Mia Martinez (2:19)

The US promised to restore military and intelligence to support Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine promising to end air attacks on Russia. Now American officials say the ball is now in Russia's core to reciprocate, with Trump administration officials due in Moscow in the coming days or even hours.

Michelle Martin (2:35)

And this morning, Russia claimed it had taken back the biggest town in the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise attack last year. Joining us to talk about all this is NPR Russia correspondent Charles Mainz. Charles, good morning.

Charles Mainz (2:47)

Good morning, Michelle.

Michelle Martin (2:48)

So, first of all, what can you tell us about these talks and the Kremlin's position going into them?

Charles Mainz (2:53)

Well, you know, yesterday Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was closely studying public statements out of the U.S. ukrainian talks, but wanted to hear detailed information directly from the Americans. Now, there are expectations that White House representative is on his way to Moscow. That will likely be special envoy Steve Witkoff, who negotiated that release of a detained American schoolteacher in Russia last month. So clearly, Witkoff will be hoping to build on that success, you know, as is, frankly, Donald Trump, who says he hopes Putin will engage on this ceasefire proposal. In fact, Trump also says he plans to talk with Putin about it by telephone soon.

Michelle Martin (3:28)

So that's Putin's spokesman saying this, but has Putin weighed in directly?

Charles Mainz (3:32)

Well, not explicitly on this offer, but Putin has previously said quite explicitly he would not accept a temporary ceasefire because he said he wanted a piece that addresses, in his words, the root of the conflict. That's Kremlin speak for Russia's larger national security concerns regarding NATO expansion into Europe and near Russia's borders. And, of course, in Ukraine, there's also this. So last night, Putin, dressed in military camouflage with state media cameras in tow, visited army headquarters in the Russian region. Of course, this is where Russian troops have been trying to push out occupying Ukrainian forces for the past seven months. And here's what Putin had to say. So here Putin orders his generals to once and for all crush the enemy. He went on to say captured Ukrainian fighters should be treated as terrorists. So if nothing else, a display by Putin that's far more hawk than dove. Now, the timing of Putin's visit was no accident. Ukraine's toehold in Kursk had been an embarrassment for the Kremlin for months. But Russia's forces have made major gains in recent days and, in fact, appear on the verge of forcing Ukraine to withdraw entirely.

Michelle Martin (4:44)

So how do we interpret this? I mean, should we take this as a signal from Putin that there is essentially no deal? I mean, why would he bother negotiating over something when they think they're winning anyway?

Charles Mainz (4:53)

Well, that's exactly the point made by more nationalist voices in Russian society. They say this proposal by Ukraine is an attempt to use diplomacy to stave off defeat militarily. And the catch is that that may be true in Kursk, where it seems as though Russian forces are genuinely making big gains, but it's a harder slog in actual occupied Ukraine Polls also show a majority of Russians want an end to the conflict. And given that, does Putin risk alienating what, at least so far has been a very favorable climate of negotiations with.

Michelle Martin (5:24)

Trump to that end, before we let you go, one of the criticisms of Trump until now is that he was cutting a deal almost exclusively on Moscow's terms. Has that changed?

Charles Mainz (5:33)

Well, we'll have to see. Now, the Trump team has already gone on record saying no to Ukraine's membership in NATO, no to Ukraine regaining all its territory. And all of this has put the US's relationships with its traditional allies in Europe in turmoil. So you have to think even if Putin doesn't agree to this ceasefire deal as presented here, he'll be looking for ways to present counteroffers.

Michelle Martin (5:53)

That is NPR Russia correspondent Charles Mainz. Charles, thank you.

Charles Mainz (5:57)

Thank you.

Michelle Martin (6:05)

The Trump administration is moving to dismantle decades of key environmental and climate rules and policies.

Mia Martinez (6:12)

That announcement came yesterday in what Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin called the most consequential day of deregulation in US history. Rolling back more than two dozen regulations. Environmental groups predict this will lead to a future with more pollution.

Michelle Martin (6:27)

Jeff Brady from NPR's Climate Desk is here to tell us more about this. Good morning, Jeff.

Jeff Brady (6:31)

Good morning, Michelle.

Michelle Martin (6:32)

So which regulations are being targeted?

Jeff Brady (6:34)

You know, probably the most significant is something called the endangerment finding. In 2009, the EPA determined that human caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are heating up the planet. Those endanger public health and welfare. This decision was years in the making. Litigation that led to it went all the way to the Supreme Court, and now it's the basis for many of the country's climate regulations. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin put out a video statement that suggests he thinks it's not country constitutional.

Charles Mainz (7:04)

I've been told the endangerment finding is considered the holy grail of the climate change religion. For me, the US Constitution and the laws of this nation will be strictly interpreted and followed, no exceptions.

Michelle Martin (7:19)

What are some of the other regulations the EPA is reconsidering?

Jeff Brady (7:23)

Zeldin said the agency will reconsider rules that limit climate pollution from power plants and from cars and trucks. Also regulations that limit soot and mercury in the air. Other rules that Zeldin claims are hurting, hurting the economy and costing trillions of dollars. But that leaves out the fact that pollution also costs the country, you know, and health costs and cleanup. It's not clear whether EPA plans to get rid of these rules or weaken them. Those details should come later.

Michelle Martin (7:50)

And what are environmental groups saying about.

Jeff Brady (7:52)

This now, this is even more dramatic than what they expected and certainly more aggressive than the policies Trump pursued during his first administration. One group, the Environmental Integrity Project, said the EPA is driving, quote, a dagger straight into the heart of public health. I talked with Matthew Tejada at the Natural Resources Defense Council. He called this an all out assault on the law, science and the administrative part of the government that keeps people safe.

