U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of placing additional sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Asked about the prospect while speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump responded, “Sounds likely.”

Trump said his administration has been in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and would be speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon.”

He said the European Union should be “paying a lot more than they’re paying” to aid Ukraine, while falsely stating the U.S. has contributed $200 billion more than the EU.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has committed about $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. The European Union says the bloc and its member states have made about $145 billion in aid available.

Trump says Europe should be paying more because its proximity means the war has a greater effect on the EU than the United States.

“I mean, what are we, stupid? I guess the answer is yes, because they must think so,” Trump said.

He has previously complained that NATO allies are not allocating enough of their spending to defense and called for increased defense budget targets.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said during a speech Wednesday at an EU Defence Agency conference that, in terms of general defense spending, Trump is “right to say that we don’t spend enough,” and that the EU needs to invest more.

She called for the EU to provide “more, faster and stronger” support to Ukraine, saying that Ukrainians “are fighting for their freedom and ours.”

“There is absolutely no doubt that we can do more to help Ukraine,” Kallas said. “With our help, they can also win the war.”

Aerial attacks

Ukrainian officials said Wednesday the country’s air defenses shot down dozens of drones overnight, including in Mykolaiv where Governor Vitaliy Kim said falling debris damaged an apartment building and injured two people.

Officials in the Khmelnytskyi and Sumy regions also reported drones being shot down in their areas.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed six Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region, while also knocking down a drone over Kursk and another over Voronezh.

Rostov Governor Yury Slyusar said drone fragments fell in the courtyard of a house, but that no one was injured.

Ceasefire provisions

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that if a ceasefire deal were enacted with Russia, “at least 200,000 European peacekeepers” would need to be on the ground in Ukraine to defend the Eastern European country against a possible attack by Russia.

Zelenskyy said Europe must “take care of itself.” He said 200,000 peacekeepers from European countries would be the minimum number of peacekeepers required, “Otherwise, it’s nothing.”

“Let’s not forget, there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia,” Zelenskyy said in his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Ukraine’s president said Russia’s demand that Ukraine reduce its army to one-fifth of its current size of 800,000 is not an option. 

Ukraine’s best defense during a ceasefire deal, Zelenskyy said, would be its membership into NATO. 

Alliance members have declared the Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership, but the United States, Germany and others oppose allowing Ukraine to join while the war is ongoing for fear of sparking a wider conflict..

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
…

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would likely impose sanctions on Russia if its president, Vladimir Putin, refuses to negotiate about ending the war in Ukraine. 

Trump gave no details on possible additional sanctions. The United States has already sanctioned Russia heavily for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

Trump said his administration was also looking at the issue of sending weapons to Ukraine, adding his view that the European Union should be doing more to support Ukraine. 

“We’re talking to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy; we’re going to be talking with President Putin very soon,” Trump said. “We’re going to look at it.” 

Trump said he had pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping in a call to intervene to stop the Ukraine war. 

“He’s not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of … power, like we have a lot of power. I said, ‘You ought to get it settled.’ We did discuss it.”  
…

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to hit the European Union with tariffs, adding that a 10% duty on Chinese imports could also come as soon as February 1. 

Trump, who was speaking to reporters at the White House a day after being sworn in, cited the need to rectify the EU’s trade imbalances with the United States while taking aim once again at Beijing over fentanyl trafficking. 

“They treat us very, very badly. So they’re going to be in for tariffs,” Trump said of the EU. “You can’t get fairness unless you do that.” 

A day earlier, Trump accused the bloc of not importing enough American products, saying he would “straighten that out” by imposing duties or by urging for more oil and gas purchases. 

Regarding China, Trump on Tuesday reiterated his threat to impose a 10% tariff, saying it was “based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada.” 

When asked how soon these tariffs could be enacted, he added: “Probably February 1st is the date we’re looking at.” 

This was the same date he earlier said he could impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking into the United States. 

Mexico, Canada and China are leading sources for goods imported by the United States, according to official trade data. 

The EU’s economy commissioner vowed this week that the bloc stands ready to defend its interests. 

Speaking at an annual meeting of global elites in Davos, Switzerland, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared that Europe was ready to negotiate with Trump, while maintaining that Washington remains an important partner. 

The EU’s “first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests, and be ready to negotiate” with Trump, she said. 

“We will be pragmatic, but we will always stand by our principles, to protect our interests and uphold our values,” she said. 

On Monday, Trump vowed an immediate overhaul of the U.S. trade system, promising to “tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” 

He signed an order directing agencies to study a range of trade issues including deficits, unfair practices and currency manipulation. 

The investigations could pave the way for further duties. 
…

Russian lawyer practice could face existential risks after the recent guilty verdict against three lawyers who had represented late opposition leader Alexey Navalny in court. VOA Russian spoke to legal experts who voice concern about the ability of Russian activists to get proper legal representation in the future after Navalny lawyers got up to 5½ years in prison for essentially doing their job, something that did not happen even in the Soviet times.

Click here for the full story in Russian.
…

Six Kurdish journalists have been detained in Turkey, charged with being members of a “terrorist organization” with no word from their lawyers. Journalists and activists say opposition media outlets are being targeted more and more every day.

Click here for the full story in Kurdish.
…

Geneva — United Nations agencies say the imminent U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and Paris climate agreement will have serious consequences for global health and efforts to slow down climate change.

“The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the organization,” the WHO said Tuesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration Monday that he intends to quit the U.N. health agency.

“WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go,” it stated.

In explaining his decision, Trump accused the agency of being subject to “inappropriate political influence” from other member states.  “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he said in signing an executive order Monday, hours after his inauguration.

In responding to the allegations, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told journalists at a briefing in Geneva Tuesday that the United States, which was one of the founding members of WHO in 1948, had over seven decades together with the WHO, “saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats.”

“Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” he said.

The United States is the WHO’s single largest donor. It contributed $1.284 billion or 18 percent of the agency’s 2022-2023 budget.

Jasaravic said the U.S. decision was not unexpected and the WHO was now analyzing the exact details of Trump’s executive order “to see how this will play out and to see what will be the consequences.”

He noted that the United States can formally leave the WHO and stop financing the organization one year after the United Nations receives official written notice of U.S. withdrawal.

He said the WHO hopes the United States will reconsider its decision and maintain the U.S.-WHO partnership “for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”

“At the same time, we will continue to work in the world’s most difficult places,” including countries in conflict, “so we can protect the most vulnerable and be where people need us the most,” he said.

“The world lives longer, healthier, perhaps a little bit happier because of WHO, which goes to places where others cannot go, including Gaza, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Sudan,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said in support of the beleaguered agency.

In the meantime, U.N. officials have called the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement “a major disappointment,” noting that the world’s nations had adopted the accord because they recognized “the immense harm that climate change is already causing and the enormous opportunity that climate action presents.”

Antonio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, said that it was “crucial that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues” in this critical decade for climate action.

The World Meteorological Organization has warned that “climate change is playing out, on an almost daily basis, through more extreme weather.”

A recent WMO report finds the last 10 years have been the hottest in recorded history, and that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with temperatures at about 1.55 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era.

“Every fraction of a degree of global warming has an impact on our economies and our lives,” Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson said, adding that “The U.S. accounts for the lion’s share of global economic losses from weather, climate and water-related hazards.”

According to the non-profit USAFacts, “nearly 40 percent of the billion-dollar climate events that have hit the U.S. since 1980 happened between 2017 and the present day.” The data-gathering organization says that “2023 had the most billion-dollar natural disaster events of any year to date.”

Nullis pointed out Tuesday that the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires are “estimated to be the most costly U.S. disaster on record.”

“Not all of these weather-related disasters, you know, have a connection with climate change.  We are not saying that…but climate change is an aggravating factor.  It is making our weather much more, much more extreme,” she said.  “So, you know, the need for the Paris Agreement is pretty obvious.”
…

NUUK, GREENLAND — U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his assertion Monday that the United States needs to take control of Greenland from Denmark in the interests of “international security.”

