 "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has goaded Vladimir Putin by saying the Russian leader was scared to meet him face-to-face. File image/AFP")
Will they meet or won’t they meet? That’s the question everyone is asking as the day of scheduled direct talks between Ukraine and Russia is here.
As we await the big moment, we take a closer look at the big news that is expected to unfold from around the world — from direct talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to flight operations resuming normalcy in India.
Here’s what to expect from the day.
Direct talks likely to be held between Russia and Ukraine
Today is the day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to sit face-to-face with Vladimir Putin for direct peace talks in Turkey. The expected talks come in the third year of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The summit would mark the two leaders’ first direct encounter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Zelenskyy said. Its purpose would be to agree on a ceasefire and then let technical teams work out how the truce can be implemented and monitored, he said.
However, there’s no confirmation if Putin will join Zelenskyy for the talks. The Kremlin has refused to confirm who will be going to Turkey and whether it will include Putin. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Zelenskyy will only sit down with the Russian leader.
Zelenskyy said he had arranged to meet the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Ankara, but would be ready to fly to Istanbul at a moment’s notice if Putin showed up. “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” he said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who is on a visit to West Asia, appeared to float the idea of a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy, saying on Monday: “I believe the two leaders are going to be there [Turkey]. I was thinking about flying over.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsZelenskyy said he was hoping Trump would indeed meet him in Turkey. “If Trump travels, it will push Putin also to travel,” he said. “Trump can really help. It’s the situation where the US being present can give important guarantees.”
Normal flight operations likely to resume in India
India’s Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu asked airlines to ‘resume normal schedules from Thursday (May 15) across all 32 airports’, which were reopened on Monday after six days. At a meeting with airlines officials, he asked them to ramp up operations.
“Chaired a review meeting with all airlines and senior officials. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, I appreciate the extraordinary efforts of the security forces in safeguarding our nation. Also, kudos to the seamless coordination between the Ministry, DGCA, AAI and airlines during this emergency,” said Naidu in a post on X.
The minister added that with the Notam ending on May 15, he suggested that airlines resume their normal schedules from that day across all 32 airports for which the Notam was issued. “All airlines responded positively to this suggestion,” he added.
A total of 32 airports in the northern and western parts of the country were temporarily shut for civilian flights in view of the India-Pakistan conflict on May 9.
US Supreme Court to hear matter on ending birthright citizenship
Starting today, May 15, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments on US President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order on birthright citizenship — stating that children born in the US to parents who are not in the country legally, or who are not permanent residents, cannot receive citizenship.
This comes after federal judges in three cases that took place in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington banned Trump’s order from going into effect, determining that the president cannot change or limit the Constitution by executive order.
The Trump administration has argued that courts previously did not interpret the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause correctly. But the administration’s argument in its emergency appeal to the Supreme Court is different. The administration is asking the Supreme Court to narrow the federal judges’ bans on implementing the order so their rulings apply only to the noncitizen plaintiffs named in those specific cases. If the Supreme Court justices agree, that could mean Trump’s executive order could apply to all of the other noncitizens not named in the cases at hand.
CJI Gavai to hear pleas challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act
In India, the newly-instated Chief Justice BR Gavai will take up the pleas challenging the Waqf Act’s constitutional validity.
Earlier, the matter had been posted to a three-bench presided by Sanjiv Khanna. However, as soon as it came up, the CJI said that he had a look at the affidavits filed by the Centre and the petitioners in the matter. “…Yes, you (Centre) have raised a few points with regard to the registration part. And also you have given certain figures which are somewhat disputed by them (petitioners). That will require some consideration. There are certain aspects which you have dealt with…but…require some clarifications also,” he said.
He added, “There are two things which we must point out outright to you. One is, I don’t want to reserve any judgment or order even at interim stage. And there is a reason for that. That is the second thing. That this matter will have to be heard on a reasonably early date and it will not be before me at least. So what I thought as if you all agree, we post this before the bench of Justice Gavai…”
Rahul Gandhi to interact with Bihar students
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will visit Bihar to launch the Congress’ ‘Nyay Samvad’ or ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ today. The announcement comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly Elections, which is slated for later this year.
Kanhaiya Kumar, the national in charge of NSUI, said at a press conference in Patna on Tuesday that the Congress is set to launch a state-wide Nyay Samvad (Justice Dialogue) campaign across Bihar starting on May 15. “The central theme of this campaign will be education. It also focuses on jobs, participation and different sections of the society,” Kumar said.
He said the Congress leader will speak with people from different sections of the society, understand their grief and problems — based on which, the party will create a ‘Nyay patra’ for the upcoming elections.