Category: Євросоюз

Latest developments: Ukrainian soldiers recaptured the southeastern village of Staromaiorske in Donetsk region. the recapture is part of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive push through the Russian-occupied southeast. U.S. Abrams tanks are now likely to arrive in Ukraine in September. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a historic Odesa cathedral that was damaged by a recent Russian airstrike.   On Thursday, less than two weeks after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Russia-Africa Conference opened in St. Petersburg. The British Defense Ministry reported Friday that only 17 African heads of state attended the gathering. Forty-three African leaders attended the last …

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Latest developments: Ukrainian soldiers recaptured the southeastern village of Staromaiorske in Donetsk region. the recapture is part of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive push through the Russian-occupied southeast. U.S. Abrams tanks are now likely to arrive in Ukraine in September. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a historic Odesa cathedral that was damaged by a recent Russian airstrike.   Ukrainian soldiers have recaptured the southeastern village of Staromaiorske from Russian forces, a video published Thursday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed, as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive push through the Russian-occupied southeast. “The 35th brigade and the ‘Ariy’ territorial defense unit have fulfilled their …

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President Joe Biden met with Italy’s new leader Thursday at the White House, where the two reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and talked of countering Beijing’s growing ambitions – a particularly salient point for Rome as it mulls quitting China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Biden suggested that the U.S. could fill the gap. “We’re going to talk about our deepening economic connection that has fueled more than $100 billion in trade last year,” Biden said. “In my mind, there’s no reason why that can’t increase.” “We know who our friends are in times that are tough,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni …

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Sweden’s prime minister said Thursday that police have received several permit applications for the burning of religious texts in the country next week, and that he fears this may escalate tensions further with the Muslim world. In his first public comments since the start of the Quran burning crisis that has severely strained Stockholm’s ties with Muslim nations, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT he was “extremely concerned” about a new wave of desecrations.  “It’s the police that make those decisions, not me. If they [permits] are granted, we face a number of days with the obvious …

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The Biden administration is dismissing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to supply free grain to several African nations whose leaders are attending a summit in St. Petersburg, and calling instead for a full Russian return to the agreement that allowed Ukraine to send products from their Black Sea ports.  John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council, also told VOA on Thursday that the White House is closely watching a coup in Niger, a West African nation seen as a close U.S. partner in the struggle against Islamic extremism and instability caused by violent Russian mercenaries on …

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Russia is hosting a summit of African countries as world tensions grow due to the increase in food prices following Moscow’s withdrawal from the grain shipment agreements signed with Ukraine and Turkey. In hosting the two-day gathering that began on Thursday, Russia is seeking to cast its image as a partner of the African continent. Marcus Harton narrates this report from the VOA Moscow Bureau. Camera: Ricardo Marquina …

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Wildfires reached the outskirts of Athens on Thursday as strong gusts of wind caused flare-ups around Greece, disrupting highway traffic and rail services. The fires have raged across parts of the country during three successive Mediterranean heat waves over two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge evacuation of tourists over the weekend on the island of Rhodes. Water-dropping helicopters and a ground crew scrambled early Thursday to a blaze in Kifissia, just north of Athens, which was quickly put out. Near the central city of Volos, a wildfire burned on two fronts, forcing …

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says Ukrainian forces have been deliberate in their counteroffensive against Russia and have been “conserving manpower and equipment.” Russia’s Federal Security Service said it found traces of explosives on a vessel en route from Turkey to Russia that had previously visited a Ukrainian port.   A Ukrainian official said Thursday that Russian forces carried out an overnight missile strike on the Odesa region in southern Ukraine, killing at least one person. Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said the attack damaged a small security building, equipment at a cargo terminal and two cars. Kiper said the …

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Russia’s defense minister accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to a defense exhibition that featured the North’s banned ballistic missiles as the neighbors pledged to boost ties, North Korean state media reported Thursday. The Russian minister, Sergei Shoigu, and a Chinese delegation including a Politburo member arrived in North Korea this week for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War celebrated in North Korea as “Victory Day.” The missiles were banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted with Russian and Chinese support but this week they provided a striking backdrop for a …

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WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday raised the possibility of New Zealand and other nations taking part in the AUKUS defense pact, cooperation that could rile Wellington’s key trade partner China. “The door’s very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward,” Blinken said, as Wellington mulls cooperation on non-nuclear aspects of the joint Australia-U.K.-U.S. accord. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said New Zealand was “open to conversations” about a possible role in AUKUS, so long as it did not relate to the …

