of unity.

Trump is the summit wild card. Looming over the meeting are Trump’s inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron is making a highly symbolic stop in Greenland on his way to Canada, meeting the Arctic territory’s leader and Denmark’s prime minister aboard a Danish helicopter carrier.

Macron, who is one of the very few leaders to have known Trump during his first term, was the first European leader to visit the White House after Trump took office, emerging unscathed from the Oval Office encounter.

But despite the two leaders’ sporadic bromance, Macron’s approach to Trump has failed to bear major results, with France caught up in the president’s planned tariffs on the European Union.

Nor did it bring any U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine despite Macron’s efforts, together with Starmer, to build a coalition of nations that could deploy forces after any ceasefire with Russia, with the hope it would convince the Trump administration to provide backup.

Trump is scheduled to arrive late Sunday in Kananaskis, Alberta. Bilateral meetings between other leaders are possible Sunday, but the summit program does not get underway until Monday.

Peter Boehm, Canada’s sherpa of the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec and veteran of six G7 summits, expects the heads of state to pivot discussion to devote more time to the war.

“Leaders can accommodate a discussion, perhaps even a statement,” Boehm said. “The foreign policy agenda has become much larger with this.”

‘He tends to be a bully’

Leaders who are not part of the G7 but have been invited to the summit by Carney include the heads of state of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico and the UAE. Avoiding tariffs will continue to be top of mind.

“Leaders, and there are some new ones coming, will want to meet Donald Trump,” Boehm said. “Trump doesn’t like the big round table as much he likes the one-on-one.”

Bilateral meetings with the American president can be fraught as Trump has used them to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told a panel this week that if Trump does act out, leaders should ignore him and remain calm like Carney did in his recent Oval Office meeting.

“He tends to be a bully,” Chrétien said. “If Trump has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy. Let him do it and keep talking normally.”

Starmer had a warm Oval Office meeting with the president in February, wooing Trump with an invitation for a state visit from King Charles III. Trump has praised the British prime minister, despite their political differences.

Zelenskyy expected to meet Trump

Last month Britain and the U.S. announced they had struck a trade deal that will slash American tariffs on U.K. autos, steel and aluminum. It has yet to take effect, however, though British officials say they are not concerned the Trump administration might go back on its word.

Starmer’s attempts to woo Trump have left him in an awkward position with Canada, the U.K.’s former colony, close ally and fellow Commonwealth member. Starmer has also drawn criticism — especially from Canadians — for failing to address Trump’s stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.

Asked if he has told Trump to stop the 51st state threats, Starmer told The Associated Press: “I’m not going to get into the precise conversations I’ve had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth.”

The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit and is expected to meet with Trump, a reunion coming just months after their bruising Oval Office encounter which laid bare the risks of having a meeting with the U.S. president.

Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada by a British prime minister for eight years.

German officials were keen to counter the suggestion that the summit would be a “six against one” event, noting that the G7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among themselves on various issues.

“The only the problem you cannot forecast is what the president of the United States will do depending on the mood, the need to be in the news,” said Chrétien.

____

Lawless contributed to this report from Ottawa, Ontario. AP reporters Josh Boak in Calgary, Alberta, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Nicole Winfield in Rome also contributed to this report.

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June 15, 2025

Israel attempts to assassinate Houthi military chief in Yemen airstrike

Israel attempted to assassinate the top military commander of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Mohammed Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, in Sanaa, multiple Arabic-language news outlets reported late on Saturday.

The outcome of the strike remains unknown, including whether al-Ghamari was killed or who else may have been present at the time. Some reports suggest the strike may have hit a gathering of senior Houthi officials.

A Yemeni security official has told Ynet that al-Ghamari is also the head of the Houthis’ missile program.

Saudi-based Al Hadath reported that the strike targeted a residential complex housing Houthi leaders near the Lebanese Hospital, just south of al-Sabeen Square in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The area is known for hosting large weekly demonstrations against Israel. Initial information indicates the meeting may have included Mahdi al-Mashat, president of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council.

Sky News Arabia also cited Yemeni sources saying that al-Ghamari was the intended target, though his death has not been confirmed. The same sources reported that the strike targeted a meeting of the Houthi Supreme Military Council.

The Houthis, who control much of western Yemen and receive backing from Iran, have launched dozens of missiles toward Israel in recent months, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. In early May, one of their missiles evaded interception and struck near Ben Gurion International Airport, significantly disrupting air traffic.

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June 15, 2025

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says Hamas attack has killed multiple aid workers

CNN
—

Multiple aid workers were killed after a bus was attacked in Gaza on Wednesday night, according to a US-backed humanitarian aid organization which accused Hamas of carrying out the assault.

