Welcome back to NHK Newsline. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to immediately halt his military's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, but he stopped short of backing a wider ceasefire put forward by US President Donald Trump. The leaders had a lengthy phone call on Tuesday. It was their first call since agreeing last month to work toward ending the fighting in Ukraine. The US is pressing for a full-scale 30-day pause.
The White House said Trump and Putin also agreed to start negotiations on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a permanent peace plan. It said negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he's in favor of a US-led truce, but stressed the need for full transparency.
Earlier, I spoke with our correspondents in the US and Russia for more insight, starting with NHK World's Okano Ayuko in Washington.
Ayuko, what did Trump say about his talks with Putin?
He says this was a great conversation. Trump told a Fox News anchor it was productive, and he and Putin had a long discussion on how to achieve peace in Ukraine. Now, obviously, the US did not get the 30-day ceasefire he asked for, but Trump has not expressed disappointment. On the contrary, he's treating this limited attack suspension as progress toward a more comprehensive deal, which could be worked out in the future. Trump says they'll work quickly to achieve this.
Right, but clearly there are still gaps. What can you tell us about them?
Well, there are notable differences in the details of this deal, as is outlined by both sides. Moscow said it will pause attacks on energy-related facilities for 30 days, but Washington words it differently. The White House statement reads, the leaders agreed to an energy and infrastructure ceasefire which could suggest the truce covers more than just energy facilities. The US also doesn't mention a 30-day timeline.
And during his interview with Fox News, Trump says he and Putin didn't discuss US support for Ukraine at all.
But that's one of the fundamental issues for Putin. His presidential office statements on the talks even says that Ukraine's foreign military support and intelligence must be halted in order to stop the war from escalating. We'll be waiting to see whether both sides can find more common ground as these talks move forward.
And now let's go to Moscow and our bureau chief, Noda Junko. Junko, what's your take on the Trump-Putin talks?
My sense is that Putin got exactly what he wanted, while making Trump look like a strong negotiator. The Russian president has been clear about why he resisted the full 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US. He says it would give Ukraine too much of a chance to rebuild its troops as his forces are gaining ground. But Putin may actually benefit from this new deal to poise attacks on energy infrastructure. Of course, Russia has been striking Ukraine's power grid for a while now as a part of its invasion strategy. But Ukraine has also been successful attacking Russian refineries and other energy facilities. Ending those attacks will boost Putin's popularity at home, while still allowing his troops to fight on. Putin has demonstrated he is willing to play ball with Trump, while also giving up minimal ground in the talks.
Well, this deal does appear to benefit Putin somewhat. In that case, what can we expect from Russia going forward?
Putin will continue to show willingness to negotiate, but his next steps will truly be determined on the battlefield.
Right now, his troops are pushing to retake all of Russia's Western Kursk region from Ukrainian forces.
If they succeed, Kiev loses a major bargaining chip. Fighting could intensify even as talks progress. We can expect Russia will continue to maximize its power to enforce demands at the negotiating table. But we cannot predict how much longer Trump will allow that process to drag on.
Four countries bordering Russia have announced plans to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines. Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania say their region's security situation has deteriorated due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Defense ministers of the four countries issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying they recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention. The treaty prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel landmines. Their statement said, It is of paramount importance to provide our defense forces with flexibility and freedom of choice of potential use of new weapons systems. The Ottawa Convention came into effect in 1999.
Its more than 160 signatories include Japan and Ukraine. Russia is not a party to the treaty. International advocacy group Human Rights Watch has criticized both Russia and Ukraine for using anti-personnel mines in their conflict. On March 6, Lithuania also pulled out of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The treaty bans the production and use of these weapons, as they can kill and maim large numbers of people.
Lawmakers in Germany have approved plans to massively scale up defense spending.
The historic package passed in parliament on Tuesday, led by Germany's incoming chancellor. It loosens the nation's strict debt rules, freeing up funding for defense and security. It marks a major shift in the country's fiscal policy.
For at least a decade, and probably much longer, we've enjoyed a false sense of security in our society. Now we have to rebuild our defense capabilities from the ground up. The plan needed a 2/3 majority to pass because it involves revising the Constitution. Mertz's conservatives got some support from lawmakers with the center-left Social Democrats. It was opposed by the far-right Alternative for Germany party. The legislation now moves to the upper house, where it will face another vote.
