Category: Євросоюз

Western sanctions against Russia could cause the International Space Station to crash, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos warned Saturday, calling for the punitive measures to be lifted. According to Dmitry Rogozin, the sanctions, some of which predate Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, could disrupt the operation of Russian spacecraft servicing the ISS. As a result, the Russian segment of the station — which helps correct its orbit — could be affected, causing the 500-ton structure to “fall down into the sea or onto land,” the Roscosmos chief wrote on Telegram. “The Russian segment ensures that the station’s orbit is …

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When Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took the floor in a parliament debate on Ukraine this month, there was no doubt which side his government was taking in the conflict. “There can be no equal distances. You are either with peace and international law, or against them,” he told lawmakers, after announcing a shipment of medicine and lethal aid to Ukraine. “We were always on the right side of history, and we are doing the same now,” the PM said. But for many Greeks, after centuries of existential, religious and cultural ties with Russia, the choice is not as evident. …

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Up to the final hours before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, former chancellor Angela Merkel had been touted as the person favored by Germans to try to talk President Vladimir Putin out of the conflict. But as Russian bombs fell on Ukrainian cities, a shadow has fallen on Merkel’s 16 years in office, with some observers now questioning if her detente policies with Putin had in fact left Germany, and Europe, vulnerable. Once hailed as the leader of the free world, the veteran center-right leader has been accused by some of increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy and neglecting …

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An Istanbul court on Friday sentenced Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas to more than two years in prison for insulting the president. Kabas has been in pretrial detention since late January over comments she made about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a political talk show. She is now released pending the outcome of her appeal. The freelance journalist tops the March list of most urgent media freedom cases published by the One Free Press Coalition. The coalition, made up of dozens of media outlets and nonprofits, focused on Kabas and nine other female journalists to raise awareness of the risks women encounter. …

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In an attempt to tighten the financial screws on Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the invasion of Ukraine, countries around the world are seizing the prized possessions of oligarchs believed to be close to him. VOA’s Laurel Bowman has that story. …

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Britain’s Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II would not attend the Commonwealth Day events scheduled for Monday in Westminster Abbey. In a statement, the palace said, “After discussing the arrangements with the Royal Household, the Queen has asked The Prince of Wales to represent Her Majesty” at the Commonwealth Day service. The statement said the queen would continue with other scheduled events, including in-person audiences, next week. Last month, Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19 but apparently recovered. She was well enough on Monday to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle. Apart from that, she has mainly …

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U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Friday by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House said, updating him on U.S. and ally moves to further raise the cost of war for Russia. Biden also highlighted “how the United States is continuing to surge security, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine.” Earlier Friday, Zelenskyy said in a broadcast video without elaborating that his military had reached a “strategic turning point.” “It’s impossible to say how many days we will still need to free our land, but it is possible to say that we will do it because … we …

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday declared that Ukraine had reached a strategic turning point in its fight with Russia, which he said was relying on conscripts, reservists and Syrian mercenaries to prop up its invasion force. In a daily televised address in Kyiv, Zelenskyy called on the international community to ramp up sanctions pressure on Russia if it didn’t back down. “It is impossible to say how many days we still have to free Ukrainian land. But we can say we will do it. For we have already reached a strategic turning point,” he said. He said Ukraine is battling …

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South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has been asked to help mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine, after having spoken to his counterpart Vladimir Putin. But some analysts are questioning whether South Africa’s ties to Russia could impact its neutrality.   The prospective role of mediator comes after the country abstained from a United Nations vote to reprimand Russia over its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.  Bheki Mngomezulu, a professor of political science at the University of the Western Cape, said the request shouldn’t come as a surprise.  “It’s a very tricky situation, because South Africa, by the way, has …

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A $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies easily won final congressional approval Thursday, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that’s five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties. With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion killing thousands and forcing over 2 million others to flee, the Senate approved the overall $1.5 trillion overall legislation by a 68-31 bipartisan margin. Democrats and Republicans have battled this election year over rising inflation, energy policy and lingering pandemic restrictions, but they’ve rallied behind sending aid to Ukraine, whose stubborn …

