Category: Євросоюз

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is on a three-day state visit to Russia aimed at underscoring Russian-Sino cooperation — and his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin — in the face of strained relations with the United States.    “In the past six years, we have met nearly 30 times,” said Xi of the Russian leader.    “Russia is the country that I have visited the most times, and President Putin is my best friend and colleague,” added Xi.    While ostensibly timed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the state visit comes as both …

READ MORE

Italian-U.S. carmaker Fiat Chrysler on Thursday pulled the plug on its proposed merger with Renault, saying negotiations had become “unreasonable” because of  political resistance in Paris.     Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, or FCA, had stunned the markets last week with a proposed “merger of equals” with the French group that would — together with Renault’s Japanese partners, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors — create an auto giant spanning the globe.     The French government, which controls 15 percent of Renault, gave the deal a conditional green light, with analysts suggesting it wanted more control over the combined group alongside Fiat’s Agnelli family.  …

READ MORE

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attended a ceremony Thursday at the American Military Cemetery in Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and then held a bilateral meeting. Some 2,500 U.S. troops were killed on June 6 1944, the first day of the Allied invasion to liberate Nazi-occupied France. Ceremonies have been taking place across the region as Britain, Canada and other Allied nations pay tribute to the fallen. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Normandy, the poignant ceremonies come at a time of heightened tension and fears over the future of the transatlantic alliance. …

READ MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for Kremlin talks that reflected increasingly close ties between the two countries that were communist rivals during the Cold War. At the conclusion of the meetings a joint statement by Russia and China voiced support for Iran and commended Iran’s implementation of the requirements of the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers, reported Russia’s Interfax news agency. Both countries underlined their commitment to maintain good relations with Iran. “The parties emphasize the need to protect their mutually beneficial commercial and economic cooperation …

READ MORE

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attended a ceremony Thursday at the American Military Cemetery in Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, following with a bilateral meeting in the city of Caen. Ceremonies have been taking place at other cemeteries and monuments across the region as the U.S., France, Britain, Canada and other Allied nations pay tribute to the fallen. About 2,500 U.S. troops died in a single day on June 6, 1944, as Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France. Total Allied casualties that day are estimated at 10,000. Less than a year after the invasion, …

READ MORE

In a far-ranging discussion on foreign policy, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is prepared to drop the New START arms control treaty if the United States is not interested in renewing it. Speaking on June 6 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also denied Moscow is pulling defense personnel out of Venezuela, contradicting an earlier comment by U.S. President Donald Trump. On Britain, Russia’s leader said it is time for the two countries to “turn the page” in their strained ties and to “leave behind” matters related to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England …

READ MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow has no plans to send troops to shore up Venezuela’s embattled leader. He also warned that the U.S. reluctance to start talks on extending a key arms control pact raises the threat of an uncontrollable arms race. Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweet earlier this week that Moscow had informed Washington it had pulled its personnel out of Venezuela, Putin said that Russian experts come and go to service Russian-made weapons bought by Caracas. “We aren’t building any military bases there, we aren’t sending troops there, we have never done that,” …

READ MORE

As ceremonies take place to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, thousands of military personnel and civilians have taken part in re-enactments of famous battles and landmark events across Normandy. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the town of Carentan, D-Day veterans who took part in the invasion have been at the heart of the action. …

READ MORE

The drift toward economic nationalism in parts of Europe and elsewhere — reinforced in last month’s European Parliament elections — holds little appeal for the people of Ireland, according to that country’s ambassador in Washington. “Most Irish people realize that we’ve been beneficiaries of globalization,” said Daniel Gerard Mulhall at a recent event in the U.S. capital. “When Ireland first joined the EU, we were the poorest country, now we’re one of the most successful.”  News coverage of the EU-wide elections focused heavily on the gains made by far-right and nationalist parties in several countries, especially Italy. But Mulhall saw the …

READ MORE

Champ Vinet vividly remembers June 6, 1944. D-Day.  “We knew it was coming, we didn’t know when of course,” says the 96-year-old nonagenarian who is quick to add, “I’ll be 97 in a month.” Vinet was training in Colorado to become a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps when news reached him that Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, in the largest military invasion in history. But Vinet says the drumbeats of war came to New Orleans long before.  “What World War Two did for my area, the lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, was create …

