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UK hosts downgraded Ukraine talks as Easter truce shatters

Envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in Britain on Wednesday amid a new US push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but a planned meeting of foreign ministers was postponed.The London meeting comes as US media reported that President Donald Trump is ready to accept recognition of annexed land in Crimea as Russian territory, and as fresh air strikes shattered a brief Easter truce.The reports said the proposal was first raised at a similar meeting with European nations in Paris last week. Trump has since threatened to “take a pass” on efforts to end the conflict unless progress is made quickly.A Russian drone strike on a bus transporting workers in the southeastern city of Marganets killed at least nine people and wounded at least 30 more, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor said on Wednesday.Ukrainian authorities also reported strikes in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava and Odesa.In Russia, one person was reported wounded by shelling in the Belgorod region.UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been due to lead Wednesday’s meeting, but his ministry said that the talks had been downgraded in a sign of the difficulties surrounding the negotiations. “The Ukraine Peace Talks meeting with Foreign Ministers today is being postponed. Official level talks will continue,” said the Foreign Office.- ‘Work for peace’ -US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg is still expected to attend, along with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron.Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Wednesday that he had arrived in London with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga — who is “likely” to meet Lammy.”Despite everything, we will work for peace,” Yermak wrote on Telegram.A Ukraine presidency source later told AFP that the delegation would meet with Kellogg, and that “There will be more meetings with Europeans, different meetings”.US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is to visit Moscow this week, the White House has confirmed, in what would be his fourth trip to Russia since Trump took office.According to The Financial Times, President Vladimir Putin told Witkoff he was prepared to halt the invasion and freeze the current front-line if Russia’s sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, was recognised.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by saying that “a lot of fakes are being published at the moment”, according to the RIA Novosti state news agency.Zelensky said Tuesday that his country was ready for direct talks with Russia only after a ceasefire.The Kremlin has warned that it cannot rush into a ceasefire deal.Trump promised on the campaign trail to strike a deal between Moscow and Kyiv in 24 hours but has since failed to secure concessions from Putin to halt his troops in Ukraine.He said at the weekend he hoped an agreement could be struck “this week”.US, French and British foreign ministers, along with a senior German official, met in Paris last Thursday to discuss events.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had presented a US plan to end the war but no details were given. Rubio also discussed the plan with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, during a telephone conversation after the Paris meeting. – Trump ‘frustrated’ -Rubio and Trump have warned since the Paris talks that the United States could walk away from peace talks unless it saw quick progress.Trump “wants to see this war end… and he has grown frustrated with both sides of this war, and he’s made that very known”, his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.Rubio had said in Paris last week he would go to London if he thought his attendance could be useful.But Lammy wrote on X late Tuesday that he had instead had a “productive call” with Rubio.”The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe for peace and to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion. Talks continue at pace,” he added.Trump proposed an unconditional ceasefire in March, the principle of which was accepted by Kyiv but rejected by Putin.The White House welcomed a separate agreement by both sides to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, but the Kremlin has said it considers that moratorium to have expired.

Veteran Chinese astronaut to lead fresh crew to space station

Guerre commerciale: Pékin ouvert à des discussions avec Washington, espoir de désescalade

