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The Grand Turk
Israel, Turkey said to agree to prevent clashes in Syria, establish hotline
2025-05-22
[IsraelTimes] Report says agreement in principle reached after over month of talks; discussions ongoing over Palmyra bases, Turkish deployment of air defenses and radars

Israel and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...a NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
 member, but not the most reliable...
 have reached an agreement in principle aimed at preventing any unwanted incidents between both countries’ militaries operating in Syria, and established a hotline to avert such conflicts, according to media reports on Wednesday.

An Israeli official told the Israel Hayom daily that the deal was reached Wednesday, after over a month of talks mediated by Azerbaijan, a mutual ally of the two countries, which were confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office last month.

A hotline will be used to avert festivities between Israel, which has troops in the south of the country, and Turkey, whose military is operating in the north of the country, two sources familiar with the issue told the Middle East Eye news site.

Russia and Israel also established a hotline in 2015 to avoid festivities between their air forces, as Israel worked to prevent Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
from gaining a military foothold in the country, and Russia provided military support for the Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
 regime amid the Syrian civil war.

A source familiar with the talks told the site that Jerusalem was generally at ease with Ankara’s deployment of its forces in Syria, with the main issue over where Turkey would deploy its air defenses and radars, which could scan for Israeli aerial activities. The negotiations are now "focusing on the so-called Palmyra line" — an area where Turkey sought to take over airbases.

Rooters reported last month that Ottoman Turkish military teams reviewed at least three air bases in Syria near Palmyra where they might deploy forces as part of a planned joint defense pact, before Israel hit the sites with Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s, rendering them unusable.

"Those bases represent a gray zone; the Israelis could be amenable to Ottoman Turkish deployments north of that area," the source said.

Ottoman Turkish military officials said they had nothing to announce on the matter.

Israel has accused Turkey of trying to turn Syria into a Ottoman Turkish protectorate, and Ankara has slammed Israeli military activity in the country following the fall of Assad.

Following the fall of Assad, Israel has also carried out a campaign to destroy Syrian military capabilities so that they cannot threaten Israel. It fears that if Turkey establishes a military presence in Syria, it could hamper the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of action in the region.

Israel also moved troops into the Syrian side of the two countries’ demilitarized buffer zone, citing fear that it would fall into the wrong hands.

Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella went down under the weight of the custard...
 Israel has been holding secret talks with Syrian officials, including on the possibility of the new regime joining the Abraham Accords, according to a report released last week, a day after US President Donald Trump
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
 invited new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to join the accords and normalize ties with Israel.

Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition that toppled Assad late last year after almost 14 years of civil war. Israel is wary of the Islamist presence on its border and has lobbied the United States to curb Turkey’s growing influence in the country.

Turkey’s President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
 is an avowed supporter of Hamas
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
 and one of the leading critics of Israel on the world stage, and his country has frequently praised the Iran-backed Paleostinian terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack that started the ongoing war, when thousands of turbans invaded southern Israel from the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
 Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Less than a month after the October 7 attack, Erdogan, whose government had only recently restored full diplomatic ties with Israel, massively stepped up his criticism of the Jewish state. In late October 2023, he asserted that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but a liberation group of "mujahideen" fighting for its lands and people, and said in an address to a mass pro-Paleostinian rally in Istanbul that his country was making preparations to proclaim Israel a "war criminal" for its actions in Gaza.

Israel announced it would pull its diplomats out of Turkey in response to Erdogan’s inflammatory statements.

Turkey also hosts several Hamas officials and has repeatedly invited the group’s leaders the the country for meetings.

Israel was a long-time regional ally of Turkey before Erdogan came to power, but ties imploded after a 2010 Israeli commando raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, part of a blockade-busting flotilla, that left 10 Ottoman Turkish activists dead who attacked IDF soldiers aboard the ship. Netanyahu and Erdogan repeatedly aimed brickbats at each other in the ensuing years. Erdogan has repeatedly compared Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler
...late Fuehrer of Germany, founder of the Third Reich, currently communing with his pals Himmler and Heydrich. He is reincarnated every few days, sometimes every few hour if it's an election year, as a politician somebody doesn't like...
 and Israel to Nazi Germany.
Link


The Grand Turk
Turkey talking with neighbors about PKK disarmament: Erdogan
2025-05-18
[Rudaw] Ottoman Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan'>His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
said on Saturday that his country is engaged in talks with its neighbors on disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"Discussions are ongoing with our counterparts in neighboring countries regarding how the Death Eaters beyond our borders will surrender their weapons," Erdogan told news hounds on his return from Albania.

"The complete disarmament of the terrorist organization, the full implementation of the dissolution decision, and the abandonment of illegality are essential requirements," he added.

The PKK said on Monday that it had decided to "dissolve its organizational structure and end the armed struggle" against the Ottoman Turkish state. No timeline has been set.

The move, widely seen to include its disarmament, has been welcomed by regional and Western countries. A PKK spokesperson, however, said on Friday that the group has not decided to lay down arms yet as there has been no change to the security landscape in northern Kurdistan Region where they are headquartered and have been battling Ottoman Turkish forces.

Basim al-Awadi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said on Friday that Baghdad is willing to receive their weapons.

He also said that a potential PKK disarmament would boost Ankara-Baghdad relations and that if the process is done properly "this will certainly be encouraging and a factor in the withdrawal of all foreign forces from northern Iraq, that is, from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."

The Ottoman Turkish army has established dozens of bases and outposts in northern Kurdistan Region on the pretext of fighting the PKK.

Erdogan said that the dissolution of the PKK "will also serve Iraq and Syria's peace, development, and stability."

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad has conducted in-depth discussions with the Ottoman Turkish authorities regarding next steps for the PKK.

"There are specific visions, and there will be cooperation between the federal government in Baghdad, the Ottoman Turkish government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government to deal with this important decision. We hope that this decision will be a step toward achieving peace and stability in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...a NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants...
 member, but not the most reliable...
 and the region," he told journalists on Wednesday.

Iraq banned the PKK in March last year.

Founded in 1978, the PKK initially pursued an independent Kurdish state but later shifted its focus toward securing broader political and cultural rights for Kurds within Turkey. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
 continue to list it as a terrorist organization.

Iraq says ready to help with PKK disarmament

[Rudaw] An Iraqi government spokesperson said on Friday that Baghdad is willing to receive weapons from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which this week announced it has decided to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle against the Turkish state.

“Iraq is ready to cooperate with Turkey and the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party in receiving weapons," Basim al-Awadi told Rudaw, adding that Iraq has presented "initiatives that it is also ready to deal with this issue from both humanitarian and relief aspects."

He said that a potential PKK disarmament would significantly contribute to Ankara-Baghdad relations and that if the process is done properly “this will certainly be encouraging and a factor in the withdrawal of all foreign forces from northern Iraq, that is, from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."

The Turkish army has established dozens of bases and outposts in northern Kurdistan Region on the pretext of battling the PKK.

The PKK said on Monday that it had decided to “dissolve its organizational structure and end the armed struggle” against Ankara. The move, widely seen to include its disarmament, has been welcomed by regional and Western countries. No timeline has been set.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told journalists on Wednesday that they have conducted in-depth discussions with the Turkish authorities regarding the PKK’s disarmament.

“There are specific visions, and there will be cooperation between the federal government in Baghdad, the Turkish government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government to deal with this important decision. We hope that this decision will be a step toward achieving peace and stability in Turkey and the region,” he said.

Iraq banned the PKK in March last year ahead of a visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the two sides signed agreements in various fields, including security.

A PKK spokesperson said on Friday that the group has not decided to lay down arms yet, saying there has been no change to the security landscape in northern Kurdistan Region where the group is based and battling Turkish forces.

“No one has talked about laying down and surrendering weapons. The caves and tunnels of resistance in Zap and Metina are still surrounded by the Turkish state and the KDP,” Zagros Hiwa, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Community Union’s (KCK) foreign relations department, told the PKK-affiliated Sterk TV.

KCK is an umbrella organization consisting of several groups including the PKK.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is the most powerful political party in the Kurdistan Region and enjoys close relations with Turkey. The PKK has often accused it of supporting Ankara in anti-PKK operations.

“The distance between the guerrilla fighters and the Turkish occupying soldiers is 50 meters, 100 meters. In such a situation, how can one lay down weapons?” asked Hiwa. “Before we talk about laying down weapons, we need to talk about the withdrawal of the Turkish occupying army from the soil of Southern Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region]. It's too early to define this situation as a process.”

Iraqi government spokesperson Awadi said that the mechanism of the PKK’s potential disarmament will be discussed in talks between intelligence agencies of Iraq, Turkey and the Kurdistan Region.

This is not the first time Iraq has been involved in disarming a Kurdish group. A security pact signed between Iran and Iraq in March 2023 saw Baghdad agree to disarm Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. The groups are being relocated within the Kurdistan Region.

Awadi said Baghdad intends to apply "the same mechanisms that we used with the Kurdish Iranian opposition inside Iraq, including weapons surrender and finding alternatives with the participation of the international community and organizations."

Turkey has named the peace efforts “terror-free Turkey.” During an event in Istanbul on Friday, Erdogan said that the 40 years of war with the PKK has affected the economy.

“We have also suffered a lot economically. We have had to allocate resources of nearly two trillion dollars to this issue. We have faced numerous problems in politics and democracy as well as in our unity and solidarity," he said.

"We have had to grapple with this issue besides other troubles in international relations. Our brotherhood has been harmed because of terrorism. Our development journey proceeded very slowly because of terrorism. Now, we are taking our steps very determinedly and yet very carefully to free our country and our nation from this scourge once and for all. We will not stop until we reach our target. We will definitely achieve the goal of a terror-free Turkey,” he said.
Related:
PKK: 2025-05-17 Turkey says its anti-PKK operations continue in both Iraq and Syria despite progress in peace process
PKK: 2025-05-15 Syrian militants continue abuses in north Syria despite integration: HRW
PKK: 2025-05-15 Erdogan's Triumph: Why Turkish Kurds Lay Down Arms
Link


The Grand Turk
Türkiye discovers gas reserves in Black Sea worth $30 billion
2025-05-18
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Turkey has discovered a large gas field in the Black Sea, the fuel reserves are preliminarily estimated at $30 billion. This was announced on May 17 by the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Just what the world needs: a neo-Ottoman sultanate with money, instead of living on the charity of former subject Arabian territories.
"A new gas field has been discovered in the Black Sea at the Goktepe-3 well. The volume is 75 billion cubic meters, the economic value is $30 billion," he said, speaking in Istanbul.

According to the head of the Turkish state, this field will be able to provide local households for three and a half years.
Only temporarily wealthy? That’s ok, then.
In addition, Erdogan said that work on the Goktepe-3 well was completed at a depth of 3.5 thousand meters.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan expressed interest in implementing strategic joint projects in the energy sector. During the phone call, the leaders also expressed mutual interest in further expanding trade and investment ties.

In early May, the Turkish leader announced that the construction of the first reactor of the Akkuyu NPP, under the management of the subsidiary of the state corporation Rosatom, JSC Akkuyu Nuclear, would soon be completed. According to him, the nuclear power plant is scheduled to reach full capacity in 2028, which will reduce natural gas imports by 7 billion cubic meters per year and save $2.5 billion.

Türkiye Today
Türkiye discovers major natural gas reserve in Black Sea, worth $30B
Link


The Grand Turk
Turkey says its anti-PKK operations continue in both Iraq and Syria despite progress in peace process
2025-05-17
[Rudaw] The Ottoman Turkish defense ministry announced on Thursday that its cross-border operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continue. The statement comes just days after the Kurdish group declared its decision to dissolve itself and disarm, expressing hope that Ankara would take concrete steps to advance the emerging grinding of the peace processor.

In a Thursday briefing, the Ottoman Turkish defense ministry’s Spokesperson Zeki Akturk stated that the Ottoman Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) are continuing to take "intensive and effective measures" against the PKK at The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
’s borders with the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria (Rojava).

Akturk noted that "within the scope of the ongoing Operation Claw-Lock," Ottoman Turkish forces have recently seized "a large number of weapons, ammunition and living materials from the caves" belonging to the PKK, rendering them unusable. He also reported that one PKK member "surrendered" during the week, highlighting what he called "the effectiveness of the ongoing search and screening activities" in the region.

Operation Claw-Lock was launched by Turkey on April 18, 2022 with the goal of targeting PKK positions in the Metina, Zap, Avashin, and Basyan areas in northern Duhok province along the Ottoman Turkish border.

In Syria, Ottoman Turkish forces have destroyed extensive underground infrastructure used by the PKK and the People’s Protection Forces (YPG), Akturk said, elaborating that "since January 8, approximately 99 kilometers of tunnels in the Tal Rifaat region and 112 kilometers in the Manbij region have been destroyed."

The YPG is the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — de facto army of Rojava.

Founded in 1978, the PKK initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted its focus toward securing broader political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey.

The group announced on Monday that it would disband and end its decades-long armed conflict with the Ottoman Turkish state, calling it a step toward a peaceful resolution. The group reported intense bombardment by Turkey while they were holding their much-anticipated congress.

Ottoman Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan'>His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
stated on Wednesday that Turkey’s intelligence services will closely monitor the PKK to ensure the group follows through on its pledge to dissolve and disarm.

Erdogan described the PKK’s decision as indicative that "we have entered a new phase in our efforts for a terror-free Turkey."

"The era of terror, guns, violence, and illegality has now come to an end," he stressed.

For his part, Akturk, stated in his Thursday briefing that the PKK’s decision "should be implemented without wasting time," warning, "We are careful and prepared against any situation that could sabotage the process, including verbal and action-based provocations."

Akturk concluded, "Land search and scanning operations, detection and destruction of caves, shelters, mines and homemade explosives... will continue with determination until it is ensured that the area is cleared and will no longer pose a threat to our country."

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his shoulder. Ow! he exclaimed, with feeling......
 a member of the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) - a US-based human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
 organization monitoring Ankara’s operations in the Kurdistan Region - told Rudaw on Thursday that Ankara has "bombed Mount Metina and Mount Gara in [the Kurdistan Region’s northern] Duhok province eight times since the PKK’s decision."

Kamran Osman added, "In addition to the bombings, Ottoman Turkish drones are still flying over the villages along the slopes of Qandil, Khwakurk, and Khunera."

According to the American organization’s statistics, the Ottoman Turkish military has carried out more than 500 Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s in the Kurdistan Region since the beginning of this year, most of them targeting the borders of Duhok province, followed by Erbil and Sulaimani.
Related:
PKK 05/15/2025 Syrian militants continue abuses in north Syria despite integration: HRW
PKK 05/15/2025 Erdogan's Triumph: Why Turkish Kurds Lay Down Arms
PKK 05/13/2025 PKK declares dissolution, end to armed struggle against Turkey

Related:
YPG 05/15/2025 Syrian militants continue abuses in north Syria despite integration: HRW
YPG 05/15/2025 Erdogan's Triumph: Why Turkish Kurds Lay Down Arms
YPG 05/05/2025 Ashli Babbitt''s estate, DOJ move to settle $30M wrongful death lawsuit

Related:
Operation Claw-Lock: 2024-04-21 Turkey to end Claw-Lock operation in Kurdistan in the summer: Advisor
Operation Claw-Lock: 2024-03-07 Turkey to ‘secure’ Iraq border in the summer, says Erdogan
Operation Claw-Lock: 2024-01-25 Turkish warplanes bomb Duhok’s Shiladze
Link


Europe
Trilateral meeting of Russia, Turkey and Ukraine to be held in Istanbul on Friday
2025-05-16
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Trilateral talks with the participation of representatives of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey will be held in Istanbul on Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry reported.

"Tomorrow there will be another series of meetings in different formats. These are the United States, Ukraine, Turkey. Also on the agenda are trilateral talks between the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey," TASS quotes a source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry as saying.

According to the source, it is not yet clear whether the meeting will take place in a four-party format with the participation of the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Turkish agency Anadolu wrote earlier that a meeting of delegations from Russia, Ukraine, the United States and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan could take place on Friday.

The talks in Istanbul were scheduled for May 15.

The Russian negotiating team, led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, has been in Istanbul since Thursday morning. The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, only announced in the afternoon that he would send a delegation to the talks, stating that its main goal was to achieve a ceasefire. The negotiators will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Medinsky stressed that Russia sees the upcoming dialogue in Istanbul as a continuation of the peace process that was interrupted in 2022 by Ukraine. Moscow intends to achieve long-term peace and eliminate the main causes of the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in March that he was ready to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but for this to happen, a number of nuances must be taken into account. There are questions about who will monitor the ceasefire and whether the Ukrainian military is ready to follow Kiev's orders, he noted.

More from ria.ru (Ria Novosti)
Russian delegation will wait for Ukrainian negotiators on the morning of May 16

[RIA] Russia will be expecting the Ukrainian side, which is due to arrive for the meeting in Istanbul, tomorrow from 10 a.m., Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky told reporters.

"Tomorrow morning, literally from 10 am, we will be waiting for the Ukrainian side, which should arrive for the meeting," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously proposed that Ukraine resume direct talks without preconditions in Istanbul on May 15. The head of state did not rule out that the parties could reach a ceasefire agreement during the talks. As the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated, Russia is determined to seriously search for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. According to him, the goals of the proposed talks with Ukraine are to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and ensure Russia's interests.

An informed source told RIA Novosti that the negotiations between the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine are expected to take place in the same place as in 2022 - in the working office of the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the center of Istanbul.

The Russian delegation is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

According to the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov, the Russian delegation has been in Istanbul since the morning and is waiting for the representatives of Ukraine.

Medinsky said in Istanbul that the Russian official delegation was approved by Putin's order and has all the necessary competencies and powers to conduct negotiations. The Russian delegation is set on a constructive mood, on finding possible solutions and points of contact, and the task of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to sooner or later establish long-term peace by eliminating the basic root causes of the conflict, Medinsky said.

Link


The Grand Turk
Erdogan's Triumph: Why Turkish Kurds Lay Down Arms
2025-05-15
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kamran Gasanov

[REGNUM] While the world press is following the preparations for negotiations on Ukraine and Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East, a historic event has taken place nearby, which in its scale could give a head start to both the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Trump's multi-billion dollar deals.

Formally, the matter concerns the internal situation in Turkey, but it has significance at least for Iraq, Iran and Syria, and for the general situation in the entire region. We are talking about the project of the so-called "Turkish Kurdistan".

For almost 40 years, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been waging an armed struggle against the Turkish authorities and army. The struggle of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in prison on the island of Imrali in the Sea of ​​Marmara since 1999, began long before the group was created.

As a student at Ankara University in the early 1970s, Öcalan joined leftist groups and parties that defended the rights of the Kurds and fought against their assimilation and repression by the military that seized power in a coup.

For his political views and organizing rallies, he was sent to prison at the age of 23, which became a "school of political struggle" for him. Ocalan read a lot, studied Russian literature and Marxism. He especially liked Lenin's teaching on the right of peoples to self-determination, which successfully formed the basis of separatism and "Kurdish autonomy."

After his release and until the end of the 1970s, the future leader of the PKK tried to engage in political activity, collaborated with the left, conducted propaganda among the Alawite and Kurdish poor, held rallies, but did not resort to violence.

Two factors forced him to take up arms.

The Turkish left was not very happy to accept the Kurds into its ranks, and in 1977, his closest associate, Haki Karer, was killed in the eastern city of Gaziantep, which became Ocalan's "first bloodshed."

And exactly the following year, he created the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Initially created as a political organization, it immediately turned into a militant, guerrilla and terrorist organization. Throughout the 1980s, Ocalan, who fled to Syria due to yet another military coup, waged war and committed terrorist attacks against Turkey and Turkish officials.

The goal of the further struggle was no longer simply the recognition of the rights of the Kurds, their language and culture in Turkey, but the creation of a “Turkish Kurdistan”.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, there were at least three attempts by Ankara and the PKK to reach an agreement. But each time, the process broke down almost before it began.

The first attempt was made in 1993 by the former President of Turkey, Turgut Ozal, who combined an explosive mixture of pan-Turkism and the politics of Kurdish roots. Exactly one month after the start of negotiations, Ozal died. Presumably, he was poisoned by the Turkish secret services precisely because of the upcoming reconciliation with the Kurds.

A second attempt to find common ground fell through two years later due to a terrorist attack carried out by the PKK.

The third attempt at reconciliation was made by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “spiritual father,” Necmettin Erbakan, and failed due to the arrest of Ocalan himself.

The last event probably deserves a separate story, but in short it is worth saying that the detention of the Kurdish leader became a whole special operation. In search of refuge, he rushed between Greece, Italy, Russia, Belarus and the Netherlands.

But under pressure from the US, Israel and Britain, the Greeks who were sheltering him in their embassy in Kenya were forced to hand Ocalan over to Turkish special forces.
Israel, really? Why on Earth would they care?
On February 15, 1999, a plane took him to Ankara and from there to the prison island of Imrali, which put an end to reconciliation between the Kurds and the Turkish authorities for a long time.

Erdogan, who came to power, wanted to solve the problem of separatism in eastern Turkey. By uniting his party on the foundation of Islamism, the new Turkish prime minister was able to attract national minorities to his side.

In 2009, Erdogan announced plans to end the three-decade conflict, including increasing the use of the Kurdish language in media and political campaigns and restoring Kurdish names to towns in the east. Two years later, the Turkish leader apologized for the massacres of Zaza and Alevi Kurds in the 1930s.

In a meeting with Iraqi Kurdistan leader Masoud Barzani, who has excellent relations with Ankara and trades oil with it, Erdogan declared that “the rejection, denial and assimilation (of the Kurds) is over” and that together with the Turks they form one nation united by faith in Allah.

While Erdogan was winning over ordinary Kurds, he was still unable to achieve full reconciliation. While he was delivering his latest loud speeches, Turkish aircraft were operating in the mountains of Iraq, searching for PKK militants who had moved there after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

In 2013, against the backdrop of a common threat from ISIS*, Turkey and the PKK reached a truce, but two years later Erdogan realized that with the defeat of ISIS*, the capabilities of the Syrian branch of the PKK (the YPG and PYD groups) were growing stronger and now it was necessary to deal with the defeat of “Syrian Kurdistan.”

Then followed three military operations to divide the Kurdish cantons and then completely destroy them. In response, there were major terrorist attacks in the megacities of Istanbul and Ankara.

From that time until today, there have been no serious hints of compromise. Erdogan's administration and his ministers have placed great emphasis on the need for a complete defeat of the PKK terrorists. Moreover, these accents were heard not only in the domestic, but also in the foreign policy agenda.

This became especially noticeable during the presidency of Joe Biden, who was not very fond of Erdogan's domestic policies and criticized him for his attitude towards the Kurds in Syria. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu went so far as to essentially blame the US for the 2022 terrorist attack carried out by the PKK in Istanbul: "It seems to me that the condolences expressed to the US today can be assessed as if the killer was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the terrorist attack."

Former Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also complained that the US could have known about the planned terrorist attack and asked its European partners to close their consulates, but did not pass the information on to its Turkish allies.

The Kurdish issue also came up during the latest NATO expansion. Erdogan did not give Sweden the go-ahead for about a year and kept it on edge, demanding the extradition of Kurdish fighters who had settled there.

The fight against the PKK in Syria was quite successful until 2019. In Operation Peace Spring, the Turkish armed forces, together with the opposition Syrian National Army, occupied hundreds of kilometers of the border, and Erdogan agreed with Russia to withdraw YPG formations 30 km to the south.

By that time, the Turks had driven the Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates and taken the city of Afrin from them in the west.

Although Russia criticized the continuation of Turkish operations until the Euphrates region was completely cleared, and NATO countries put pressure on Ankara not only with words but also with sanctions, the status quo that remained until December 2024 rather suited Turkey.

Moscow, Tehran and Ankara condemned any form of separatism within the framework of the “Astana format,” and the emerging rapprochement between former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Erdogan left the Kurds in a dead end. When the rebels and militants moving from Idlib overthrew Assad, the Kurdish groups found themselves in an even worse position.

Turkey is now the main sponsor and supporter of the Syrian regime, although it is no longer Damascus's only ally. Of the foreigners, only Turkish soldiers can freely roam the territories controlled by Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Turkey builds military bases, irritating Israel. Donald Trump praises Erdogan for his strength, intelligence and “taking over Syria,” while the Turkish president demands that the Kurds lay down their arms and give up their autonomy.

With such influence and the support of the United States as the main sponsor of the Syrian Kurds, Turkey has gained real trump cards in the fight against the PKK. And, as a result, on May 12, almost half a century after its inception, the Kurdistan Workers' Party announced its self-dissolution.

This historic event took place not only because there was a change of power in Syria and the “Kurdish project” suffered a painful blow.

Long before the events in Damascus, in October last year, Erdogan's closest ally in the ruling coalition and leader of the nationalist MHP party, Devlet Bahceli, called on Ocalan to speak in the Turkish parliament and disband his organization.

Bahçeli assigned the role of mediator to deputies from the legally operating pro-Kurdish People's Unity and Democracy Party (DEM), who were supposed to conduct negotiations with Ocalan.

In the end, this is what happened. On October 24 last year, the PKK leader met with DEM MP and his nephew Rihi Omer Ocalan. At the end of December, a DEM delegation went to the prison again, and the PKK leader expressed his readiness to “make the necessary positive contribution to the new paradigm” of relations with the Kurds, promoted by Erdogan and Bahceli.

In February, Öcalan had already addressed his supporters, calling on them to lay down their arms. The key decision had been made, but it was necessary to wait for the response of the PKK members: during the years of Öcalan's imprisonment, they had gained a certain autonomy. But their reaction was approving: disband ourselves.

The significance of the self-dissolution of the RPK is difficult to overestimate.

This is the end of the armed struggle of the organization that defended the interests of Turkey's largest national minority, which, according to various estimates, numbers between 15 and 30 million people out of the republic's 80 million population.

This is the end of terror and guerrilla warfare that threatened the integrity of a key NATO country and the Middle East.

Of all the threats to Turkish statehood, the Kurdish one was the most dangerous. After all, the struggle between the secular Imamoglu and Erdogan is a struggle of ideologies, a dispute over the form of government and the vector of development, and in the confrontation with the PKK there were only two paths: either Türkiye remains whole or disintegrates.

Erdogan and his ministers are jubilant (although they are still using rather modest assessments like “Türkiye without terror”), because they have done what no Turkish leader has managed to do in 50 years.

In terms of scale, this victory is probably comparable to the merits of Ataturk, who managed to prevent the dismemberment of Turkey in his time. And yet another reason to cement his name in the history of the country and justify the extension of his power.

Situationally, Erdogan can use the victory over Ocalan as an argument to earn points in the confrontation with Imamoglu and Ozel. Like, look, your party failed, but we did. If we add the recent death of Gulen, then Erdogan managed to deal with almost all of his enemies.

If we talk about the influence on Turkish foreign policy, then the self-dissolution of the PKK, the fight against which both in Syria and in Turkey took a lot of effort and resources, will allow Ankara to act in the international arena much more confidently. At least in the same Syria.

Despite the desire of the YPG members to join the army of al-Sha'ar, they did not give up their autonomy. Erdogan made it clear that the dissolution of the PKK also applies to their members in Syria, i.e. the YPG. So the pressure on the Syrian Kurds from the tandem of al-Sha'ar and Erdogan will only increase.

After Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, his meeting with Al-Sharaa and the lifting of US sanctions, the pair feels even more confident. After all, according to Trump, he made the decision about the meeting and sanctions after a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart.

The plans of the head of the White House to withdraw troops from the Euphrates region may accelerate the liquidation of the YPG. The preservation of the PKK was a sore point that Turkey's rivals, even within NATO, could press on at any moment. Now the Democrats in the US or Emmanuel Macron no longer have such an advantage.

The trigger for the dissolution of the PKK was the events in Syria - both the change of power itself and the operations of the Turkish troops.

At the same time, Bahçeli's influence on this process should not be underestimated.

Although he represents the most intransigent party on the Kurdish issue, Bahçeli knows how to be pragmatic and flexible, which he demonstrated during the protests over the arrest of Imamoglu. The head of the MHP asked Erdogan not to delay the “resolution of the issue” of the mayor of Istanbul: “If guilty, then to prison, if acquitted, to fulfill his duties, and a trial without detention and a trial on television.”

Other factors can also be noted as a motive for the PKK's self-dissolution: continuing the fight against Turkey, which was gaining strength in Syria and strengthening its army, was becoming an increasingly difficult task.

What will be the future fate of the many thousands of PKK members and activists?

They can migrate to politics, join the ranks of legal parties, first of all DEM. Haven't former soldiers and mafiosi become politicians? And who knows, maybe in politics the ex-RPK members will achieve greater success in defending the rights of the Kurds than in the Qandil Mountains?
Related:
Kurdistan Workers'' Party: 2025-03-22 Erdogan went for broke: why the Turkish leader provoked the 'Maidan' himself
Kurdistan Workers'' Party: 2025-03-19 Istanbul mayor and Erdogan presidential rival arrested
Kurdistan Workers'' Party: 2025-03-02 PKK agrees to ceasefire, Turkey’s Erdogan says ready for dialogue
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Trump says he’ll lift sanctions on Syria, restore ties with new president Sharaa
2025-05-14
See also here.
[IsraelTimes] Meeting between leaders set for Wednesday; sources say Damascus may offer talks on normalizing relations with Israel under Abraham Accords

US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and whatever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th and 47th President of the United States...
 said Tuesday he will move to normalize relations and lift sanctions on Syria’s new government to give the country "a chance at peace."

Trump is set to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia
...a kingdom takingup the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
 with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime Death Eater who last year led the overthrow of former leader Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
. He said the effort at rapprochement came at the urging of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
, the Saudi de facto ruler, and Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
"There is a new government that will hopefully succeed," Trump said of Syria, adding, "I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special."

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Tuesday that Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a "pivotal turning point for the Syrian people, as we move toward a future of stability, self-sufficiency and genuine reconstruction after years of destructive war."

Sharaa will be the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since the late Hafez al-Assad met Bill Clinton
...former Democratic president of the U.S. Bill was the second U.S. president to be impeached, the first to deny that oral sex was sex, the first to have difficulty with the definition of the word is...
 in Geneva in 2000.

It was a major boost for the Syrian president, who at one point was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 US-led invasion of the Arab country. Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by Death Eater groups led by Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
, or HTS, stormed Damascus, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

According to the London Times, citing unnamed security sources, Sharaa may use the meeting to offer talks on normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

A US security source confirmed the possibility of Damascus joining the accords, with the United Arab Emirates as a mediator. Sharaa confirmed last week that Abu Dhabi is already acting as an intermediary between Israel and Syria, with talks focusing on security and intelligence matters and confidence-building between the two countries, which have no official relations.

The source added that Washington and Gulf countries are seeking to pull Syria away from Iranian influence. Tehran, sworn to Israel’s destruction, propped up the former Assad regime throughout the bloody Syrian civil war.

The US has been weighing how to handle Sharaa since he took power in December. Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and will want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran’s return to influence in Syria.

Then-president Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run....
 left the decision to Trump, whose administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government.

"The president agreed to say hello to the Syrian President while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow," the White House said before Trump’s remarks.

The comments marked a striking change in tone from Trump and put him at odds with Israel, which has been deeply skeptical of Sharaa’s turban past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government.

Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaeda gunnies battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq, and the US once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaeda.

In 2011, Sharaa came back to his home country, where he led the branch of al-Qaeda that was known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and cut links with al-Qaeda.

Syria has had fraught relations with Washington since the days of the Cold War, when Damascus maintained close links with the Soviet Union and later became Iran’s closest ally in the Arab world.

London-based Syrian analyst Ibrahim Hamidi said Trump’s meeting with Sharaa marks a "strategic shift" in the country, with Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
forced to leave and Russia, which also backed Assad and now gives him sanctuary, weakened.

"The Syrian-American meetings in Riyadh open the gate for the two sides to start discussing disagreements and issues between them with an atmosphere of dialogue," said Hamidi, editor-in-chief of the Arabic magazine Al Majalla. "This is important."
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Trump Tower Damascus? Syria seeks to charm US president for sanctions relief
2025-05-13
Very pragmatic, and clearly determined to ensure that his caliphate will be permanent, unlike those feckless ISIS losers.
[IsraelTimes] With Gulf help, Sharaa launches bid to get face time with Trump during his Mideast visit, with a pitch that includes a detente with Israel and US access to Syria’s oil and gas

A Trump Tower in Damascus, a detente with Israel and US access to Syria’s oil and gas are part of Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s strategic pitch to try to get face time with US President Donald Trump
...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets...
 during his trip to the Middle East, according to several sources familiar with the push to woo Washington.

Jonathan Bass, an American pro-Trump activist who on April 30 met Sharaa for four hours in Damascus, along with Syrian activists and Gulf Arab states has been trying to arrange a landmark — if highly unlikely — meeting between the two leaders this week on the sidelines of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
, Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
 and the United Arab Emirates.

Syria has struggled to implement conditions set out by Washington for relief from US sanctions, which keep the country cut off from the global financial system and make economic recovery extremely challenging after 14 years of grinding war.

Bass hopes that getting Trump into a room with Sharaa, who still remains a US-designated terrorist over his al-Qaeda past, could help soften the Republican president and his administration’s thinking on Damascus and cool an increasingly tense relationship between Syria and Israel.

Part of the bet for the effort is based on Trump’s history of breaking with longstanding US foreign policy taboos, such as when he met with North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
n leader Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
 in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea in 2019.

"Sharaa wants a business deal for the future of his country," Bass said, noting it could cover energy exploitation, cooperation against Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and engagement with Israel.

"He told me he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants peace with his neighbors. What he told me is good for the region, good for Israel," said Bass.

Sharaa also shared what he saw as a personal connection with Trump: both have been shot at, narrowly surviving attempts on their lives, Bass said.

Syrian officials and a presidency media official did not respond to a request for comment.

Sharaa spoke with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
 on Sunday, according to the Syrian presidency.

A person close to Sharaa said afterwards a Trump-Sharaa meeting remained possible in Saudi Arabia, but would not confirm whether Sharaa had received an invitation.

"Whether or not the meeting takes place won’t be known until the last moment," the person said.

’PUSH UNDERWAY’
To be clear, a Trump-Sharaa meeting during the US president’s visit to the region is widely seen as unlikely, given Trump’s packed schedule, his priorities and lack of consensus within Trump’s team on how to tackle Syria.

A source familiar with ongoing efforts said a high-level Syria-US meeting was set to take place in the region during the week of Trump’s visit, but that it would not be between Trump and Sharaa.

"There is definitely a push underway," said Charles Lister, head of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute.

"The idea is that getting to Trump directly is the best avenue because there are just too many ideologues within the administration to get past."

Washington is yet to formulate and articulate a coherent Syria policy, but the administration has increasingly been viewing relations with Damascus from a perspective of counterterrorism, three sources including a US official familiar with the policy-making said.

That approach was illustrated by the make-up of the US delegation in a meeting last month between Washington and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in New York, which included a senior counterterrorism official from the State Department, two of the sources said.

US officials conveyed to Shibani that Washington found steps taken by Damascus to be insufficient, particularly on the US demand to remove imported muscle from senior posts in the army and expel as many of them as possible, the sources said.

The US Treasury has since conveyed its own demands on the Syrian government, bringing the number of conditions to more than a dozen, one of the sources said.

The US State Department declined to disclose who attended the meeting from the US side and said it does not comment on private diplomatic discussions.

White House National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt said the actions of Syria’s interim authorities would determine the future US support or possible sanctions relief.

’OLIVE BRANCH’
A key aim of Syria’s overtures to Washington is communicating that it poses no threat to Israel, which has escalated Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s in Syria since the country’s rebels-turned rulers ousted former strongman Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...
 last year.

Israel says the strikes were largely aimed at destroying Syria’s military and chemical arsenal to stop them falling into the hands of the new regime.

Israel’s ground forces have also occupied a buffer zone in southwestern Syria along the border, while the government has lobbied the US to keep Syria decentralized and isolated.

The IDF described its presence in southern Syria’s buffer zone as a temporary and defensive measure, though Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that troops will remain deployed to nine army posts in the area "indefinitely."

Israel has also said it aims to protect Syrian minority groups. Sectarian violence in Syria has escalated in recent weeks, as Islamist supporters of the country’s new regime have targeted Druze communities in festivities in southern Syria. Reports have put the corpse count from the fighting at around 100.

Israel has vowed to protect the Syrian Druze community from threats, and the IDF has struck targets in the country as a "warning" to the new regime.

Syria’s government has condemned Israel’s strikes as escalatory and as foreign interference, and says the new government in Damascus is working to unify the country after 14 years of civil war.

Sharaa last week confirmed indirect negotiations with Israel aimed at calming tensions, after Rooters reported that such talks had occurred via the UAE.

In a separate effort, Bass said Sharaa told him to pass messages between Syria and Israel that may have led to a direct meeting between Israeli and Syrian officials.

But Israel soon resumed strikes, including one near the presidential palace, which it framed as a message to Syria’s rulers to protect the country’s Druze minority amid festivities with Sunni holy warriors.

"Sharaa sent the Israelis an olive branch. Israel sent missiles," Bass said.

"We need Trump to help sort this relationship out."

Trump says US ‘may very well’ lift sanctions on Syria, give them a ‘fresh start’
But what must HTS agree to, to get such a thing? President Trump is transactional…
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump hails Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and thanks him for hosting direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday.

He tells reporters during a White House press conference that he may even fly to Turkey to join those talks. He is flying to Saudi Arabia later today, and will be in Qatar and the UAE on Thursday.

Trump says Erdogan and others have asked him to lift US sanctions on Syria.

“We have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start,” Trump says.

Turkey is the largest foreign backer of the new Islamist regime in Syria led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the overthrow of dictator Bashar Assad.

Israel has cautioned the US against warming up to Erdogan and the new regime in Syria.

Related:
Ahmed al-Sharaa 05/09/2025 On the brink of a collision: Erdogan and Netanyahu are waiting for Trump to reconcile them
Ahmed al-Sharaa 05/08/2025 Syria confirms backchannel dialogue with Israel on security matters
Ahmed al-Sharaa 05/07/2025 Syria says Israeli strikes to be a key focus of Sharaa’s meeting in Paris with Macron


Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 12, 2025
2025-05-13
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:35 Austria is ready to become a platform for negotiations on the settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine. This was stated by Chancellor Christian Stocker.

The politician noted that he is focusing on trying to move peace talks on Ukraine to Vienna.

"Vienna remains a good place for negotiations on international issues in the future. This would also be possible for a war in Ukraine," Stocker said.

21:45 The President held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

"The key issue is Ukraine's missile program and our drones, all types of drones that we need. There were reports on the use of drones, on accuracy, on the results of defeats at the front," he said.

The head of state thanked domestic producers. "We are also working to protect our infrastructure so that we can defend ourselves in the long term, and these are systemic solutions, and responsibility for implementation is personal," Zelensky added.

21.38 President Volodymyr Zelensky heard reports from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky on the situation at the front.

"Donetsk region and Kursk direction - the most brutal battles continue there. Our guys - 33rd, 225th, 425th assault regiments - thank you. Kramatorsk direction - soldiers of the 24th separate mechanized brigade - well done! Pokrovsk direction - 14 117th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - thank you!" - said the head of state.

21:30 The world has still not received a response from the Kremlin about a ceasefire. Russia will need to end the war it has unleashed against Ukraine in any case. It is better to do it sooner. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in an evening video address.

"Moscow has been silent all day about the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence. Russia will have to end the war anyway, and it would be better to do it sooner. There is no point in continuing the killing. President Erdogan has expressed his full readiness to accept the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find a way to be in Turkey."

21.17 The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has held Russia responsible for the downing of passenger plane flight MH17 in July 2014 in Donbass.

The ISAO Council has made a decision on the dispute initiated by the Netherlands and Australia in March 2022 against Russia over the downing of flight MH17 on 17 July 2014.

The ruling also said Russia violated the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation because it unlawfully used its weapons against a passenger plane.

The next step should be to determine the form of compensation from Russia. First, the ISAO should oblige the Russian Federation to start negotiations with the Netherlands and Australia and facilitate this process.

20:45 State institutions of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan have publicly acknowledged the death of 5,000 servicemen in the war against Ukraine. This is reported by Russian media.

Several schools and libraries in the republic held memorial events dedicated to the 5,000 residents of the region killed at the front. During the events, schoolchildren created portraits of the dead, and libraries presented citizens with detailed statistics broken down by age, military rank, and areas of residence of the military. The materials were accompanied by the hashtag #5000Bashkir.

According to the Telegram channel Alien War Bashkiria , the number of dead residents of the republic currently stands at over 5,500. According to the Mediazona project and the BBC Russian Service, the names of 4,888 deceased natives of Bashkortostan have been established to date. Aspects Bashkortostan reports 5,188 officially confirmed deaths as of May 8, 2025.

20:20 President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan key details of the meeting in Turkey, in particular the need for a ceasefire and its monitoring.

"I spoke with President Erdogan. We discussed key details of the meeting in Turkey, which could help end the war. I am grateful for the support and readiness at the highest level to facilitate diplomacy. We still see the need for a ceasefire," the head of state said.

According to the president, it is also necessary for partners to ensure monitoring of the ceasefire.

19.02 The presence of US President Donald Trump at possible direct negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia in Turkey is very important and can change a lot. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about this in Telegram.

18:20 US President Donald Trump does not rule out a visit to Turkey on May 15, where the leaders of Ukraine and Russia may meet. He said this at a briefing in the White House. The American leader may attend the meeting of the delegations of Ukraine and Russia if he decides that it will be useful.

17:50 A possible meeting between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Turkey this week could lead to positive results, US President Donald Trump said during a briefing at the White House.

17:30 According to the Security Service, a traitor who adjusted Russia's strikes on the Odessa region while working in an ambulance received 15 years in prison. The convicted person is a 40-year-old former paramedic at a local emergency medical station, who was remotely recruited by the occupiers in April 2024.

The agent was collecting coordinates for air strikes on one of the region's port cities. Among the enemy's main targets were the bases of the personnel and ships of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service's maritime security.

17.24 Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, more than 110,000 Ukrainians from various components of the defense and security forces have received state awards. This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

16.27 Russian troops attacked a school in the Koryukov district of Chernihiv region with drones at night. Windows, doors, roof and facade were damaged. This was reported on May 12 by the chairman of the Chernihiv OVD Vyacheslav Chaus.

16.09 Russia considers "unacceptable" the ultimatum statements from European countries to introduce additional sanctions if Moscow does not agree to the ceasefire. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. At the same time, he assured that Moscow seems to be "set on a serious search for ways of long-term global regulation."

15.37 The increase in Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian territory indicates that Russia's defense industry is overextending itself, The Economist reports.

15.14 The aggressor country Russia completely ignores the demand for a complete ceasefire and continues attacks. This was written on the social network X by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga following a meeting with the ministers of European countries who gathered in London.

14.44 The German government, in coordination with its partners in Europe, will prepare new sanctions if a ceasefire in Ukraine is not reached today. This was stated by the German government spokesman Stefan Cornelius at a briefing in Berlin, Bild reports .

14:22 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has come under fire in Italy after skipping a personal visit to the European leaders' summit in Kiev and joining the meeting remotely, the European publication Euraktiv reports.

13.52 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky presented the Cross of Merit to the head of the Armed Forces of Norway Eirik Christophersen. The commander-in-chief wrote about this on his Telegram channel following the meeting.

13.51 The Chinese government supports all ideas aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine. This was stated by the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Lin Jian at a briefing, Global Times reports . Journalists asked him how China feels about the fact that some European countries have asked Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, as well as the US President's call for major countries to more actively participate in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

13.30 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved the Spider ground robotic complex for use in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported on May 12 by the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment.

11.30 A volunteer from a humanitarian organization from Australia died near Izyum. This was reported by Sky News, citing a statement from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

11.22 Russian aggressors attacked a service vehicle of power engineers with a drone on the territory of the Sumy community. One person was killed and three more were injured.

11.05 In the temporarily occupied Crimea, hackers from Cyber ​​ATESH attacked the Kremlin news platforms crimea.mk.ru and krym.top24.news. This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement.

10.36 Russian agents who committed a terrorist attack against law enforcement officers in the Rivne region have been detained. This was reported on May 12 by the SBU.

10.13 A 10-year-old girl was injured in the village of Belozerka due to Russian shelling. This was reported by the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin. According to him, as a result of an enemy shell hitting the house, the child ended up under the rubble of the destroyed house. Rescuers freed the victim and handed her over to doctors. The girl received an explosive and craniocerebral injury, concussion, and shrapnel wounds to the legs.

9.42 On the morning of May 12, Russian troops attacked the city of Belgorod-Dnistrovsky in the Odessa region. This was reported by the Belgorod-Dnistrovsky City Council. As a result of the Russian strike, a number of civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged, including private residential buildings.

9.20 The Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 55 Russian drones, and another 30 enemy UAVs were lost. This was reported on May 12 by the Ukrainian Air Force.

8.45 Over the past 24 hours, the Russians have attacked nine directions of the front and the Kursk bridgehead. The hottest situation is now in the Pokrovsk direction, where Ukrainian soldiers have repelled 70 enemy attacks. In total, 155 combat clashes occurred. This is evidenced by the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, published on the Facebook page.

8.28 The driver of a civilian freight train was injured as a result of a Russian drone strike on a locomotive in the Donetsk region. This was reported by Ukrzaliznytsia on Telegram.

7.46 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have eliminated 1,170 Russian invaders. This is evidenced by the data of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, published on its Facebook page.

7.23 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seized the initiative, offering Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a personal meeting for peace talks in Istanbul, and is now putting pressure on the latter. This is reported by The Guardian.

04.44 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Turkey, where an informal NATO meeting will take place. First, from May 11 to 14, Rubio will accompany US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Washington will seek to strengthen ties with the Gulf countries. And on May 14-16, the official will travel to Antalya, Turkey, for an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, where they will discuss the Alliance's security priorities, including increasing investment in defense and ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.

03.23 Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga doubts that the Russian side has even a fraction of the courage of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who offered Russian leader Vladimir Putin a personal meeting in Turkey.

"This is what a real leader does. He does not hide behind anyone or anything. It is unlikely that the Russian side has even a crumb of such courage," he said.

02.12 On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Lemmy will host his European counterparts to discuss support for Ukraine and increased defence cooperation. Lemmy will hold talks with representatives of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and the EU.

"The challenge we face today is not just about the future of Ukraine - it is existential for Europe as a whole."

01.00 On the night of 12 April, when the great ceasefire was supposed to begin, Russian occupation forces launched Shahed-type kamikaze drones into Ukraine. Several groups of UAVs were spotted in the Kharkiv region, northern Donbas, Mykolaiv region, north-eastern Vinnytsia region, southern Kyiv region, southern and central Zhytomyr region, northern Kherson region and in the Black Sea.

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The Grand Turk
PKK declares dissolution, end to armed struggle
2025-05-12
[Rudaw] The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared its dissolution and an end to its armed struggle against The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
 on Monday, marking a huge step toward a peaceful resolution to the decades-long conflict with Ankara.

"The PKK’s 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle method, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo [Abdullah Ocalan], and ended the work carried out under the PKK name," PKK-affiliated Firat news agency cited a statement from the group as saying.

The PKK on Friday said it had held a congress to consider a call from its tossed in the slammer
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
 leader Ocalan to lay down arms, dissolve the party, and pursue a political struggle.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has played a role in bringing the PKK and Ankara together and has made multiple visits to Ocalan, welcomed the congress.

"A new page is opening on the path to honorable peace and democratic solution. As the DEM Party, after this historic turning point, we believe in the necessity for all democratic political institutions, especially the Ottoman Turkish Grand National Assembly [parliament], to take responsibility for the solution of the Kurdish issue and the true democratization of Turkey," the party said on Friday.

The PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire at the start of March while it considered Ocalan’s call for peace.

Ottoman Turkish officials have publicly continued their hardline stance on the PKK. On Friday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that disarmament alone is "not enough" and President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
 said Turkey is determined to rid itself of the "scourge of terror."

The PKK was founded in 1978 in response to the oppression of the Kurdish population in Turkey. It initially struggled for an independent Kurdistan but now calls for greater political and cultural rights within Turkey. Ankara and its Western allies consider the group a terrorist organization.

A similar grinding of the peace processor begun between the PKK and the Ottoman Turkish state in 2013 collapsed two and a half years later.
Related:
PKK 05/07/2025 Turkey’s ruling party expects PKK dissolution, disarmament ‘within days’
PKK 05/05/2025 Turkish soldier killed in Kurdistan Region
PKK 05/02/2025 PKK claims responsibility for drone attacks targeting Peshmerga in Duhok province

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 11, 2025
2025-05-12
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:45 Since the beginning of the day, 111 combat clashes have occurred on the front, including 47 attacks by the Russian army in the Pokrovsky direction, according to the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 22:00.

22.29 President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be in Turkey on May 15 to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian forces would respond in kind to Russia’s ceasefire or continuation of the fire from May 12.

20.34 US President Donald Trump said Ukraine should immediately agree to talks proposed by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15, although they do not include a 30-day ceasefire.

19.59 President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expects Russia to cease fire on May 12 and will personally wait for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.

16.46 US Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg stressed that negotiations with Russia on ending the war should be preceded by a 30-day ceasefire.

15:52 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insists that Russia must agree to a pause in hostilities before any negotiations begin on possible formats for ending the war, dpa reports.

15.46 Pope Leo XIV called for a "sincere and lasting peace" in Ukraine and an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza, with the release of hostages, in his first Sunday address. The pontiff said he carried "the suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine" in his heart.

14.25 Turkey is ready to facilitate the peace process to end hostilities in Ukraine by any means, including negotiations, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He said that a "historic milestone" had been reached on the path to ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, that this opportunity must be seized, and that Turkey was ready to make all possible contributions, including holding negotiations, to ensure a ceasefire and lasting peace.

12:48 During the so-called three-day "ceasefire" that was unilaterally declared by the Russian Federation, Russian troops did not cease, but on the contrary, intensified their assault operations. This was reported by the DeepState project.

The occupiers carried out 193, 196 and 161 assault actions over three days, respectively. In April, the average daily activity was 155 attacks per day.

"There were almost no ceasefire areas. There were isolated cases and that's all," DeepState analysts noted.

12:30 French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the idea of ​​deploying foreign troops in Ukraine and also estimated the number that could be discussed.

According to him, the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine is necessary to stabilize the situation after the cessation of hostilities with the Russian Federation.

Asked about the number of foreign troops that could be deployed in Ukraine in the future, the French president replied: "It could be several thousand, but not several hundred thousand."

"It's not about numbers. It's about us being there to provide a support presence, as a second line of defense, in the air or in strategic points away from the front line. Above all, we're there to show solidarity," Macron said.

11:52 The talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia should be held "taking into account the real situation and the developments of the 2022 talks." This was stated by the Russian dictator's assistant Yuri Ushakov.

"Taking this into account, of course. Taking into account, naturally, the real situation," he said in response to a question about whether negotiations would resume where they left off in 2022.

In turn, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian leader's proposal "confirms the real intention to find a peaceful solution."

"A lasting peace can only be achieved through serious negotiations, and the readiness for these negotiations has now been shown and demonstrated by the president," he said.

11:22 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has rejected a ceasefire in Ukraine. He is probably counting on a summer offensive. This was stated by the head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko.

"Putin chose war and refused to end it in favor of a summer offensive," he wrote on Telegram.

10:55 President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia was "thinking about a ceasefire" and called it a good sign.

Thus, the president responded to the proposal of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to resume direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine from May 15 in Istanbul.

According to Zelensky, Moscow must first agree to a ceasefire from May 12 – then Kyiv is ready to meet.

"There is no point in continuing the killings even for a day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire - complete, long-term and reliable - starting tomorrow, May 12, and Ukraine is ready to meet," the head of state said.

10.20 On the night of May 11, Russian troops attacked with 108 Shahed-type attack UAVs and various types of drone imitators. Air defense forces shot down 60 drones. Another 41 enemy drone imitators were lost. The Russian attack affected Sumy Oblast.

09.55 French President Emmanuel Macron responded to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's initiative to resume negotiations in Istanbul.

According to the French leader, Putin's proposal is "a first step, but not sufficient."

"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations," Macron said, noting that Putin "is looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time."

09.40 Over the past 24 hours, 161 combat clashes were recorded at the front. In particular, in the Pokrovsky direction, the defenders stopped 60 assault and offensive actions of the Russian invaders.

09.18 Russian troops attacked the Kiev region with drones. In the Brovarsky district, a man born in 1954 was injured as a result of an enemy attack. A summer house was damaged. Five private houses in the Obukhovsky district were also damaged.

08.43 US President Donald Trump made another statement regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, calling the upcoming events "potentially a big day" for both countries.

"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved when this endless 'bloodbath' is hopefully over. It will be a whole new and much better world," Trump said.

The US president spoke of a "potentially big day for Russia and Ukraine" after Kyiv's offer of a 30-day ceasefire and the Kremlin's proposals for direct talks.

Trump assured that he plans to continue to work with both sides to achieve a result. According to him, the United States seeks to focus on recovery and trade development. The US leader also said that "it's an important week ahead."

08.15 As of May 11, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 965,890 people (1,310 per day).

05.25 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country's experts were ready to help resume air traffic with Ukraine as soon as a ceasefire was achieved.

"I am pleased that British experts are working on the ground to reopen flights to Ukraine once a ceasefire is achieved. It will take some time, but it will be a huge boost to Ukraine's economy, boost investor confidence and help reunite families torn apart by the war," Starmer said.

04.44 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has officially acknowledged the participation of North Korean servicemen in Russia's war against Ukraine. The head of the Kremlin expressed gratitude to the leaders of 13 states that sent units of their national armed forces to participate in the parade on Red Square. In particular, the dictator noted that he was pleased to personally thank the military leaders of the Korean People's Army for their participation in the military operations on the front of the war against Ukraine.

03.17 US President Donald Trump promised to quickly end Russia's war against Ukraine and the war in Gaza. However, he now understands that this will be difficult. In particular, last week, during a speech to leading donors, Trump called the end of Russia's war against Ukraine "a growing frustration that keeps him up at night." He also noted that Russian dictator Putin had taken a "particularly tough" position in the negotiations and wanted "everything," meaning Ukraine.

02.02 President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a joint statement by the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, Great Britain and Ukraine following their meeting in Kyiv. The politicians agreed that there should be a complete and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days from Monday, May 12. It is noted that an unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be "limited by any conditions". If Russia puts forward such conditions, this can only be seen as an attempt to "continue the war and blow up diplomacy". The leaders demand that the ceasefire be comprehensive: in the air, at sea and on land.

01.13 Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he was proposing that Ukraine resume direct talks, which were suspended in 2022. He proposed resuming direct talks with Ukraine "without preconditions" in Turkey on May 15. Putin noted that he should address Turkish President Recep Erdogan with this proposal on Sunday, May 12. He suggested that an agreement on a ceasefire could be reached during these talks.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
The ceasefire in Ukraine has ended
2025-05-12
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] The "festive truce" officially ended in Ukraine last night.

The fighting officially resumed, although in fact it did not stop, since the enemy did not observe the "holiday truce", and the Russian Armed Forces had instructions to respond to violations of the "holiday truce", so the fighting went on as usual during the "truce".

As expected, the enemy did not comply with it, just as it did not comply with the "Easter truce", and before that did not comply with the "energy truce".

Actually, the current proposals for a new 30-day truce are, of course, aimed at giving the Ukrainian Armed Forces a break, stopping the offensive of the Russian Armed Forces, while continuing shelling and attacks, and in conclusion accusing Russia of breaking the truce and resuming active actions and strikes.

Actually, that is why there is exactly zero sense in a 30-day truce for Russia.

That is why massive strikes by "Geraniya" (multiple flights in 7 regions of Ukraine) + strikes by UMPK resumed at night. The enemy expects that in the coming days there may be a massive missile strike as a salute to the drones' May encroachments in the direction of Moscow. This is, frankly speaking, a given.

Regarding the situation on Earth, the Russian Armed Forces continue to advance in a number of directions, and the enemy's encroachments in the area of ​​Dzerzhinsk and Tetkino have been largely suppressed.

More from regnum.ru
Putin proposed Kyiv to hold talks in Istanbul - 1172nd day of the SVO
Russia is set for serious negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15. Those who truly want peace cannot but support them. Russian leader Vladimir Putin made this statement to journalists in the Kremlin, concluding the festive events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The head of state emphasized that the meaning of the upcoming dialogue is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to establish a long-term, lasting peace for the historical perspective. This news marked the new, 1172nd day of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin recalled that Russia had repeatedly proposed steps to cease fire and that it was in Istanbul in 2022 that the negotiations were interrupted by the Ukrainian side.

"Let me remind you that as a result of these negotiations, a joint draft document was prepared, and it was initialed by the head of the Kiev negotiating group, but at the insistence of the West, it was simply thrown into the trash," the president emphasized. His words are quoted by the Kremlin website.

Vladimir Putin does not rule out that during the proposed negotiations in Istanbul it will be possible to agree on some new truces, a new ceasefire.

"Moreover, a real ceasefire, which would be observed not only by Russia, but also by the Ukrainian side, would be the first step, I repeat, towards a long-term, sustainable peace, and not a prologue to the continuation of the armed conflict after the rearmament, the replenishment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the feverish digging of trenches and new strongholds. Who needs such a peace? " the Russian president noted.

Details about the negotiations in Istanbul were announced on May 11 by the Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. In particular, he noted that Russia did not put forward any conditions to Ukraine, so it would not be difficult to start negotiations if the Kiev regime really wants it.

Even more from regnum.ru
An hour after Trump's call, Zelensky promised to personally come to Istanbul Thursday
Less than an hour after US President Donald Trump called for “immediate” agreement to the negotiations proposed by Russia, the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, promised to personally come to Istanbul and wait for Russian President Vladimir Putin there.

At the same time, he stated that he was counting on Russia’s agreement to a 30-day ceasefire.

“We expect a ceasefire from tomorrow – complete and long-term, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” the head of the Kiev regime wrote on his Telegram channel.

The head of the Kyiv regime did not specify whether Zelensky intends to come to Istanbul if Russia does not agree to this demand.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions. He added that Russia is ready to begin dialogue as early as May 15 in Istanbul, where negotiations were held back in 2022 but were interrupted by Kiev.

Putin recalled that the Kiev regime had previously violated all ceasefires and agreements on non-attacks on individual objects (energy infrastructure). The President noted that the issues of a ceasefire (which Zelensky and a number of EU leaders had previously insisted on) could be discussed during negotiations on the root causes of the conflict.

Putin's proposals have received a largely positive response in the world media. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was ready to organize the negotiations. Trump, in turn, stressed that the Kiev regime should immediately agree to Putin's proposal.

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