French President Macron met with US President Trump to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. The UN passed two resolutions on Ukraine, with the US voting against one for the first time. Multiple aviation incidents have occurred in the US since January, raising concerns about air safety. Pakistan is preparing to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 amid security threats.
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00:00Hello and welcome to today's edition of World Today.
00:19When the world is dancing to Trump's tunes, this one European leader spoke up in a display
00:24of strong leadership.
00:26French President Macron was in Washington D.C. engaging U.S. President Donald Trump.
00:31This was the first time any European leader met President Trump since his second term
00:35started.
00:36But, more importantly, it was the first time that any European leader came calling since
00:41the change in U.S. position on the Russia-Ukraine war, as it now leans more and more in favor
00:48of Russia.
00:49President Macron stood his ground, even interrupted and fact-checked President Trump on his war
00:54fund claims.
00:55Here's how.
01:25President Trump came out, and he started speaking the French deal, and we didn't have an interpreter,
01:30and he was going on and on and on, and I was just nodding, yes, yes, yes, and he really
01:35sold me out, because I got back the next day, and I read the papers, and I said, that's
01:39not what we said.
01:40He's a smart customer, I will tell you that.
01:54And there was a friendly banter, where President Macron, with a smile on his lips, put the
01:58facts straight against what the U.S. President said, sitting in the Oval Office.
02:04Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine, they get their money back, in fact, to be frank,
02:10we paid 60% of the total defaults, and it was through, like the U.S., loans, guarantee,
02:17grants, and we provide real money, to be clear.
02:21We have 230 billion frozen assets in Europe, Russian assets, but it is not as a collateral
02:28of a loan, because this is not our belonging.
02:31So they are frozen.
02:32If at the end of the day, in the negotiation we will have with Russia, they're ready to
02:35give it to us, super, it will be loaned at the end of the day, and Russia will have paid
02:40for that.
02:41It's my wish.
02:42If you believe that, it's okay with me.
02:43Mr. President.
02:44If they get their money back, we don't, and now we do, but you know, that's only fair.
02:49Big day, and that we had a G7.
02:52There were clear differences in their approach towards the Ukraine war, and how it should
02:56end, but it was clear that Europe is not going to be mute spectator in a deal between Washington
03:03and the Kremlin over Kiev future.
03:07French President Emmanuel Macron established it with elegance in his U.S. visit.
03:12Great job.
03:14Bureau report, India Today.
03:19Well, the French and the U.S. presidents met and discussed how to end the Russia-Ukraine
03:27war, and that too at the earliest.
03:29French President Macron openly hinted at a truce between the two nations, which could
03:33be coming in a matter of weeks now.
03:36Macron also asked Donald Trump to ensure security guarantees for the truce.
03:41U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his insistence to restore peace between Russia
03:46and Ukraine, and that Russia is open to European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine to facilitate
03:51the peace process.
03:53Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, has asked America and Europe
03:58to come together to negotiate with Russia for a real peace deal.
04:03Zelensky said that it is Donald Trump who can help make peace through strength with
04:08the security guarantees.
04:09I will be meeting with President Zelensky.
04:10In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be
04:19nice.
04:20I'd love to meet him.
04:21We'd meet at the Oval Office.
04:23So the agreement is being worked on now.
04:25They're very close to a final deal.
04:27It will be a deal with rare earths and various other things.
04:31And he would like to come, and I understand, here to sign it, and that would be great with
04:37me.
04:38They're going to have to get it approved by their counsel or whoever might approve it,
04:41but I'm sure that will happen.
04:43We want peace.
04:44And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one.
04:48First to have a truce.
04:49I think it could be done in the weeks to come.
04:52From the very, very start of this war, we have wanted peace, and now more than ever,
04:58we believe that real and lasting peace is possible if we stand together, of course.
05:05And it's essential that we work together so that when we negotiate with Russia, the strongest
05:11defenders of freedom are at the table, America, Europe, and the Ukraine.
05:17And Ukraine, this is where a real peace deal can happen.
05:25While the diplomatic engagements continued in Washington, D.C. and New York, the UN passed
05:29two resolutions concerning the Ukrainian crisis, one moved by Europe and Ukraine, and the other
05:35by U.S. at the U.N. Security Council.
05:37The UNGA resolution got 93 votes in favor, 18 votes against, and 65 abstentions.
