Putin warned before he visited Alaska – Midweek

•  The US President Donald Trump has seriously warned his Russian counterpart before his arrival in Alaska. Trump is looking for constructive negotiations with Putin, not just talks without action. 
•  The European leaders have also stressed their position to Trump on the eve of the Alaska summit. 
•  The recent earthquake in Turkey has heightened concerns, voiced earlier this year by a seismologist, about the possible collapse of Istanbul.
•  Following the former president, his wife, the former first lady, has also been arrested.
•  Netanyahu, taking advantage of Iran’s water shortage, appealed to the Iranian nation with a jug filled with water. 
Learn about the details of the major events that took place around the world by midweek in QALAMPIR.UZ’s Midweek program.

Putin warned before he visited Alaska

August 15. This date might result in tectonic changes in the geopolitical area. Or otherwise, it might be fruitless like previous results and could end with Trump becoming disillusioned with Putin. The meeting between Trump and Putin in a territory that was handed over by the Russian Empire virtually for free 150 years ago to the United States, which was then rapidly growing into a genuinely powerful state, can be seen as carrying a certain symbolic significance, both for that era and for the present day. But everything is attributable to its geographical location here. From the farthest stretches of Russia’s vast lands in the Far East, Alaska is just a step away, that is, in fact, a mere 4 kms. That’s why one could agree with Peskov’s view that the Alaska option is a logically sound decision for both sides. 
Now turning to the specific and so-far known details about the meeting venue. The White House press secretary announced that the U.S. and Russian presidents’ summit will take place in Anchorage, the largest city in the state of Alaska. However, the exact date of the meeting has not yet been disclosed. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and home to 40 percent of the state’s population. It is located on the coast in the southern part of Alaska. Once it was confirmed that the summit would be held in Alaska, CNN promptly clarified exactly which location and building would host it. The network reported that the bilateral meeting in Alaska will be held at the Joint Elmendorf-Richardson military base. Following the start of the preparations for the meeting, organizers concluded that the only city in Alaska suitable for hosting the summit would be the state’s largest city, Anchorage.

As for the international meetings and consultations organized in the run-up to the summit, these were mostly remembered for phone conversations between Putin and Zelensky’s respective partners, as well as European leaders holding both closed and open videoconferences with Trump and Vice President Vance. Vladimir Putin informed China, India, Central Asia, and his most recent close military ally, Kim Jong Un, about the details of the negotiations with the United States. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy drew public attention by speaking with Tokayev and Aliyev. Engaging in dialogue with Tokayev, who publicly challenges the Russian president on the international stage from time to time, and Aliyev, who in recent times has not let Moscow’s imperialist policies and unequal relations go unanswered, was a distinctive move on Zelensky’s part.

However, it could be said that the European leaders’ consultation with Trump was the most important discussion ahead of the Alaska summit. On August 13, U.S. and European officials held an online conversation via videoconference dedicated to the upcoming meeting in Alaska and to halting the Russian invasion. Zelensky decided not to join the discussion from Kyiv but instead attended in person from Germany, the geographically closest of his powerful partners. That day, Zelensky was not the only one sitting alongside the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Among the other participants in pairs were French President Macron with European Council President António Costa, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. As for the details of the discussion, Trump said that the meeting with the European leaders was very positive, and afterward, he made a number of important remarks in his speech at the Kennedy Center.

Trump has stated that if the meeting with Putin goes well, a second summit might be held immediately. Zelensky is expected to join them at this second meeting. According to Trump, it could take place shortly, but only on the condition that the August 15 talks between Putin and Trump in Alaska proved successful. Meanwhile, Reuters, citing its sources, reported that European or Middle Eastern cities are being considered as possible venues for a new meeting aimed at peacefully resolving the situation in Ukraine. However, beyond the second meeting, the key point is what Trump expects from the Alaska negotiations. Naturally, he anticipated only a positive outcome and for Putin to refrain from delivering ultimatums. For this reason, Trump sent a strong signal to the entire Russian political elite at the Kennedy Center. If Russia does not halt its invasion of Ukraine by August 15, Moscow would face “very severe consequences.” One could say this was Trump’s poster for welcoming Putin.

Netanyahu wants to drown the Iranians

Netanyahu, having ordered intensified attacks on Gaza where normal life has long ended and shows no intention of stopping the disgusting actions utterly alien to human values in the sector, once again meddled in Iran’s internal affairs this week. He addressed the Iranian people, calling on them to rise against their government. That was far from Netanyahu’s first such appeal in recent years. The “butcher of Gaza” has made similar statements before, often from his cabinet as a last-ditch attempt to instigate unrest. What stood out this time, however, was the Israeli prime minister’s unusual approach. Against the backdrop of Iran’s ongoing water shortages, Netanyahu appeared with a jug filled with water, promising that as soon as Iran is free from the current regime, he would solve the country’s severe water crisis or, more accurately, entice them with the offer. According to Netanyahu, as soon as Iran is free, leading Israeli water resource experts would travel to every Iranian city, bringing advanced technologies and experience to address the shortages. He also recalled that nearly a decade ago, he had launched a Persian-language Telegram channel to teach water resource management, which quickly gained 100,000 subscribers.

“In this terrible summer heat, you do not even have clean, cold water to give your children. What a hypocrisy. What a contempt for the people. Iran’s thirst for water is matched only by its thirst for freedom,” the Israeli Prime Minister said. 

Furthermore, Netanyahu accused Iran’s leadership of inflicting oppression and poverty on its citizens and diverting hundreds of billions of dollars to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis instead of allocating them for domestic needs. Concluding his speech, he called on Iranians to take to the streets to stand up against the oppression and hold Iranian leaders accountable.

