Frankly Speaking: Russia’s view on talks in Saudi Arabia

Biden admin part of problem on Ukraine?
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Updated 30 March 2025
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Frankly Speaking: Russia’s view on talks in Saudi Arabia

Frankly Speaking: Russia’s view on talks in Saudi Arabia
  • Biden administration was part of the Ukraine problem; Trump changed the optics, senior Russian diplomat tells current affairs show
  • Dmitry Polyanskiy thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting Russia-US talks, calling the Kingdom a center for global diplomacy

RIYADH: Far from building bridges to end the war in Ukraine, the administration of former US President Joe Biden was part of the problem, Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, has said.

In an interview with the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking,” Polyanskiy shared his insights on the complexities of the Ukraine conflict, the emerging role of Saudi Arabia in international diplomacy, and Russia’s perspectives on the crises in Gaza, Sudan, and Syria.

Appearing on “Frankly Speaking” just days after Saudi Arabia hosted separate talks between US officials and their counterparts from Russia and Ukraine, Polyanskiy suggested that a change of “optics” could have resolved the conflict years ago.

“The previous (American) administration was unfortunately part of the problem, not part of the solution,” Polyanskiy told “Frankly Speaking” host Katie Jensen. “And it has done a lot to create this issue, to set up something that is better characterized as anti-Russia rather than (pro-Ukraine).”

He argued that this “fatal decision to provoke Russia” had devastating consequences for Ukraine, leading to an escalation that ultimately triggered Moscow’s “special military operation” in February 2022.

According to Polyanskiy, Washington’s actions directly contributed to the conflict. “The Biden administration was one of those who was fueling the war, who was trying to do everything to inflict a strategic (defeat) on Russia, and it hasn’t changed its course until the very end,” he said.

In stark contrast, Polyanskiy praised the approach of US President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January, suggesting his administration had adopted a more realistic perspective aligned with the realities on the ground.




Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, spoke on a wide range of geopolitical issues. (AN Photo)

“The Trump administration views it absolutely differently, and this is the right approach,” he said.

“They are realists. They understand the real situation on the battlefield. They understand that the Kyiv regime is now losing, and hence the new proposals that they are making, these are realistic proposals and really aimed at stopping hostilities, which would be a good scenario first and foremost for Ukraine.”

He encapsulated this shift in approach with a concise observation: “President Trump has just changed the optics.”

Last week’s talks in Riyadh saw a draft agreement involving a ceasefire over the Black Sea in exchange for an easing of sanctions on Russia. A byproduct of these talks has been Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a hub for international diplomacy.

Polyanskiy acknowledged and welcomed this development, highlighting the changing landscape of global diplomacy.

“The world is changing and new centers of diplomatic activity are emerging,” he said. “We used to have Geneva, for example, but Geneva is now very much compromised because of the position that the Swiss government has taken.

“They exploit a notion of neutrality, but they’re acting not as a neutral country.”

Polyansky expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s proactive engagement in seeking a peaceful resolution.

“Against this background, our Saudi brothers behaved in a very, very positive way, in a very forthcoming manner,” he said. “They reached out to us, they reached out to Americans, to Ukrainians, and it’s hard to overestimate the role that they played.”

He also conveyed the appreciation of Russia’s leaders for Saudi Arabia’s efforts in facilitating these crucial discussions.

“We thank them very much for their hospitality,” he said. “The talks were organized at an excellent level, and I think that my leaders also reached out to their Saudi counterparts thanking them for what they are doing.”

Polyanskiy envisioned a promising future for Riyadh as a center for international diplomacy, particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“Riyadh right now has all the chances to transform into a diplomatic capital of the world, at least in terms of Russia-Ukraine, and the US-Russia-Ukraine negotiations,” he said.

“And it’s a very good start, and I think that there are all the chances that Saudi diplomacy will play a more instrumental role here, and we are very grateful for this opening.”

Expanding on the scope of the US-Russia talks, Polyanskiy noted that they encompassed broader issues beyond Ukraine, including the crisis in Gaza. He referenced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s previous statements affirming Russia’s support for the rights of the Palestinians.

When Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abbas interviewed Putin last year ahead of the BRICS summit in Kazan, the Russian president clearly stated Moscow’s support for a two-state solution and affirmed that the Palestinian people should not leave their land.

Responding to a question about Russia’s potential role in pressuring Israel to end the conflict in Gaza, Polyanskiy acknowledged the limitations of Moscow’s influence compared to that of Washington.

“It’s hard for us to put pressure on Israel, because I don’t think that we have the same leverage on Israeli politicians in comparison, for example, to the US, traditionally,” he said. “So of course the US role here is indispensable to put Israel on a more reasonable path.”

Polyanskiy expressed concern over the lack of progress in achieving a resolution and emphasized the importance of unified action by Arab countries.




In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, March 30, 2025, a Russian mortar's crew fire during their military exercising at an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

“I think that very much will depend on the mobilization of Arab countries themselves,” he said. “We know that there was recently an Arab summit in Cairo. There were very good decisions about the future of Gaza, about the possible ways of settlement.”

He reiterated Russia’s consistent stance on the necessity of a two-state solution as the foundation for any meaningful efforts toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Of course they are based on the two-state solution. This is the core principle that is indispensable for any efforts that are being deployed in this connection, including my country. My country has always been consistent in this, saying that the Palestinian problem should not be sidelined.”

Polyanskiy criticized past attempts to normalize relations between Arab countries and Israel at the expense of addressing the Palestinian issue.

He expressed uncertainty regarding the new US administration’s approach to the Middle East, while emphasizing the significance of Arab countries’ collective efforts.

“It’s very hard to forecast how the new US administration will frame its line right now in the Middle East,” he said. “But I see that there is still quite a considerable mobilization of Arab countries that are saying the right things about the ways to break this vicious cycle of violence.”

Polyanskiy voiced optimism that these demands would be heeded and that the Palestinian issue would receive the attention it deserves in future interactions concerning Middle Eastern problems.

“And I think that the louder they speak, the more chances there are to see that these very rightful and fair demands are heeded and the Palestinian issue is not being, will not be swept under the carpet in any possible interactions on the Middle Eastern problems.”

Reflecting on past mediation efforts, Polyanskiy highlighted the effectiveness of the moribund Middle East Quartet, consisting of the UN, US, EU, and Russia.

“The Quartet of international mediators was the best format that was capable of moving forward and finding the solution, a fair solution to the Palestinian problem in line with the decisions taken by the UN and by the UN Security Council in particular,” said Polyanskiy.

He expressed disappointment with the US approach to facilitating negotiations between Arab countries and Israel, which he believed had sidelined the Palestinian problem.

“We were not happy, to put it mildly, by the efforts of the US to facilitate negotiations and peace between Arab countries at the expense of the Palestinian problem,” he said.

He further elaborated on the perceived shift in priorities, suggesting that the sequence of addressing the Palestinian problem had been twisted, leading to the current challenges.

“We are not aware of the details of the arrangement. But in reality, it happened so that the Palestinian problem was a little bit sidelined and the US administration was speaking about the possibility of making bilateral arrangements between Arab countries and Israel and then to solve the Palestinian problem.”

Polyanskiy attributed the current state of affairs to this change in attitude and the abandonment of previously agreed-upon policies.

“This was international cooperation, international mediation in the framework of the Quartet. So, all of a sudden it was undermined and I think that now we are feeling the fallout from these decisions.”




Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade at an undisclosed location in the east of Ukraine, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

Turning to the crisis in Sudan, Polyanskiy discussed Russia’s perspective on the conflict and its support for the Sudanese authorities.

Since April 2023, the war in Sudan has seen mass displacement, humanitarian suffering, and the destabilization of the wider region.

In a major turning point last week, the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Sudan’s de-facto leader, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, retook the capital city, Khartoum, forcing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to retreat to their strongholds in Darfur and the south.

Polyanskiy said Russia welcomed the development. “We support the Sudanese authorities,” he said. “We think that they are right in continuing their fight against the RSF. So we are quite clear and we don’t think that the international community should put at the same level the RSF and the government of Sudan.”