05:43And for the first time since the war started, America sided with Russia and voted against
05:49the resolution, while India and China abstained.
05:5224 February 2025 marked the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
06:08The UN voted on a draft resolution by Ukraine that called for a de-escalation, an early
06:14secession of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution of the war.
06:18For the first time, the U.S. voted with the Russians in an attempt to block the draft
06:22resolution.
06:24And that too, twice.
06:26First, the U.S. opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Moscow's actions and
06:31supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity.
06:35America chose to vote the same way as Russia and other countries, including North Korea
06:40and Belarus, at the UN General Assembly.
06:43Then, the U.S. drafted and voted for a resolution at the U.N. Security Council, which called
06:49for an end to the conflict, but contained no criticism of Russia.
06:54The Security Council passed the resolution, but two key U.S. allies, the United Kingdom
06:59and France, abstained after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.
07:05France did not vote in favor of the draft resolution presented by U.S.
07:13Indeed, we are fully committed to peace in Ukraine.
07:16We call for comprehensive, just and lasting peace, and certainly not for capitulation
07:21of the victim.
07:27On the floor of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Monday, U.S. diplomats pushed
07:33their limited resolution moaning the loss of life during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
07:37and calling for a swift end to it.
07:39The resolution was passed with the Europeans and the G7 minus the Americans voting in favor
07:45of the draft resolution.
07:47India abstained, along with China.
08:03I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.
08:07Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S. 2025.112 please raise
08:15their hand.
08:17Those against, abstentions.
08:25The result of the voting is as follows.
08:28Ten votes in favor, zero against, five abstentions.
08:32The draft resolution has been adopted as Resolution 2774-2025.
08:45India's abstention is not a surprise, since it has abstained from the U.N. resolutions
08:50on Russia-Ukraine war in the past.
08:52India's voting was the manifestation of its diplomat tightrope walk with strategic partners
08:58on both sides.
08:59Bureau report, India Today.
09:03Now, let's just break down this voting process at the U.N. for you.
09:09Assembly of U.N., advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine was proposed
09:16by Ukraine and co-sponsored by a host of European countries.
09:20It was a three-page document.
09:22The U.S. tabled its own version alongside the first document, which was entitled Path
09:28to Peace.
09:29When it came to the vote, Ukraine's version passed by 93 votes to 18.
09:34The U.S. voted against, alongside Russia, marking a major shift of its position on the
09:40conflict and previous votes.
09:42Sixty-five countries, including India and China, abstained.
09:46At the Security Council, on the other hand, a vote was held on the United States resolution.
09:51There were attempts to add amendments supported by several Western European countries, referring
09:56to a full-scale invasion by Russia and Ukraine's territorial integrity, while Russia wanted
10:02to acknowledge the deeply rooted reasons for the conflict and lasting peace in Ukraine
10:09and in Russia.
10:11But the amendments were voted down.
10:13The resolution was passed without any changes by the 15-member council, 10 in favor, zero
10:19against, and five abstentions.
10:21Out of the five permanent members, U.S. sided with Russia yet again and China voted in favor.
10:28The other two permanent members, that is U.K. and France, abstained.
10:32Now, to discuss more, I'm being joined by Ambassador Swanee Freddie.
10:36He is the former ambassador of Denmark to India, has been watching very closely what's
10:41happening.
10:42Ambassador Freddie, thank you so much for joining us here on India Today.
10:46It is a big development.
10:47Is there a growing fear now in Europe that this, the Russia-Ukraine war, is indeed a
10:53European war and America will not support Europe?
10:59Certainly, you will find people and you will find experts having that view that now Europe
11:10will have to deal with this war unprovoked, war on its own.
11:14You see a lot of countries, including Denmark, which I belong to, really talking in that
11:21direction.
11:22We need to build up our own defense capabilities.
11:27That is, of course, a reflection of the last couple of weeks, many, many different changes
11:34and developments.
11:36A lot of people are talking about peace.
11:39I also saw that Macron, President Macron, was talking about peace.
11:43But do they really mean the same thing when they talk about peace?
11:47Obviously, President Trump has put everything up in the air and nobody knows how it can
11:54land, how it will land and can it land.
11:57And whatever comes out of it, I think we will see a lot of turbulence in the years ahead.
12:02So a tectonic shift has happened and we have to deal with that, whether we like it or not.
