Instead of completely dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, the US aims to limit uranium enrichment activities necessary for nuclear weapons.

The second round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US will take place on Saturday, April 19, again in Muscat, the capital of Oman.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ismail Bekayi said in a statement to the official news agency IRNA, “As a result of the consultations, it was decided that Muscat will continue to host the second round of talks to be held on Saturday, April 19.”

On the other hand, Trump’s Middle East Special Representative Steve Witkoff said that the basis of a possible agreement would be based on the supervision of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and nuclear weapons production capacity.

Witkoff, who heads the US delegation in the negotiations, said to Fox News that Iran’s justification for enriching uranium for civilian purposes is limited, saying, “Iran does not need to enrich above 3.67%. In some cases, they reach 20% and in some cases 60%. This is unacceptable.”

These statements reveal that Washington’s priority is not to completely eliminate Tehran’s nuclear program, but to impose restrictions to prevent the production of nuclear weapons. This approach differs, especially from Israel’s calls for the dismantling of the entire nuclear program.

Witkoff noted that not only uranium enrichment, but also the types of missiles Iran possesses and nuclear weapon triggers will be on the agenda in the next round of negotiations. Witkoff said, “The devil is in the details. Therefore, the verification process will form the basis of the agreement.”

Witkoff did not speak openly about who would oversee the implementation of a possible agreement, and avoided giving information on whether US inspectors or the United Nations would take part.

Witkoff’s statements show that the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement, which was signed during the Obama administration and terminated by Trump in 2018, forms the basis for the current discussions. The agreement prohibited Iran from enriching uranium above 3.67%.

According to a BBC report, during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein format) meeting held in Brussels on April 11, NATO countries and their allies decided to provide a record level of aid to Kyiv, totaling over €21 billion.

This support aims to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Germany will provide the largest portion of this amount, €11 billion, while Britain will contribute approximately €5.2 billion.

According to statements by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Berlin’s upcoming aid to Kyiv includes 100,000 artillery shells, 25 armored combat vehicles, 15 main battle tanks, 100 ground surveillance radar stations, and 120 portable air defense missile systems.

Berlin will also deliver four IRIS-T air defense systems with 300 missiles to Ukraine.

In addition, a €523 million package jointly prepared by Britain and Norway will supply radars, anti-tank mines, repair military equipment, and purchase hundreds of thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Pistorius stated, “Ukraine needs a strong army, but only in this way can negotiations lead to a fair and lasting peace.”

The minister added, “Russia must understand that Ukraine can continue the war, and we will support Ukraine in this regard.”

British Defense Secretary John Healey, as reported by Politico, stated in his speech that he accused Russia of disrupting the peace initiatives proposed by the US and approved by Kyiv a month ago.

Healey claimed, “Putin claims he wants peace, but his troops continue to attack Ukraine, targeting both military objectives and civilian infrastructure.”

Defense ministry representatives from 50 countries attended the 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, organized at the call of Berlin and London.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended the meeting via video conference and thanked the allies for their work.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, informally known as the Ramstein format, first met in April 2022 at the US-owned Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Since then, the regular meetings have become a key international platform for coordinating aid to Ukraine.

The group’s members include NATO countries, European Union members, and Ukraine’s other international partners.

The format’s main objectives include ensuring the supply of weapons, training Ukrainian soldiers, discussing the country’s current and future defense needs, and developing long-term support strategies in the war against Russia.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Russia and the US conducted a prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi on April 10, citing an unnamed CIA official.

According to the report, Moscow released Ksenia Karelina, a US and Russian citizen sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason.

The US, in turn, released Artur Petrov, who holds both Russian and German citizenship.

Petrov was accused of circumventing sanctions by supplying US-made microelectronic products to Russia.

Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, confirmed to RBC that his client had been released and had contacted her family.

The decision regarding Karelina was made last August. The young woman was detained last February in Yekaterinburg, where she had come from Los Angeles to visit relatives.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that Karelina was accused of providing financial assistance to the Ukrainian army.

According to the FSB, Karelina “on her own initiative carried out activities to collect funds for the benefit of one of the Ukrainian organizations” from February 2022, and these funds were later used for the needs of the Ukrainian army. The donation in question was stated to be $51.8.

Meanwhile, Artur Petrov was detained in Southern Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of the US.

According to the US Department of Justice, Petrov purchased microelectronic products from the US through shell companies and sent them to Russia.

Petrov faced 11 charges, including smuggling, export control violations, and money laundering.

According to WSJ, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and an unnamed senior intelligence official from the Russian side participated in the negotiations.

Ratcliffe was present at the Abu Dhabi Airport where the exchange took place.

Ratcliffe stated, “Today, President Trump brought home another US citizen who was illegally detained in Russia. I am proud of the CIA personnel who worked tirelessly, and we are grateful to the UAE government.”

According to WSJ, Ratcliffe had several phone conversations with FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin after being appointed as CIA Director.

The report stated that Bortnikov was involved in the negotiations between Russia and the West last summer, which resulted in a comprehensive prisoner exchange that also led to the release of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich.

This was the second prisoner exchange between Moscow and Washington since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

In mid-February, Alexander Vinnik, who was detained in the US for allegedly laundering between $4 billion and $9 billion through the BTC-e exchange, was extradited to Russia.

Vinnik had admitted to some of the charges and made a deal with the prosecution; his sentence was expected to be handed down in the summer of 2025, but the case was later closed.

In Russia, Vinnik was charged in absentia in 2018 with cyber fraud involving 750 million rubles. Moscow was seeking Vinnik’s extradition.

In return, Russia released Marc Fogel, an American teacher and former US Embassy employee, who was charged with drug trafficking and possession.

Fogel argued that the marijuana he brought with him was for medical purposes (to relieve pain after spinal surgery) and that he had a doctor’s prescription.

Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2022.