His repeated calls in recent weeks are raising concerns and stirring debate among the Arctic island’s 57,000-strong population as well as alarm among the United States’ European allies.

“Greenland is a wonderful place. We need it for international security. And I’m sure that Denmark will come along,” the president said.

“The people of Greenland are not happy with Denmark, as you know. I think they are happy with us. … My son and representatives went up there two weeks ago, and they like us. So, we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, hours after his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.

Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Jan. 7, where he handed out “Make America Great Again” baseball caps and had lunch with a group of locals before returning to the U.S. a few hours later.

At a press conference in Florida the same day, President-elect Trump said he refused to rule out using economic or military force to take control of Greenland.

‘Not for sale’

Denmark and its European allies have offered a cautious response, emphasising the need to respect international sovereignty while trying not to offend Trump.

Greenland already has a high degree of independence, although Denmark retains responsibility for the island’s security affairs.

Naaja Nathanielsen, a senior minister in Greenland’s autonomous government, gave a simple response to Trump’s comments.  “We are not a commodity. And we are not for sale,” she told VOA.

Nevertheless, Nathanielsen sees common ground with Washington.

“If you cut through the rhetoric, I hear two messages from the U.S.,” she said. “One is we need to look at the national security aspect, and we quite agree with the U.S. message in that point. We’ve been trying to advocate for that as well for some years. And the other perspective is, and the other message I hear is, we want to engage more in the Greenlandic mineral sector. And that is really, you know, kicking in an open door.”

Political change

Greenland is due to hold a general election by April at the latest. The government wants a simultaneous referendum on full independence from Denmark.

“Greenlanders themselves must decide what our future looks like,” Greenlandic Premier Mute Egede said during a live televised debate on Sunday with political leaders from Denmark and Greenland. “We have said very precisely that Greenland — and us in this country — do not want to be Americans. We don’t want to be Danes either. We are Greenlanders,” he said.

After centuries of Danish control, the political winds of change in Greenland are getting stronger, according to Arnaq Nielsen, opinion editor at Greenland’s weekly Sermitsiaq newspaper.

“Everything is about the visit of Trump Junior, and when you meet people, it’s all we talk about,” Nielsen told VOA in an interview at the Sermitsiaq newsroom in Nuuk.

“This situation is evolving so quickly. Now it’s about a lot more than the complicated relationship between Denmark and Greenland. Suddenly Trump Junior is here, and it all explodes. It’s hard to figure out what is going on.”

“It’s a small number of people here who are really happy that Trump Junior came to Greenland. And a small number of people really resent him coming here. But the large majority are not that loud because only the two extremes are being heard,” Nielsen said.

Social media

Those extremes are being amplified by social media. YouTube influencers have followed Trump Junior’s visit to Greenland, handing out American dollar bills to passers-by, along with baseball caps emblazoned with the slogan “Make Greenland Great Again.” The influencers are not associated with the Trump administration.

Several Greenlanders welcomed the unfamiliar visitors. Others have engaged in angry exchanges. A video posted online last week showed an unidentified local resident tearing up a U.S. currency note and stamping on a red Make Greenland Great Again baseball cap.

“Do you think you can buy us?” the man said.

Residents of Nuuk who spoke to VOA were divided over the global attention.

“I think we are in a terrible situation,” Nuuk resident Per Chemnitz said. “Our politicians are handling this totally wrong. They have been seduced by something so much bigger than they are able to handle. So, I don’t know where this will end. The worst thing that can happen is that we lose our relationship to Denmark.”

Aka Gronvold, who also lives in the Greenlandic capital, welcomed the Trumps’ intervention.

“Right now, Greenland has the attention of the whole world. That is really good, and it’s about time that Greenland gets some more attention.” Gronvold told VOA.

