The hatchet is buried but still no fast-track to peace
The fact that Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are talking again after their Oval Office dust-up is something. As these fraught negotiations move forward, small wins are better than no wins.
The fact that Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are talking again after their Oval Office dust-up is something. As these fraught negotiations move forward, small wins are better than no wins.
Vladimir Putin is employing the classic Russian tactic of ‘talk and delay’ without providing any meaningful concessions. Yet he has only so much time to play with before Donald Trump loses patience.
Benjamin Netanyahu has warned ceasefire negotiations will only continue ‘under fire’ as Israel attacks killed more than 400 people including civilians, shattering the two-month-old ceasefire.
The political fight over whether or not this outcome was a diplomatic failure by Australia ignores the fact that Trump was hell bent this time around on rejecting all pleas for exemptions.
The world is about to see into the dark soul of Vladimir Putin to learn whether Russia’s dictator is really interested in peace.
Malcolm Turnbull won a tariffs exemption as PM, but let’s not pretend it was because he was the brave, outspoken warrior that he would now like everyone to think.
The Albanese government’s chances of an exception were already sliding fast before the Trump-Turnbull dust-up. The former PM’s comments won’t help.
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will be forced by seismic world events and by Donald Trump to place Australia on a fast-track to sharply increased defence spending.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has left the door open to lifting defence spend after a key Trump administration appointee called for a massive rise in Australia’s military spending.
The US President’s knee-jerk decision could prove to be one of the most dangerous gambles ever seen in international diplomacy, and have real consequences across the globe.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/cameron-stewart/page/5