Category: Євросоюз

Sporadic intense fighting continues in the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka and surrounding areas of the Donetsk region as Kyiv watches a European Union summit in Brussels where the 27-nation bloc is expected to reiterate its condemnation of Russia’s war and support for Ukraine amid fears of donor fatigue among some members. Kyiv’s troops have repelled as many as 15 attacks by Russian forces in and around Avdiivka, a town that has largely been turned to rubble due to Russian bombing, over the past 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian armed forces. Avdiivka has been the site of Moscow’s largest …

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With jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich due to spend his birthday Thursday in prison, family and colleagues discuss their efforts to secure his release. VOA’s Cristina Caicedo Smit spoke with the Wall Street Journal reporter’s sister about his case. (Camera: Cristina Caicedo Smit, Saqib Ul Islam; Produced by Cristina Caicedo Smit) …

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Despite bleak outlooks on their emotional and financial well-being, Ukrainians still remain optimistic about their future, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday. The pressures of war have been weighing heavily on Ukrainian citizens since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Many say they have been unable to afford necessities such as food and shelter, and many others report experiencing negative feelings, worry chief among them. Living conditions in Ukraine have been challenging, with only about 38% of Ukrainians surveyed saying they are satisfied with their standard of living, and around 63% saying that living standards are getting worse. Nearly …

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After a career spanning three decades and just as many continents, the Wall Street Journal’s Paul Beckett has a new assignment that he hopes will be his shortest yet: freeing his colleague Evan Gershkovich.   Since Gershkovich was detained in Russia in March, Beckett has been working on his case in an informal capacity in addition to his duties as Washington bureau chief. But in his new role as assistant editor, Gershkovich will be Beckett’s sole priority. “The longer this goes on, the harder we need to work,” Beckett told VOA recently over coffee. “I couldn’t think of a greater cause …

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The United States is providing up to $150 million in additional military aid for Ukraine in a package expected as soon as Wednesday, three U.S. military officials tell VOA, a week after Ukraine used its newest weapon from the United States to pummel Russian military targets deep into Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine. The package includes more GMLRS rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), TOW anti-tank missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and 155 mm rounds, according to two of the officials who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss the …

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Brinc Drones is one of the U.S. companies shipping hundreds of drones to Ukraine. These drones are designed to help first responders survey the impacted areas of Russian shelling and find survivors. Adriy Borys visited the Brink manufacturing facility. Anna Rice narrates his story. Camera — Dmitriy Savchuk. …

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The UK Space Agency and a U.S. spaceflight services company have signed an initial agreement as they bid to send British astronauts into orbit for two weeks, the agency said Wednesday. The memorandum of understanding with Houston-based Axiom Space sets out plans for a flight that would see British astronauts conduct a two-week mission in space. “On this future flight, the UK astronauts would launch to space, spending up to two weeks on orbit to carry out scientific research, demonstrate new technologies, and participate in education and outreach activities,” the agency said. Axiom was founded by its chief executive Michael …

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Poland must use all methods possible to access frozen European Union funds, opposition leader Donald Tusk said on Wednesday during a trip to Brussels, as he seeks to resolve rows between Warsaw and the EU that have led to the cash being withheld. Tusk, who is likely to become Poland’s next prime minister after a group of pro-European Union parties secured a majority in an Oct. 15 election, is aiming to gain access to billions of euros the EU put on hold due to concerns about judicial independence under the previous nationalist government. “I am here as the leader of …

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged Tuesday to reclaim areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces. “Ukraine will reclaim its territory and its people,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.  “We will not leave anyone to the occupiers. We are using every means to ensure that this war ends with the defeat of the occupiers.” He also said that despite doubts from many in the world, “Ukraine has shown that it can prevail, despite all the challenges, especially in the Black Sea region.” Early Tuesday, Russia’s defense ministry said it destroyed three Ukrainian boats in the northern part of the …

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Violence among the Eritrean diaspora has broken out in Europe, the Middle East and North America in recent weeks. Hundreds have been arrested in clashes between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government. In this report from Stuttgart, Germany, Henry Wilkins speaks with members of the Eritrean diaspora about what has triggered these new clashes. …

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Fears of a new conflict are growing as Turkey and Azerbaijan demand a corridor through Armenian territory after last month’s forced exodus of ethnic Armenians from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the demands come as Iran hosts peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. …