‘Make Greenland Great Again’

That attention looks set to continue. Republican lawmakers last week introduced a bill titled the Make Greenland Great Again Act, allowing President Trump to start talks with Denmark over purchasing Greenland. It’s not yet clear whether the bill will receive enough support from Congress.

Denmark has echoed Greenland’s assertion that the island is not for sale but said it would welcome greater cooperation with Trump in security and mineral extraction.

Controlling Greenland comes with a cost, noted analyst Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen of the Royal Danish Defense College.

“If the U.S. went in and were to acquire Greenland, they would suddenly also have to pay the bill for running Greenlandic society — a bill that’s being covered by the Danish government right now and which runs along the lines of U.S. $750 million to U.S. $1 billion a year,” Rahbek-Clemmensen said.

“[The U.S.] gets all its interests, and it doesn’t have to pay the bill. And so, geopolitically speaking, it doesn’t really make that much sense to change that situation. So, if I were to explain why Trump has an interest in Greenland… I would say that it probably has to do with the whole ideology of Make America Great Again,” he told VOA.

“In this situation. acquiring Greenland would literally make the U.S. greater — or at least bigger,” he said.
…

Davos, Switzerland — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared Tuesday that Europe was ready to negotiate with the United States and seek to improve ties with China as Beijing warned against damaging trade wars in the face of Donald Trump’s protectionism.

Trump returned to the White House on Monday, and while he may not be physically present in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos, he is the elephant in the room for the executives and leaders hobnobbing at the annual World Economic Forum.

With Beijing and Brussels facing some of the biggest risks from the return of self-professed tariff-loving Trump, China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to the stage first at the forum.

“Protectionism leads nowhere and there are no winners in a trade war,” Ding said, without mentioning Trump directly.

Trump threatened on Monday to impose tariffs if Beijing rejects his proposal to keep Chinese-owned app TikTok online on condition that half of it is sold off.

China is taking a cautious approach to Trump and after the TikTok threat, Beijing said it hoped the United States would provide a fair business environment for Chinese firms.

After Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Trump by phone on Friday, he said he hoped for a “good start” to relations with the new US administration.

Meanwhile, von der Leyen took a conciliatory tone. She said the EU’s “first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests and be ready to negotiate” with Trump.

“We will be pragmatic but we will always stand by our principles, to protect our interests and uphold our values,” she said.

The European Commission president also stressed that Europe “must engage constructively with China – to find solutions in our mutual interest” despite escalating trade tensions between the two.

Brussels has provoked Beijing’s ire with a raft of probes targeting state subsidies in the green tech sector, as well as slapping tariffs on Chinese electric cars.

In an apparent reference to the European Union measures, Ding warned against “erecting green barriers that could disrupt normal economic and trade cooperation.”

More trade deals

On the campaign trail, Trump said he would impose extra customs duties on allies including the EU, as well as on China.

After his inauguration, Trump raised the possibility of imposing 25-percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

Von der Leyen reiterated her commitment to free trade during her speech, pointing to recent EU deals with Switzerland, the South American bloc Mercosur and Mexico.

She also said she and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to “upgrade” their partnership.

Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, which von de Leyen defended as the “best hope for all humanity” and vowed: “Europe will stay the course.”

Ukraine is also keeping a very close eye on what Trump’s second mandate will involve.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to call on world leaders and company executives to maintain – and ramp up – their support for his country’s war against Russia.

Zelensky said on Monday he was hopeful Trump would help achieve a “just peace.”

Embattled German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also to address the Davos forum, likely his last as leader ahead of elections next month.

Also speaking on Tuesday will be conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the favorite to succeed him as chancellor.

‘Better understand’ Trump

Middle East conflicts will likewise be high on the agenda as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani speak in separate sessions during the first full day of the forum.

As a fragile ceasefire holds in the Israel-Hamas war, the WEF will host a discussion on how to improve aid delivery to the Palestinian territory of Gaza and how to kickstart the reconstruction and recovery after heavy bombardment.

Despite suggestions Trump’s return would overshadow the forum that began on the same day as his inauguration in Washington, WEF President Borge Brende said the US leader had brought fresh attention to the gathering.

