Israeli government celebrates Trump's election triumph

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters celebrated Donald Trump's election as president, hailing what a leader of the Israeli settler movement called an ally who would support them "unconditionally".

Congratulating Republican Trump, Netanyahu said the former president had made "history's greatest comeback".

"Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America," he said in a statement, which was echoed by the leaders of the hard-right nationalist religious parties in his coalition.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting Israel for more than a year in Gaza, said the election was a matter for the American people, but it called for an end to the "blind support" for Israel from the United States.

"We urge Trump to learn from (President Joe) Biden's mistakes," Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

The outcome is a relief for Netanyahu's coalition, which has clashed with Biden's Democratic administration over the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon that have fuelled protests worldwide and left Israel increasingly isolated internationally.

As the world watched the U.S. election on Tuesday night, Netanyahu took the opportunity to sack his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, one of the Biden administration's and the U.S. military's favoured interlocutors in the government.

"The current administration trusted minister Gallant," said Ephraim Sneh, a former brigadier general in the Israeli army.

The removal of Gallant, in the middle of a multi-front war that threatens to escalate into a full-scale confrontation with Iran, drew protesters to the streets in Israel but was welcomed by Netanyahu's camp.

Israel Katz, Gallant's replacement who had been serving as foreign minister, said Trump's victory would strengthen the alliance with Israel and help to secure return of the 101 hostages still remaining in Gaza.

MAJOR WINS

The first Trump administration delivered major wins to Netanyahu, when it went against most of the world in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and accepting Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

But it was not clear whether Trump's new administration will lend the same support in the middle of a war that could directly draw in the United States, said Burcu Ozcelik, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"Topping a complex list of unknowns is how much leverage Trump will have over Netanyahu," she said.

Despite friction between Netanyahu and Biden, the administration provided unstinting support to Israel since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that triggered the Gaza war.

Israel's settler leaders welcomed Trump's victory after Biden's administration imposed sanctions and asset freezes on settler groups and individuals involved in violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"We expect to have an ally standing unconditionally beside us as we fight the battles that are a war on the entire West," Israel Ganz, chairman of the main Yesha settler council, said in a statement to Reuters.

Underscoring the tensions, around 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Wednesday targeting locations including the coastal city of Tel Aviv with no injuries, the Israeli military said. Israeli media reported that a rocket had landed near Israel's main Ben Gurion airport.

Nearly two thirds of Israelis believe Trump would be better for Israel than his Democratic Party rival Kamala Harris, according to a survey from the Israel Democracy Institute.

"I think it's good for Israel," said Jerusalem resident Nissim Attias. "He proved the last time he was the president, he moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and everything that he said, he did."

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Biden rushing assistance to Ukraine, with aid uncertain under Trump

The White House plans to rush billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine before President Joe Biden leaves office in January, sources said on Wednesday, hoping to shore up the government in Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

"The administration plans to push forward ... to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible" a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity, before its term ends in January.

Trump has been critical of Biden's assistance for Ukraine, fueling concern about the future of support for President Volodomyr Zelenskiy's government under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and possibly the House of Representatives.

The House has been narrowly controlled by Republicans since January 2023, and it was not clear by Wednesday afternoon whether the party had won enough seats in Tuesday's elections to keep Democrats from winning a slim majority.

The Republican-controlled House last approved aid for Ukraine, including the authority for Biden to transfer billions of dollars in weapons from U.S. stocks, in April -- eight months after Biden first asked for additional aid, with the support of more Democrats than Republicans.

Of the weapons transfer authority passed in April, $4.3 billion remains, in addition to $2.8 billion worth of transfers lawmakers approved in previous spending measures and $2 billion in funding for the purchase of new weapons from industry.

In total, that $9 billion in military assistance would be a significant boost to Ukraine’s stores.

Biden's plans for the transfers were first reported by Politico. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. will continue to send munitions and anti-tank weapons such as the Lockheed Martin and RTX Javelin to Ukraine in the coming months.

In order to help Ukraine retake its territory in its ground war with Russia, more ground vehicles will be needed, as well as 155mm artillery made by General Dynamics Corp. Ukraine should be receiving more GMLRS surface-to-surface rockets, which have been under heavy use by the HIMARS multiple rocket launch system.