READ MORE

LONDON — Roderick James contributed to this report. British Prime Minister Theresa May is hosting U.S. President Donald Trump along with leaders and other representatives from 14 nations for D-Day commemoration ceremonies Wednesday in the southern British city of Portsmouth. May’s office released a statement highlighting the “historic international cooperation” involved in the massive operation to land forces across the English Channel in Normandy, France as allied militaries worked to defeat Nazi Germany. “As we unite to pay tribute to those whose bravery and sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy marked a turning point in the Second World War, we will …

READ MORE

The U.S.-based democracy watchdog Freedom House says press freedom is declining around the world, right alongside political rights and civil liberties. In its annual report released Wednesday, the nongovernmental group says global press freedom declined to its lowest point in more than a decade due to continued crackdowns on independent media in authoritarian states and unprecedented threats to journalists in traditionally free societies. The reports finds press freedoms have been deteriorating across the world with “new forms of repression taking hold in open societies and authoritarian states alike.” Sarah Repucci, senior director for research and analysis at Freedom House, told …

READ MORE

A new Freedom House report says press freedom is deteriorating worldwide. VOA’s Ramon Taylor spoke to Sarah Repucci, the Senior Director for Research and Analysis for Freedom House about the report. Below is an an edited transcript. Q: According to the report, press freedom is deteriorating worldwide; worsening for Not Free states (Eurasia + Middle East/North Africa) combined with a negative trend among Free States, notably across Europe. Can you expand on these overall findings, and its impact on the state of democracy in those countries? A: So we’ve been tracking a decline in global press freedom for a decade. …

READ MORE

Global press freedom is on the decline, including in countries that have long been determined to be “free.” Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization, reports that new forms of media repression and manipulation are spreading in traditionally open societies, from Central Europe to the United States, where it cited “new and are very worrying” attacks on journalists and media outlets by the Trump administration. VOA’s Ramon Taylor reports from New York. …

READ MORE

President Donald Trump enjoyed pomp and pageantry on the first day of his state visit to Britain, where Queen Elizabeth hosted a royal banquet for him at Buckingham Palace. Yet Trump waded into controversy with his comments on Brexit and perceived insults of London mayor Sadiq Khan. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has more from London. …

READ MORE

British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump both signaled a desire Tuesday to expand trade between their nations as they began a series of meetings in London. Speaking at a business roundtable event, Trump said he thinks the two sides will reach a “very, very substantial trade deal” that is “very fair.” May said Britain and the United States could expand their economic partnership with a bilateral trade deal and that her governmentbelieves in “keeping markets free, fair and open.” Trump has pursued new trade arrangements with a number of major U.S. trade partners, including China, with …

READ MORE

June 6th marks the 75th anniversary of D-day, when allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of Nazi-occupied France. The invasion marked the beginning of the end of World War Two. One veteran of Normandy is telling his story to people training to serve in the military, so they better understand combat and sacrifice. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

READ MORE

The Kremlin is pushing ahead with efforts to boost Russia’s presence in the Arctic. U.S. intelligence officials have been warning that Moscow’s military and economic activity in the region has reached levels not seen since the Cold War. President Vladmir Putin this year said his country will significantly expand its Arctic cargo lanes linking Russian ports to China. Ricardo Marquina reports from St. Petersburg. Jeff Custer narrates. …

READ MORE

The United States is again calling on European allies to be careful of what it says are security risks posed by Chinese telecommunication company Huawei, as countries build out their 5G networks. “We’ve been clear: our ask is that our allies and our partners and our friends don’t do anything that would endanger our shared security interests or restrict our ability to share sensitive information,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday after meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok in The Hague. The top U.S. diplomat’s remarks come amid the Dutch intelligence agency’s investigation over alleged hidden backdoors in the …

READ MORE

The Czech and Slovak governments have criticized what they see as historical revisionism by Russia about the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Foreign Ministry said Monday a draft amendment to Russia’s law on veterans states troops participated in the invasion to suppress “an attempted coup” and to stabilize the political situation in Czechoslovakia. Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968 to crush political reforms and anti-Communist protests during the era known as the Prague Spring. The Foreign Ministry says the invasion violated international law and was opposed by Czechoslovak leaders and a majority of citizens. Slovakia’s prime …

READ MORE