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KYIV/WASHINGTON: Ukraine and the US said on Wednesday they were ready to sign a minerals deal imminently after months of sometimes fraught negotiations, but an eleventh-hour snag injected uncertainty into the timing.

“Our side is ready to sign. The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters at the White House.

“We’re sure that they will reconsider that and we are ready, if they are.”

A Ukrainian official was en route to Washington for the signing. However, a source said the US was pushing Ukraine to sign two additional documents, and Kyiv felt it was premature.

Bessent denied that the US had made any attempt to alter the accord agreed over the weekend.

The agreement, which would give the United States access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits, is central to Kyiv’s efforts to mend ties with US President Donald Trump and the White House as Trump pushes for a peace settlement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Two sources told Reuters the signing could still happen later on Wednesday. Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was flying to the United States to sign the deal, the country’s prime minister said earlier.

A draft of the main minerals agreement seen by Reuters showed Ukraine had secured the removal of any requirement to repay the US for past military assistance — a clause Ukraine had staunchly opposed.

Washington has been Ukraine’s single largest military donor since Russia’s 2022 invasion, with aid totalling more than €64 billion ($72 billion), according to the Kiel Institute in Germany.

Trump repeated on Wednesday that the US should receive something in return for its past aid to Kyiv — hence the effort to secure access to Ukraine’s rich deposits of rare earth minerals.

“I assume they’re going to honour the deal. … We haven’t really seen the fruits of that deal yet. I suspect we will,” Trump said following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials hope that signing the deal promoted by Trump will reinforce American support for Kyiv in the more than three-year-old war.

The draft agreement gives the US preferential access to new Ukrainian natural resources deals but does not automatically grant Washington a share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth or its gas infrastructure.

“Indeed, it is a strategic agreement … it is a truly equal, good international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The draft did not include any concrete US security guarantees for Ukraine — one of Kyiv’s initial goals. Separately, Ukraine has discussed with European allies the creation of an international force to help ensure Ukraine’s security should a peace agreement be reached with Russia.

Joint fund

The minerals draft sets out the creation of a joint US-Ukrainian reconstruction fund, which will receive 50% of profits and royalties accruing to the Ukrainian state from new natural resources permits.

The draft does not clarify how the fund’s revenue will be spent, who benefits, or who holds control over spending decisions.

Shmyhal said on television that once the main agreement was signed, both parties would agree on two further technical and supplementary documents covering details such as fund accumulation.

He said Ukraine would retain full control of its resources under the deal, while the fund would invest in Ukraine’s development for 10 years.

“Ukraine will only contribute from new licences, from new royalties on mineral resources. This will be our contribution, 50% of which will be allocated to this fund,” he said.

The US could use future military assistance to Ukraine as its contribution to the fund, Shmyhal added, with no previous aid being counted.

The two sides signed a memorandum on April 18 as an initial step toward finalising an accord on mineral resource development. In the memo, both parties aimed to complete talks by April 26 and sign the agreement as soon as possible.

Trump and members of his administration have threatened this month to abandon peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine unless there is clear progress soon.

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister announced on Wednesday that Tehran will engage in talks with three European signatories of the 2015 nuclear accord in Rome on Friday, just ahead of a scheduled round of negotiations with the United States set for Saturday.

Reuters reported on Monday that Tehran had proposed meeting Britain, France and Germany, collectively known as the E3, who stuck to the 2015 deal meant to curb Iran’s nuclear activity, which unravelled in 2018 when US President Donald Trump walked out of it during his first term in the White House.

“In my opinion, the three European countries have lost their role (in the nuclear file) due to the wrong policies they have adopted. Of course, we do not want this and are ready to hold talks with them in Rome,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state media on Wednesday.

There was initial hesitation within the E3 over concern such talks could create a parallel track and hijack the negotiations pursued by Trump’s second administration that Washington says aim to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.

But three European diplomats told Reuters that the E3 decided it was ultimately in their interest to maintain dialogue with Iran and reaffirm how they envisaged the parameters of a new nuclear deal.

Foreign ministry political directors were meeting US officials in Berlin on Wednesday to be briefed on previous rounds of US-Iranian talks and prepare for the Rome meeting, and will head there on Friday, two diplomats said.

Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration that resumed in Oman on Saturday and after its talks with Russia and China last week. USand Iranian negotiators will reconvene in Rome on Saturday.