Hamas has yet to respond to the allegations.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US and Israeli-backed aid initiative, said that a bus carrying more than two dozen of its team members was attacked by Hamas at around 10 p.m. local time.

“We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,” GHF said in a statement.

The group was en route to a distribution center in the area west of Khan Younis, GHF said, adding further details would be provided once they became known.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” the GHF said in a statement.

The GHF also accused Hamas of repeatedly threatening the organization in recent days.

On Sunday, Hamas media said its forces have “full authority and mandate to strike decisively against any entity or individual collaborating with the enemy’s plans or with any rogue, criminal, or traitorous elements that violate the law and the traditions of our people.”

“All agents, thieves, and armed criminal gangs are considered legitimate targets for the resistance and its security apparatus,” the militant group said.

The GHF was established amid Israeli accusations that Hamas is stealing aid in Gaza and profiting off its sale but the organization has been controversial from the get-go and criticized by multiple international aid agencies.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains desperate.

Restrictions imposed by the Israeli military on aid routes, ongoing airstrikes, a lack of security and the continuous displacement of tens of thousands of people are aggravating an already alarming situation, according to the United Nations and other aid agencies. The supplies that do get in risk getting looted and only a fraction of what is needed is getting in.

Multiple Palestinians have been killed by gunfire near aid distribution sites since GHF began operations.

Late Wednesday the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it “continues to receive reports from the Gaza Strip of people being killed and injured while trying to access food.” It did not specify any locations.

“OCHA reiterates in the strongest terms possible that no one should be forced to risk their lives to receive aid, as people across Gaza are at risk of famine,” it said.

A near-total communications blackout in parts of Gaza has now lasted over 24 hours, internet monitoring site Netblocks has said, warning the disruption would hamper search, rescue and aid efforts in the enclave that has been battered by Israeli military strikes.

The disruption in Gaza City and northern Gaza is the longest in recent months and continues to “severely limit visibility into events on the ground,” the site said in a post on Wednesday.

The blackout affects both physical and wireless data connections, as well as mobile phone usage.

CNN’s team in Jerusalem has been unable to contact anyone in Gaza since Wednesday.

“The collapse of telecommunications services, internet connectivity and emergency communication systems is again a real threat,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday.

“This would cripple life-saving coordination and prevent affected communities from receiving critical information.”

Reports of disruptions in central and southern Gaza began to emerge Thursday.

“Metrics show further disruptions to internet connectivity across the Gaza Strip; the telecoms disruptions are likely to impact search, rescue and aid efforts,” Netblocks said in an update.

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June 13, 2025

Plane crashes near major Indian airport with 242 people on board

An Air India plane with 242 people on board crashed near a major international airport in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, the airline and the country’s government said Thursday.

Footage posted to social media shortly after the crash and verified by NBC News, shows plumes of thick black smoke rising into the sky from a civilian location to the south of the airport.

The plane’s tail could be seen protruding from the wall of a building in a picture from the crash site shared on X by India’s central police force. Other images showed rescuers standing next to charred wreckage and a downed tree near a residential complex.

The flight was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew, a spokesperson for the airline told NBC News.

Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals, the airline said in a separate statement. “The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” it added.

The airline did not provide nationalities of the crew members.

Smartphone image taken by local residents captures the moment an Air India plane with at least 242 people on board that was — The scene of the plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.EyePress News / via Reuters

It was not immediately clear how many passengers had died aboard the flight that was scheduled to depart at 1:10 p.m. local time (3:40 a.m. ET), and expected to land in London at 18:25 p.m. local time (1:25 p.m. ET).

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the tragedy had “stunned and saddened us,” in a post on X. “It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it,” he added.

Separately, the country’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a post on X that he was “ shocked and devastated.”

“I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,” he added. “Rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.”

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June 13, 2025

Category: Uncategorized

Ukraine war briefing: Putin tells Trump in phone call Moscow ready to resume peace talks | Ukraine

Trump administration considers adding 36 countries to travel ban list – The Washington Post

Britain Agrees to Open New Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse – The New York Times

Wait for bodies deepens pain of families after Air India crash

Breaking news. Israel military warns Iran to evacuate nuclear sites – Euronews.com

G7 leaders gather for summit in shadow of Middle East crisis and trade wars

Trump is summit’s wild card

‘He tends to be a bully’

Zelenskyy expected to meet Trump

Israel attempts to assassinate Houthi military chief in Yemen airstrike

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says Hamas attack has killed multiple aid workers

Oil prices ease as market assesses Middle East tension – Reuters

Plane crashes near major Indian airport with 242 people on board