Category: News

The resumption of Russia-Ukraine negotiations on a Turkish platform will be among the items on the agenda during the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled for July 7 in Ankara, Milliyet reported.

According to the Turkish newspaper, the talks, to be held on the sidelines of the NATO summit, are expected to focus on four main areas.

The first concerns cooperation in the defence industry, including the delivery of approximately $700 million worth of engines for Türkiye’s Kaan fighter jet programme, the lifting of restrictions imposed under the U.S. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and Ankara’s possible return to the F-35 fighter jet programme.

The second and third areas of discussion will focus on economic and energy cooperation. The sides are expected to discuss ways to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion and expand cooperation in the energy sector, including nuclear energy.

Erdogan and Trump are also expected to discuss international and regional security issues, including Syria’s reconstruction, the complete removal of terrorist elements from the country’s territory, and efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

According to Milliyet, the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine will also be high on the agenda. The newspaper said this reflects both countries’ efforts in that direction, as well as Türkiye’s repeated offers to host negotiations and a possible summit.

Milliyet noted that Trump will become the first U.S. president to visit Türkiye in 17 years. The last U.S. presidential visit to the country was made by Barack Obama in 2009.

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Syria on an official visit on the evening of July 7 to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and issues of mutual regional and international interest.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported the visit, citing a statement from the Syrian presidency.

Macron will become the first Western European leader to visit Syria since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government in 2024. It will also mark the first visit by a French president to Syria in 17 years. The last French president to visit the country was Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009.

Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of investors and representatives of French companies, with discussions expected to focus on expanding economic cooperation.

According to the Syrian presidency, President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Macron are scheduled to hold a roundtable meeting with their respective delegations.

The talks will focus on regional and international developments, as well as opportunities to deepen cooperation across various sectors as part of the ongoing political dialogue between the two countries.

In 2025, al-Sharaa visited France at Macron’s invitation. The two leaders held talks at the Élysée Palace on strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation.

 European Council President António Costa will attend the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8.

The announcement was made by the European Council’s press service.

“European Council President António Costa will travel to Ankara on 7-8 July. On Tuesday (7 July), he will attend the NATO leaders’ dinner. On Wednesday (8 July), together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” the statement said.

During the meeting with Erdogan, Costa and von der Leyen will discuss EU-Türkiye bilateral relations.

The NATO leaders’ working dinner on July 7 will focus on strategic issues, particularly cooperation between the European Union and NATO.

A plenary session involving only the leaders of NATO’s 32 member states will take place on July 8 to discuss the alliance’s specific military commitments.

Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Yevdokimov was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on July 6, where he was handed a note of protest.

The Azerbaijani news agency APA reported that during the meeting, the Azerbaijani side lodged a strong protest over a drone strike on a SOCAR filling station in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region on the evening of July 5.

According to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, this was not the first such incident. The ministry said other SOCAR facilities in Ukraine, including a gas distribution compressor station and an oil depot in Odesa, had previously come under military attack, causing significant material damage and injuring company employees.

During the meeting, the Azerbaijani side stressed that, despite previous warnings, the continued occurrence of such incidents indicates that the attacks are deliberate. It also noted that several air strikes had damaged the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv and the country’s honorary consulate in Kharkiv.

The importance of complying with international obligations regarding the protection of diplomatic and consular premises under the Vienna Conventions was also emphasised.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called on the Russian side to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all of the incidents, provide clarifications regarding what had happened, and uphold its international obligations concerning the protection of civilian infrastructure and diplomatic missions.

Tbilisi City Court has sentenced former Georgian Defence Minister Bacho Akhalaia to two years and six months in prison for publicly calling for the overthrow of Georgia’s current government, Georgia Today reported.

The verdict was delivered by Tbilisi City Court Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili.

Akhalaia was convicted over remarks made during a court hearing on Feb. 16, 2026, in which he said that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream–Democratic Georgia party, should be overthrown. Akhalaia was not present in court when the verdict was announced.

Akhalaia, who served as Georgia’s defence minister from 2009 to 2012 under former President Mikheil Saakashvili, was arrested in December 2025.