Analysts say it is by no means certain Washington would back any more Ukraine assistance once Republicans control the White House and at least half of Congress, especially as Ukraine experiences battlefield setbacks.

"That's going to be a problem when you go forward with additional funding for Ukraine, which at some point is going to be necessary," said Scott Anderson, a fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declined to discuss aid for Ukraine at a press conference on Wednesday, saying he was there only to discuss election results.

As he ran for a second four-year term, Trump insisted Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had he been in office, adding that he "could solve that in 24 hours."

Trump told Reuters last year that Kyiv might have to cede territory to reach a peace agreement, something Ukraine has rejected and Biden has never suggested.

The vice president-elect, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, has been a vocal critic of Ukraine assistance, arguing that government funds would be better spent on domestic priorities.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainians fear Trump will withdraw US support – FT

Many in Kiev's armed forces fear the end of US support under the forthcoming Trump administrtion would make Ukraine vulnerable to Russian advances, particularly in Donbass, a Ukrainian defense official has told the Financial Times (FT) on condition of anonymity. 

Trump has repeatedly stated that Ukraine cannot win against Russia militarily and has criticized Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky as “the greatest salesman in history.” He has also hinted that he will halt funding for Kiev.

“For us, support [from the United States] means life or death,”another military source stated, revealing a deep concern over Trump’s potential reluctance to continue aid.

Publicly, top Ukrainian officials appear hopeful. Zelensky congratulated Trump on his “impressive election victory” and expressed confidence in his leadership. “We look forward to an era of a strong United States under President Trump’s decisive leadership,” he stated, adding that the Republican’s approach might help “bring just peace in Ukraine closer.” 

Zelensky referenced a September meeting with Trump in New York, noting his hope that the president-elect would support his so-called “victory plan” against Russia, which calls for increased US support – a request that may face resistance given Trump’s likely stance.

David Arakhamia, head of the ruling parliamentary faction Servant of the People, acknowledged potential challenges ahead, yet suggested Trump’s win could create a “new dynamic” in US-Ukraine relations, the FT reported.

Olga Stefanishina, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European integration, reportedly voiced a similar perspective, saying that Trump “can definitely organize more political momentum in Kiev’s favor.” 

According to Trump’s past statements, his approach could be markedly different from that of current President Joe Biden. The Republican, impeached in 2019 after allegedly pressuring Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, has previously remarked that he would end the fighting within “24 hours,” asserting that he “knows [Zelensky] very well and knows [Russian President Vladimir] Putin even better.”

Trump described his proposed approach to resolving the conflict, telling Fox News, “I would tell Zelensky, ‘no more’. You got to make a deal,” while implying he would leverage further aid to coerce Putin into negotiating.

The anxiety among Ukraine’s military comes after years of extensive support from the Biden administration, which has committed billions in defense and economic aid, in what voices in Moscow call a “proxy war.”

Reuters/RT

The Honorebu* Who Slapped the Law

The Honorebu’s first question

     Was preceded with a very Honorebu slap

So loud his neighbours thought

     It was a thunderclap

“Who are you, wretched driver;

     What madness drove you

To disturb my Honorebu leisure

     In the middle of an empty day?

In my Honorably acquired mansion

     Where, between booze and boast,

I churn out the bills which beget those laws

     That have turned Nigeria into a Paradise”

The second slap came with an imperial swagger:

     “How dare you! Do you know who I am?”                                                          

Then a frightening combination of raw power and magic blustering:

     “I will make you disappear, and nothing will happen”

King-size ego, consuming conceit

     Vintage Lawmaker of a lawless Republic

Who “monkeys” the people and “rats” their worth

     Standing so tall on the grave of assassinated dreams

So carefully curated 

     This poignant parable of Nigerian imuniti**

Its powerfool protagonist, its convoy of clowns

     Who bluff and strut beneath their tinsel crowns

“Do you know who I am?”

     The Honorebu asked his “stupid-idiot” driver

Challenging us, dear readers,

     To read this poem and answer his question.