Pékin s’est dit ouvert à des discussions avec Washington sur les droits de douane mercredi, après des propos de Donald Trump sur l’éventualité d’un accord, faisant naître l’espoir d’une possible désescalade des tensions commerciales entre les deux premières économies mondiales.”S’il faut se battre, nous irons jusqu’au bout, mais les portes du dialogue restent grandes ouvertes”, a déclaré Guo Jiakun, un porte-parole du ministère chinois des Affaires étrangères, lors d’une conférence de presse régulière mercredi. Des propos tenus au lendemain d’une déclaration du président américain Donald Trump, qui a annoncé une baisse “substantielle” des droits de douane avec la Chine, soulageant ainsi les marchés mondiaux effrayés par ses politiques agressives.En marge d’une cérémonie à la Maison Blanche, M. Trump a reconnu devant la presse que les surtaxes de 145%, qu’il a lui-même imposées à Pékin, étaient “très élevées” et qu’elles allaient “baisser de façon substantielle”.”Elles ne resteront en aucun cas proches de ce chiffre”, a-t-il dit, ajoutant toutefois que “l’on ne reviendra pas à zéro”. “Nous allons être très gentils, ils vont être très gentils et nous verrons bien ce qui se passe”, a ajouté le milliardaire républicain à propos des Chinois.”C’est nous qui fixerons les termes de l’accord et ce sera un accord équitable. Je pense que c’est un processus qui va aller assez vite”, a-t-il pronostiqué. L’espoir d’une possible désescalade faisait rebondir les marchés financiers mercredi, d’autant plus que Donald Trump a aussi déclaré qu’il “n’avait pas l’intention” de renvoyer le président de la banque centrale américaine (Fed), après que ses virulentes critiques contre Jerome Powell ont fait tanguer les marchés financiers.En Asie, les Bourses repartaient à la hausse de Tokyo à Hong Kong, et le dollar reprenait des couleurs.Les marchés européens ont aussi ouvert en nette progression mercredi. Vers 07H05 GMT, dans les premiers échanges, Paris prenait 1,5%, Francfort 2,4% et Londres 1,2%. Milan gagnait 1,1%.- Comme un embargo -Donald Trump a imposé début avril des droits de douane punitifs à tous les partenaires des Etats-Unis, particulièrement en Europe et en Asie, provoquant une tempête sur les marchés mondiaux, avant de ramener une semaine plus tard les surtaxes à 10% pour tous, à l’exception de la Chine, première puissance commerciale mondiale.Avec ce pays, les droits de douane additionnels atteignent à présent le montant prohibitif de 145%. En représailles, Pékin a imposé des surtaxes de 125% sur les marchandises en provenance des Etats-Unis.Alors que Pékin n’a pas confirmé des discussions avec Washington, le ministre américain des Finances a lui aussi semblé vouloir calmer le jeu.Lors d’un échange à huis clos organisé par la banque JP Morgan Chase à Washington, le secrétaire au Trésor Scott Bessent a estimé que la situation actuelle n’était pas tenable pour les deux pays, a rapporté à l’AFP une source présente dans la salle.Le ministre a considéré que les surtaxes agissaient comme un embargo commercial bloquant les échanges de biens de part et d’autre.La porte-parole de l’exécutif américain, Karoline Leavitt, a affirmé pour sa part que les discussions pour trouver un accord commercial avec Pékin avançaient “très bien”.- “Intimidation généralisée” -La Chine avait appelé mardi le Royaume-Uni et l’Union européenne à défendre le commerce mondial face à l’offensive américaine.”Dans le contexte actuel d’intimidation unilatérale généralisée, la Chine et le Royaume-Uni ont la responsabilité de protéger l’ordre commercial multilatéral”, a déclaré le ministre chinois des Affaires étrangères Wang Yi à son homologue britannique David Lammy lors d’un appel téléphonique, selon un communiqué de son ministère. Face aux revirements de l’administration Trump et aux incertitudes persistantes, de grosses entreprises s’adaptent aux barrières douanières existantes, notamment en relevant leurs prix de vente aux Etats-Unis pour les produits qui y sont importés.Ainsi, le japonais Sumitomo Rubber, qui a racheté en janvier la marque Dunlop en Amérique du Nord, va massivement augmenter de jusqu’à 25% les prix de ses pneus automobiles aux Etats-Unis comme au Canada, a indiqué une porte-parole à l’AFP.myl-aue-bar-jug/lem/tq/vmt

Tourists flee India-administered Kashmir after deadly attack

Indian tourist brochures dub the Himalayan region of Kashmir “Little Switzerland”, and its mountain meadows are usually packed with visitors escaping the sweltering summer heat in the lowland plains of India.On Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed 26 men in an attack on the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reported an “exodus of our guests”.For New Delhi, the 3.5 million tourists who it says visited Kashmir in 2024 — mostly domestic visitors — illustrated what officials called “normalcy and peace” returning to the troubled region after a massive crackdown.Rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, but violence had dropped since New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory.A day after the attack, the region’s deadliest assault on civilians since 2000, tourists scrambled to leave, cramming into buses and taxis, while hoteliers reported a surge of cancellations.At Pahalgam, the site of the attack, the usually tranquil meadows surrounded by pine forests and snowcapped mountains, reverberated with the thumping sounds of military helicopters taking part in a vast manhunt for the attackers.Around 24 hours after the attack, smears of blood were still visible at the site of attack, now patrolled by soldiers dressed in bulletproof jackets.Soldiers guarded the entrance, as forensic investigators collected evidence.- ‘Heartbreaking’ -Until Tuesday afternoon, Hotel Mount View in Pahalgam was sold out for months, manager Abdul Salam told AFP. But since news of the killings broke, he has been inundated with people scrapping their travel plans.”This tragedy will paralyse business in Kashmir,” he said. “We are trying hard to reassure our customers who may still want to come.”Indian authorities have heavily promoted the mountainous region known for its lush valleys as a holiday destination, both for skiing during the winter months, and to escape the sweltering heat elsewhere in India during the summer.A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.”It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, but at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave,” Abdullah said in a statement.India’s Director General of Civil Aviation Faiz Ahmed Kidwai issued a letter which called on airlines to “take swift action to increase the number of flights…facilitating the evacuation of tourists”.Air India said Wednesday it had laid on extra flights “in view of the prevailing situation”.Tourist Paras Sawla, from India’s financial hub Mumbai, said many visitors were “fearful” after the attack.He was seeking to get the first flight home that he could.But the saddest part, he said, was that ordinary Kashmiri people, famous for their hospitality, were doing all they could to help.”We are not scared of the public here”, Sawla said. “They are very supportive, helping out with whatever we need.”