Iran’s approach to the E3 suggests it is keeping its options open but also wants to assess where the Europeans stand on the possible reimposition of United Nations sanctions against Tehran before October, known in diplomatic circles as the “snapback mechanism”, when a resolution ratifying the 2015 accord expires.

European-Iranian tensions

Relations between the E3 and Iran have worsened over the last year despite sporadic meetings since last September against a backdrop of new sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its ballistic missile programme, its detention of foreign citizens and support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Highlighting those tensions, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that Paris would not think twice if the current negotiations failed about launching the snapback of sanctions, which he said would have “devastating effects”.

He accused Tehran of being on the cusp of covertly developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has long denied this, saying its accelerating uranium enrichment programme is only for civilian energy purposes.

In a letter distributed to the UN Security Council and seen by Reuters, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Barrot’s comments were “unfounded and politically irresponsible”.

He said that applying the snapback would be “legally and procedurally flawed, inadmissible, and invalid”.

“(Barrot’s) open threat to reimpose sanctions with ‘devastating effects’ on Iran’s economy constitutes a blatant act of political and economic coercion,” the letter said.

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on what it described as a network based in Iran and China suspected of procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Araqchi said the fresh US sanctions during negotiations sent the “wrong message”.

Trump has said he is confident of clinching a new pact that would block Iran’s path to nuclear bomb capability.

President Donald Trump has eased his administration’s aggressive tariff stance on the auto industry, offering carmakers a temporary reprieve that drew cautious praise from leading automakers and industry groups, Reuters reported.  

In an executive order signed Tuesday, Trump introduced changes designed to reduce the impact of overlapping levies on foreign-made vehicles and parts.

The policy gives companies a two-year grace period to shift supply chains to the United States, with the aim of reducing American dependence on imported cars and components. Trump, visiting Detroit on his 100th day in office, framed the move as a short-term adjustment to help domestic firms adapt. “We just wanted to help them during this little transition,” he said.

Under the new rules, importers will no longer face simultaneous tariffs on finished vehicles and raw materials such as steel and aluminum. Instead, they will be charged the higher of the two. Additionally, importers assembling cars in the U.S. will receive partial offsets on vehicle prices over the next two years, designed to ease the financial burden during the transition.

Industry leaders, including the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, welcomed the announcement. Ford CEO Jim Farley said the decision would help mitigate tariff impacts on both manufacturers and consumers. General Motors also expressed interest in ramping up U.S. production.

The White House hopes the changes will drive a resurgence in domestic auto manufacturing, but analysts remain cautious. They warn that without long-term policy clarity, companies may hesitate to invest billions in new facilities. Half of U.S. car sales already come from vehicles assembled domestically, and firms like Nissan and Volvo have begun increasing U.S. investment.

Still, uncertainty looms as the full impact of the tariff modifications will depend on their longevity and enforcement.

KOLKATA: At least 15 people, including two children, died in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata late on Tuesday when a fire blazed through a six-storey hotel in a congested neighbourhood, authorities said.

The fire was reported around 8:15pm (1445 GMT) and was first detected in a room close to the kitchen on the first floor of the Rituraj Hotel, police sources said.

Flames and smoke soon engulfed the entire building in the central business area of Burrabazar, the sources said, adding that almost all of the 45 rooms in the hotel were occupied and that about 50 people were in the building at the time.

Most dead bodies were found in the staircase of the hotel and asphyxiation was suspected to be the main cause of death, said Sujit Bose, the fire and emergency services minister of West Bengal state, of which Kolkata is the capital.

Eight bodies had been identified so far, Bose said.

“The forensic team is visiting the site today (Wednesday) and an inquiry has been ordered to find out the cause of the fire. It will also look into why the hotel’s inbuilt fire fighting system did not work,” Bose said.

Many guests of the hotel managed to escape on time but one person jumped from the roof out of fear and died, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim told reporters.

Five people were rescued from their rooms, around 20 from the roof while some were also rescued from balconies, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma told reporters.

Some people took shelter on narrow ledges outside their windows and were rescued by firefighters who reached them through hydraulic ladders, said a local police official, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Video from Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, showed firefighters using megaphones to address those gathered on the ledges and the roof, requesting them to remain calm and wait for rescuers to reach them.

