Reuters World News - Trump-Zelenskiy, Gaza, Bolivia and Swatch controversy

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

* This episode was updated to include U.S., Ukrainian and European leaders meeting in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy say they hope that Monday's meeting could eventually lead to trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. European leaders are in Washington, D.C. to bolster Ukraine’s position. Hamas rejects Israel's Gaza relocation plan. A historic defeat for Bolivia's left party. And Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologized and pulled adverts that had been accused of being racist. Find today's Recommended Read ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Listen to ⁠On Assignment⁠ podcast here. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the ⁠⁠Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement⁠⁠ for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit ⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠ to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, U.S. President Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodemir Zelensky at the White House to discuss a peace deal for Ukraine. Hamas rejects Israel's plan to move Palestinian South as the Israeli military prepares to take over Gaza City. Swatch faces backlash in China over an ad-dubbed a racist trope, and Bolivia's ruling party faces its worst defeat in a generation. It's Monday, August 18th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines and 10 minutes, seven days a week.

I'm Kim Vannell and Wanganui, New Zealand. And I'm Christopher Walgessper in Chicago. Convierte your passion in a business with Shopify and bathe records of ventas with the form of pay with a better conversion of the world. Has heard of bien? The best conversion of the world. The incredible system of shopify

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with Shopify. Empea. your period of per year per month on Shopify. dot us bar records. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President

Volodyr Zelensky shake hands in the Oval Office at the start of another round of high-stakes talks that could shape Ukraine's future. Everything works out well today. And I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.

Zelensky extending a special thanks to the First Lady of the United States for writing to Russia's Vladimir Putin about Ukraine's children. He also addressed Russia's continual bombardment of Ukraine in the lead-up to the talks. There have been a lot of attacks and a lot of wounded people and the child was dead. It's a small one, one year and a half. So we need to stop this war to stop Russia and we need support American and European partners. Zelensky's backed by strong support from the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Finland, who will also meet with Trump. When asked if security guarantees for Ukraine could involve U.S. troops, Trump didn't rule it out.

Your team has talked about security guarantees. Could that involve U.S. troops? Would you roll that out in the future? We'll let you know that maybe later today. We're meeting with seven great leaders of great countries also, and we'll be talking about that. He also says he plans to speak with Vladimir Putin after the meetings. Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Maloney, says she believes this is an opportunity to end the stalemate. And for the West to provide the united support,

it is guaranteed to keep. Sources say a proposal put forward by Russia's Vladimir Putin would see Moscow give up small pockets of occupied territory, while Ukraine would seed a fortified swath of land in the east and agree to freeze the front lines elsewhere. For this meeting, Zelensky traded in his military attire for a black suit, unlike the first time he met Trump in the Oval Office. That meeting ended in a heated exchange between the two leaders. A reporter, Max Hunter in Kiev, has been looking into how Zelensky's approaching these talks. He was asked about this yesterday, and Zelensky seemed in quite good spirits. He said he was ready for a productive conversation.

And I think the attendance of European leaders who Trump gets along with and likes will just take the heat out of things a little bit, view the whole thing with a more respectful and convivial tone. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said Zelensky could end the war almost immediately, suggesting Ukraine should drop its ambitions to reclaim Crimea and should abandon its NATO bid. White House reporter Trevor Hunwicka says Trump is very keen to get a deal over the line. The president has positioned himself as kind of a peacemaker, especially in his second term. somebody who's kind of going around to various conflicts and using leverage to solve them. And he's positioned himself as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

So it's very important on that front. It's also important because the United States has been providing security assistance to Ukraine, providing diplomatic support, providing money, weapons. And the U.S. public is very divided about that. In Gaza City, a column of traffic, donkeys with carts, Vans piled with mattresses move slowly out of town. People are fleeing after Israel announced its plan for the military to take control of the city

and to relocate residents to the south of the Gaza Strip. Hamas is rejecting the plan, calling it a new wave of genocide and displacement. In Israel, meanwhile, thousands of people took to the street in a nationwide strike in support of the families of homes, hostages in Gaza and calling for an end to the war. Many Israelis fear the government plan to seize Gaza City

could risk the lives of the 20 or so hostages thought to still be alive. Hurricane Erin has re-intensified into a category four storm. The U.S. National Hurricane Center is warning of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the eastern seaboard as a result. Right now, the hurricane is about 1,000 miles off North Carolina, with winds of up to 130 miles an hour. And historic night in Bolivia, where the ruling left-wing party is on track to suffer its

worst defeat in a generation. The presidential election is heading toward a runoff with early exit polls showing no candidates securing enough support for an outright win. Lucinda Elliott is covering the race and says the ruling party is being punished for mismanaging the economy that's buckling under high inflation. Bolivians can no longer freely access their dollar savings because of a currency crisis. On the black market, the dollar is selling for twice the amount as the official pegged rate. And this is really hurting many voters already living in one of South America's poorest countries.

And the election result, if it's confirmed in full, could really mark the end of nearly 20 years of leftist rule in this lithium-rich country and for the first time see a centre or centre-right government come in. And that's important for investors who are keen to see a shift to a more pro-business administration. You know, many of Bolivia's companies, its natural gas and its energy firms are state-owned. And so this will be a sign for the kind of wider business community this week as the two main leading candidates have already acknowledged the need for austerity measures and to also open up the economy. Air Canada's planes remain grounded on Monday morning

after striking flight attendants refused in order to return to work. A Labor Relations Board has ordered the union to start binding arbitration and get staff back on shift. But the union said no, setting up an almost unprecedented standoff with the Canadian government which has requested the order. Swiss Watchmaker Swatch is apologising for ads featuring images of an Asian male model pulling the corner. corners of his eyes back with his fingertips.

The ad sparked swift backlash in China, where many said the imagery was offensive and perpetuated harmful stereotypes. Casey Hall is in Shanghai. A lot of the commentary about this ad on Chinese social media is talking about how it leans on racist tropes about Asian eyes. I do think the most common comment that I've seen is really what were they thinking? You know, Swatch is a big company with a long history and a long history in the China and Asian markets. And people just seem kind of astounded that this kind of got through the checks and balances process and even came out.

And this is a delicate time for Swatch, right? It is a delicate time for Swatch. They've traditionally been very exposed to the China market. The China consumer market, as everybody knows, has slowed in recent years. And Swatch sales globally have slowed even. though they've seen some strength in other markets like the US and Japan, the slowdown in China has affected their sales globally. This is not a great thing to happen for a company like Swatch that is so heavily dependent on China.

And for today's recommended read, a look at the career of actor Terrence Stamp, who's died aged 87, known for his role in the adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and as Archvillian General Zod in Superman and Superman 2, he also missed out on succeeding Sean Connery as James Bond. There's a link to Hizabeth Tree in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today,

check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.