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday. Shoigu was on a rare visit to the isolated country during which both sides pledged to boost ties, state media KCNA reported.  Shoigu handed Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report said. Kim in turn thanked Putin for sending a military delegation led by Shoigu, adding the meeting deepened the “strategic and traditional DPRK [North Korea]-Russia relations.”  The Russian delegation and a Chinese delegation including Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong arrived in North Korea this week for the 70th anniversary …

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The past year has lifted Poland’s image in the European Union from rule-of-law defier to leading Ukraine champion, welcoming more than a million refugees since Russia’s invasion and providing billions of dollars in military aid to neighboring Kyiv. But Poland’s newly acquired luster is fast fading, as Warsaw and four other neighboring countries balk at another Ukraine export — millions of tons of grain that have now lost maritime transport routes since Russia’s pullout this month from the year-old Black Sea Grain Initiative.  The countries, including Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, argue that Ukrainian cereals are flooding local markets and …

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Sinead O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” the singer’s family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed. She was public about her mental illness, saying that she’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. O’Connor posted …

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When people hear the phrase “tank man,” they often think of the man who blocked advancing tanks in China’s Tiananmen Square during a clampdown on protests on June 5, 1989. But Lithuania has a “tank man” of its own: Dr. Ricardas Daunoravicius, an obstetrician who stood in front of Soviet tanks amid a crackdown on Lithuanian independence.  In January 1991, the Lithuanian Supreme Council voted for independence, the first Soviet republic to do so. Moscow responded with a military crackdown. Local citizens, who had gathered to hear pro-independence Supreme Council Chairman Vyautas Landsbergis speak, formed a human wall to guard …

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Thousands of schools have been damaged and hundreds destroyed during Russia’s war on Ukraine. And for many students living near the battle zones, getting an education has become a near impossibility. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports with Yevhenii Shynkar from Lyman, Ukraine. WARNING: This report contains graphic images some may find disturbing. …

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A former U.S. Marine who was freed by Russia last year in a prisoner swap has been injured while fighting for Ukraine against Moscow’s forces, the U.S. State Department said. The European Union is considering helping fund the costly transportation of grain out of Ukraine after Russia halted a deal that allowed Black Sea exports of Ukrainian grain vital to global food security.   Britain’s defense ministry said Wednesday that Russia has altered its naval activity in the Black Sea, adding that there is a possibility Russian forces were preparing “to enforce a blockade of Ukraine.” Last week, Russia withdrew …

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Major fires raging in parts of Greece and in other Mediterranean countries advanced Wednesday, causing additional deaths, destroying homes and threatening nature reserves during a third successive wave of extreme temperatures. The summer wildfires have struck countries across the region, prompting the European Union to expand its support, sending two Spanish firefighting planes to Tunisia after wildfires in neighboring Algeria left at least 34 people dead in recent days. Here’s a look at some of the major wildfires across the Mediterranean region. Greece New evacuations were ordered overnight on the islands of Corfu, Evia and Rhodes, where thousands of tourists …

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First Lady Jill Biden Tuesday marked the United States’ return to the United Nations’ cultural organization after five years away, amid concerns that its absence has let China take a lead in key areas like artificial intelligence and technology education. “I was honored to join you today as we raise the flag of the United States, a symbol of our commitment to global collaboration and peace,” Biden said in Paris, as the American flag joined 193 others under the shadow of the city’s major cultural landmark, the Eiffel Tower. “The United States is proud to join as a member state …

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North Korea is receiving invited delegates from Russia and China this week for the 70th anniversary celebrations of its self-proclaimed “Victory Day,” an exceptional move in light of the ongoing border closures in place since early 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  July 27, 1953, marks the day the signing of a long-negotiated armistice agreement paused the Korean War. North Korea claims the 1950-1953 war was started by the U.S. and South Korea, and that it ultimately clenched victory.   North Korean state media on Wednesday published images of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arriving at Pyongyang International Airport …

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Latest Developments:    A former U.S. Marine who was freed by Russia last year in a prisoner swap has been injured while fighting for Ukraine against Moscow’s forces, the U.S. State Department said.  Russia’s prosecutor-general declared independent TV channel Dozhd to be an undesirable organization, continuing the crackdown on news media and groups regarded as threats to Russia’s security. Dozhd, which is often critical of the Kremlin, closed its operations in Russia soon after the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, moving first to Latvia and then to the Netherlands.   The European Union is considering helping fund the costly transportation of …

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