Historians are now pouring through hundreds of files related to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. Washington released the previously classified documents Tuesday.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January. It called for several classified files to be released, including all of the government's files on the JFK assassination. The National Archives and Records Administration followed through this week, posting 1,123 documents to its website. As part of the JFK investigation, officials spoke to at least one CIA employee. His testimony was labeled top secret.
In it, he says he engaged in counter-espionage against Japan in 1941. He also discussed the 1950s construction of an underground tunnel in West Berlin. It was used to tap communication cables, including telephones. As for Kennedy himself, US media say these files don't hold many surprises. So far, the documents support the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald, a Marine Corps veteran, was the sole assassin. But sifting through it all is expected to take time. The New York Times cited one historian who said it would take two days just to open all the files.
US Chief Justice John Roberts has rebuked calls to impeach a federal judge who moved to block the Trump administration's deportations of foreign nationals. The administration has been deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members by invoking the 18th century wartime Alien Enemies Act. Last Saturday, a district judge in the capital, Washington, ordered it to stop. He cited the possibility that conditions required to apply the law may not have been fulfilled. Trump attacked the judge in a social media post on Tuesday, calling him a radical left lunatic of a judge, a troublemaker and agitator.
The post read, This judge, like many of the crooked judges I am forced to appear before, should be impeached. Hours later, the Chief Justice issued a rare statement. It read, Impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. He also stressed the appeal process exists for that purpose. There are also reports the judge ordered aircraft carrying the deportees to turn around mid-flight and return to the United States. The administration is being criticized for allegedly defying that order.
Meanwhile, the Japanese-American community in Los Angeles has protested the invocation of the act. During World War II, it was used to incarcerate tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans.
Representatives held a joint news conference in LA's Little Tokyo neighborhood.
It laid the groundwork for Executive Order 9066, which led to the mass incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans. We cannot allow history to repeat itself. We must stand together and say never again.
Another participant, Seia Watanabe of the Japanese American Citizens League, Said the Trump administration's use of the act was not only unlawful. She said it could target individuals with no proven connection to the alleged gang members except for through their Venezuelan citizenship.
A federal judge in the US has blocked the Trump administration from further attempts to shut down USAID.
The Associated Press reports that a District Court in Maryland issued the preliminary ruling on Tuesday. The judge said attempts to dismantle the foreign aid agency led by Elon Musk likely violated the Constitution and the authority of Congress. Doge has slashed most of USAID's programs and laid off many workers as it moves to scale down the federal government.
Tuesday's ruling is in response to a lawsuit put forward by USAID employees last month. Trump told Fox News that his administration plans to appeal.
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Let's check the weather now with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh. Ohh Jonathan, some parts of the greater Tokyo area saw a wild Wednesday morning with snow, sleet, cold rain, eyesight in the center of Tokyo. Myself is more on the way for Thursday.
Hello, we're going to go from winter weather on Wednesday to more like spring weather as we head toward the weekend. As we go into Thursday, it looks like we're going to be seeing a little bit of a change where we're seeing much more in terms of sunnier weather and temperatures starting to creep up as well. Let's take a look at some of the video that's coming out of the Greater Tokyo area. And yeah, you're like, what month is this now?
Central Tokyo receiving about a centimeter. Police reported traffic accidents with injuries on slippery roads. The peak of the snow that's gone.
But weather officials are warning of continued windy weather on the Pacific side into the night. Low pressure, bringing the snow on top of the flowers right there as we're getting ready to see more of the cherry blossoms unfolding as we head toward the weekend.
Low pushes up. We'd still have a return flow from the north and that'll bring some snow for the northeastern portions of Japan as we head into Thursday.
High pressure though coming in from the West and that's going to start heating things up Friday, Saturday and into Sunday as well. Still snow to Sapporo and Niigata. 10 in Sendai. Part of class guys. Tokyo to Osaka, Fukuoka Sega High 14. Naha, you're touch cooler here, high of 18 as we go through Thursday.
We're looking at some more severe weather concerns in the Upper Midwest as we look at what's happening across North America.
We have this low that moved across the Rockies into the plains, but it's springtime. Warm air coming from the South, colder coming behind it. That collision course bringing the possibility of the severe weather. So for those of you in the region, you need to be paying attention as you go through the day on Wednesday. Snow on the backside of this low, yeah, and much cooler here.
Oklahoma City dealing with 20s for highs dropping down to 13 for the high on Wednesday. Snow into Denver and showers in the Pacific Northwest as you go through the middle of the week.
Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
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And that's all for this edition of NHK Newsline. We'll have more for you soon.
Thanks for joining us.
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