Michelle Martin (8:20)

They're going to roll these things back and they're going to take our country back to a time when rivers caught on fire and kids couldn't go outside without seizing up from an asthma attack.

Jeff Brady (8:31)

Just as the country is making this big transition from fossil fuels that are heating the planet to cleaner energy, Tejad Trump administration is tying the country to oil and gas for another century.

Michelle Martin (8:44)

And what about the oil industry? How's the oil industry responding to this EPA announcement?

Jeff Brady (8:48)

Well, they're pretty happy. The American Petroleum Institute said voters picked Trump for cheaper energy and now his administration is answering that call. And much of this fits with API's policy priorities. And we've already seen some of the biggest oil and gas companies reorient themselves from climate change concerns and back to fossil fuels.

Michelle Martin (9:07)

And Jeff, before we let you go, what are the next steps here?

Jeff Brady (9:10)

There just aren't many details in this announcement, but just that the EPA is going to reconsider these regulations. So assuming the typical process is followed, we should see some proposed rules, then comment periods before final rules. But you know, environmental groups already say court challenges are coming.

Michelle Martin (9:26)

That's Jeff Brady with NPR's Climate Desk. Jeff, thank you.

Jeff Brady (9:29)

Thank you.

Michelle Martin (9:38)

President Trump sent a letter to Iran about opening new talks over its nuclear.

Mia Martinez (9:43)

Program, but the president says he won't rule out military options either.

Charles Mainz (9:47)

We're down to the final moments. We're at final moments. Can't let him have a nuclear weapon.

Michelle Martin (9:54)

Joining us now to explain Iran's response and what's at stake here is NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawi in Dubai. Aya, good morning to you.

Aya Batrawi (10:01)

Good morning, Michelle.

Michelle Martin (10:02)

So let's start with this letter. Trump has said the letter to Iran would be proposing talks to avert nuclear talks to avert military action. So what can you tell us about Iran's response so far?

Aya Batrawi (10:13)

So this letter was delivered by a senior Emirati official from Abu Dhabi who traveled to Tehran and met with Iran's foreign minister yesterday. But before it was even read by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had this to say. So he's speaking to university students yesterday in televised Remarks saying the US Is trying to deceive global public opinion with this letter and that Iran is not ready to negotiate. And referring to Trump, he says this is the same person who tore up and threw out a signed agreement. Now he's talking about Trump's decision in his first term as president to withdraw the US From a nuclear deal that was reached under President Obama and included China, Russia and European countries. That deal put caps on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, as.

Jeff Brady (11:00)

Ms. Birun and Poreker.

Aya Batrawi (11:06)

So Khamenei says, how could one possibly negotiate with such a person? And he warned Iran can defend itself against threats.

Michelle Martin (11:12)

Yeah. So he's referring here to what we call Trump's maximum pressure campaign on Iran in his first term. And it did ramp up tensions in the region where you are. So what can you tell us about how things are, where things stand right now?

Aya Batrawi (11:25)

Well, despite Khamenei's sharp words, Michelle, Iran's mission to the United nations struck a different tone, saying in a post on X that if the objective of negotiations is to address concerns about the potential of nuclear weapons, these discussions may be subject to consideration, but that Iran would not dismantle its peaceful nuclear program. And it's important to note here Iran's position has been that its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes and that it's not interested in building a nuclear weapon. That said, since Trump scuttled the nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has been increasing its stockpile of enriched uranium, according to UN Inspectors. But also, you know, the US And Israel, which has hit nuclear targets in Iran before, they're not the only countries involved here. The UK, France and Germany have continued talks with Iran about its nuclear program. And tomorrow, China, Russia and Iran are meeting in Beijing to discuss Iran's nuclear program and the sanctions that are crippling its economy.

Michelle Martin (12:17)

And what is the view there from the Gulf Arab states like the uae, which is where you are.

Aya Batrawi (12:22)

Right. So the uae, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. These Gulf Arab states are playing the role of mediator on many different files, whether that's on Iran or Ukraine, as we just heard from Charles, or in Gaza. And so the reason they can do this, though, is because while they view the US as the most important military superpower, it's not the only player on the block. They've kept warm relations with Russia, for example, and it was China, if you recall, that brokered the deal that repaired ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia a few years ago. So they're balancing ties and they're super focused on their own economic growth right now. And so, yes, Saudi Arabia and the uae, they want hard curbs on Iran's missile program and its nuclear ambitions, and they would like to see its Shia militias in the region wiped out. But they do not want a region on edge or the kind of attacks on oil targets in the Gulf that we saw under Trump's first term when tensions were Soaring.

Michelle Martin (13:09)

That is NPR's Aya Batrawi in Dubai Air. Thank you.

Aya Batrawi (13:13)

Thanks, Michelle.

Michelle Martin (13:18)

And that's up first for Thursday, March 13th. I'm Michelle Martin.

Mia Martinez (13:21)

And I'm Mia Martinez. Thanks for listening to Up First. You can find more in depth coverage of the stories we talked about today and a lot more on NPR's Morning Edition. That's the radio show that Michelle Martin, Stevinski, Layla Foddle and I host. You can find MORNING EDITION on your local NPR station at station.

Michelle Martin (13:38)

Today's episode of up first was edited by Rylan Barton, Neela Banerjee, Kevin Drew, Alice Wolfley and Mohamed El Bardisi. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Misha Hyness, and our technical director is Carly Strange. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.

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