Mena Today

Russian President Vladimir Putin's top foreign policy aide said on Thursday that he had told Washington that a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States to pause the war in Ukraine would simply give Kyiv's forces a much-needed battlefield respite.

Turkish forces killed 24 Kurdish militants in northern Iraq and Syria over the past week, the defence ministry said on Thursday, continuing attacks in the region after a disarmament call from the PKK leader and a separate accord between U.S.-backed Kurds and Damascus.

Turkey has emerged as a key potential partner in restructuring European security, diplomats and analysts say, as Europe scrambles to bolster its defence and find guarantees for Ukraine under any forthcoming ceasefire deal urged by the United States.

Egypt said on Thursday it appreciated U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks on not demanding that residents of Gaza leave the enclave, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem welcomed on Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent retreat from his proposal for a permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, urging him to refrain from aligning with the vision of the "extreme Zionist right."

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Wednesday to form the country's national security council, according to a statement by the Syrian president's office

The United States encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday's landmark deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus, six sources said, an agreement that could stave off further conflict in northern Syria at a time of uncertainty over the future of U.S. forces deployed there.

Britain said it would revoke accreditation for a Russian diplomat in response to a similar move by Russia earlier this week against British diplomats.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday said aid needed to be surged into Gaza while also calling for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages as he prepared to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.

Israel is aiming to establish full diplomatic relations with Lebanon in talks that could open as early as next month, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.

Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani is set to attend a donor summit for his country in Brussels on March 17, a European official told Reuters on Wednesday, the first time Syria will be formally represented at the yearly conference.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he urged Turkey to play a key role in any peace process for Ukraine during talks with President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday.