Category: Євросоюз

Despite a Russian invasion of his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an optimistic address Friday before the Paris Peace Forum. “It is precisely the cooperation and unity of all who truly value peace that can prevent catastrophes and stop the suffering of peoples. In this, every nation matters,” he said Friday. “It’s important to remember this.” There are no “few great” nations, he said, “who supposedly can decide something in the world for everyone… All nations are equal, and every nation deserves respect.” Meanwhile, European Union countries are having reservations about committing a long-term fund of $21.4 billion in …

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North Korea’s foreign ministry on Saturday slammed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s comments on Pyongyang’s relations with Moscow, saying the remarks would “only escalate the dangerous political and military tension” on the peninsula. Blinken was in Seoul earlier this week after attending a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan. He met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and other top officials. During his visit to the South Korean capital, he said military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow were “growing and dangerous”, and urged Beijing, Pyongyang’s main ally, to restrain the nuclear-armed North. Pyongyang on Saturday condemned Blinken and …

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Bar associations across Turkey reacted with demonstrations, marches and legal actions Friday to a constitutional crisis in which a lower-ranking appeals court filed an unprecedented criminal complaint against Supreme Court judges over their decision to release a jailed parliamentarian. Parliamentarians from opposition parties have started a “justice watch” campaign, refusing to leave the parliament until the issue is brought to the floor for discussion, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan caused further consternation Friday by weighing in on the side of the lower court. Can Atalay, a Turkey’s Workers Party (TIP) parliamentarian representing the southern province of Hatay, has been held …

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Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to join a pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday, a rally Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has criticized as disrespectful amid concerns it could spark violence on the day of remembrance for war veterans.  The “National March for Palestine” is the fourth to be staged in the British capital since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, but ministers have said it should be canceled as it coincides with Armistice Day, which marks the end of World War I and commemorations for those killed in military action.  Police have said they will have almost …

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The number of rail freight cars heading to the ports of Ukraine’s Odesa region continued to rise over the past week thanks to the successful operation of the alternative Black Sea exports corridor, a senior railways official said late Thursday. Valeriy Tkachov, deputy director of the commercial department at Ukrainian Railways, said on Facebook that over the last week the number of grain cars heading to Odesa ports increased by more than 26% to 5,341 from 4,227. He said up to 970 cars were unloaded at the ports’ silos every day. A week earlier the number of cars jumped by …

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A sweeping plain dotted with ruined houses stretched into the horizon and toward the blue expanse of the Dnipro River, where a clutch of Ukrainian forces were poised for Russian attacks. The Dnipro, Europe’s fourth-longest river and a historic trading route, has become a key front since Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces back over its banks in the south last year. The river winds the length of the country from north to south, eventually flowing into the Black Sea from the Kherson region, where it separates the two armies. While Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson city last November was a defeat …

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is overextending Russia’s domestic military resources and is straining “its ability to retain baseline defenses across its vast area,” the British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence report about the conflict in Ukraine. The ministry said Thursday that analysis of recent reports about the loss of several Russian SA-21 long-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems indicates that for Russia to continue its coverage of Ukraine, Russia will highly likely need to reallocate SAMs routinely used to protect distant Russian regions. Long-range SAMs, like the SA-21, can hit targets up to 400 kilometers away, according …

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Turkey’s media regulator has voted to order the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, or DW, to obtain a broadcast license for its Turkish-language website. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) ruled on the move Wednesday in a majority vote, saying the German broadcaster must comply with a Turkish licensing regulation that came into force in 2019. RTUK previously moved to block DW’s content in 32 languages under its dw.com domain, along with VOA Turkish, over the refusal by both media outlets to obtain a license. Both international broadcasters said previously they could not comply with the regulation because of …

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Russia, Venezuela and Pakistan are the top three recipients of Chinese development funding in the past two decades, but the crisis-riddled countries may be losing attraction for Beijing. China is moving to protect its global investments under the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a study released this week by AidData, a research lab at the U.S. university, William and Mary. The research shows that China gave $1.34 trillion dollars in grants and loans for more than 20,000 projects to 165 low-income and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2021. While the top three recipients received funding for different reasons, AidData …

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French President Emmanuel Macron gave opening remarks on Thursday in Paris at an aid conference for Gaza, stressing that “all lives have equal worth.” Representatives from more than 50 nations, including the U.S. and several Arab states, were in attendance. Israeli officials weren’t invited but were informed of the meeting in advance, Macron’s press office said. Macron appealed for a humanitarian pause in Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas, saying that ensuring the safety of civilians is “non-negotiable.” According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 1.5 million Palestinians – roughly 70% of Gaza’s population – have …