He has also been charged over the alleged organisation of an attack on the presidential palace in Tbilisi on Oct. 4, 2025. According to investigators, he coordinated the actions of organisers of the Oct. 4 mass rally by telephone. No verdict has yet been delivered in that case.

The United States has confirmed that it will resume troop rotations in Poland within the next few weeks after a temporary suspension of the process.

Reuters reported that the announcement was made by Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Washington announced in May that it was suspending the rotation of U.S. troops to Poland. However, a few days later, President Donald Trump said the United States would deploy an additional 5,000 troops to the country.

“Poland is a loyal ally (of the United States), so I was very pleased to hear that the rotation, which was suspended a few weeks ago, is returning and will be completed in the coming weeks,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during a ceremony at a missile factory.

The Polish government had previously said it was working to secure the return of U.S. troops, but no timetable had been announced.

Around 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland on a rotational basis.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay an official visit to the United States in September.

“President Xi will be here at the end of September, I think on the 24th,” Trump said during remarks at the White House.

Trump paid a state visit to China from May 13 to 15, where he held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The U.S. president had earlier said that, in addition to contacts expected on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the United States in December, he also plans to meet the Chinese leader during the APEC summit in China in November.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has departed for the Russian Federation on a working visit.

According to the prime minister’s press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, Pashinyan will take part in the plenary session titled “Industry 360: Production Without Borders”, held as part of the INNOPROM 2026 International Industrial Exhibition in Yekaterinburg.

Pashinyan is also scheduled to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Yerevan is interested in developing relations with Russia and in continuing its participation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Pashinyan made the remarks during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Yekaterinburg.

“Both before the elections (editor’s note: Armenia’s parliamentary elections held on June 7) and after them, we remain committed to further developing our relations with Russia,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister also acknowledged that certain issues have recently emerged in relations between Armenia and Russia, expressing hope that they could be resolved.

“This meeting provides a very good opportunity to discuss the full range of our bilateral relations. Recently, a number of problematic issues have arisen, and, of course, I hope we will discuss and resolve them. We are interested in our participation in the Eurasian Economic Union, and we are interested in ensuring that the mechanisms envisaged by the EAEU Treaty function as intended,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister added that this also serves the interests of the EAEU’s further development.

“As I have said, we are committed to a constructive approach to discussing and clarifying all issues and nuances. I hope that following today’s talks we will be able to resolve specific issues,” Pashinyan stressed.

Pashinyan is in Yekaterinburg to attend the plenary session, “Industry 360: Production Without Borders,” held as part of the INNOPROM-2026 International Industrial Exhibition.

Ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections, Russia imposed restrictions on imports of a number of Armenian products. Those restrictions remain in place.

Moscow expects Armenia’s new government, to be formed following the parliamentary elections, to ensure the continued development of relations with Russia in a spirit of friendship and good neighbourliness.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin made the remarks during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“We expect that the new government, to be formed following the vote and the elections (editor’s note: Armenia’s parliamentary elections held on June 7), will ensure the progressive development of Russian-Armenian relations in a spirit of friendship, good neighbourliness, mutual respect and consideration of mutual interests,” Mishustin said.

The Russian prime minister also noted that Pashinyan’s visit to Yekaterinburg was his first foreign trip following Armenia’s parliamentary elections.

Mishustin also stressed the importance of Armenia continuing to provide a favourable environment for Russian investors.

“It is important that the Armenian government continues to create and maintain a favourable environment for Russian investors and ensures that their rights and legitimate interests are respected,” Mishustin said.

The meeting between the Armenian and Russian prime ministers took place in Yekaterinburg on the sidelines of the INNOPROM international industrial exhibition.

Following Armenia’s parliamentary elections on June 7, the Civil Contract party secured a majority and will form the new government. The Strong Armenia alliance and the Hayastan alliance also won seats in parliament. Civil Contract will hold 64 seats in the newly elected legislature, while Strong Armenia will have 29 seats and the Hayastan alliance 12.