 ———- 

*Imuniti un-arrestability. A Yoruba coinage from a conflation of “immunity” and “impunity”

**For a peculiarly Nigerian meaning of this word, I recommend a quick journey to Honorebu, Akeem Lasisi’s rip-roaring video.

** Niyi Osundare, one of Africa’s foremost poets and academics, is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of English, University of New Orleans, USA

Jenny Woo

Picture this common scenario: Person #1 is in the middle of sharing something meaningful with Person #2. Suddenly, they notice Person #2 is scrolling through their phone instead of listening.

Can you relate to Person #1 or Person #2 — or maybe both?

Chances are, you've been on both sides of phubbing, or "phone snubbing." Phubbing sends a subtle but powerful message: "My phone is more important and interesting than you."

In my research on emotionally intelligent digital etiquette, I've found that phubbing erodes trust and weakens connections, leaving others feeling lonely, insecure, resentful — and dissatisfied in their relationship with you. 

DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to negotiating a higher salary

Phubbing is associated with a lower sense of social awareness. In public settings, people often resort to phubbing to avoid face-to-face conversations.

At the same time, this behavior has become so automatic and compulsive that many of us don't realize we're doing it.

Emotionally intelligent people recognize this blind spot. Instead of letting their phone control their attention, they take the following three steps to stay present.

1. Plan: Set intentions before social interactions

Emotionally intelligent people set clear intentions for when and how they'll use their phones, especially in social settings. To reduce the temptation to check their emails or feeds, they plan ahead with "if-then" statements to cut down on decision fatigue.

For example:

"If I'm having a meal with someone, then I'll put my phone on silent and wait until the meal is over to check it."

"If I remember something I need to do on my phone during a work meeting, then I'll jot it down on a sticky note and handle it after the meeting."

"If I absolutely need to check my phone during a conversation, then I'll first inform the other person and explain what I'm doing."

Instead of getting overly critical of themselves when they do slip, they employ the same approach to repair relationships: "If I realize my eyes are on my phone instead of the person I'm talking to, then I will put away my phone and say, 'I'm so sorry about that, you have my full attention.'"

2. Pocket: Keep the phone further away 

Merely having your phone within reach – even when it's turned off –reduces cognitive capacity, studies have shown.

Emotionally intelligent people have a heightened awareness of human tendencies and use all the tools at their disposal to make sure their behavior aligns with their interpersonal goals.

To achieve greater mental freedom and productivity, emotionally intelligent people create physical barriers between themselves and their devices by leaving their phones in their pockets or in a different room.

When self-discipline falters — as it inevitably does, from time to time — these environmental frictions make it harder to mindlessly reach for the phone. This safeguards focus and reduces the risk of derailing meaningful interactions.

3. Pause: Establish phone-free zones

Constant and unpredictable phone notifications keep our brains in a highly reactive and excitable state. It takes an average of 23 minutes to regain focus after checking a phone, research finds. These distractions pull us away from meaningful work and interactions, often without us even realizing it.

Emotional intelligent people understand the importance of managing dopamine-driven impulses. By intentionally pausing their phone use — whether through scheduled breaks or downtime apps — they regain control over their attention and focus.

To eliminate digital distractions during conversations or team sessions, turn off non-essential notifications and switch your phone to "Do not disturb" mode.

Designate "phone-free" zones on the dinner table or in the bedroom, and make pacts with family, friends or colleagues to ensure genuine presence and connection.

By planning your phone usage, setting boundaries, and managing notifications, you can break the habit of phubbing and foster deeper, more meaningful connections. Your phone will always be there — but the moment in front of you won't be.

CNBC

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has an 89% chance of victory in the election, making his return to the White House likely, the New York Times projects.

The newspaper estimates that Trump is on track to secure 301 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the race for the White House, while Democrat Kamala Harris could win 238. The Republican currently leads with 214 electoral votes to Harris’ 179.

The NYT said that Trump is very likely to take the swing state of Georgia and has won North Carolina, while Harris will have to secure Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which will be difficult given the Republican’s advantage in all three.

According to the paper’s projection, Arizona, another battleground state, is also leaning Trump. No votes have so far been reported in Nevada, where polls closed at 10pm Eastern Time.