Polyanskiy expressed optimism about the situation. “We are aware of the gains that were made on the battlefield and we think that the situation in Sudan is moving towards the right direction militarily. And we hope that this will also be a good opportunity to ensure stable and long-lasting peace in this country.”

Despite the widespread suffering in Sudan, Russia was recently the only nation to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire and declined to call the situation there a famine.

Addressing the resulting criticism, Polyanskiy said: “This is not a very correct interpretation, with all due respect.

“First of all, we vetoed this resolution not because there was a call for a ceasefire, but because there were, first of all, attempts to put at the same level the RSF and the government.”

Polyanskiy explained that Russia’s concerns stemmed from attempts to equate the RSF with the government and the inclusion of language that could be interpreted as encouraging the RSF to engage in military actions against the government.

He suggested that the resolution’s pen holders, Britain, could have made the text more balanced and focused on humanitarian issues, including a ceasefire, which Russia would have been ready to support.




Appearing on “Frankly Speaking” just days after Saudi Arabia hosted separate talks between US officials and their counterparts from Russia and Ukraine, Polyanskiy suggested that a change of “optics” could have resolved the Russia-Ukraine conflict years ago. (AN Photo)

“But it happened so that they were insistent on this, and we had to veto this text,” he said, also highlighting Russia’s opposition to foreign interference in Sudan’s internal affairs.

“We couldn’t let it go and we couldn’t really see the situation when there is such foreign interference into the foreign affairs, or into the internal affairs of Sudan.”

He added: “As far as famine is concerned, the problem is that some countries, some Western countries are really trying to use this factor of famine as something to undermine the position and the efforts of the central government, which is not the right way to do it, because there is enough food in Sudan.”

Polyanskiy attributed the distribution challenges and the availability of food to those in need as the primary issues, rather than a lack of food in the country.

“Hunger shouldn’t be instrumentalized and used as a tool in any propaganda campaign against any country, including Sudan,” he said.

Addressing the upheaval in Syria since December last year, Polyanskiy discussed Russia’s response to the ousting of Bashar Assad’s regime and the future of Moscow’s relations with Damascus.

Russia suffered a major setback in December when the Assad regime, which Moscow had supported since 2015, was suddenly swept from power by opposition groups, forcing Assad and his family to seek asylum in Moscow.

Asked whether Moscow would consider handing over Assad to Syria’s transitional government, headed by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, if requested, Polyanskiy said he would not be drawn on hypotheticals.

Instead, Polyanskiy emphasized Russia’s desire for a peaceful transition in Syria, with inclusive authorities representing all Syrians and committed to combating terrorism.

“We wanted to turn over this page of conflicts and problems that lasted for so long,” he said. “We want to see inclusive Syrian authorities that represent all Syrians that take on board the position of all Syrians.

“We think that Syria should make serious efforts in combating terrorism to avoid the situation when terrorist elements in this country play a significant role.”

Polyanskiy reiterated Russia’s commitment to “maintaining close ties of friendship, traditional ties of friendship, between Russian and Syrian people that lasted for many decades.”

When pressed on the possible fate of Assad should the new government seek to prosecute him for crimes committed during the civil war, Polyanskiy maintained that the transitional authority had more pressing concerns.

“Let’s not discuss hypothetical things,” he said. “We provided him with asylum for humanitarian reasons. And I think that there are channels to discuss these issues. So far I haven’t seen such a request. And I don’t think that this is the main problem that should be the concern of Syrian authorities right now.”

Asked whether he thought the Syrian people would welcome any aid or assistance offered by Moscow, Polyanskiy said the two nations shared a long history of friendship, and that Russia would like to help Syrian during this transitional period.

“We still have and we will have, I’m absolutely sure, very good and constructive relations with Syrians because it’s not the question of developments of recent months or weeks. It’s the question of long-term ties of friendship and brotherhood that links us to Syria. And I think that the very vast majority of Syrians view Russia as a friendly country and the same in Russia.

“We have very good basic elements to consolidate friendship and cooperation between our countries. And we are very eager to help Syrians during this transitional period to shape up this country in a way that they like and in a way that guarantees sustainable development of this country for years ahead.”

