Morning Briefing: Aug. 20, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday, including US President Donald Trump urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show "flexibility" in negotiations with Russia, an Israeli bombardment killing 40 Palestinians in Gaza, Syrian and Israeli officials holding talks in Paris on de-escalation measures, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussing the latest developments in the peace process between Ukraine and Russia.

TOP STORIES

• Zelenskyy needs to show some 'flexibility' in talks to end war with Russia: Trump

US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to demonstrate "flexibility" in negotiations to end the war with Russia.

In a Fox News interview after landmark talks with Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington, Trump said he hopes the Ukrainian president "will do what he has to do" and "show some flexibility" in upcoming talks.

He also referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he spoke to after Monday's White House meeting.

"I hope President Putin is going to be good, and if he is not, it is going to be a rough situation," Trump said in the interview.

• Israeli bombardment kills 40 Palestinians in devastated Gaza

At least 40 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in new Israeli strikes across the war-torn Gaza Strip, medics said.

The incidents included the killing of two Palestinians, including a young girl, when Israeli forces struck a tent sheltering displaced families near the University College in Khan Younis, the official news agency Wafa said, citing medical sources.

Four more Palestinians were killed and several others injured following Israeli shelling of a displacement tent in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.

Two more people were killed and 10 others injured in another strike near the Applied Sciences College in al-Mawasi, while another man was shot dead by Israeli fire in the same area.

Israel has killed nearly 62,100 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing a famine.

• Syrian, Israeli officials hold talks in Paris on de-escalation measures

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani met in Paris with an Israeli delegation to discuss de-escalation measures and stability in southern Syria, the country’s state news agency SANA reported.

The talks centered on reducing tensions, non-interference in Syria’s internal affairs, supporting stability across the region, monitoring the ceasefire in Suwayda province, and reactivating the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, according to the report.

The discussions were held under US mediation as part of wider diplomatic efforts to bolster security in Syria and preserve the country’s unity and territorial integrity, the agency added.

• Turkish President Erdogan, NATO chief discuss latest developments in peace process between Ukraine, Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed the latest developments in the peace process between Russia and Ukraine in a call made by Rutte, said Türkiye's Communications Directorate on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his way back from a summit with the US President (Donald Trump) and EU leaders," said the directorate.

Erdogan and Rutte agreed on close coordination and Türkiye's key role in the Ukraine peace process "as one of NATO’s most important" members, said the statement.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are in the "process of setting up" a bilateral meeting, and he wants to see how the two leaders handle talks before stepping in himself.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed outcomes of the meeting in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders from Europe, said Turkish diplomatic sources.
• Mediators are awaiting Israel’s response after Hamas accepted a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap proposal, Qatar said.
• A deadly bus crash on the Herat-Islam Qala highway with a cargo truck and motorcycle resulted in the deaths of dozens of deported migrants from Iran, according to an official.
• Russian officials made concessions “almost immediately” during last week’s high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US envoy Steve Witkoff said.
• A group of young illegal Israeli settlers who are seizing Palestinian lands attempted to establish a new settlement unit in Quneitra governorate, located within the disengagement zone of the occupied Golan Heights.
• Israeli reserve soldiers have begun receiving call-up notices for a planned occupation of Gaza City, even as Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, local media reported.
• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that he would deploy 4.5 million members of the national militia in response to "threats" from the US.
• The White House ruled out deploying US ground forces in Ukraine while confirming that air support remains under consideration as part of security guarantees.
• The Lebanese government will not back down from a decision to enforce exclusive state control over weapons, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said.
• Sudan’s Health Ministry said that 1,575 new cholera cases and 22 deaths were recorded nationwide over the past week.
• Air Canada and its flight attendants reached a mediated tentative agreement, paving the way for the airline to resume flights after a three-day shutdown.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• South African activists protest against French oil giant TotalEnergies, major bank

Dozens of climate activists in South Africa marched to condemn Standard Bank for its alleged funding of French oil giant TotalEnergies, whom they accuse of ecologically destructive fossil fuel operations on the continent, demanding reparations and restorative justice for the damage reportedly caused.

They carried placards saying “Africa is not for sale,” Kick Total out,” “Total Gas kills” and “StopEACOP.”

• US expands 50% steel, aluminum tariffs' scope to include 407 new product types

The US Commerce Department announced that it expanded the scope of its 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to include 407 new product categories.

The additional tariffs, which went into effect Monday, broaden the scope of the charges on the valued goods that President Donald Trump had previously imposed.

Products that include or are contained in steel or aluminum, such as fire extinguishers, machinery, building supplies and specialized chemicals, are now included on the tariff list.