RT

Nigeria was plunged into darkness on Tuesday after the national power grid collapsed for the tenth time in 2024, disrupting electricity supply across the country. The latest failure, which occurred around 1:52 pm, affected both northern and southern regions, causing widespread outages that continued into the afternoon.

This latest collapse follows a troubling pattern of instability in the national grid. Since the beginning of the year, the grid has experienced multiple failures, including three separate collapses in just one week in October alone. On Tuesday, power generation dropped significantly from 3,631 megawatts at noon to 0.00 megawatts between 2 pm and 3 pm, as 22 power generation plants went offline. At its peak earlier in the day, power generation had reached 3,934.77 megawatts.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the disruption, attributing it to a series of trippings from both transmission lines and generating plants, which led to instability in the grid. TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah assured the public that engineers were working to restore power, with bulk power supply already being gradually restored to Abuja by 2:49 pm.

Affected electricity distribution companies, including Ikeja DisCo in Lagos and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, issued notices to their customers about the outage, explaining that it was caused by the national grid failure. Power outages were reported across multiple states, including Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, and parts of the Southeast. The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) confirmed that the collapse led to a complete loss of supply in its network, which covers Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo States.

The blackout also disrupted critical services, with hospitals, schools, and businesses experiencing significant setbacks. In some regions, such as Damaturu in Yobe State, the blackout followed a recent restoration of power, exacerbating the frustrations of residents.

Despite billions in investments aimed at revitalizing Nigeria’s power sector, including loans from the World Bank and other multilateral agencies, grid collapses have become an all-too-familiar occurrence. The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Ministry of Power have been criticized for their handling of the crisis, with some experts calling for a comprehensive technical investigation into the root causes of these recurrent failures.

Princewill Okorie, convener of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre, expressed concern that consumers continue to pay high electricity bills despite the ongoing outages, often with no clear explanation of the underlying technical issues. “We need a complete overhaul of the grid system, with more attention to the quality of materials used and the professionalism of those building the infrastructure,” he said.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has suggested that the solution to the frequent grid collapses may lie in creating multiple, regional grids to ensure greater stability. However, he acknowledged that until the nation’s power infrastructure is fully overhauled, the instability and blackouts will persist.

This latest collapse has raised further questions about the government’s ability to provide consistent and reliable electricity, a critical challenge for the nation’s economy and the everyday lives of its citizens.

An Abuja court on Tuesday released 119 individuals, including minors, who had been detained in connection with anti-government protests earlier this year. The protesters had faced charges, including treason and inciting a military coup, following the widespread demonstrations against economic hardship in August. Some of the charges carried the death penalty.

The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the treasonable charges after the federal government decided to withdraw them. The case had initially been set for a hearing in January but was fast-tracked after President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of all minors detained during the protests and instructed that charges against them be dropped.

“The case has been struck out and the 119 protesters have been released,” said Deji Adeyanju, the legal counsel representing the detainees. “Now, we are calling for their rehabilitation and compensation by their respective state governments.”

The decision to drop the charges was made by the Attorney General of the Federation, who assumed control of the case from the police. In his ruling, Obiora Egwuata noted that the Attorney General had the authority under Nigerian law to take over and discontinue criminal cases, in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

The protesters had been charged with a range of serious offenses, including attempting to destabilize the Nigerian government and inciting the military to take over from Tinubu. The charges also accused them of participating in violent protests, burning government buildings, and distributing anti-government materials. Some of the defendants were alleged to have worked with a British national, Andrew Martin Wynne (also known as Andrew Povich), to carry out the protests aimed at destabilizing the country.

Earlier this month, some of the accused collapsed in court shortly after the proceedings began, reportedly due to hunger and ill health, which led to a temporary suspension of the trial.

Prominent Nigerian human rights lawyers Femi Falana and Dantinin Kyari, representing the defendants, did not oppose the withdrawal of the charges, acknowledging the application was consistent with the Child Rights Act and the well-being of the accused.

Despite the legal victory, the protestors’ legal team continues to press for compensation and rehabilitation for those affected by the detentions. They are also calling for systemic reforms to prevent such instances in the future, citing the adverse impact on the accused’s lives, especially minors involved in the protests.

