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Trump Says Zelensky is Ready for 'Deal' with Russia

07 December 2024, France, Paris: (R-L) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses with French President Emmanuel Macron, and US president-elect Donald Trump before a trilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace Photo: Ukraine Presidency/Ukrainian Pre/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
07 December 2024, France, Paris: (R-L) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses with French President Emmanuel Macron, and US president-elect Donald Trump before a trilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace Photo: Ukraine Presidency/Ukrainian Pre/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Trump Says Zelensky is Ready for 'Deal' with Russia

07 December 2024, France, Paris: (R-L) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses with French President Emmanuel Macron, and US president-elect Donald Trump before a trilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace Photo: Ukraine Presidency/Ukrainian Pre/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
07 December 2024, France, Paris: (R-L) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses with French President Emmanuel Macron, and US president-elect Donald Trump before a trilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace Photo: Ukraine Presidency/Ukrainian Pre/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

US president-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is keen on a "deal" to end the war with Russia, after the pair met in Paris to discuss the future of the conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the Elysee Palace on Saturday, as fears grow in Kyiv about the position of the incoming US administration, AFP said.
Trump has openly scoffed at the billions of dollars in military assistance being sent to Ukraine and once boasted he could end the conflict in 24 hours.
"Zelenskyy (sic) and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse."
Hours after the trio's meeting, the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden announced a new $988-million military assistance package for Ukraine.
The package features drones, ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armored vehicles, the Pentagon said.
'Just' peace
In Ukraine there is concern that Trump may urge domestically unpopular concessions to bring about peace. Zelensky insisted any settlement with Russia had to be equitable.
"We all want peace. But it is very important for us... that the peace is just for all of us and that Russia, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or any other aggressor has no possibility of ever returning," Zelensky said according to the presidential website.
"And this is the most important thing -- a just peace and security guarantees, strong security guarantees for Ukraine," he added.
But Zelensky also thanked Trump for his "unwavering resolve" describing the talks as "good and productive".
Zelensky's meeting with Trump, just before both attended the re-opening ceremony of the Notre Dame cathedral, was his first face-to-face encounter with the tycoon-turned-politician since his US election victory.
It also offered a unique chance for Macron to gain insights into how a second Trump presidency will look when he takes office in January.
The trip to Paris is Trump's first international visit since his November 5 election win.
'Going a little crazy'
Trump and Macron embraced and shook hands several times on the steps of the French presidential palace.
Trump was given a full guard of honor despite not yet being in office.
"It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we will be talking about that," Trump told reporters as he prepared to sit down for the talks with Macron.
Despite tensions between the two men during his first term, Trump hailed his ties with the centrist French leader, saying: "We had a great relationship as everyone knows. We accomplished a lot."
Macron told Trump it was "a great honor for French people to welcome you" for the re-opening ceremony at Notre Dame, which was devastated by a blaze in 2019 during Trump's first term.
"You were president at that time and I remember the solidarity and the immediate reaction," Macron added, speaking in English.
In his own reaction to the discussions, Macron wrote on social media: "Let us continue our joint efforts for peace and security."
European allies have largely enjoyed a close working relationship with Biden on the crisis in the Middle East, but Trump is likely to distance himself and ally the United States even more closely with Israel.

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World

Netanyahu Coalition Pushes Contentious Oct. 7 Attack Probe, Families Call for Justice

The bereaved families of the 7 October attack hold pictures of their loved ones and shout slogans towards Knesset members during a debate on the bill for a state commission of inquiry into the events of 7 October at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 24 December 2025. (EPA)
The bereaved families of the 7 October attack hold pictures of their loved ones and shout slogans towards Knesset members during a debate on the bill for a state commission of inquiry into the events of 7 October at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 24 December 2025. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Coalition Pushes Contentious Oct. 7 Attack Probe, Families Call for Justice

The bereaved families of the 7 October attack hold pictures of their loved ones and shout slogans towards Knesset members during a debate on the bill for a state commission of inquiry into the events of 7 October at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 24 December 2025. (EPA)
The bereaved families of the 7 October attack hold pictures of their loved ones and shout slogans towards Knesset members during a debate on the bill for a state commission of inquiry into the events of 7 October at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 24 December 2025. (EPA)

Israel's parliament gave the initial go-ahead on Wednesday for a government-empowered inquiry into the surprise October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on southern Israel rather than the expected independent investigation demanded by families of the victims.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls to establish a state commission to investigate Israel's failures in the run-up to its deadliest day and has taken no responsibility for the attack that sparked the two-year Gaza war.

His ruling coalition voted on Wednesday to advance a bill which grants parliament members the authority to pick panel members for an inquiry and gives Netanyahu's cabinet the power to set its mandate.

