Thursday Briefing – The New York Times

President Trump stated that he had a “prolonged and extremely productive telephone name” with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which he characterised as the start of a negotiation to finish the warfare in Ukraine. Afterward, Trump stated he had spoken with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

“We every talked concerning the strengths of our respective Nations, and the good profit that we’ll sometime have in working collectively,” Trump wrote on social media of his name with Putin. “However first, as we each agreed, we wish to cease the thousands and thousands of deaths” — in reality, an estimated a number of hundred thousand — “going down within the warfare.”

The decision signifies the collapse of Western efforts to isolate Putin diplomatically.

Trump didn’t say how Ukraine’s pursuits would issue into the negotiations. However Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth stated earlier at a NATO assembly in Brussels {that a} peace deal restoring Ukraine’s borders to these of 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, was “unrealistic.” Russia now occupies about 20 % of Ukraine. Trump, Hegseth added, doesn’t assist Ukraine’s membership in NATO as a part of a peace plan.

Minerals deal: Ukraine’s useful mineral assets have change into a outstanding part within the maneuvering over the nation’s future after Trump pushed the concept of buying and selling U.S. support for Ukrainian minerals. The U.S. Treasury secretary was in Kyiv for talks a couple of potential deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is predicted to attempt to ease any potential friction between his nation and the U.S. when he meets with President Trump in the present day in Washington. Modi has spoken of a heat relationship with the president, however Trump is usually a fickle buddy.

Two obtrusive points might complicate Modi’s objectives: commerce and immigration. Modi “will probably be making an attempt to point out Trump that he’s cooperating on his fixation on tariffs and unlawful immigration,” Mujib Mashal, our South Asia bureau chief, stated. “Trump has singled out India as one of many important abusers of tariffs that enjoys a commerce deficit with the U.S., mentioning India in the identical breath as China.”

India’s commerce surplus with the U.S. is rising, and Modi might provide decrease duties on U.S. items like bourbon and pecans, that are produced primarily in Republican states.

Deportations: India can be the biggest supply of unlawful immigration to the U.S. after Latin America. Modi’s authorities has made it clear that it’s going to cooperate with Trump’s deportation effort, even because it brought on an uproar in India final week.


Jordan and Egypt are transferring with velocity to attempt to dissuade President Trump from forcing them to soak up two million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The 2 Arab nations view the proposal as an existential menace.

The technique seems to be to placate Trump with gives to work collectively to rebuild Gaza, deliver peace to the area and broaden humanitarian support efforts. That would assist them purchase time, analysts say — maybe sufficient for the concept to be jettisoned altogether, or for its strategic and safety drawbacks to change into obvious. And with Trump, flattery will be extremely efficient.

Associated:

The brand new season of “The White Lotus” takes place on the resort island of Koh Samui in Thailand. Its roughly 68,000 residents could also be in for a shock, if a tidal wave of vacationers decides to test it out for themselves.

For Valentine’s Day, the “Trendy Love” podcast requested readers to share the moments after they knew they had been falling in love. Their tales spanned a long time and areas.

The workforce additionally revisited one of the memorable tales they’ve ever revealed: Mandy Len Catron’s piece concerning the 36 questions that may assist us fall in love. Mandy joined the podcast to supply an replace on her romance and to learn her essay, which begins on a bridge at midnight, “staring into a person’s eyes for precisely 4 minutes.”

Take heed to the podcast and browse Mandy’s unique essay right here.

For extra: For many years, these heart-shaped bathtubs drew love-struck {couples} to a honeymoon getaway in Jap Pennsylvania. What occurred to them when it closed?


That’s it for in the present day’s briefing. Thanks for beginning your day with The New York Instances. — Natasha

Attain Natasha and the workforce at briefing@nytimes.com.

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