Iran will hold nuclear talks in Rome on Friday with Britain, France and Germany, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday, with the aim of improving strained ties at a time of high-stakes nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.

The meeting will precede a fourth round of nuclear talks this weekend between Iran and the United States, also to be held in Italy.

“In my opinion, the three European countries have lost their role (in the nuclear file) due to the wrong policies they have adopted. Of course, we do not want this and are ready to hold talks with them in Rome,” Araqchi told state media.

Reuters reported on Monday that Tehran had proposed meeting the European countries, collectively known as the E3, which are parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.

E3 political directors confirmed they would meet with Iran on Friday.

Trump has threatened to attack Iran unless it agrees to a new nuclear deal. Iran has far exceeded the 2015 agreement’s curbs on its nuclear programme since the United States withdrew, and the European countries share Washington’s concern that Tehran could seek an atomic bomb. Iran says its programme is peaceful.

A UN Security Council resolution ratifying the 2015 accord expires in October, and France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Paris would not think twice about re-imposing international sanctions if negotiations fail to reach a deal.

“These sanctions would permanently close off Iranian access to technology, investment, and the European market, with devastating effects on the country’s economy,” Jean-Noel Barrot said.

Iran’s UN representative responded: “If France and its partners are truly seeking a diplomatic solution, they must stop threatening.”

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on what it described as a network based in Iran and China accused of procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Araqchi said US sanctions during negotiations sent the “wrong message”.

Trump has said he is confident of clinching a new pact that would block Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb.

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered navy vessels to be speedily armed with nuclear weapons, state media reported Wednesday, as Pyongyang conducted its first test-firing of a new warship weapons system.

This weekend, Pyongyang unveiled its new warship, a 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel named Choe Hyon, which some analysts said was likely to be equipped with short-range tactical nuclear missiles.

Kim oversaw the first day of a two-day weapons test of the destroyer, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

He then ordered officials to work on “accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy”, it added.

North Korea has previously said the vessel was equipped with the “most powerful weapons”, and that it would “enter into operation early next year”.

Experts have said that given its size, the warship is believed to carry both ship-to-surface and ship-to-air missiles.

KCNA said Tuesday’s test was of “ship-to-ship tactical guided weapon, various kinds of ship-based automatic guns and smoke and electronic jamming guns,” involving the newly unveiled vessel.

The news agency said Pyongyang also tested its “supersonic cruise missile, strategic cruise missile, anti-aircraft missile and 127mm ship-based automatic gun” on Monday.

Kim said the country’s ship-based firepower system was “effectively combined” with the “most powerful strike means including supersonic cruise missile, strategic cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile”.

Seoul’s defence ministry said it was “closely tracking and monitoring the North Korean military’s shipbuilding and development trends,” in cooperation with the United States.

Pyongyang’s announcement came days after it confirmed for the first time it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow in its war in Ukraine.

Moscow also said Saturday that North Korean soldiers “provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces”.

Some analysts say Pyongyang appears to have acquired certain weapons from Moscow to equip its warships, possibly in exchange for deploying troops.

“It seems that North Korea has recently imported several modern weapons from Russia,” Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP.

The North has also “assembled them, and used them effectively to strengthen internal unity and boost military morale,” he added.

Kim calls for modernisation

State media had reported Saturday on the launching of the Choe Hyon, showing images of Kim attending a ceremony with his daughter Ju Ae, considered by many experts as his likely successor.

In March, Kim inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, asserting that “radically” boosting the navy was a key part of Pyongyang’s defensive strategy.

At the time, Kim called for the modernisation of the country’s surface and underwater naval forces, including the development of warships.

Pyongyang has claimed in previous years to be developing underwater nuclear attack drones, which could unleash a “radioactive tsunami”, but analysts have questioned whether it actually has such a weapon.

Washington — Seoul’s key security ally — has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North.

Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.

“North Korea’s mention of its accelerated naval nuclear armament is presumed to refer to enhanced operational capabilities of tactical nuclear and strategic missiles by the fleet,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

This week’s test appears to highlight North Korea’s assertion that its newly unveiled warship is capable of blue-water operations, he told AFP, referring to naval missions conducted far from a country’s own coastal waters, often in open ocean areas.