 


Germany mass stabbing suspect has ‘psychological illness’: police

Germany mass stabbing suspect has ‘psychological illness’: police
Updated 9 sec ago
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Germany mass stabbing suspect has ‘psychological illness’: police

Germany mass stabbing suspect has ‘psychological illness’: police
The woman has “very clear indications of a psychological illness,” police said
She was subdued by two passersby and law enforcement officers

BERLIN: A German woman accused of a mass stabbing attack that wounded 18 people at a train station in Hamburg suffers from mental illness, police said Saturday.

The suspect, a 39-year-old woman, is accused of going on a stabbing spree on Friday at the main station in Hamburg, stunning the northern city in the middle of the evening rush hour.

The woman has “very clear indications of a psychological illness,” police said in a statement, without giving further details on her condition.

They added there were no signs she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack, which left four victims seriously wounded.

The woman was subdued by two passersby and law enforcement officers, then taken into custody at the scene without resisting arrest, police said.

She was due to appear before a judge later Saturday.

Police say they have ruled out a “political motive” for the attack and believe the suspect acted alone.

The victims range in age from 19 to 85.

The four in serious condition were a 24-year-old man and three women, aged 24, 52 and 85, police said.

Emergency officials initially said their wounds were life-threatening, but police say all the victims now appear to be out of immediate danger.

The attack took place just after 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) Friday on one of the platforms in front of a standing train, German media reported.

The suspect was thought to have turned “against passengers” at the station, a spokeswoman for the Hanover federal police directorate, which also covers Hamburg, told AFP.

Some of the victims were treated onboard waiting trains in the station, German daily Bild reported.

Images of the scene showed access to the platforms at one end of the station blocked off by police and people being loaded into waiting ambulances.

Forensic police could also be seen walking up and down the platforms where the attack took place.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his shock in a call with the mayor of Hamburg.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Merz said, according to a readout from a spokesman.

Germany has been rocked in recent months by a series of violent attacks with often jihadist or far-right extremist motivations that have put security at the top of the agenda.

The most recent, on Sunday, saw four people injured in a stabbing at a bar in the city of Bielefeld.

The investigation into that attack has been handed over to federal prosecutors after the Syrian suspect told the police officers who arrested him that he had jihadist beliefs.

The question of security — and the immigrant origin of some of the attackers — was a major topic during Germany’s recent election campaign.

Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU topped the February vote, which also saw a record score of more than 20 percent for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Last year, Germany toughened its legislation on carrying knives, now banned at public gatherings and on long-distance trains.

They are also banned in specific zones in some cities, including at Hamburg’s train station.
But experts and police unions have previously questioned whether such bans are effective.

Power outage hits Cannes Film Festival and traffic in southeastern France

Power outage hits Cannes Film Festival and traffic in southeastern France
Updated 32 min 38 sec ago
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Power outage hits Cannes Film Festival and traffic in southeastern France

Power outage hits Cannes Film Festival and traffic in southeastern France
  • A power outage in southeast France disrupts traffic and the Cannes Film Festival
  • Restorations are underway as officials urge residents in the area to take caution

CANNES: A major power outage struck southeastern France on Saturday, disrupting traffic and briefly halting events at the Cannes Film Festival as the prestigious event prepared to hand out its top prize.
About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after a high-voltage line fell Saturday morning, electricity network operator RTE said on X. The outage came hours after a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes overnight had already weakened the grid.
Cannes Film Festival organizers confirmed the outage affected the early activities of Saturday and said the Palais des Festivals — the Croisette’s main venue — had switched to an independent power supply.
“All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions,” the statement said. “At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway.”
Still, screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival’s satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added.
Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10 a.m., leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centers. Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train service in Cannes was also disrupted.
Authorities said restoration efforts were ongoing and urged residents to remain cautious during travel.