The decision to release the detainees and drop the charges signals a significant moment in the ongoing debate about freedom of expression and the right to protest in Nigeria, a country that has faced criticism for its handling of public demonstrations in recent years.

Members of the local vigilantes from Madaka community in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State on Monday laid ambush for bandits and killed no fewer than 16 persons while several others escaped with bullets injuries.

Three members of the local vigilantes, however, lost their lives during the gun battle which a source close to the community described as very fierce and lasted for well over three hours.

About 20 kidnapped victims, mostly travelers who were abducted by the Bandits, and were being moved to their camps around Birin Gwari in Kaduna state, however, escaped to freedom when the vigilantes engaged them in the battle.

According to a reliable source from Madaka community, the vigilantes got wind of the movement of the bandits and decided to lay ambush for them  which led to the heavy casualties on the side of the bandits.

“We got information about their movement and we  decided to lay ambush for them. They were moving with some victims they had abducted from the road on that day.

“Some were in the front leading the victims, while majority of them were following from behind, so we concentrated on those at the back but those in the front killed three of our men. We asked the kidnapped victims to lie down so that stray bullets would not hit them. It was after the battle that we handed them over to security agents”.

The victims were made up of business people who were on their way to the Southern parts of the country when they were abducted by the bandits between Tegina and Zungeru in the same Rafi LGA.

In another development, no fewer than 35 people, all members of Pandogari community in the same Rafi LGA have been abducted by another group of bandits at Katakwo village along Tegina-Zungeru road.

They were said to be traveling in four commercial vehicles to Minna, the state capital when they were waylaid and abducted.

A commercial driver who refused to be taken away by the Gunmen was slaughtered on the road and his body abandoned.

“The commercial driver told them that even if they went with him, there was nobody to pay ransom for his release and they decided to slaughter him on the road “.

The escalation of the bandits activities is coming after the state Governor, Umaru Bago, was said to have empowered the local Vigilantes across the volatile areas of the state with a view to curtailing the activities of  bandits

Meanwhile, four bandits on Sunday voluntarily turned in their weapons and surrendered, saying that they were tired of criminal acts, but pleaded with the government to rehabilitate them as they had nothing to fall back to after leaving  crime.

A source within the community told our Correspondent that the repented bandits and their families have been handed over to the military that are stationed at Pandogari community and they have been moved to Minna.

According to our source, more bandits were ready to repent and lay down their arms if their safety could be guaranteed.

According  to Niger State police public relation officer, Wasiu Abiodun, the police have  rescued 19 kidnapped victims unhurt.

Sun

Netanyahu sacks defence minister, jolting Israeli politics as war grinds on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, citing a “crisis of trust”, and replaced him with close ally Israel Katz to lead the country’s war in Gaza and Lebanon.

Netanyahu’s critics accused him of putting politics ahead of national security at a time when Israel is bracing for Iranian retaliation to its attack.

After Gallant was fired, protesters in Israel blocked highways and lit bonfires on roads, police said.

The prime minister named Gideon Saar as the new foreign minister in place of Katz.

Israel’s campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon have entered new phases following the killing of top commanders in both Hamas and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Netanyahu said Gallant has made statements that “contradict the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet”. In response, Gallant said: “The security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life’s mission.”

Katz vowed the return of Israel’s hostages from Gaza and destruction of Hamas and Hezbollah.

“I accept this responsibility with a sense of mission and holy fear for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens,” Katz said on social media platform X.

Gayil Talshir, a specialist in Israeli politics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believed the last straw for Netanyahu came this week when Gallant issued 7,000 draft notices for ultra-Orthodox Haredi men, angering those in the government who oppose conscription.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X, however, that “firing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness.”

In Washington, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said Gallant had been an important partner and that it would continue working collaboratively with Katz.

Gallant rose to the rank of general during a 35-year military career.

France’s foreign minister will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, a day after U.S. elections, to press Israel to engage diplomatically to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

NORTHERN GAZA AIRSTRIKES

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip and carried out military strikes which Palestinian medics and media said had killed at least 35 people since Monday night.

Acting U.N. aid chief Joyce Msuya said on X that Israeli military ground operations in northern Gaza had left Palestinians “without the essentials to survive, forced them to flee for safety multiple times, and cut off their escape and supply routes.”