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Britain’s interior minister on Thursday accused the country’s largest police force of being more lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators than other groups, deepening a political feud sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.  In a highly unusual attack on the police, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said London’s Metropolitan Police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”  Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under growing pressure to fire Braverman, a divisive figure popular with the authoritarian wing of the governing Conservative Party. Sunak’s spokesperson, Max Blain, said that Braverman’s article had not been …

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Spanish police say that veteran right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras, has been taken to the hospital after being shot in the face in Madrid. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, 78, a member of Spain’s conservative popular party, and was its regional leader in Catalonia, was shot in the wealthy Salamanca area of central Madrid at about 1.30 p.m. local time. Vidal-Quadras was conscious when he was taken to the hospital. Police have identified two men in connection with the shooting, who got away on a black motorcycle. The gunman, wearing a helmet, left the motorcycle to carry out the shooting. No arrests were made …

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Thursday rejected any calls for talks with Russia amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Those who argue that Ukraine should negotiate with Russia now are either uninformed or misled, or they side with Russia and want Putin to take a pause before an even larger aggression,” Kuleba posted on X. Kuleba said Ukraine “should not and will not fall into this trap.” The Kremlin said Wednesday that it would engage in talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his side will not participate in negotiations until Russia has withdrawn all of its troops from areas it …

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The sound of children’s footsteps echoed along a school hallway in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as pupils gathered to board a coach marked “Evacuation.” Nadiya Kondratkova stood surrounded by suitcases, her crimson lips trembling and her eyes filled with tears. This was the first time she had parted from her daughters. “They have to get some rest far away from the explosions and sirens,” Nadiya said, explaining her decision to send them away.  “They’re exhausted,” she told AFP. “They can’t sleep anymore and they scream at night.” The city has suffered daily attacks since it was recaptured by …

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Some 80 countries and international organizations meet in Paris on Thursday to coordinate aid and assess how to help the wounded in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, although expectations for concrete results are low without some pause in fighting. France offered support for Israel after a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas Islamists, yet Israel’s retaliatory bombardment has raised concerns as civilian casualties have soared. Thousands have been killed, wounded and displaced in Gaza. “It’s not a secret for anybody that access is difficult today in Gaza for basic necessities, medicines, water, etc… So the object is really to work …

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Transsexual people can be godparents at Roman Catholic baptisms, witnesses at religious weddings and receive baptism themselves, the Vatican’s doctrinal office said on Wednesday, responding to questions from a bishop.  The department, known as the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, was vague, however, in response to a question about whether a same-sex couple could have a church baptism for an adopted child or one obtained through a surrogate mother.  Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro, Brazil, sent the doctrinal office six questions in July regarding LGBTQ people and their participation in the sacraments of baptism and matrimony.  The …

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On Wednesday, the European Commission recommended opening European Union membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The news was welcome in Ukraine, which remains at war with Russia but wants to bind its future with the EU. VOA’s Myroslava Gongadze reports. Camera: Eugene Shynkar. …

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France has denounced an action taken by an Iranian court that sentenced a French national to five years in prison. Louis Arnaud, a banking consultant who has been held in Iran’s Evin prison for over a year, was tried on national security charges. The charges handed down by a Revolutionary Court include propaganda against and seeking to harm the security of the Islamic republic, the family said in a statement. His family called the charges “baseless” and said that Arnaud, who they described as a “passionate traveler,” didn’t get involved with political movements while in Iran. The family added that …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday encouraged a senior Chinese military leader to strengthen their nations’ military cooperation by collaborating on cutting-edge defense technologies.  In a televised speech ahead of his meeting with Gen. Zhang Youxia, second-in-command of China’s military, Putin spoke of partnerships regarding ambitious weapons projects.   “I mean space, including high-orbit assets, and new prospective types of weapons that will ensure strategic security of both Russia and the People’s Republic of China,” Putin said without providing specifics.  Beijing announced last year it would have a relationship with “no limits.” Amid international scrutiny, the Xi administration walked back …

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In an olive grove on the outskirts of Athens, grower Konstantinos Markou pushes aside the shoots of new growth to reveal the stump of a tree — a roughly 150-year-old specimen, he said, that was among 15 cut down on his neighbor’s land by thieves eager to turn it into money. Surging olive oil prices, driven in part by two years of drought in Spain, has meant opportunity for criminals across the Mediterranean. Warehouse break-ins, dilution of premium oil with inferior product, and falsification of shipping data are on the rise in olive-growing heartlands of Greece, Spain and Italy. And …

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