US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would work to help end the war in Sudan after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked him to get involved in the matter.

“We’ve already started working on that,” Trump said at a Saudi investment conference a day after he met with Saudi Arabia’s ruler at the White House.

Trump told the gathering, which was attended by bin Salman and his delegation, that his administration began working on the issue half an hour after the crown prince requested Tuesday’s meeting.

The US will work with the Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries to end atrocities in the region and stabilise Sudan, Trump later said in a social media post.

The Sudan conflict erupted in 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It has caused ethnically charged bloodletting, widespread destruction and mass displacement, drawing in foreign powers and threatening to split Sudan.

The Saudi crown prince believes Trump’s direct pressure is needed to break a logjam in talks to end more than two and a half years of war, pointing to his work to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza last month, five people familiar with the matter said.

The Saudi ruler appeared to appeal to the US president’s view of himself as a peacemaker, according to Trump’s account.

“He mentioned Sudan yesterday, and he said, ‘Sir, you’re talking about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan, and it’s horrible what’s happening,'” Trump said.

For Saudi Arabia, a resolution to the conflict is linked to national security, given hundreds of miles of Sudanese coastline lying opposite the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.

“Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “It has become the most violent place on Earth and, likewise, the single biggest Humanitarian Crisis. Food, doctors, and everything else are desperately needed.”

KABUL/NEW DELHI: Afghanistan’s Taliban trade minister arrived in India on Wednesday on a maiden visit to draw greater investments and goods as both countries consider ways to enhance their relations in the backdrop of souring ties with neighbouring Pakistan.

India last month upgraded its ties with the Taliban by reopening its embassy in Kabul that was shut after the group seized power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces. New Delhi is also ramping up its aid to the country as it competes with China for influence.

Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi will hold talks with his Indian counterpart and the foreign minister, as well as with traders and investors, Afghanistan’s commerce ministry said in a statement.

“These meetings will focus on expanding economic cooperation, facilitating trade relations, creating joint investment opportunities, and strengthening Afghanistan’s role in regional transit routes,” it added.

Landlocked Afghanistan is seeking access to grains, medicines and industrial goods following the closure of its border with Pakistan in recent weeks after armed clashes last month between the neighbours killed dozens.

India operates the Iranian port of Chabahar with land links to Afghanistan and last month received a six-month sanctions waiver from the US to continue its operations, reducing Kabul’s reliance on the Karachi port.

In the past six months, Afghanistan’s trade through Iran has reached $1.6 billion, higher than the $1.1 billion exchanged with Pakistan, Afghanistan’s commerce ministry told Reuters.

“Advancing bilateral trade and investment ties are the key focus of the visit,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry, wrote on X, along with a photograph of Azizi’s arrival in Delhi.

India and Afghanistan have historically had friendly ties, but not under the previous Taliban regime, and New Delhi does not recognise the present Taliban government.

Analysts say New Delhi and the government in Kabul are recalibrating their ties because of deteriorating relations with Islamabad.

The European Union’s ambassador to Pakistan has expressed support for Islamabad’s position that militants based in Afghanistan are behind recent attacks in the country, while emphasizing that Pakistan must align its security expectations with tangible progress on human rights and democratic norms.

Newly appointed Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis said Pakistan’s call for the Taliban to prevent the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from operating on Afghan soil is “legitimate” and linked to genuine security concerns.

“We condemn terrorism in all its forms,” he noted, adding that Pakistan’s expectations from Afghanistan regarding action against the TTP are justified.

At the same time, Karoblis stressed that the EU is urging Islamabad to maintain diplomatic channels, highlighting Turkiye’s ongoing mediation efforts between the two sides.

When asked whether the Taliban were honoring their Doha pledge not to allow Afghan soil to be used against neighboring countries, he said he lacked independent intelligence to make a judgment. “It is too early to reach a definitive conclusion,” he added.

The ambassador confirmed that a high-level Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue will take place in the coming weeks, led by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

The discussions will cover Afghanistan, the Russia-Ukraine war, regional security, and Pakistan’s role at the UN, while other issues such as trade, migration, and counterterrorism will be addressed in separate forums.

The dialogue comes as Pakistan seeks to maintain its preferential trade status under the GSP Plus programme, which grants duty-free access to European markets in exchange for compliance with international human rights treaties.

Enforced disappearances, long reported in Balochistan but now increasingly documented in Punjab and Sindh, will also be among the EU’s “top priorities” in its monitoring review.

The envoy noted that the EU will evaluate the performance of Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances during the upcoming assessments.

When asked about Pakistan’s last two elections, both widely criticized by opposition parties, Karoblis did not label them illegitimate but acknowledged that significant issues had occurred.

“No system is perfect, but irregularities must be addressed so they are not repeated”, he said. The EU recognised the current parliament and government, he added, but concerns about electoral transparency remain on its radar.

Karoblis similarly declined to endorse or condemn recent constitutional amendments affecting judicial powers, though he noted that Brussels was listening to critics. Compliance with UN conventions, he said, was the key test the EU would apply.

Replying to a query on Imran Khan’s detention, Karoblis refused to enter the debate. “I may have personal views, but this is a matter for Pakistan’s judicial authorities”, he said. “Political pluralism is important, but it must be discussed through the rule of law”.

Karoblis said the EU and its member states have mobilised nearly one billion euros in assistance following Pakistan’s devastating 2022 floods, including an initial one million euro tranche for emergency relief.

Under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, climate adaptation will remain a priority sector for future cooperation.