Category: Євросоюз

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — The Bosnian Serbs’ separatist leader vowed to carry on weakening his war-scarred country to the point where it will tear apart, despite a pledge by the United States to prevent such an outcome. “I am not irrational, I know that America’s response will be to use force … but I have no reason to be frightened by that into sacrificing (Serb) national interests,” Milorad Dodik, the president of Bosnia’s Serb-run part, told The Associated Press in an interview Friday. He said any any attempt to use international intervention to further strengthen Bosnia’s shared, multiethnic institutions will be …

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The reelection of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2023 allowed him to further his plans to place Turkey as a leader in the region and in the Islamic world while engaging in rapprochement efforts with historic foes. Domestically, critics accuse Erdogan of using his mandate to silence domestic dissent. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

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PARIS — The Tour d’Argent already boasts a 320,000-bottle wine cellar, a world-famous duck recipe and a storied 441-year history. Now, the legendary Paris restaurant is about to serve up its “plat de résistance”: a front-row view of two of the biggest events of 2024 — the renaissance of Notre Dame Cathedral and the 2024 Summer Olympics. A city landmark unto itself — and an inspiration for the restaurant in the movie Ratatouille — the Tour d’Argent recently reopened after its own renovation, which preserved revered traditions while adapting to the 21st century. ”It’s very reassuring for many customers to see …

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This year, for the first time in modern history, Ukraine celebrated Christmas on December 25. Russia’s invasion in early 2022 prompted the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to switch to the Revised Julian calendar, which aligns Christmas with the Gregorian calendar observed in the Western world instead of celebrating the holiday on January 7. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. Video editor: Yuriy Dankevych …

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BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Argentina formally announced Friday that it won’t join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the latest in a dramatic shift in foreign and economic policy by Argentina’s new far-right populist president, Javier Milei.  In a letter addressed to the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the founding members of the alliance — Milei said the moment was not “opportune” for Argentina to join as a full member. The letter was dated a week ago, December 22, but released by the Argentine government on Friday, the last working day of 2023.  Argentina was among …

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London — Ukraine attempted to break through the lines of invading Russian forces in 2023 in the east of the country, as the West stepped up the supply of heavier weapons and advanced missile systems. However, neither side appears able to make a significant breakthrough and there is little sign that Kyiv and Moscow are prepared to negotiate a peace deal. At an end of year news conference December 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had failed to achieve any victory in 2023. “Our yellow and blue flag is in Ukraine, and this is our main victory. And the …

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Ukraine attempted to break through the lines of invading Russian forces in 2023, as the West stepped up the supply of heavier weapons and advanced missile systems. But as Henry Ridgwell reports, neither side appears able to make a significant breakthrough — and there is little sign that Kyiv and Moscow are prepared to negotiate a peace deal. …

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BERLIN — Russia has suffered huge human and material losses in Ukraine and its army will emerge weakened from the conflict, a senior German military figure said in an interview published Friday. The interview came as Kyiv is fighting to maintain western support for its war against Russian forces, which invaded in February 2022. “You know that according to Western intelligence figures, 300,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or so seriously wounded that they can no longer be mobilized for the war,” Christian Freuding, who oversees the German army’s support for Kyiv, told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. Leaked U.S. intelligence earlier …

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New wars and growing hunger and poverty on a warming planet — and little the United Nations can do to fix it. VOA correspondent Margaret Besheer looks at the U.N.’s future in a world where its impact is shrinking. …

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TALLINN, ESTONIA — Belarus’ authoritarian president on Thursday attended a government-organized meeting with children brought from Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine, openly defying international outrage over his country’s involvement in Moscow’s deportation of Ukrainian children.  Speaking at the event marking the arrival of a new group of Ukrainian children ahead of the New Year holiday, President Alexander Lukashenko vowed to “embrace these children, bring them to our home, keep them warm and make their childhood happier.”  Belarusian officials did not say how many Ukrainian children were brought into the country.  A recent study by Yale University has found that more than 2,400 …

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BERLIN — Parts of northern and central Europe continued to grapple with flooding on Thursday after heavy rain. A barrier near the German city of Magdeburg was opened for the first time in a decade to ease pressure from the Elbe River, and some animals were removed from their enclosures at a safari park in northern Germany.  This week’s floods have prompted evacuations of dozens or hundreds of people in parts of northern and central Germany, but largely dry weather was forecast on Thursday. Still, water levels on some rivers caused concern, and they have continued to rise in parts of …

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ANKARA, Turkey — A chain-reaction crash Thursday involving seven vehicles on a motorway in northwest Turkey killed at least 10 people and injured 57 others, officials said. The pileup occurred in dense fog and low visibility on the Northern Marmara Highway in Sakarya province, some 150 kilometers from Istanbul. An investigation has been launched into the accident but Gov. Yasar Karadeniz of Sakarya said it likely occurred when a vehicle hit a truck in poor visibility, triggering other crashes at the rear. At least three intercity buses were involved in the crash. Authorities believe some passengers died when they left their …

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NEW DELHI — India and Russia Wednesday reaffirmed their strong friendship and discussed deepening trade and strategic ties during a visit to Moscow by Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Jaishankar said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that the two countries have “made progress” in trade, which now exceeds $50 billion. “We believe that this is something whose potential is now only beginning to be visible,” he said. India has emerged as one of Russia’s major economic partners as it has exponentially increased its imports of Russian crude oil, ignoring Western sanctions that were imposed in …

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WARSAW — Poland’s government is getting close to ending a blockade by truckers of several border crossings with Ukraine, the prime minister said on Wednesday.  Polish drivers have been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since November 6, demanding the European Union reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc and the same for European truckers to enter Ukraine.  Farmers suspended a protest at one border crossing on Sunday, but truckers have continued to block three others.  “We are close to the belief that our actions can bring results, both the talks in Kyiv and Brussels,” Polish …

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kyiv, ukraine — Ukraine’s government faces the prospect of delaying pensions and salaries for public servants if crucial Western financial aid is not approved soon, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told the Financial Times on Wednesday. Kyiv has poured all its revenue into defense since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, relying on foreign support to cover everything from pensions to social payments. But key funding packages, including $55.54 billion from the European Union, have been blocked in Brussels and Washington. “The support of partners is extremely critical,” Svyrydenko told the newspaper. “We need it urgently.” She said 500,000 civil servants, 1.4 million …

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