US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands ahead a meeting in Helsinki. AFP
US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands ahead a meeting in Helsinki. AFP
US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands ahead a meeting in Helsinki. AFP
US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands ahead a meeting in Helsinki. AFP

Russia 'regrets' Trump decision to cancel Putin talks, says domestic issues prompted the move


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US President Donald Trump's decision to cancel talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit was regrettable, the Kremlin said on Friday, while the Russian foreign ministry claimed that "domestic" issues in the US may have prompted the move.

"We regret the US administration's decision to cancel the meeting," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

"This means that discussion of important issues on the international and bilateral agenda will be postponed indefinitely."

Mr Putin, he said, "is ready to have contacts with his American counterpart."

Meanwhile, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned the motives behind Mr Trump's decision.

"Is the provocation started by Kiev in this area (Azov Sea) a real reason for the cancellation? We heard that as an official version and we accepted that. Is it a real one? I believe we should look for answers in the U.S. domestic political situation," she was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Mr Trump kicked off two days of diplomacy at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina on Friday after his abrupt decision to cancel a meeting with President Putin overshadowed the proceedings before they even started.

Mr Trump barreled into the two-day meeting by announcing via Twitter that he was canceling on Putin over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels. His agenda Friday is expected to include meetings with world leaders, the signing of a revamped trade deal with Canada and Mexico, as well as a number of group activities for the gathering of rich and developing nations.

Coming into this G-20, Mr Trump faces a series of diplomatic challenges — most notably whether he can strike an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease trade tensions.

Mr Trump on Thursday scrapped the meeting over Moscow's seizure at the weekend of three Ukrainian ships and continued detention of a group of Ukrainian sailors.

The two had been set for bilateral talks on Saturday at the G20 in Buenos Aires.

Mr Trump on Thursday scrapped the meeting over Moscow's seizure at the weekend of three Ukrainian ships and continued detention of a group of Ukrainian sailors.

The two had been set for bilateral talks on Saturday at the G20 in Buenos Aires.

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Read more:

President Trump barrels into G-20 summit after nixing Putin meeting

G20 summit: Donald Trump cancels Vladimir Putin meeting amid global friction

QuickTake: G20 leaders meet in Argentina to address economic issues

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Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

Specs

Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km

Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

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