US foreign policy

In a striking development during his Middle East tour, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States and Iran have “sort of” agreed on the basic terms for a new nuclear agreement, raising hopes that a long-stalled diplomatic accord may be nearing completion. Speaking at a business roundtable in Doha, Trump characterized the negotiations—led by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi—as “very serious” and aimed at establishing “long-term peace.”

In a landmark encounter at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa met for the first time in a quarter-century, paving the way for the lifting of crippling U.S. sanctions on Damascus. The meeting signals a tectonic shift in Middle Eastern diplomacy just months after the fall of the Assad dynasty and comes amid intensifying regional realignments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed conditional support for a United States-proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, emphasizing the need for substantial revisions to address what he considers the fundamental causes of the conflict. This development comes amid ongoing hostilities, particularly in the contested Kursk region, and reflects the complex dynamics of international diplomacy surrounding the war.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reiterated Australia's unwavering support for Ukraine following a dramatic confrontation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.