Vladimir Putin has said he has “no” regrets over the war in Ukraine and warned that any direct clash of NATO troops with Russia could lead to a “global catastrophe”.
On Friday, the Russian president spoke at a news conference in the Kazakh capital, Astana, and also said that his country’s partial mobilisation will be over in two weeks.
Mr Putin, who has said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia’s “territorial integrity”, warned that a direct clash with NATO troops is a “very dangerous step”.
His remarks follow a week where Russia has carried out its heaviest missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities since the early days of the war, which he calls a special military operation.
When asked if he had any regrets in relation to the conflict he said “no” and insisted Russia was doing the right thing.
Putin on potential for clashes with NATO
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He also said: “The introduction of troops into a direct confrontation with the Russian army is a very dangerous step that could lead to a global catastrophe. I hope that those who speak of this have enough sense not to take such steps.”
Mr Putin said Germany is making a “mistake” by prioritising its allegiance to NATO over its national interest.
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He added that Germany had not yet made a decision regarding the one undamaged line of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, through which he has said it would be possible for Russia to pump gas to Germany.
Last month, explosions ripped through both links of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and one of the two links of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, causing a massive gas leak and taking them out of service.
Image: From left, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Vladimir Putin and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan in Astana
Putin open to idea of talks with Kyiv
On holding talks with Ukraine, Mr Putin said he is open to the idea and added “we have always said this”.
However, he added that if Kyiv is “ripe for talks, mediation efforts would be required”, following reports about his supposed willingness to enter into negotiations about a temporary peace deal with Ukraine.
Peace talks between the two countries, including in Istanbul in March, have fallen through.
Mr Putin also said Russia has not set itself a task of “destroying Ukraine” and added that there was “no need for massive strikes” now because most designated targets had been hit.
Image: Russian newly-mobilised reservists in the Donetsk region, in Russian-controlled Ukraine
Partial mobilisation to end in two weeks
The Russian president also told the news conference that his partial mobilisation will finish in two weeks, with no plans for a further call-up of reservists.
Last month, his defence minister Sergei Shoigu said the country would draft 300,000 reservists to support its efforts in Ukraine.
Soon after the call, the price of one-way tickets out of the country soared as long queues were seen at Russian borders as people tried to flee.
The partial mobilisation not only appeared to signal an admission that the war was not going well for Russia, but came amid Ukraine’s counter-offensive which has seen the military recapture large swathes of the country from Moscow including strategically key areas like the eastern city of Lyman.
Mr Putin told the news conference that he ordered the partial mobilisation because it is “impossible to hold the front using only contracted servicemen”.
Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.
While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.
All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.
The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.
Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.
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Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.
The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.
And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.
Image: US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters
Trump holds trade deal talks – reports
It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indianand Israelirepresentatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.
The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.
Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.
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China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.
Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.
Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.
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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump
He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’
“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”
Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.
The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.
The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.
The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.
The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.
Image: Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP
Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.
The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.
Image: The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP
After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.
He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.
His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.
The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.
South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.