China says ‘door open’ to trade talks after Trump signals tariffs will fall

China said on Wednesday the door was “wide open” for trade talks with Washington, a day after US President Donald Trump signalled the possibility of a “substantial” lowering of tariffs on Beijing.Bringing further relief to global markets spooked by his aggressive trade policies, Trump also said on Tuesday he had no intention of firing US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed additional tariffs of 145 percent on many products from China.These include duties initially imposed over China’s alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain and later over practices Washington deemed unfair. Beijing has responded with sweeping counter-tariffs of 125 percent on US goods, but reiterated on Wednesday that it was willing to engage in trade talks.”China pointed out early on that there are no winners in tariff wars and trade wars,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a daily news conference in Beijing. “The door for talks is wide open.”Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned on Wednesday that trade wars “undermine the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, hurt the multilateral trading system and impact the world economic order”, state media said.The reiteration from Beijing comes after Trump acknowledged that 145 percent was a “very high” level and that will “come down substantially”.”They will not be anywhere near that number” but “it won’t be zero”, he said.”Ultimately, they have to make a deal because otherwise, they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States.”Those comments came after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door event on Tuesday that the tariffs amounted to a reciprocal trade embargo.Bessent said he expected a de-escalation in the near future, according to a person who was in the room.Such a development should bring markets some relief, he added at the JPMorgan Chase-hosted event, which was not open to the press.- Market jitters -Trump’s recent tirades against Powell had fanned fears of an ouster, sending jitters through markets already spooked by the aggressive trade policies.The Republican had criticised Powell for warning that the White House’s sweeping tariffs policy would likely reignite inflation.”I have no intention of firing him,” Trump said on Tuesday. “I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates — it’s a perfect time to lower interest rates.”If he doesn’t, is it the end? No.”Wall Street’s major indexes jumped after a report on Bessent’s trade comments, which came on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s Spring Meetings. Asian markets rallied across the board on Wednesday.The main indexes in Hong Kong and Tokyo were both up around two percent, while gold fell back a day after hitting a record high as investors sought their traditional safe haven.- ‘Doing very well’ -Bessent said there was much to be done at the end of the day with Beijing but he noted the need for fair trade and said China needed to rebalance its economy.The Treasury chief stressed that the goal is not to decouple with China, noting that container bookings between both countries have slumped recently as trade tensions heated up.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters that Washington was “doing very well in respect to a potential trade deal with China”.Global finance ministers and central bankers will converge on Washington this week, with all eyes on the progress of trade talks on the sidelines as countries grapple with Trump’s new and wide-ranging tariffs.China’s foreign minister Wang Yi also held phone calls with his British and Austrian counterparts on Tuesday, urging the UK and the European Union to work with Beijing on safeguarding international trade.Japan was also reportedly eyeing a second visit to Washington by tariffs envoy Ryosei Akazawa next week, with local media reporting Tokyo was considering concessions to assuage Trump.burs-stu/pbt/lb

Lucie Castets appelle à “une primaire des gauches la plus large possible”