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An Afghan-French journalist who spent 284 days imprisoned in Afghanistan has recalled how he was beaten, nearly choked, and interrogated.  Speaking at a news conference in the French capital, Paris, on Monday, the newly released Mortaza Behboudi said he didn’t think he would make it out of custody alive.  The Taliban arrested Behboudi outside Kabul University in January while the reporter was working on a story about how female students are banned from higher education. He was held on charges of espionage and illegal support of foreigners until last week, when a Kabul court threw out all charges. The journalist …

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Icelandic women went on a 24-hour strike on Tuesday over gender inequality, including the prime minister, who said the fight for equal treatment was moving far too slowly at home and abroad. Across the small island nation, schools and libraries were either closed or operated on limited hours as female staff stayed home, while hospitals said they would only handle emergency cases. Joining the protest, Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said she would not come to work on Tuesday. “Looking at the whole world, it could take 300 years to achieve gender equality,” Jakobsdottir told the Ras 1 public radio station. …

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Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian attacks in two parts of the country wounded at least eight people. In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Russian airstrikes and artillery fire wounded four people and damaged a number of houses, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on social media. Klymenko also said a Russian attack in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine injured four people. Ukraine and Russia each said Tuesday their militaries also thwarted attacks by enemy uncrewed vehicles. Russia’s defense ministry said it destroyed three Ukrainian boats in the northern part of the Black Sea. Russia also said it conducted an …

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Sweden moved one step closer to entering NATO Monday when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a bill to parliament seeking approval for the Nordic nation’s bid to join the military alliance. Thirty-one other NATO member nations have already ratified Sweden’s membership bid, leaving Turkey and Hungary as the final nations that have not yet done so. Erdogan had promised his NATO allies he would introduce a bill to ratify Sweden’s membership when parliament reopened on October 1 and the bill was finally submitted on Monday. Previously, Turkey had cited accusations of Sweden harboring terrorists as a reason for the …

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Malawi has made its first successful large-scale harvest of wheat after years of attempts to find a variety of grain suitable for its soil. Wheat farming is seen as a solution to mitigate the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on grain imports to the African continent. Ronald Ngwira, chief executive officer of Malawi-registered U.S. company Pyxus Agriculture Limited, which operates a farm in central Malawi for the diversification of wheat seeds, said about four varieties of wheat have been found suitable for Malawian soil out of about 80 varieties which had been tried since 2019. Speaking during the start of …

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Starting next month, on November 1, Thailand will allow Russian tourists to stay visa-free for up to 90 days. The move comes as tourists from the country have had increasingly few options for travel, given Moscow’s war on Ukraine, the impact of sanctions, travel restrictions, and a weakening ruble. News that Thailand was extending visa-free stays from 30 to 90 days came late last week just before the country’s Prime Minister Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing last week. Thailand has already seen nearly one …

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A Russian court on Monday extended the detention of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until December. Kurmasheva was detained by police last week on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. Kurmasheva is believed to be the first person taken into custody for failing to comply with the registry. On Monday, a court in the Russian city of Kazan rejected a bid by Kurmasheva’s lawyer to allow Kurmasheva to be freed pending trial, RFE/RL reported. The journalist will be detained until at least December 5. “We are deeply disappointed by the outcome of today’s hearing,” RFE/RL …

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A charismatic leader of Germany’s populist left wing on Monday laid the foundation for a new party, expected to poach support from the resurgent far right and further splinter the political landscape.    Sahra Wagenknecht, a firebrand MP from far-left Die Linke party and a stalwart of opposition politics since the fall of the Berlin Wall, said she was starting a new political association named after herself.    The Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), which includes nine other deputies, would be leaving the Linke to focus on forming its own party by early next year, she told reporters.    “The way things are going …

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Denmark’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Monday that he is retiring from politics. The move will take effect immediately.  Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen will take over Ellemann-Jensen’s posts.   “I am taking this decision because it is the right thing for the Liberal Party,” Ellemann-Jensen said. Elleman-Jensen was on a months-long sick leave following a medical exam earlier this year. Support for the Liberal Party has fallen dramatically and Denmark’s coalition government holds only a narrow majority in the 179-member parliament. However, political analyst Jarl Cordua, told Reuters about Lunds Poulsen, “There is greater confidence …

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