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Beijing is controlling messaging on the war in Ukraine, analysts and observers say, as social media companies and traditional Chinese state media outlets have been suppressing voices critical of Russia’s invasion.  On February 22, Horizon News, an affiliate of China’s state-owned Beijing News, accidentally posted on Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, censorship instructions related to posts on the Russia-Ukraine war.  “Do not post anything unfavorable to Russia or pro-Western,” the now deleted directive said. “If using hashtags, only use those started by People’s Daily, Xinhua, or CCTV.”  During an opening speech in Beijing last Friday, Andrew Parsons, the president of the …

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The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday on alleged manufacture of biological weapons in Ukraine at the request of Moscow, whose credibility on chemical weapons was questioned during a session on Syria. Russia on Thursday accused the United States of funding research into the development of biological weapons in Ukraine, which has faced an assault by tens of thousands of Russian troops since Feb. 24. Both Washington and Kyiv have denied the allegations, with the United States saying they were a sign that Moscow could soon use the weapons itself. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s allegations …

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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is in Bucharest on Friday, after her visit Thursday to Warsaw, where she underscored the U.S. commitment to NATO’s eastern flank and supported calls for a probe of Russia’s alleged bombing of a Ukrainian hospital. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports. …

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Facebook said Thursday that because of the invasion of Ukraine, it has temporarily eased its rules regarding violent speech. Moscow’s internationally condemned invasion of its neighbor has provoked unprecedented sanctions from Western governments and businesses, but also a surge of online anger. “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders,’” Facebook’s parent company Meta said in a statement. “We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” it added. Facebook made …

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Twitter says it has created a version of its microblogging service that can be used by Russians despite the regular version of the service being restricted in the country. The service will be available via a special “onion” URL on the darkweb that is accessible only when using a Tor browser. Onion URLs and Tor have long been used by those seeking to work around censorship as well as those who are involved in illegal activities on the darkweb. The announcement of the new site was made by a software engineer who does work for Twitter. “This is possibly the …

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Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers met at a Turkish Mediterranean Sea resort Thursday but failed to end the fighting in Ukraine, with mutual recriminations. Both ministers indicated the diplomatic door remained open. Speaking at a news conference after the meeting in Antalya, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized what he called Russia’s lack of sincerity. Kuleba said, “We cannot stop the war if the country that started the aggression has no desire to do so. We are ready for diplomacy but ready to defend ourselves.” At his news conference, his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, accused Ukraine of not being serious …

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The United Nations estimates that with Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, more than 12 million Ukrainians inside their country and about 4 million refugees will need assistance in the coming months. Some New Yorkers are stepping in to help. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Natalia Latukhina. …

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Acts of vandalism. Cancel culture. Financial hits. Putin’s war on Ukraine is causing problems for some Russians living in the United States. As VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports, many oppose Moscow’s aggression and are speaking out for peace. Ihar Tsikhanenka, Mike O’Sullivan, Michelle Quinn, and Mike Eckels contributed to this report. …

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, met in Turkey Thursday, to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the first such high-level meeting since Moscow launched an invasion against its neighbor two weeks ago. The talks in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya were joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey has, for weeks, sought a role in mediating the two sides. But there were few expectations at the outset Thursday’s high-level diplomatic push would result in any meaningful progress. Speaking at a news conference at the conclusion of the talks, Ukrainian …

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Britain says it has added several high-profile Russian billionaires to its sanctions list, including including Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Premier League soccer club Chelsea, and industrialist Oleg Deripaska, who has called for an end to the war Moscow launched with Ukraine last month. The British government said in a statement on March 10 that the new list also includes Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin, VTB Bank Chairman Andrei Kostin, Gazprom chief Aleksei Miller, pipeline firm Transeft’s owner, Nikolai Tokarev, and Bank Rossia Chairman Dmitry Lebedev. The move, taken in response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, freezes …

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