Lucie Castets, éphémère candidate à Matignon après les législatives de 2024, invite les chefs des partis de gauche à se rassembler le 2 juillet pour discuter d’une candidature commune à la présidentielle.Dans une tribune publiée mercredi dans Libération, intitulée “Organisons une primaire des gauches la plus large possible”, celle qui avait été désignée par les partis du Nouveau Front populaire pour être leur candidate au poste de Première ministre, les appelle à dépasser “leurs querelles partisanes”, car “la situation actuelle doit susciter un sursaut unitaire”.Pour gagner à la prochaine présidentielle, “nous avons besoin de nous mettre autour de la table et de travailler. Donnons-nous rendez-vous le 2 juillet prochain”, après le congrès du PS prévu mi-juin, “pour poser la première pierre de la victoire”, écrit-elle.Défendant “une candidature commune aux partis de gauche et aux écologistes, fédérée autour d’une équipe”, elle appelle à élaborer, de manière collective, “une procédure démocratique et transparente de désignation de la candidate ou du candidat qui nous représentera à l’échéance présidentielle”.Elle évoque “plusieurs options”, comme l’organisation, “juste après les municipales de 2026”, d’une “primaire des gauches la plus large qu’on ait jamais proposée” pour “permettre au peuple de gauche de donner son opinion éclairée après une campagne respectueuse”. Autre option, elle juge “possible que les représentants des partis se réunissent pour une concertation de quelques jours” pour décider de la candidature la plus pertinente. “Ou encore, il est envisageable d’organiser une convention citoyenne avec des représentants des partis, de la société civile organisée, mais aussi d’électrices et électeurs de la gauche tirés au sort”, suggère-t-elle.

Stocks rally as Trump comments ease Fed, China trade fears

Equities rallied with Wall Street on Wednesday after Donald Trump said he had “no intention” of firing the head of the Federal Reserve and that eye-watering tariffs on China would be slashed drastically.Global markets, already upended by a trade war, were battered further at the start of the week by fears the US president was looking to remove central bank boss Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates, calling him a “major loser” and “Mr. Too Late”.Observers warned such a move would have dealt a blow to the Fed’s independence and sparked a crisis of confidence in the world’s top economy, sparking a sell-off of US assets and another global crisis.However, Trump looked to temper those fears on Tuesday, saying: “I have no intention of firing him.””I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates — it’s a perfect time to lower interest rates,” he said.”If he doesn’t, is it the end? No.”The remarks gave a much-needed shot of relief to investors, helped by the president’s comments later indicating a more conciliatory approach to the trade war with China.Washington has imposed tariffs of 145 percent on a range of products from China, while Beijing has replied with 125 percent duties on imports from the United States.But Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that the US levies were at a “very high” level, and that this will “come down substantially”.”They will not be anywhere near that number,” he said, but added that “it won’t be zero”. That came after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door event in Washington that he expected a de-escalation soon in the United States’ tariff standoff with China, which he said was not sustainable.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said later, “the president and the administration are setting the stage for a deal”, noting that “the ball is moving in the right direction”.Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned on Wednesday that tariff and trade wars “undermine the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, hurt the multilateral trading system, and impact the world economic order”.However, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said later in the day that “the door for talks is wide open”.Investors welcomed the developments from Washington with open arms.Hong Kong surged on the back of a rally in tech firms including Alibaba and Tencent.Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington, Singapore, Mumbai, Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok also advanced, while London, Paris and Frankfurt were also sharply higher.Taipei jumped more than four percent, helped by a seven percent surge in chip titan TSMC.However, Shanghai edged down.Gold, which had hit a record high above $3,500 Tuesday on a rush to safety, retreated to sit around $3,300, while the dollar clawed back some of its recent losses against the pound, euro and yen.Oil prices were also boosted more than one percent, having taken a recent hit by fears over the economic fallout from the tariffs standoff.The gains followed rallies of more than two percent for all three main indexes in New York.”While it is still early days, the mood in the market is evidently shifting and what was a strong ‘sell America’ vibe flowing through markets… has in part reversed,” said Chris Weston at Pepperstone.He added that Trump’s comments on Powell “should go some way to allaying fears of a major policy mistake”. Investors were unmoved by the International Monetary Fund’s decision to slash its global economic growth outlook by 0.5 percentage points to 2.8 percent this year, citing the effect of Trump’s tariff policies.In company news, Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber, which recently bought the Dunlop brand, rose 3.7 percent after it said it would hike tyre prices for US and Canadian cars and small trucks by up to 25 percent.- Key figures at 0810 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.9 percent at 34,868.63 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 2.4 percent at 22,072.62 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,296.36 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 1.4 percent at 8,445.62 Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1385 from $1.1420 on TuesdayPound/dollar: DOWN $1.3305 at $1.3330Dollar/yen: UP at 141.85 yen from 141.56 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.56 pence from 85.67 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.5 percent at $64.63 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.4 percent at $68.41 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 2.7 percent at 39,186.98 (close)

