January 23, 2026
Local
Local
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Two foreign nationals have become the first individuals in Malaysia to be charged in court for littering under the newly enforced anti-littering law, according to a report by The Star.
WEST PALM BEACH, Feb 17 — US President Donald Trump said Sunday he could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon,” expressing belief that Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine.
“There’s no date set, but it could happen soon,” Trump told reporters after a flight on Air Force One. His remarks came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed expectations for upcoming US-Russia talks in Riyadh on ending the war.
Rubio is set to lead a high-level American delegation to the Saudi capital, but it remains unclear if Ukraine will participate. Trump revealed that his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently met with Putin for three hours, adding that negotiations with Russia have been ongoing.
“I think he wants to stop fighting,” Trump said of Putin. Asked whether Putin aims to seize all of Ukraine, Trump said, “That was my question to him,” adding that continued aggression “would have caused me a big problem.” He insisted both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “want to end it fast.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky warned that Russia could wage war against a weakened NATO if Trump reduces US support for the alliance. Trump dismissed the concern, saying he was “not even a little bit” worried.
Despite Trump’s claims that he could end the war in a day, Rubio cautioned that resolving such a complex conflict “would not be easy” and stressed that peace talks require more than one meeting.
The US delegation to Riyadh, including National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, is preparing for discussions, though Rubio said “nothing has been finalized” and he was unsure who Moscow would send.
Trump and Putin held a lengthy phone call last Wednesday, agreeing to begin ceasefire negotiations immediately. However, the move surprised NATO allies and Kyiv, with Zelensky insisting that “no decisions about Ukraine should be made without Ukraine.”