“It has increased the interest in Davos because people feel they need to come together to better understand what’s on its way,” Brende told AFP in an interview.

 
…

Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

The two leaders have developed strong personal links that helped bring relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. China has become a major customer of Russian oil and gas and a source of key technologies amid sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow.

In Tuesday’s call with Xi, Putin emphasized that Russia-China relations are based on shared interests, equality and mutual benefits, noting that they “don’t depend on internal political factors and the current international environment.”

“We jointly support the development of a more just multipolar global order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world as a whole,” Putin told Xi in remarks carried by the Russian state TV. “Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in global affairs.”

Xi similarly praised close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, saying it helps “bring positive energy to reforming and developing the global system.”

While neither leader directly mentioned Trump in the televised fragment of their call, the timing of the conversation may signal that Putin and Xi want to coordinate their action in dialogue with the new U.S. administration.

The Chinese president had a call with Trump on Friday and expressed hope for positive ties with the U.S.

Trump had threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China in his second term, while also hinting at ways in which the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl.

Putin, who is yet to talk to Trump, congratulated him on taking office in televised remarks during a video call with officials and welcomed his intention to open a dialogue with Moscow.

Trump told reporters Monday after taking office that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Putin would follow suit. He added that Putin would be destroying Russia by failing to make a deal, pointing out Russia’s economic troubles, including high inflation.

Putin hailed Trump’s openness to dialogue as he spoke to Russia’s Security Council members shortly before the U.S. president’s inauguration.

“We hear the statements from Trump and members of his team about their desire to restore direct contact with Russia, which were halted through no fault of ours by the outgoing administration,” Putin said on Monday. “We also hear his statements about the need to do everything to prevent World War III. We certainly welcome such an approach and congratulate the U.S. president-elect on taking office.”

The Russian leader also stressed that dialogue between the two nations should be based on “equal basis and mutual respect, taking into account the important role our countries play on some key issues on the global agenda, including the strengthening of global stability and security.”

Putin also noted that Moscow is open to dialogue with the Trump administration on the conflict in Ukraine, emphasizing the need to respect Russia’s interests and adding that “the most important thing is to remove the root causes of the crisis.”

“As for the settlement of the situation, I would like to underline that its goal should not be a short truce, not some kind of respite for regrouping forces and rearmament with the aim of subsequently continuing the conflict, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, all nations living in this region,” Putin said.
…

World leaders on Monday are congratulating President Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among those who congratulated Trump.

“President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is a top priority,” Zelenskyy said.

The third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war is approaching at the end of February.

Trump previously promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day after becoming president, or even before his inauguration. More recently, Trump advisers have said resolving the conflict will now take months or even longer.

Trump has voiced skepticism of continued U.S. military support for Kyiv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated President Trump.

“I believe that working together again will raise the U.S.-Israeli alliance to even greater heights,” Netanyahu said.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began Sunday, just one day before Trump assumed the presidency.

“I look forward to working with you to return the remaining hostages, to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and end its political rule in Gaza, and to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu added.

Congratulations also rolled in from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as U.S. allies like Germany, Italy and Britain.

“The U.S. is our closest ally, and the aim of our policy is always a good transatlantic relationship,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pointed to the longtime relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

“For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership,” Starmer said. “With President Trump’s longstanding affection and historical ties to the United Kingdom, I know that depth of friendship will continue.”

And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who attended the inauguration at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, said she is “certain that the friendship between our nations and the values that unite us will continue to strengthen the cooperation between Italy and the USA.”

But not all of the messages were congratulatory.

Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino rejected a portion of Trump’s inaugural address, in which Trump reaffirmed his desire to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal.

The United States fully ceded control of the strategically important canal to Panama in 1999.

“On behalf of the Republic of Panama and its people, I must fully reject the words outlined by President Donald Trump regarding Panama and its canal in his inaugural speech,” Mulino said in a statement.

Some information in this report came from Reuters.
…