This is Beirut

Kremlin Rebuffs Zelensky's call for Three-way Meeting with Trump, Putin

This is Beirut, 28/05 18:12 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Turkey Ukraine Putin

The Kremlin on Wednesday rebuffed a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as Kyiv seeks to force Moscow to halt its more than three-year-long invasion. Moscow said any meeting involving Russian President Putin and Zelensky would only happen after "concrete agreements" ...

American Engagement of Syria

David Hale , 27/05 11:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Syria United States Donald Trump Turkey MBS

President Donald Trump's May 15 meeting in Riyadh with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and the lifting of sanctions had many Trumpian hallmarks. It was bold. It was unplanned. Its future course is uncharted. It was taken against the advice of his senior foreign policy team. It was the result of encouragement from two American partners with ...

Ancient Bread Rises Again as Turkey Recreates 5,000-Year-Old Loaf

This is Beirut, 27/05 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey USA Bread Ancient Recipe

In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkey. Now, more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe -- with customers lining up to buy it. Round and flat like a pancake, 12 centimetres (five inches) ...

Trump Slams Putin and Zelensky

Alexandre Baz, 26/05 16:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump European Union Kyiv Turkey

In response to the intensification of Russian strikes in Ukraine over the weekend, Donald Trump expressed his growing exasperation with Vladimir Putin, while also directing harsh criticism at Volodymyr Zelensky. In a message posted Sunday evening on X, the American president condemned what he called a troubling shift in his Russian counterpart: ...

Tom Barrack Appointed US Special Envoy for Syria

This is Beirut, 23/05 19:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Donald Trump Gulf Middle East United States Tom Barrack

The Trump administration announced on Friday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US ambassador to Turkey and a longtime ally of the president, as the new Special Envoy for Syria. The announcement marks a significant shift in US engagement in the Middle East following the fall of the Assad regime. Barrack is a billionaire real estate ...

Turkey Arrests 65 Soldiers, Police for Ties to Late Erdogan Foe

This is Beirut, 23/05 11:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Arrest Police Fethullah Gulen

Turkey arrested 65 soldiers and police officers early Friday over alleged ties to the late preacher Fethullah Gulen, who was accused of masterminding the failed 2016 coup. State news agency Anadolu said 56 active-duty soldiers from the Turkish armed forces had been arrested, with another seven still being sought. Halk TV meanwhile said nine ...

Turkey to Increase Energy Exports to Syria, Says Minister

This is Beirut, 22/05 17:26 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Turkey Energy

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday in Damascus that his country would ramp up energy exports to Syria to help boost electricity supplies as its neighbour seeks to recover after years of war. "We want to triple our current electricity exports to meet Syria's electricity needs, and realise an electricity export of ...

Ankara Calls for Ceasefire 'As Soon As Possible' in Ukraine at Talks with Russia

This is Beirut, 16/05 15:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Ukraine Russia Turkey

Ankara called on Friday for a ceasefire “as soon as possible” in Ukraine at the opening of Turkish-mediated talks in Istanbul between Kyiv and Moscow—the first such talks since the spring of 2022. “It is of crucial importance that a ceasefire be implemented as soon as possible,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, stressing that ...

Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks in Turkey: What we Know

This is Beirut, 16/05 10:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Ukraine Russia Recep Tayyip Erdogan Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukraine and Russia plan on Friday in Istanbul to hold their first direct peace talks in more than three years. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had travelled to Turkey but said he would not attend the talks, after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin declined his calls for face-to-face negotiations. Tens of thousands have been killed ...

Iran, European Powers to Hold Nuclear Talks in Turkey as Trump Says Deal Is ‘Getting Close’

This is Beirut, 16/05 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Donald Trump Europe Iran

Iran is set to meet with Britain, France, and Germany in Turkey on Friday, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that a nuclear deal with Tehran is “getting close.” The upcoming Istanbul talks come after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned of “irreversible” consequences if European ...

Turkey-Russia Meet Ends, Ukraine to Join Talks Friday

This is Beirut, 15/05 22:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Turkey Ukraine Russia Istanbul

Talks in Istanbul between Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and a Russian delegation ended late on Thursday with the sides set to meet again Friday with the Ukrainians, a foreign ministry source said. "The meeting has ended. Tomorrow there will be more talks in different formats," the source said, indicating that ...

Ukraine Sends Team for Russia Talks, Downplays Expectations

This is Beirut, 15/05 18:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Russia Turkey

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had sent a team to Istanbul for the first direct peace talks with Russia in three years, but played down expectations of a breakthrough, saying Moscow was "not serious" about ending the war. After hours of confusion, which saw both sides hurling insults at the other, and uncertainty over ...

Turkey