US Must Dispel Pelosi’s ‘Negative Influence’ before Climate Talks, Says China

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
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US Must Dispel Pelosi’s ‘Negative Influence’ before Climate Talks, Says China

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)

China said on Wednesday that a condition for the resumption of bilateral climate talks with the United States was Washington dispelling the "negative influence" left by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlier this month.

In response to the visit on Aug. 2-3, China on Aug. 5 suspended bilateral cooperation with the United States in a number of areas, including climate talks and dialogue between senior-level military commanders.

US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry, who earlier this month said the suspension of bilateral climate talks punished the entire world, urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, in an interview with the Financial Times, to resume the discussions.

The former US Secretary of State, who is currently the Biden administration's top climate diplomat, also told the newspaper he was hopeful the countries could "get back together" ahead of the United Nations' COP27 climate summit in November in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

China, which claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own territory, responded to Kerry's remarks on Wednesday by stating the resumption of climate talks with the United States was dependent on actions taken by Washington to address the "negative influence" of Pelosi's Taiwan visit.

"The US side should dispel the negative influence of Pelosi scuttling to Taiwan, this is an indispensable condition of China-US climate change cooperation," China's foreign ministry said in a written statement sent to Reuters.

The statement also said China would continue to actively participate in international forums on climate change.

Beijing's response highlights the divergent approaches to global climate change cooperation between the world's two superpowers.

While officials in the Biden administration, including Kerry, have repeatedly expressed hope that US-China cooperation on climate change would not be affected by tensions on other fronts, Beijing has rejected any separating of issues in US-China relations.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters the two countries' militaries could still communicate even at lower levels in "areas where contention can run high," such as in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, but that channels on climate and narcotics were still shut down.

"That's really unfortunate because ... particularly on fentanyl and climate, there's a global impact here for the two largest economies in the world to not have an ability to collaborate," Kirby said.



Ukrainians Worry about Trump Effort to End War with Russia, Though Some Hope for the Best

A flower vendor waits for customers a day before St. Valentine's Day on a street in the city of Kramatorsk, on February 13, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A flower vendor waits for customers a day before St. Valentine's Day on a street in the city of Kramatorsk, on February 13, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Ukrainians Worry about Trump Effort to End War with Russia, Though Some Hope for the Best

A flower vendor waits for customers a day before St. Valentine's Day on a street in the city of Kramatorsk, on February 13, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A flower vendor waits for customers a day before St. Valentine's Day on a street in the city of Kramatorsk, on February 13, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Ukrainians on Thursday worried that US President Donald Trump was preparing to sell out their country following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though some expressed cautious hope over his effort to swiftly end the war.

Trump's call to the Russian president - the first by a US leader since Moscow's February 2022 invasion - followed remarks by his defense chief that cast doubt over the full restoration of Ukraine's borders and its aspiration to join the NATO alliance.

"It truly looks as if they want to surrender Ukraine, because I don't see any benefits for our country of these negotiations or Trump's rhetoric," said Kyiv resident Myroslava Lesko, 23, standing near a sea of flags downtown honoring fallen troops.

Ukraine has tried to urgently forge close ties with the new Trump administration, offering a minerals deal to win US favor, while Russian forces, already occupying a fifth of Ukraine, keep up battlefield pressure.

Ukraine wants the White House to back any peace talks with security guarantees that would stop Russia invading again.

The Trump call with Putin on Wednesday and remarks by Pete Hegseth, who said NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and that the US would not be sending in troops as peacekeepers, have shocked some of Kyiv's allies who believe Washington is sacrificing negotiating leverage.

Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after his call with Putin.

In interviews with Reuters, Kyiv residents reacted to the prospect of fast-track peace talks with a mix of dismay and careful optimism.

"Trump is a strong-willed person," said 60-year-old Hryhoriy Buhoyets. "He can decide on whatever he wants, and regarding Ukraine, I think he has some plans."

Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the Third Assault Brigade fighting in the war, wrote on the Telegram app that he had not expected Ukraine to receive quick NATO membership anyway.

"NATO is not ready for war with the Russian Federation. This is evident from their reaction to events and behavior," he said.

Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics, said it looked like the Trump administration's views were in fact largely in keeping with those of the previous Joe Biden administration.

Some Ukrainians have expressed frustration that the US under Biden, despite providing billions in military aid, had not done enough to tip the war in Kyiv's favor.

"The difference between Biden and Trump is that Trump says out loud what Biden was thinking and doing about Ukraine," Mylovanov wrote on X.

'FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS'

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Le Monde newspaper in an interview released on Thursday that Ukraine and Europe should not be excluded from future peace talks.

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Reuters it would be crucial "to establish systematic contact between Zelenskiy and Trump, so that they talk constantly rather than episodically".

He added that Ukraine should keep pushing for NATO membership despite Hegseth's comments: "Our survival depends on this. We will keep knocking on the door ... until it opens, because we have no other choice."

Another lawmaker urged Ukrainians - many of whom have lost family members in fighting that has killed tens of thousands and ravaged swathes of the country - not to jump to any conclusions after the remarks.

"Ukraine doesn't exist because someone had a good conversation on the phone with someone. We survived because we showed the world that we can fight," said opposition member Oleksii Honcharenko.

Some officials, who have been lavishing praise on Trump in their effort to build relations, have tried to quickly extinguish what one of them described as "too many unnecessary rumors and conspiracy theories".

"A difficult process of fighting for Ukraine lies ahead, and we will go through it in unity," said Daria Zarivna, an adviser to Zelenskiy's chief of staff.

Olena Chiupika, 38, a manager in Kyiv, said Ukraine had already proven successful at securing foreign support that had once seemed unrealistic, citing the F-16 fighter jets provided by allies.

"I'm hoping for the best," she said. "I would like to, because the mood is not great."

The next diplomatic test for Ukraine is expected at the Munich Security Conference this weekend when Zelenskiy is likely to meet US Vice President JD Vance.

Hanna Maliar, a former deputy defense minister, appeared to acknowledge the uncertainty of the moment.

"Fasten your seatbelts. We're taking off," she said shortly after news broke of Trump's call with Putin. "A fascinating journey awaits us. The final destination is so far unknown."