May 16, 2025. International news round-up / last 24 hours

Negotiations in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine are the most important element in international politics. Statements by US officials have tempered expectations of finding a solution to the conflict. President Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East is another focus, with trade deals and arms sales high on the international political agenda.

• Donald Trump has said there will be no resolution of the conflict in Ukraine until he has a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin.
• The Kremlin communicated the Russian president's intentions, emphasizing an inflexible stance in negotiations.
• The EU ambassador to Moscow was booed at a celebration where he called for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
• Russian nationalists called on Moscow to continue the war in Ukraine, while sources in Donetsk criticized Putin's strategy.
• Russia has attacked Ukraine with drones during peace talks in Istanbul.
• Estonia accused Russia of violating NATO airspace to protect an oil tanker in the Kremlin's "ghost fleet".
• Germany is changing its defense policy, proposing to allocate 5% of GDP to defense, a decision backed by Germany's chief diplomat.

Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East

• Trump was welcomed with fanfare in Qatar, and Aramco, the Saudi company that exploits Saudi Arabia's oil resources, announced $90 billion partnerships with American companies.
• The White House announced a partnership with the United Arab Emirates to create an artificial intelligence campus.
• His visit also included a meeting with the new leadership of Syria, with Trump announcing the lifting of sanctions against the Syrian regime.

Other topics

• Poland is gearing up for a presidential election, with Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski leading in the polls.
• Meteorologists warn of an extremely hot summer in Europe, with record temperatures and extreme weather.
• India wants oversight of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, while the Pakistani prime minister has proposed a dialog with India to ease tensions.

Top entities mentioned

• Donald Trump
• Vladimir Putin
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Germany
• France

***** Synthesis made using a monitoring feed provided by NewsVibe Romania. The top international topics are identified from the automated monitoring of impactful media sources in Romania, as well as from the tracking of foreign policy topics in mainstream media sources and the pages of the main influencers. The analysis, data and images presented were enhanced with the help of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.