Saudi Arabia

Russia and Ukraine agree to ‘eliminate the use of force’ in Black Sea

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at a press conference on 25 March, said Ukraine was concerned the US appeared to be talking to the Kremlin about territory. Photograph: Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

Kremlin stipulates maritime ceasefire will start only if it gets sanctions relief on agricultural exports

Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv, Pjotr Sauer, and Andrew Roth in Washington
Wed 26 Mar 2025 00.40 GMT

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea after parallel talks with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia, though the Kremlin said a maritime ceasefire would start only if it received sanctions relief on agricultural exports.

Donald Trump said that the US was reviewing the Russian conditions after the Kremlin insisted it had negotiated concessions with the White House that would mark the first major recision of sanctions since the full-scale invasion of 2022.

The warring parties also agreed to implement a previously announced 30-day halt on attacks against energy networks and to expand its scope, but resolving fundamental issues, including any division of territory, remains far off.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, welcomed the developments but said Kyiv did not support weakening sanctions on Russia and voiced concern over talks the US appeared to be having with the Kremlin about a partition of Ukraine.

“We are worried when they talk about us without us,” Zelenskyy said in a media briefing, responding to comments by Donald Trump on Monday, when the US president said: “We’re talking about territory right now.”

Ukrainian negotiators in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, had had no discussions of their own about the future division of territory, Zelenskyy added, saying it appeared that the US had talked to the Kremlin team about dividing Ukraine.

According to reports, Russia has told the US it wants full control of three of the Ukrainian regions it partially occupies: Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

The claims have been consistently rejected by Kyiv, which has only indicated it is prepared to acknowledge the existing de facto Russian occupation along the prevailing lines of control.

The White House published two statements, each containing five main points, four of which were identical. Both “agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea – a reference to a ceasefire though the word itself was not used. Lire la suite »

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Russian negotiator says ‘positive dialogue’ happening during Saudi Arabia talks

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The United States and Russia on Tuesday kicked off high-level talks marking President Donald Trump’s reversal of American policy on Moscow, fueling fears in Kyiv and building the Kremlin’s hopes of reentering the international mainstream.

US and Russia will appoint teams to negotiate ending Ukraine war, US says |

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Saudi Arabia narrowly fails in bid to win a seat on UN human rights council

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The country had faced a campaign from rights groups who accused it of being ‘unfit to serve on the Human Rights Council’

Saudi Arabia narrowly failed in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a blow to Riyadh’s efforts to boost the country’s rights reputation abroad, four years after it was rejected in a 2020 bid to join the 47-member body.

Saudi Arabia is spending billions to transform its global image from a country known for strict religious restrictions and human rights abuses into a tourism and entertainment hub under a plan its Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, launched known as Vision 2030.

Members of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council are elected by the 193-member UN general assembly in New York, in a secret ballot in geographical groups to ensure even representation.

The Asia-Pacific group, which included Saudi Arabia, was the only competitive race on Wednesday, with six candidates vying for five seats. Saudi Arabia missed out with 117 votes.

Campaigners had warned that Saudi Arabia’s election to the council would undermine its ability to demand justice for rights violations and would feel like a “slap in the face” to the many victims of the Saudi regime.

To the dismay of human rights groups, Saudi Arabia was chosen in March to chair a UN commission that is supposed to promote gender equality and empower women around the world.

Before the vote on Wednesday, Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, called Saudi Arabia “unfit to serve on the Human Rights Council.”

He pointed to accusations that Saudi border guards had been accused of killing hundreds of Ethiopians as they sought to cross from Yemen in 2022-23 in what critics have said may amount to a crime against humanity, and that the country has still not accounted for the 2018 murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“Governments that commit crimes against humanity or similar atrocities and ensure impunity for those responsible shouldn’t be rewarded with seats on the UN’s top human rights body,” Charbonneau said.

Lire la suite »

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‘Illegal and Unacceptable’: Saudi Arabia Fumes At Israel Over New West Bank Settlements

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Saudi Arabia and the Arab League strongly condemn Israel’s decision to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli Security Cabinet approved a plan to legalize outposts and build new housing units, while imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority. Critics view this as a violation of international law and a reversal of the Oslo Accords. The move is seen as entrenching occupation and undermining peace efforts, with warnings of « dire consequences » if Israel proceeds with the expansion plans.

Israeli Official CAUGHT Admitting To Horrifying West Bank Plan

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What Just happened In Mecca SHOCKED the Whole World!

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The whole of Saudi Arabia and the international community were recently thrown into shock as the holy city of Mecca became submerged due to heavy rainfall, resulting in the disruption of worship, displacement of pilgrims, locals and even animals, and destruction of properties. What is even more worrisome is the catastrophic result of this flooding. What caused this catastrophe, and how can future occurrences be avoided? Join us as we unravel the reason for the crises in one of the world’s most revered cities.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest cities—Mecca and Medina—which draw millions of Muslims worldwide every year during the annual Hajj, has been seriously grappling with challenging climate patterns, from severe droughts to high temperatures, extreme dry conditions, air pollution, and worst of all, a rise in water level that has haunted the nation with flash floods, all of which come with their severe consequences. For context, let’s look at the factors that have shaped Saudi Arabia’s weather over time.

Une tempête de grêle biblique frappe l’Arabie Saoudite ! Le monde est sous le choc

The country’s geography plays a crucial role in determining its weather patterns. As we all know, Saudi Arabia is primarily arid, with vast desert areas like the Rub’ al Khali, also known as the Empty Quarter, which is one of the largest sand deserts globally. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has an extensive coastline along the Red Sea to the west and the Arabian Gulf to the east, and these coastal regions impact its weather patterns.

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Saudi Prince Detains Senior Members of Royal Family

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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, left, with Mohammed bin Nayef, the former crown prince.Credit…Fayez Nureldine/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

In a fresh episode of Saudi palace intrigue, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has detained three members of the royal family, including a brother of the king and a former crown prince who had been potential obstacles to his power.

The detentions were the latest demonstration of the crown prince’s willingness to take extraordinary measures to quash any perceived rival.

Crown Prince Mohammed first demonstrated his iron grip on the kingdom in 2017 by locking up hundreds of royal relatives and wealthy Saudi businessmen in a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The next year he gained international notoriety by presiding over the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul — an assassination that American intelligence agencies believe the prince ordered.

(… read more)

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