12:08That's a reality.
12:10Well, a tectonic shift indeed.
12:12The fact that we are not only looking at the Russia-Ukraine war, where Trump is siding
12:16with Russia this time around, but also Denmark has had its own problems with the Trump administration.
12:22In such a scenario, Ambassador Freddie, where do you see the older alliances?
12:27Is America a reliable partner at all?
12:31A lot of people are questioning whether the U.S. can be, will be a reliable partner in
12:38the future, being a former diplomat, but also a very strong defender of the transatlantic
12:47ties.
12:47I think we have to do whatever we can in order to secure that U.S. is still playing an important,
12:54not to say a vital role in the transatlantic relationship and thereby also securing that
13:01we have peace stability in Europe.
13:03But it should not really hide the fact that Europe has to do even more.
13:08I think we have realized on our side that Europe has not done too much over too many
13:13years and therefore the wake up call by President Trump has ignited a development that has been
13:23unprecedented.
13:25So Europe has to take responsibility and I feel that Europe is going to take a very,
13:30very strong responsibility.
13:32And I am also happy to see that Denmark has taken very, very important steps and nobody
13:40can expect others to defend yourself.
13:42It's like the old thing when you come to an aircraft, the first thing you are told if
13:48the pressure in the cabin is just falling away, then you have to put a mask on and please
13:56help yourself first before you are helping others.
13:58And I think this kind of picture image is also applying to what we are seeing now.
14:05We have to help ourselves before we are expecting others to help us.
14:10Well, that's right, Ambassador Freddie.
14:12The UN resolution and the votes are a clear pattern of what lies ahead.
14:16The next four years are going to be turbulent for you.
14:19But in such a scenario, is this war sustainable?
14:22Can Europe really sustain this war if America does not support it?
14:27There are different views on it.
14:28I think what is important is that Europe is building up its defense capabilities and you
14:36see a lot of initiatives, the European Commission, whatever different states are doing.
14:43My prime minister has just been to Norway today and so forth.
14:46So you see a lot of new things and developments that you might not even have thought about
14:52two weeks, three weeks ago.
14:54So Trump has really disrupted everything.
14:59And it's also good for us.
15:01It's good for each and every that we now have to take responsibility for our own security.
15:08Nobody can be spared in this context.
15:10You can't hide behind others.
15:12That goes for India.
15:13That goes for Denmark.
15:14That goes for Europe.
15:15But it also goes for US.
15:17You have to take responsibility.
15:19Put the mask on yourself first before you're helping others.
15:23Right.
15:24Ambassador Freddie, thank you so much for joining us here on the network.
15:27It is a developing story.
15:28We hope to have you on the India perspective when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war as
15:33well, because a lot has changed.
15:35And it seems like India for the next four years is on the right side of history, so
15:39to say.
15:40Thank you so much for joining us here on the network.
15:42You're most welcome.
15:43All the best.
15:46All right.
15:47Now shifting focus to another big story.
15:50This is coming in from Pakistan.
15:52Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
15:57But under the shadow of high security tensions, intelligence reports have warned of a major
16:03terror threat with the Islamic State Khorasan province, that is the ISKP, a proscribed organization
16:10allegedly plotting to kidnap foreign nationals for ransom.
16:14Chinese and Arab visitors are said to be prime targets, with operatives already conducting
16:19surveillance at airports, ports, and residential areas.
16:24In response, Pakistani security forces have deployed over 12,000 personnel in key cities
16:30like Lahore and Ralpindi.
16:32From elite police units to special rangers, authorities are leaving no stone unturned.
16:38Afghanistan's intelligence agency has also issued an alert on possible ISKP attacks,
16:43further intensifying fears.
16:50Good day, good day.
16:54Now US President Donald Trump's administration carried out a job cut in the Federal Aviation
17:01Administration recently, but the government clarified that no one with a critical safety
17:06position has been fired.
17:08According to the union and former employees, some FAA jobs that were eliminated had direct
17:14roles in supporting safety inspectors and airport operations.
17:19This comes at a time when between January 20th and today, there have been seven incidents
17:26of aviation accidents in the US skies or involving US airlines.
17:31Most of them involve fatal casualties.
17:34Here is a report.
17:38A Delta Airlines flight returned to Atlanta soon after taking off on Monday morning, as
17:44crew members reported smoke inside the cockpit.
