Representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine will meet in Istanbul today. Only a possible 30-day ceasefire will be discussed at the talks. It is noted that Zelensky most likely will not come to Istanbul, as he is scheduled to meet with the Turkish president in Ankara. The United States and Qatar have signed an economic agreement worth $1.2 trillion and a series of deals worth more than $243.5 billion. Qatar Airways buys up to 210 Boeing planes for $96 billion. The deals cover energy, engineering and quantum technologies. In addition, Qatar has signed defense contracts with Raytheon and General Atomics for $3 billion. Further defense deals could reach $38 billion. The WTO assessed the prospects for tariff agreements between the United States and other countries. The organization's Director General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, noted that such agreements could undermine the basic principle of equality in trade. Despite the recent de-escalation of the tariff war between the United States and China, global trade, in her opinion, is still in crisis. Foreign companies are no longer in a hurry to leave Russia. In the first quarter of 2025, only 9 transactions for the sale of Russian assets were concluded, compared with 15 in January-March 2024 and 21 a year earlier. The main reasons for this are the increase in sales fees and high rates, which make transactions unprofitable for Russian legal entities. In addition, the companies are waiting for the outcome of the negotiations between Russia and the United States. Iran is ready to conclude a nuclear agreement with President Donald Trump, provided that economic sanctions against the country are lifted. This was stated by Ali Shamkhani, the chief adviser to the supreme leader of Iran. The Iranian president, in turn, stressed that the country would not bow to any threats.
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