The United States has stepped in diplomatically, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio preparing to speak with foreign ministers of both Pakistan and India to urge calm and avoid further escalation, as tensions continue to rise between the two countries following the Kashmir incident

“We are reaching out to both parties, and telling, of course, them to not escalate the situation,” US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters during a press briefing.

Secretary Rubio is expected to hold direct conversations with both Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers on Wednesday, emphasising the importance of restraint and open dialogue, according to Bruce.

“Secretary Rubio believes diplomacy must take the lead,” the spokesperson added, noting that he has also encouraged “other foreign ministers around the world to do the same” and support efforts to maintain regional stability.

The diplomatic initiative comes as bilateral relations between Pakistan and India deteriorate following the April 22 Pahalgam incident, in which 26 people — including Indian navy personnel and civilians — were reportedly killed.

India has attempted to link Pakistan to the attack without providing verifiable evidence. Pakistan has firmly denied the allegations and has offered to participate in a neutral and transparent international investigation.

While the State Department stopped short of commenting on the specific allegations, the spokesperson reiterated the US position: “We are watching the situation closely and remain in direct contact with both governments.”

In response to a question regarding statements made by a Pakistani minister about historic cooperation with the US, Bruce declined to offer specific commentary, instead highlighting ongoing multi-level engagement with Islamabad.

When asked about recent collaboration following Pakistan’s facilitation in the arrest of a Daesh suspect, Bruce acknowledged Pakistan’s cooperation, saying: “We appreciated that arrest when it occurred.”

The briefing also touched on concerns raised in the US Congress regarding Pakistan’s domestic political situation. However, Bruce chose to refrain from commenting, stating that current diplomatic priorities are focused on de-escalating regional tensions and direct dialogue between leaders.

WARREN: President Donald Trump visited Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days since taking office, using a rally to highlight what he sees as his key achievements. While he praised his administration’s work on defence and trade, many Americans remain unsure about his handling of the economy.

Speaking briefly at a National Guard base, Trump touted his administration’s investments in defence and praised the foreign policy record of his first administration, from 2017 to 2021.

He said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was doing a “great job”, without mentioning recent disclosures that he discussed highly sensitive military information with several personal acquaintances.

And, in a relatively rare moment of bipartisanship, the president lavished praise on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. He said she had played a key role in “saving” the Selfridge Air National Guard Base northeast of Detroit, where local media reported concerns about the base’s future last year.

“I’ll be supporting a record-setting $1 trillion investment in our national defence,” said Trump, speaking before dozens of troops, as well as Whitmer and Hegseth.

During the speech, he said the base in Selfridge would be receiving 21 Boeing F-15X jets. Whitmer said in a statement the move secured the base’s mission and was a “huge, bipartisan win for Michigan” that will protect jobs.

On Air Force One earlier on Tuesday, Trump signed an order to soften the blow of his auto tariffs with a mix of credits and relief from other levies. Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC he had reached one deal with a foreign power, which he declined to name, that should permanently ease the “reciprocal” tariffs Trump plans to impose.

Trump later spoke at an evening rally in Warren, near Detroit. That event, his biggest since assuming office on January 20, was an opportunity for him to tout what his administration sees as his core achievements in the opening months of his second non-consecutive term.

The event will likely also be an opportunity for the president to reassure voters in the politically competitive automaking state that he is a good economic steward.

A three-day Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Sunday showed that 42% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance so far, while 53% disapproved. That is down from 47% approval in the Reuters/Ipsos poll in January.

The share of respondents who approved of Trump’s economic stewardship was only 36% in the latest survey, the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017–2021 presidency.

Fears of a recession have surged in recent weeks as Trump has launched a global trade war, hiking tariffs so high that economists warn that trade with some countries – notably China – could grind nearly to a halt. The moves have shaken investors and companies.

WASHINGTON: The US says it will step away from peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if both sides don’t come up with clear plans to end the war. “It’s time for serious proposals,” said a US State Department spokesperson.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said time is running out and the US might soon focus on other priorities if there is no progress.

The US president had vowed to end the war in his first 24 hours back in the White House but, as Trump celebrates 100 days in office, Rubio has suggested the administration could soon turn its attention to other issues.

“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters, in what she said was a message from Rubio.

“If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process.”

She said it would ultimately be up to Trump to decide whether to move ahead on diplomacy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently proposed a three-day ceasefire around Moscow’s commemorations next week for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

But Putin has rebuffed a Ukrainian-backed US call for a 30-day ceasefire.

