Morning Briefing: June 27, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday with, including US President Donald Trump saying that a trade deal was signed with China, Türkiye condemning all forms of attacks violating Qatar's sovereignty, and Russia confirming that Istanbul remains the venue for Ukraine peace talks.

TOP STORIES

• Trump says trade deal signed with China on Wednesday

US President Donald Trump said the United States signed a trade deal with China on Wednesday, without disclosing the details.

"Well, we just signed with China yesterday, right? Just signed with China," Trump said at the One Big Beautiful Bill Event at the White House.

“In the China deal, we're starting to open up China. Things that never really could have happened,” he added.

• Türkiye condemns all forms of attacks violating Qatar's sovereignty: President Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara condemned "all forms of attacks" that violate Qatar’s sovereignty, stressing Türkiye's support for its "Qatari brothers" in a phone call with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said the country's Communications Directorate.

During the talks, they discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues.

Erdogan noted that during the NATO Summit, he spoke with his counterparts about the military escalation between Iran and Israel.

• Russia confirms Istanbul remains venue for Ukraine peace talks

Istanbul remains the venue for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed.

Responding to a question from Anadolu at a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said the timing of the next round will be determined by the heads of delegations.

"We proceed from the assumption that Istanbul remains the venue. As for the date of the next round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, it will be determined by the heads of delegations," she said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• European Council President Antonio Costa described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as “catastrophic” and deplored the human rights situation there.
• US senators were divided in their assessments following a classified briefing on American airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, with Democrats questioning the Trump administration’s claims while Republicans defended the operation's success.
• Israeli police suppressed a protest in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, arresting seven demonstrators who demanded an immediate prisoner exchange with Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, even if it required ending the war, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.
• An explosion occurred on the premises of a film studio in Azerbaijan's capital Baku, according to the Culture Ministry.
• UN experts unequivocally condemned Sunday’s US aerial attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites.
• China’s Defense Ministry called on the US to cease using Beijing as an excuse to deceive and mislead the American people and the international community, Xinhua News Agency reported.
• The American Embassy in Qatar lifted restrictions on travel to the US' Al Udeid Air Base near Doha, the State Department said.
• There is "no indication" that Iran was able to move its enriched uranium stockpiles before the US carried out airstrikes on three key nuclear facilities that the Trump administration has claimed "obliterated" the sites, the White House said.
• Iran announced the death of senior Quds Force commander Mohammad Saeed Izadi in an Israeli airstrike, according to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) statement that was carried by the official IRNA news agency.
• The Sudanese army announced that its forces seized control of Malakan, a key area in Blue Nile state, as part of ongoing operations against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in southeastern Sudan.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) raised an alarm over escalating violence and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the occupied West Bank, pointing to a rise in deaths, injuries and disruptions to daily life.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the date of the third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul will be determined after completing prisoner of war exchanges.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US Treasury secretary says OECD pillar taxes will not apply to US firms

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his agency will announce a joint understanding for G7 countries that defends American interests and American companies will not have to pay the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) global tax deal's pillar taxes.

"On January 20, the President (Donald Trump) issued two Executive Orders instructing Treasury to defend US tax sovereignty, and as a result of President Trump’s leadership, we now have a great deal for the American people," Bessent said on social media.

He noted that OECD Pillar 2 taxes will not apply to US companies and the Treasury Department will work cooperatively to implement the agreement across the OECD-G20 Inclusive Framework in the coming weeks and months.

• China begins issuing rare earth export licenses to EU companies: Report

China began issuing licenses for rare earth elements and magnets to EU firms, the South China Morning Post reported, citing EU sources.

The report said European governments and businesses have been urging Chinese officials to relax export restrictions that were imposed following US President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" in April.

It comes after the Chinese Commerce Ministry said it had been “accelerating approval of rare earth export licenses” for EU firms in “accordance with the law,” according to the Global Times.