Morning bird: Putin and Trump agreed to stop attacks on energy. Erdogan's regime arrested the biggest political competitor
A phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin resulted in a proposal for partial restrictions on attacks on energy infrastructure. The mayor of Istanbul was arrested before the presidential elections in which he was running against the long-standing president Erdogan. In Hungary, a law similar to Russian legislation against the LGBTQ+ community was adopted. Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa wants to involve European and American armies in the fight against cocaine gangs.
Trump's phone call with Putin resulted in a proposal to end attacks on energy
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a long phone call on Tuesday to immediately interrupt strikes against energy infrastructure in Ukraine, but the Russian leader did not support a broader thirty-day interruption of fighting, which is advocated by the American administration. The White House labeled it as the first step in a "move towards peace", which, it hopes, will incorporate a maritime truce in the Black Sea and ultimately a complete and permanent cessation of fighting.
However, nothing indicated that Putin would back down from his conditions for a future peace agreement, against which Kyiv is sharply protesting. And shortly after the call ended, alarm sirens sounded in Kyiv followed by explosions in the city. Local authorities urged people to seek shelter. During the call, Putin reiterated his demand for the termination of foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, while Russian missile attacks continued, the AP agency reported.
The opposition leader was detained in Turkey
The Turkish authorities ordered the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with about 100 other people. The order comes just a few days ahead of the scheduled primary elections of the main opposition Republican People's Party, in which Imamoglu was expected to be elected its presidential candidate. Live TV broadcast by CNN Turkey showed police in riot gear and dozens of security vehicles in front of Imamoglu's house.
The mayor of the largest Turkish city, which is a key political battleground, was detained after Istanbul University announced on Tuesday that it had revoked Imamoglu's title due to certain discrepancies, dealing a blow to the opposition just a few days before they were to select him as their presidential candidate in the next election. Without a university degree, Imamoglu cannot run for president.
Ecuadorian president wants to involve European and American armies in the battle with cocaine gangs
President Noboa has previously indicated that he would like foreign military assistance in the fight against drug cartels, but this is the first time he has directly named the USA, Brazil, and Europe. Security and its resolution is the main issue for voters ahead of the second round of Ecuadorian presidential elections, which will take place on April 13th.
Over his 16-month term, Noboa has decided to crack down hard on gangs and militarize the streets and prisons, however, he has come under criticism, which considers his tactics too harsh. During his tenure, the number of murders in 2023 to 2024 decreased by approximately 16%, yet it remains much higher than in previous years, and in January 2025, it reached a record value of 781 murders in one month, up to 70% of the world production of cocaine comes from Ecuadorian mafias, reported by BBC.
Hungary approves law against LGBTQ+ following Russian model
On Tuesday, a new law against LGBTQ+ was approved in Hungary, which bans Pride events and allows authorities to use facial recognition software to identify participants of these celebrations, leading to extensive demonstrations in the streets of Budapest. After the vote, several thousand protesters gathered in front of the Hungarian Parliament chanting anti-government slogans. They later blockaded Margaret Bridge over the Danube, blocking traffic and ignoring police orders to leave the area.
The measures, reminiscent of similar restrictions against sexual minorities in Russia, were approved by 136 votes to 27. The law, which was backed by Orbán's Fidesz party and its minority coalition partner the Christian Democrats, was passed through parliament on Monday in an accelerated procedure, wrote the agency AP.
Sources: AP, CNN, BBC