“You do not deserve leaders who flee the country while you suffer alone in times of crisis. Do not allow them to ruin your life for even a single moment. You are not alone. Israel is with you. The entire free world is with you”, Netanyahu said.

It is worth noting that at the end of July this year, Iran faced an unprecedented water crisis. As a result, the country’s capital, Tehran, could be left without a water supply within the coming weeks. Even the country’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, personally admitted that the problems related to water were serious. Western media have attributed the causes of the crisis to years of inefficient water management and a growing imbalance between supply and demand. Overall, Iran has been hit hardest by abnormal heat. Following high temperatures, declining water levels, and power outages, the government was forced to take emergency measures. According to official data, government offices will either be completely closed or switched to a shortened work schedule in at least 15 out of the country’s 31 provinces due to the need to reduce energy consumption. Since mid-July, temperatures in the southern regions have exceeded 50°C (122°F), leading to severe strain on the country’s power grid and large-scale outages. Additionally, reduced water levels in reservoirs have caused water pressure in Tehran to be lowered. Local media have described this drought as the most severe in the past 100 years. However, the heat has not only affected Iran but has also caused electricity-related problems in other Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan. In fact, in Uzbekistan, electricity consumption this year reached a record high, with summer usage surpassing winter consumption for the first time.

Former South Korean first lady arrested

At the age of 52, yet looking like a woman in her mid-20s, South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee, wife of the now-detained former president Yoon Suk Yeol, has reportedly been arrested. According to CNN, on August 12, a South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for her. Kim Keon Hee has been accused of bribery, fraud, and interference in elections. The investigation against the former first lady is one of three special prosecutor probes launched by the country’s new leadership. The current government is led by the liberal party, while former president Yoon Suk Yeol was a conservative. Last December, he made a serious blunder by attempting to impose martial law in the country. Yoon justified his decision as an effort to protect the constitutional order and fend off threats from North Korean communist forces, and that is where it all began. 

He was then removed from office. Initial attempts to arrest him had failed, as the whole world witnessed how the former president’s supporters shielded him from law enforcement agencies. However, in early July this year, the Seoul court issued a second arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol, this time over charges related to his short-term imposition of martial law. By then, an early presidential election had already been held, in which Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the Toburo democratic party, won and assumed power. From that moment, much has changed. Unlike his predecessor, the new president sought engagement rather than confrontation with the North. Yet, the case of the former president has not been closed; in fact, it has only been expanded. Now, with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, known for her youthful looks and rumored “elixir of youth” consumption, turning 53 soon and also heading to prison, the situation has become even more complicated.
Indeed, a president ending up behind bars has almost become a tradition in the political climate of South Korea. However, Yoon and his wife have been the first couple to be arrested simultaneously on criminal charges. The former first lady had already been involved in multiple investigations before her detention. When Kim Keon Hee arrived at the Seoul court for a hearing, she did not speak to journalists. She is currently held in a detention facility in southern Seoul, separate from the one housing Yoon. Reports say Kim was interrogated for about seven hours before her arrest. Investigators believe that in 2022, she and Yoon illegally influenced the conservative party to promote a particular candidate in parliamentary elections. In addition, Kim faces numerous corruption charges. According to investigators, she allegedly accepted expensive gifts from officials in exchange for protecting their interests and may have been involved in a stock price manipulation scheme.

Signal about Istanbul’s collapse

The earthquakes and natural disasters have become an everyday challenge in Turkey, with the country’s seismic situation causing growing concern. While Ankara had long been busy extinguishing forest fires, on August 10 at around 19:55, it was struck by another major tremor. A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Turkey, recorded in the Sindirgi district of Balikesir province. The quake’s epicenter was located at a depth of 11 km. Initially, the incident appeared deadly — reports said four people were trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in Sindirgi. However, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) later confirmed that all four had been rescued. The 6.1-magnitude quake was followed by strong aftershocks in the epicenter area, including three with magnitudes of 4.6, 4.1, and 4.0. According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the disaster resulted in one death, injured 29 people, and led to the collapse of a total of 16 buildings. 

The fact that the earthquake was recorded specifically in Balikesir is, on one hand, unsurprising, but on the other, a reality that heightens earlier predictions and concerns. Because Balikesir is bordered by the dangerous Sea of Marmara, its northern shores are washed by its waters. Since the start of the year, Turkey’s most prominent seismologist, Naci Görür, has been expressing serious concerns about the state of the Sea of Marmara. He has openly admitted that his main worry is the future of Istanbul. According to Görür, a powerful potential earthquake in the Marmara region could pose a grave threat to 4 million of the metropolis’s 16 million inhabitants. The seismic expert has repeatedly emphasized that more than 60 percent of buildings are not earthquake-resistant, and that a major quake in the Sea of Marmara region could bring the country to its knees. Over the past decade, Görür has carried out scientific research on tectonic faults in the Marmara region. He says these studies were conducted in cooperation with some of the world’s leading scientists, using seismic vessels from Italy and France. Even then, he warned that the changes observed in the sea were far from positive.
Görür had expressed concern about the future of the Sea of Marmara, illustrating his predictions primarily through the example of Istanbul. Today, however, the seismic expert’s catastrophic scenario has proven to have real substance. While this prediction did not materialize in Istanbul in the north of the Marmara, it was confirmed in Balikesir, located to the south. The earthquake’s epicenter was indeed recorded in a district quite far from the sea. Nevertheless, Balikesir still lies at the edge of the Marmara region, which only reinforces Naci Görür’s warnings about a potential structural collapse.