The United States wants “not a three-day moment so you can celebrate something else — a complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict,” Bruce said.

Means of pressure

It remains unclear if Rubio is actually ready to turn the page or is seeking to pressure the two countries.

The United States has already put together a framework proposal which Ukrainians feel bows to Russian demands.

Trump has suggested an official recognition of Russia’s takeover in 2014 of Crimea, an annexation rejected by nearly all the world, in addition to land swaps.

“We all want this war to end in a fair way — with no rewards for Putin, especially no land,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an event in Poland by videoconference on Tuesday.

Russia has also not moved on the proposal, with many experts believing Moscow now sees an upper hand — on the battlefield and diplomatically, with Trump eager to reconcile.

Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, sought to blame Zelensky and said that Russia would keep speaking with the United States.

Zelensky “is bent on escalating the conflict. He’s recklessly rejecting the United States’ balanced peace proposals,” Nebenzia told a UN Security Council meeting.

US diplomat John Kelley told the session that both sides would benefit from working off the US framework and condemned Russian strikes into Ukraine.

“Right now, Russia has a great opportunity to achieve a durable peace,” Kelley said.

Trump, criticising his predecessor Joe Biden for shunning Putin over the February 2022 invasion, reached out by telephone to the Russian leader and has sent his business friend turned globe-trotting ambassador Steve Witkoff to see him.

Trump in turn berated Zelensky in a 28 February White House meeting, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance accusing the wartime leader of ingratitude for US weapons under Biden.

Ukraine quickly tried to make amends by backing US diplomatic efforts and pursuing a deal in which the United States would control much of the country’s mineral wealth.

‘Fatally mismanaged’ talks

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Tuesday that recognising “Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea would invite additional aggression from Moscow and Beijing.”

“I have endeavoured to give President Trump the space to negotiate a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which is a goal we both share,” she said.

“However, President Trump and his team have fatally mismanaged these negotiations — offering concession after concession to Russia, throwing away our leverage and fracturing the united front with our allies that is critical to ending this war,” she said.

Ukraine on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of seven villages in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region which used to be remote from the frontlines but are now under threat as Russian forces close in.

Last week a ballistic missile ripped into a residential area of Kyiv in one of the deadliest attacks on the capital since the invasion.

Trump, who has claimed that Putin would not have attacked Ukraine if he were in power in 2022, wrote, “Vladimir, STOP,” on social media after the attack.

UPPSALA: Three people were killed in a shooting in the Swedish city of Uppsala on Tuesday and a murder investigation has been launched, police said.

Police said it was investigating the shooting as a homicide and that it had no information about the incident being a terror or hate crime at this point.

“We have information that a person left the scene on an electric scooter,” a police spokesperson told Reuters. “Whether this person is a perpetrator or a witness, or someone who has some connection to the incident, it is unclear at this time.”

Police said the victims were yet to be identified and declined to speculate on the motive for the killings.

Electric scooters have been used several times as a mode of escape after gang conflict shootings in Sweden. Uppsala, some 40 minutes north of the capital, Stockholm, by car, has seen many gang-related shootings in the past decade, but usually outside the city centre.

Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the Justice Ministry was in close contact with the police and that it was closely monitoring developments in the case.

“A brutal act of violence has occurred in central Uppsala … This is at the same time as the whole of Uppsala has begun Walpurgis Night. What has happened is extremely serious,” Strömmer said in a statement.

Police said earlier they had received calls from members of the public who heard gunshots in the city centre, and that emergency services had rushed to the scene.

“Three people are confirmed dead after a shooting … The police are investigating the incident as a homicide,” investigators said in a statement.

Witnesses told SVT they had heard five shots and had seen people in the area running to take cover. Several Swedish media, including TT, reported that the shooting took place near or in a hair salon.

Ten people were killed in February in the Swedish city of Örebro in the country’s deadliest ever mass shooting, in which a 35-year-old unemployed loner opened fire on students and teachers at an adult education centre.

Sweden has suffered from a wave of gang-related violence for more than a decade that has included an epidemic of gun violence.

The Nordic country’s right-wing minority government came to power in 2022 on a promise to tackle gang-related violence. It has tightened laws and given more powers to police, and after the Örebro shooting said it would seek to tighten gun laws.