Tuesday 23 Teves – Russia responds to Trump’s ultimatum on ending war – Trump moves to reimpose foreign terror designation on Yemens Houthis – Top officials said already gearing up for 2nd phase hostage talks, ahead of schedule

Russia’s deputy envoy to the United Nations has responded to Donald Trump’s economic threats against Moscow.

Earlier, the US president said he would impose tariffs and sanctions “if we don’t make a ‘deal’ and soon”.

Now, Dmitry Polyanskiy has said the Kremlin would need to see what Trump thinks a deal comprises of before proceeding.

“It’s not merely the question of ending the war,” Polyanskiy told Reuters.

“It’s first and foremost the question of addressing root causes of Ukrainian crisis.”

He continued: “So we have to see what does the ‘deal’ mean in President Trump’s understanding. He is not responsible for what the US has been doing in Ukraine since 2014, making it ‘anti-Russia’ and preparing for the war with us, but it is in his power now to stop this malicious policy.”

US President Donald Trump moves to reimpose the designation of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel movement in Yemen as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Trump’s first administration designated the Houthis as a FTO, but the move was reversed by former US president Joe Biden due to concerns that the highest-level sanction was preventing aid organizations from delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians in Yemen.

Toward the end of his term, Biden did reapply a lower level terror designation of the Houthis after the rebel group began a campaign of missile attacks on Israel and on Red Sea shipping routes, which severely hampered the global economy. The Houthis claimed they took the step in solidarity with Palestinians following Hamas’s October 2023 attack and pledged to maintain their attacks until Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Wednesday, Trump signs an executive order that directs the State Department to prepare a report within 30 days recommending that the FTO label be reapplied to the Houthis. Within 15 days of receipt of that report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to sign off on the recommendation to again designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terror Organization, the executive order states.

Once the designation has been reapplied, the executive order stipulates that the US Agency for International Development and the State Department sever ties with any entity in Yemen that has made payments to the Houthis or has worked against international efforts to combat the rebel group.

Top officials from the US, Israel, and Egypt were reportedly already moving on the second stage of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal on Wednesday, some two weeks ahead of the scheduled date for the discussions to begin.

The reports came as Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he was ready to start mediating talks on the second stage of the three-phase deal as soon as possible, and as US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, asserted his commitment to reaching the second phase amid concerns that Israel will resume fighting after the first stage is over.

The Qatari prime minister told the Walla outlet that he plans to speak to Mossad head David Barnea this week to begin discussing negotiations on the second phase of the agreement: “We are pushing for this.”

Al Thani spoke in Davos, where he is attending the annual World Economic Forum.

Witkoff will also hold talks on the second phase when he arrives, Walla reported.

An unnamed senior Israeli official told the Walla site that Israel has “no problem” beginning the talks before day 16, but cautioned that the process could be lengthy.

“Negotiations on the first phase lasted months, and reaching an agreement on the second phase may also take a long time,” the unnamed official said. Previously, Israeli officials have said the discussions were set to begin on day 16 of the first phase of the deal.

Another Israeli official told the site that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Barnea held talks on the deal during their Cairo meetings with Egyptian intelligence officials this week, but noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not yet had a meeting on the second phase of the deal. Nonetheless, he stressed that Israel wants to see the ceasefire plan through.

Channel 12 reported that while in Egypt, Bar and Barnea specifically discussed details of the second phase of the deal, including how many Palestinian security prisoners would be released for each Israeli hostage set free.

Qatar, Egypt, and the United States brokered the multi-phase deal between Israel and Hamas terrorists, and the two Arab countries have set up a communications hub in Cairo to head off new clashes between the foes.

Despite the reported developments, the fate of the latter stages of the ceasefire deal is still in question. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said Netanyahu promised him that fighting will be renewed after the first phase ends. Smotrich has vowed to not allow a deal that stops the war before Hamas is destroyed.

Even Trump, who has touted his role in securing the deal, said Monday he was “not confident” that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement would be upheld through all three phases.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just held his first phone call with new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio “underscored that maintaining the United States’ steadfast support for Israel is a top priority” for US President Donald Trump, a readout from the State Department says.

The secretary “congratulated” Netanyahu “on Israel’s successes against Hamas and Hezbollah and pledged to work tirelessly to help free all remaining hostages held in Gaza,” the US readout adds.

Rubio “also conveyed that he looks forward to addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for peace,” according to the State Department.

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