An airstrike late on Monday damaged two houses in the town of Beit Lahiya, killing at least 20 people, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA and Hamas media said.

Ten were killed in central areas of the Palestinian enclave - six in separate airstrikes on Gaza City and the town of Deir Al-Balah, and four in the town of Al-Zawayda around midnight on Monday, medics and health officials said.

At least five others were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Jabalia north of Gaza City, medics said later on Tuesday.

The Israeli military said, without giving details, that its forces had “eliminated terrorists” in the central Gaza Strip and Jabalia area. Israeli troops had also located weapons and explosives over the past day in the southern Rafah area, where “terrorist infrastructure sites” had been eliminated, it said.

Later on Tuesday, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over Beit Lahiya ordering residents who have not yet left their homes and shelters housing displaced families to quit the town completely.

“To all those who remained at homes and shelters, you are risking your lives. For your safety you have to head south,” said the leaflet, which was written in Arabic.

Palestinians said the new attacks and Israeli orders for evacuations were aimed at emptying areas to create buffer zones.

Israel says the evacuations are meant to keep civilians out of harm’s way as its troops battle Hamas fighters.

More than 43,300 Palestinians have been killed in more than a year of war in Gaza, health authorities in Gaza say.

The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin reiterates Russia’s willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again reiterated Moscow's readiness for talks with Kiev.

"I have said it more than once that Russia is not just ready for talks but has already held such talks at a certain point, specifically at the very beginning of this conflict," he stated during a ceremony of receiving credentials from foreign ambassadors. "Those talks even resulted in a mutually acceptable treaty, which was initialed by the Ukrainian side."

"But the Ukrainian side rejected that treaty on the advice of external parties, as confirmed by Ukrainian officials," the president recalled.

Nearly three hours of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29, 2022, yielded principles for a potential agreement, including Ukraine's commitment to maintain a neutral, non-aligned status and its pledge to refrain from deploying foreign weapons, including nuclear weapons, on its territory.

However, after Russia withdrew its forces from the Kiev and Chernigov regions, the settlement talks were frozen. According to President Putin, Kiev rejected the agreements. The Ukrainian side has claimed that the rejection was made on the advice of then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy says clashes with North Korean troops 'open page' to instability

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that the first battles between the Ukrainian military and North Korean troops "open a new page in instability in the world" after his defence minister said a "small engagement" had taken place.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed, in an interview with South Korean television, that the first engagement had occurred with North Korean troops, an apparent escalation in a conflict that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, thanked those in the world who, he said, had reacted to the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia last month "not just with words ... but who are preparing actions to support our defence.

"The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world," he said.

He said that Ukraine, acting with the rest of the world, had to "do everything so that this Russian step to expand the war with real escalation fails."

Umerov, the defence minister, told South Korea's KBS television in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that there had been a "small engagement" with North Korean troops.

"Yes, I think so. It is (an) engagement," Umerov said in English, when asked if a clash had occurred.

The report, with excerpts from the interview, quoted Umerov as saying that the engagement was small and not yet systematic in terms of mobilising soldiers.

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TROOPS IN FRONTLINE AREAS

South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that more than 10,000 North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, with a "significant number" in the frontline areas, including the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces staged an incursion in August.

Zelenskiy quoted intelligence sources as saying on Monday that 11,000 North Koreans were in Russia. The Pentagon said at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers were in Kursk, but it could not corroborate suggestions that they had been engaged in combat.

The KBS report said Umerov told the interviewer that identification and other procedures would take time as the Russian military was trying to pass off the North Koreans as Buryats, a Mongolian ethnic group from Siberian regions.

Umerov said he expected a sharp rise in the number of North Koreans deployed.

"(There are) already contacts, but after a couple of weeks, we would see a more significant number and upon this, we will review it and analyse it," he said.

Expectations that North Korean troops would undergo a month's training, he said, appeared to have been shortened to one or two weeks to allow swifter deployment to the battlefield.

Russia has not acknowledged that North Korean troops are on its territory, but Putin last week did not deny reports of their presence. He said it was up to Russia how to implement its defence pact with Pyongyang.

Tass/Reuters