Former Minneapolis police chief recalls ‘absolutely gut-wrenching’ moment of seeing George Floyd video

Former Minneapolis police chief recalls ‘absolutely gut-wrenching’ moment of seeing George Floyd video
Updated 24 May 2025
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Former Minneapolis police chief recalls ‘absolutely gut-wrenching’ moment of seeing George Floyd video

Former Minneapolis police chief recalls ‘absolutely gut-wrenching’ moment of seeing George Floyd video
  • What he saw conflicted with what his own people had told him about the deadly encounter
  • The video shows Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, pinning him to the pavement

MINNEAPOLIS: Former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo vividly remembers receiving a call around midnight from a community activist. The caller told him to watch a video spreading on social media of a white officer pinning a Black man to the ground, despite his fading pleas of “I can’t breathe.”
The dying man was George Floyd. The officer was Derek Chauvin. And Arradondo was the city’s first Black police chief.
“It was absolutely gut-wrenching,” Arradondo, 58, recalled in an interview ahead of the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s murder.
What he saw conflicted with what his own people had told him about the deadly encounter, and he knew immediately it would mean changes for his department and city. But he acknowledged he didn’t immediately foresee how deeply Floyd’s death would reverberate in the US and around the world.
“I served for 32 years,” he said. “But there’s no doubt May 25th, 2020, is a defining moment for me in my public service career.”
The video shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck, pinning him to the pavement outside a convenience store where Floyd had tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. Chauvin maintained the pressure for 9-1/2 minutes despite pleas from onlookers to stop, even after an off-duty firefighter tried to intervene and another officer said he couldn’t find a pulse.
‘Remnants of pain and anger’
Arradondo sat for the interview in a public library that was heavily damaged in the unrest that followed Floyd’s death. It’s on Lake Street, a major artery that saw some of the worst destruction, a street that he says still bears “remnants of the pain and anger of what occurred five years ago.”
Just down the block, there’s the empty shell of a police station that was torched during the riots. And within sight is a Target store and a Cub Foods supermarket that were looted. Storefronts remain boarded up. While some businesses were rebuilt, empty lots sit where others did not.
Arradondo still stands by his and Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to abandon the Third Precinct and let it burn. Protesters breached the building, and police — who were spread thin — didn’t have the resources to hold it. So he ordered his officers to evacuate.
“During the most significant crisis we’ve ever experienced, arguably in the state, when it’s life or death, I’ve got to go on the side of keeping people alive and safe,” he said.
Police reform
Arradondo subsequently helped launch an overhaul of policing in the city despite a resistant police culture and a powerful officers union. He testified against Chauvin in his 2021 murder trial, a rare breach of the “blue wall” that traditionally protects officers from being held accountable for wrongdoing.
Five years on, Arradondo, who retired in 2022, said he believes law enforcement agencies nationwide have made progress on police accountability — albeit incremental progress — and that police chiefs and sheriffs now move faster to hold officers responsible for egregious misconduct.
Arradondo was promoted to chief in 2017, and his elevation was greeted with hope among local African Americans who affectionately called him “Rondo.” But his department had a reputation for being too quick to use force and many were angry about police killing young Black men in Minnesota and beyond.
Arradondo said he wishes he had made more changes to the police department before Floyd was killed.
“I would have pushed harder and sooner at trying to dismantle some of the toxic culture that allowed that indifference to exist that evening, on May 25th, 2020,” he said. “I certainly would have invested more time elevating the voices in our community that had been pleading with police departments for decades to listen to us and change.”
Making amends
Arradondo just published a book, “Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George Floyd,” that explores leadership, justice and race, the broader impacts of policing, and the challenges of working within a flawed system. He closes it with a letter dedicated to Floyd’s daughter, Gianna.
“I never had an opportunity to meet Gianna, but I wanted her to know that, even though I was not out there that evening, at that intersection when her father was pleading for help, that I heard him, and I was going to do everything I could to bring him justice,” he said.
He wanted to say the words that she has not heard from the four former officers who were convicted for their roles in George Floyd’s death:
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for your father being taken from you.”


Fire in Nairobi informal settlement kills eight

Fire in Nairobi informal settlement kills eight
Updated 24 May 2025
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Fire in Nairobi informal settlement kills eight

Fire in Nairobi informal settlement kills eight
  • The fire in the city’s Makina area began at around 5:00 am
  • The cause has not been established

NAIROBI: A fire tore through an informal settlement in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday, killing at least eight people, police said.

