Happy Thursday and welcome to your morning wrap of the latest political and business news from around the world.
First up, envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi overnight for another round of US-brokered peace talks on ending the war, Associated Press reported.
According to Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council chief Rustem Umerov, the delegations from both countries were joined by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
“The discussions were substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions,” Umerov said on social media as the first of two days of talks wrapped up.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a breakthrough in the talks may not come for a while.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not offer any details on the talks and said Moscow was not planning to comment on their results.
Last month’s discussions in Abu Dhabi yielded some progress but no breakthrough on key issues.
The current talks are taking place after a huge Russian bombardment earlier this week hit Ukraine’s energy system, leaving many people struggling during the coldest weather in years. Overnight, an attack on a busy market in eastern Ukraine killed seven people and wounded 15 others, officials said.
To the United States, where the Trump administration has announced the withdrawal of 700 border personnel from Minneapolis, CNN reported.
Tom Homan (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)
White House border czar Tom Homan said the Department of Homeland Security would withdraw the personnel effective immediately, leaving about 2000 people still deployed in the city as part of an immigration crackdown that began in early December.
The conduct of the agents has outraged some residents and has led to the fatal shootings of two US citizens.
Homan said his goal was to achieve a complete drawdown of personnel in the city. “But that is largely contingent upon the end of the illegal and threatening activities against Ice and its federal partners that we’re seeing in the community.”
Staying with the Trump administration, there appears to be mounting confusion over the terms of the trade pact the US has agreed to with India.
Trump announced the agreement on social media earlier this week, saying the US would greatly reduce tariffs on Indian imports after Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil.
Indian officials said the two countries would sign a deal shortly, but did not confirm any of the details outlined by Trump, including the key provision that India would stop buying Russian oil.
Overnight, Russia said it had heard nothing from New Delhi to suggest oil flows were stopping, CNBC reported.
“We haven’t heard any statements from Delhi on this matter yet,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in comments reported by news agency RIA Novosti.
“We respect bilateral US-Indian relations,” Peskov told reporters. “But we attach no less importance to the development of an advanced strategic partnership between Russia and India.”
India has curbed its purchases of Russian oil since Washington introduced a punitive 25% tariff on its imports last year, but analysts are sceptical the country – which is the top buyer of discounted Russian crude – is about to completely end its purchases, given its need for cheap oil and to maintain good geopolitical relations with Moscow.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace vice president Evan Feigenbaum said he had a “hard time believing” India would make such a commitment explicit. “After all, India has deep historical and sentimental ties to Russia that it will not simply ditch under American pressure.”
In business news, Uber has reported better-than-expected revenue in its fourth-quarter earnings but issued soft profit guidance, CNBC reported.
It posted revenue of US$14.37 billion ($23.93b) for the quarter, compared with expectations of US$14.32b.
Its ride-hailing platform generated revenue of US$8.2b, up 19% from a year ago, while delivery revenue climbed 30% to US$4.9b.
The company’s net income fell to US$296 million from US$6.88b, which the company attributed to a “net pre-tax headwind from revaluations of our equity investments”.
The ride-hailing industry is in a period of transition as autonomous vehicles become more commonplace in urban markets.
Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said he is even more convinced autonomous vehicles will unlock a “multitrillion-dollar” opportunity.
Finally this morning, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of employees overnight, affecting about one-third of its workforce, The Guardian reported.
Editor-in-chief Matt Murray, in a morning meeting announcing the changes, said the Post has struggled to reach customers and spoke about the need to compete in a crowded marketplace. “Today, The Washington Post is taking a number of actions across the company to secure our future,” he said, according to an audio recording of the meeting.
The paper is restructuring its local coverage, reducing international reporting, cutting its book desk and suspending its daily news podcast.
After years of growth under owner Jeff Bezos, the Post has been shedding staff over the past few years. Over the past week, Post employees have written to Bezos urging him to stop or at least limit the planned cuts, but he has remained silent.