Critics ‌say the move ‌circumvents Israel's 1968 Commissions of Inquiry Law, under which ‌the ⁠president of ‌the Supreme Court appoints an independent panel to investigate major state failures such as those which preceded the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

Survivors and relatives of those hurt in the Hamas attack have launched a campaign against the proposed probe, saying only a state commission can bring those accountable to justice.

"This is a day of disaster for us all," said Eyal Eshel, who lost his daughter when Hamas fighters overran the army base where she served. "Justice ⁠must be done and justice will be done," he said at the Knesset, before the vote.

Surveys have shown ‌wide public support for the establishment of a state ‍commission into the country's biggest security ‍lapse in decades.

Netanyahu said on Monday that a panel appointed in line with the ‍new bill, by elected officials from both the opposition and the coalition, would be independent and win broad public trust.

But Israel's opposition has already said it will not cooperate with what it describes as an attempt by Netanyahu's coalition to cover up the truth rather than reveal it, arguing that the investigation would ultimately be controlled by Netanyahu and his coalition.

The new bill says that if the politicians fail to ⁠agree on the panel, its make-up will be decided by the head of parliament, who is allied with Netanyahu and is a member of his Likud party.

Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage and found slain by his captors with five other hostages in a Hamas tunnel in August 2024, said only a trusted commission could restore security and unite a nation still traumatized.

"I support a state commission, not to see anyone punished and not because it will bring back my only son, no. I support a state commission so that nothing like what happened to my son, can ever happen to your son, or your daughter, or your parents," Polin said on Sunday at a news ‌conference with other families.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was among dozens of hostages taken in the 2023 attack from the site of the Nova music festival.

World

Search Teams in Türkiye Recover Recorders after Plane Crash that Killed Libyan Military Officials

Turkish army soldiers stand guard as rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)
Turkish army soldiers stand guard as rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)
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Search Teams in Türkiye Recover Recorders after Plane Crash that Killed Libyan Military Officials

Turkish army soldiers stand guard as rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)
Turkish army soldiers stand guard as rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)

Search teams in Türkiye on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, while efforts to retrieve the victims' remains were still underway, Türkiye's interior minister said.

The private jet carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials and three crew members crashed on Tuesday, after taking off from Türkiye's capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said that the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told journalists at the site of the crash that wreckage was scattered across an area covering three square kilometers (more than a square mile), complicating recovery efforts. Authorities from the Turkish forensic medicine authority were working to recover and identify the remains, he said.

A 22-person delegation — including five family members — arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation, he said.

Tripoli-based Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths on Tuesday, describing the crash on Facebook as a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for Libya.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone call with Dbeibah, during which he conveyed his condolences and expressed his sorrow over the deaths, his office said.

The Turkish leader later also offered his condolences during a televised speech, voicing solidarity with Libya.

"An investigation has been launched into this tragic incident that has deeply saddened us, and our ministries will provide information about its progress,” Erdogan said.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split, much like the nation's other institutions.

The four other military officials who died in the crash were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the head of Libya’s ground forces, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military manufacturing authority, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff, and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer with the chief of staff’s office.

The identities of the three crew members weren't immediately released.

Turkish officials said that the Falcon 50-type business jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga airport at 8:30 p.m. and that contact was lost around 40 minutes later. The plane notified air traffic control of an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboga, where preparations for its landing began.

The plane, however, disappeared from radar while descending for the emergency landing, the Turkish presidential communications office said.

The Libyan government declared a three-day period of national mourning. Flags would be flown half-staff at all state institutions, according to the government’s announcement on Facebook.

The wreckage was found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Ankara.

At the crash site, search and recovery teams intensified their operations on Wednesday after a night of heavy rain and fog, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Gendarmerie police sealed off the area while the Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, set up a mobile coordination center. Specialized vehicles, such as tracked ambulances, were deployed because of the muddy terrain.

Türkiye has assigned four prosecutors to lead the investigation, and Yerlikaya that said the Turkish search and recovery teams included 408 personnel.

While in Ankara, al-Haddad had met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and other officials.

World

Netanyahu: Israel to Spend $110 billion to Develop Independent Arms Industry in Next Decade

Two Israeli soldiers inside Gaza (AFP)
Two Israeli soldiers inside Gaza (AFP)
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Netanyahu: Israel to Spend $110 billion to Develop Independent Arms Industry in Next Decade

Two Israeli soldiers inside Gaza (AFP)
Two Israeli soldiers inside Gaza (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ​on Wednesday Israel would spend 350 billion shekels ($110 billion) on developing an independent arms to reduce ‌dependency on other ‌countries, AFP reported.

"We ‌will ⁠continue ​to ‌acquire essential supplies while independently arming ourselves," Netanyahu said at a ceremony for new pilots.

"I ⁠don't know if ‌a country can ‍be ‍completely independent but we ‍will strive ... to ensure our arms are produced as ​much as possible in Israel," he said.

"Our ⁠goal is to build an independent arms industry for the State of Israel and reduce the dependency on any party, including allies."