The fire in the city’s Makina area began at around 5:00 am (0200 GMT), said police official Patricia Yegon.


“Eight people were burnt to death, while several others were injured,” she said, without specifying how many were hurt.

The cause has not been established, but fires frequently occur in the capital’s overcrowded and impoverished informal settlements.

The Kenyan Red Cross said 40 houses were affected before firefighters contained the blaze with the help of the local community.


Bangladesh sounds alarm as ‘extreme desperation’ drives Rohingya into deadly sea journeys

Bangladesh sounds alarm as ‘extreme desperation’ drives Rohingya into deadly sea journeys
Updated 24 May 2025
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Bangladesh sounds alarm as ‘extreme desperation’ drives Rohingya into deadly sea journeys

Bangladesh sounds alarm as ‘extreme desperation’ drives Rohingya into deadly sea journeys
  • UNHCR says 427 Rohingya died in accidents off Myanmar’s coast in early May
  • Thousands of refugees have attempted perilous sea voyages in past few years

DHAKA: Bangladeshi authorities on Saturday raised the alarm over increasing numbers of Rohingya refugees taking risky boat journeys to flee the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar. 

Bangladesh hosts more than 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims, who, for decades, have fled neighboring Myanmar to escape persecution, especially during a military crackdown in 2017. The majority of them live in Cox’s Bazar in eastern Bangladesh, which has become the world’s largest refugee settlement.

Over the years, humanitarian conditions in Cox’s Bazar’s cramped refugee camps have been deteriorating, with aid continuously declining since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly one in five people attempting to flee the settlement by sea have been reported as dead or missing so far in 2025, according to UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency.

Two boats which capsized on May 9 and 10 were carrying a total of 514 Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar and Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to UNHCR, which estimates that at least 427 of them died.

“The ongoing funding crisis for the Rohingya is severely hampering the lives of Rohingya in the camps in Cox’s Bazar, which fueled the desperation for the perilous sea journey,” Mizanur Rahman, refugee relief and repatriation commissioner in Cox’s Bazar, told Arab News.

“Every aspect of their lives — food, livelihood, health, and so on — has been severely impacted. Most importantly, it has darkened their future also. They are at a loss what to do. The uncertainty in their lives triggered many of them to (undertake) the risky sea journeys towards unknown destinations.”

Over the past few years, UNHCR has documented thousands of Rohingya refugees embarking on deadly sea journeys from Bangladesh — and, to a lesser extent, from Myanmar — and reported hundreds dying or going missing.

The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority, lived for centuries in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state but were stripped of their citizenship in the 1980s. Since then, many of them have fled to Bangladesh, where they are almost entirely reliant on humanitarian aid.

Despite multiple attempts by Bangladeshi authorities, the UN-backed repatriation and resettlement process of the Rohingya has so far failed to take off.

In 2025, aid for the Rohingya faced another cut after US President Donald Trump’s administration announced it was eliminating most US aid globally. Washington was the largest donor of foreign aid to the Rohingya last year, contributing $301 million — 55 percent of all foreign aid received.

UNHCR requires $383 million in 2025 to “stabilize the lives of refugees and their host communities” across Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, as well as those displaced inside Myanmar. But, as of Friday, it had secured only 30 percent of that amount.

The deadly boat accidents earlier this month may have been fueled by “extreme desperation,” UNHCR said, highlighting that it occurred during the monsoon season, which is a particularly dangerous time for boat travel in the region.

“The dire humanitarian situation, exacerbated by funding cuts, is having a devastating impact on the lives of Rohingya, with more and more resorting to dangerous journeys to seek safety, protection and a dignified life for themselves and their families,” said Hai Kyung Jun, UNHCR director for Asia and the Pacific.

“The latest tragedy is a chilling reminder that access to meaningful protection, especially in countries of first asylum, as well as responsibility sharing and collective efforts along sea routes, are essential to saving lives.”