Tuesday's world stories
Putin and Merkel's awkward press conference
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin faced off in a terse joint press conference in Sochi ahead of this summer's G-20 summit in Hamburg, per Bloomberg.
The big topics: Ukraine and Russia's election meddling.
The split on Ukraine: Putin called the 2014 Ukrainian revolution — that pushed Russia's annexation of Crimea — a "coup d'etat," while Merkel said that Ukraine's current government "came to power through democratic means."
Putin on U.S. election interference: "Just gossip…We never interfere in the political life of other countries."
Hamas announces drastic change on Israel
Hamas released a new policy document suggesting a softer stance on Israel.
What the document says: The group is willing to accept a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, dropping it's longstanding call for the destruction of Israel. Hamas is seeking to draw a distinction between the political and religious fight, calling themselves an "Islamic Palestinian national liberation movement aimed at liberating Palestine and confronting the Zionist project."
Between the lines: There is no specific mention of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a sign that Hamas may be trying to cool over relations with Arab states.
What Israel is saying: "Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed," said a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.