Iles Eparses, colonisation, contrats: Emmanuel Macron à Madagascar

Le président Emmanuel Macron est arrivé mercredi à Madagascar pour une visite de deux jours visant à renforcer les liens bilatéraux mais aussi la place de la France dans l’océan Indien, en dépit de contentieux persistants hérités de la colonisation.Accompagné de son épouse Brigitte, il a été accueilli par des danses traditionnelles et des enfants agitant des drapeaux des deux pays. C’est le premier président français depuis Jacques Chirac en 2005 à se rendre dans l’ancienne colonie qui reste un important pays francophone de 30 millions d’habitants.Emmanuel Macron doit s’entretenir puis déjeuner avec son homologue Andry Rajoelina, avant des signatures d’accords et des rencontres avec des jeunes et des chefs d’entreprises.La capitale malgache a fait place nette. Les plus pauvres ont été priés d’abandonner les trottoirs et tunnels où ils vivent et les rues vidées de leurs marchands ambulants.La France, confrontée à une souveraineté contestée sur plusieurs de ses territoires et aux ambitions croissantes de la Chine et de la Russie dans cette partie de l’océan Indien, entend de son côté consolider ses ambitions de puissance régionale.Madagascar revendique les îles Eparses tout comme les Comores revendiquent l’archipel de Mayotte, deux territoires restés français lors des indépendances en Afrique. Ces deux territoires occupent une position stratégique dans le canal du Mozambique, une voie de transit majeure pour le commerce international, riche en hydrocarbures.- Barrage -“Ces demandes de rétrocession, c’est un enjeu d’identité nationale, d’accès aux ressources et puis c’est un moyen de pression pour obtenir autre chose” de la France, résume Denys-Sacha Robin, spécialiste en droit international de la mer à l’université Paris-Nanterre.Les îles Éparses seront “évoquées”, a indiqué l’Elysée. Paris privilégie une solution de type “cogestion”. Des souverainistes malgaches souhaitent à l’inverse que le président Rajoelina remette la question de la rétrocession sur la table, comme celle obtenue des Britanniques par l’île Maurice pour l’archipel des Chagos en 2024.La France – qui était son premier client et troisième fournisseur en 2024 – et Madagascar veulent renforcer leurs échanges commerciaux et investissements, souligne l’Elysée.Un accord devrait ainsi être signé pour l’entrée du géant de l’électricité français EDF au capital de la Compagnie générale d’hydroélectricité (CGHV) malgache, a appris l’AFP auprès d’une source proche du dossier. Avec à la clé un ambitieux projet de barrage, comprenant une retenue de 15 millions de mètres cubes, destiné à démultiplier la production d’électricité du pays.La question mémorielle liée à la colonisation reste aussi au coeur de la relation franco-malgache. Le président Macron s’est ainsi engagé en faveur de la restitution de biens culturels.- Mémoire -Le crâne du roi Toera, décapité en 1897 par les troupes françaises et emporté comme trophée en France, ne sera toutefois pas restitué comme prévu à l’occasion de la visite.Des descendants du roi s’opposaient à une restitution en avril, synonyme de malheur selon les traditions locales. La famille a en outre demandé que le tombeau du roi, récemment profané, soit restauré avant d’accueillir dignement les restes humains.Les Malgaches réclament des gestes mémoriels plus forts de Paris. Comme la mise en place “d’une commission, comme celle lancée au Cameroun, pour faire toute la lumière sur ce qu’on appelle les violences coloniales”, relève Jeannot Rasoloarison, historien à l’université d’Antananarivo.Le président français va plaider pour une plus grande coopération économique, sanitaire, maritime et de sécurité entre La Réunion, Mayotte et les Etats insulaires de la région.Il défendra jeudi l’intégration de Mayotte, bloquée par les Comores, à la Commission de l’océan Indien (COI), à l’occasion du cinquième sommet de l’organisation intergouvernementale dans la capitale malgache.”La France tout entière a vocation à avoir sa place dans la COI”, a martelé lundi le président à Mayotte, alors que seul le département de La Réunion y est aujourd’hui représenté.