17:51The flight 876 took off from Atlanta airport was headed to South Carolina's Columbia before
17:57the crew reported a possible smoke in the cabin.
18:01The flight returned safely to Atlanta and all 94 passengers were evacuated.
18:09Two days before on Saturday, another Delta Airlines flight bound for Australia returned
18:13to Los Angeles International Airport after smoke was detected in the galley.
18:19This comes within a week of the Toronto crash landing of yet another Delta Airlines flight.
18:25On 17th February, the Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis crashed,
18:30turned upside down and caught fire on the runaway at Toronto injuring 21 people.
18:35At the time, there were 21 injured passengers ranging from minor to critical,
18:42but not life-threatening injuries.
18:44A total of 19 passengers went to the hospital, local hospitals,
18:48with two more going to hospitals in the time period after.
18:52Delta Airlines is not the only one.
18:55In fact, since January 20th, there have been four other aviation major incidents in US skies.
19:02January 29, a catastrophic midair crash over Washington DC claimed 67 lives.
19:09January 31, seven people were killed after a medical transport plane
19:14crashed into a northeast Philadelphia neighborhood, setting multiple homes ablaze.
19:20February 6, a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska
19:24on its way to the hub community of Nome.
19:27All 10 people on board died.
19:31February 10, a Learjet collision with a parked jet in Scottsdale resulted in one fatality.
19:39Most blame this recent spike in accidents in US aviation on job cuts
19:43in the Federal Aviation Administration, or the FAA.
19:47About 400 personnel were let go.
19:50To be clear, the FAA has 46,000 employees.
19:54This was, I think, 352 employees.
19:58And the employees that were laid off were employed for less than a year.
20:05So these are not the highest skilled members of the FAA.
20:10Not only that, we exempted people who work in critical safety positions,
20:15like air traffic controllers, like inspectors.
20:18They were all exempt.
20:20And by the way, we're actually hiring more inspectors, more air traffic controllers.
20:25So we're building up those critical positions.
20:28A recent survey conducted by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
20:34found that most US adults continue to believe that air travel is generally safe.
20:40Americans' confidence in air transportation and the federal agencies
20:44tasked with maintaining air safety has slipped a little from last year.
20:49Bureau Report, India Today.
20:54Let's take a look at world at a glance where we take you through
20:57all the international headlines that we couldn't focus on in this episode.
21:04The US government federal workers had to face confusion
21:15following conflicting advice over compliance with an Elon Musk-backed order
21:20to list their last week's work in an email or face termination.
21:24Just 48 hours after an email asking,
21:27what did you do last week was sent, the office behind it terrified responses were voluntary,
21:33leaving agencies to decide their approach.
21:36Meanwhile, President Donald Trump weighed in that workers who did not
21:39comply with Musk's demand would be fired or sort of semi-fired.
21:46UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that UK will increase its defence spending
21:51to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.
21:54The UK's defence spending is currently equal to 2.3% of GDP.
21:59While defence spending increases, Starmer says
22:02international aid spending will fall from 0.5% of national income to 0.3%.
22:09The announcement comes days before Starmer flies to the US.
22:14A US Coast Guard cutter crossing the Tasman Sea as part of maritime security cooperation
22:19with Australia and New Zealand, new Chinese naval ships were in the area
22:24but had no interaction with them.
22:26China's navy held live-fire exercises on February 21 and 22 in international waters
22:32between Australia and New Zealand that Australian officials have described as unprecedented.
22:37Earlier, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defence had grabbed Australia
22:42for making unfounded accusation against the Chinese navy's lawful military exercises
22:48in seawaters of Australia.
22:51Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov landed in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian officials.
22:57His visit comes days after Moscow held initial talks with the US
23:01just a month after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
23:04Lavrov will discuss regional and bilateral topics with Iranian Foreign Minister
23:09Abbas Araghchi during his one-day trip to Iran.
23:14Starbucks announced that the company is laying off 1,000 more employees
23:18The company is laying off 1,100 corporate employees and eliminate hundreds of open roles
23:24as part of a broader effort to streamline its structure and improve operational efficiency.
23:30Starbucks CEO Brian Nicol said in a letter to employees that the company is simplifying
23:36its structure by shedding redundant roles and creating smaller, more nimble teams.
23:49With all the latest updates from the world.
23:52Goodbye and take care.