Category: Євросоюз

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have for the first time hit a latest-generation Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet at an air base inside Russia, Kyiv’s GUR defense intelligence agency said Sunday, showing satellite pictures which it said confirmed the strike. In a Telegram post, the GUR did not specify how the Su-57 was hit or by which unit of the Ukrainian military. A popular Russian pro-war military blogger who calls himself Fighterbomber and focuses on aviation said the report of the strike on the Su-57 was correct and that it had been hit by a drone. The GUR said the aircraft …

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Geneva — Swiss voters were expected to approve in a referendum Sunday a law aimed at accelerating the development of renewable energy as the country aims for carbon neutrality by 2050. According to the final opinion polls published in May, 73% of voters are set to approve the law on “a secure electricity supply based on renewable energies.” Less than two months ago Switzerland became the first country ever to be condemned by an international court for not doing enough to combat climate change, in a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights. The new law was approved by parliament …

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paris — Christophe Deloire, who negotiated to free imprisoned journalists around the world and offered refuge to reporters under threat as the head of the media freedom group Reporters Without Borders, died Saturday. He was 53.  Deloire had been battling sudden and aggressive cancer and died in Paris surrounded by loved ones, according to board members of Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF.  Deloire was “a tireless defender, on every continent, of the freedom, independence and pluralism of journalism, in a context of information chaos,” RSF said in a statement. “Journalism was his life’s struggle, which he fought …

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CARENTAN-LES-MARAIS, France — Together, the collective age of the bride and groom was nearly 200. But World War II veteran Harold Terens and his sweetheart Jeanne Swerlin proved that love is eternal as they tied the knot Saturday inland of the D-Day beaches in Normandy, France. Their respective ages — he’s 100, she’s 96 — made their nuptials an almost double-century celebration. Terens called it “the best day of my life.” On her way into the nuptials, the bubbly bride-to-be said: “It’s not just for young people, love, you know? We get butterflies. And we get a little action, also.” The …

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who says he regularly prays “Lord, give me a sense of humor,” will welcome comedians from around the world to a cultural event in Italy to “celebrate the beauty of human diversity,” the Vatican said Saturday.  Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and Chris Rock will be among more than 100 entertainers at the Vatican on June 14.  The pope “recognizes the significant impact that the art of comedy has on the world of contemporary culture,” a Vatican statement said.  British comedian Stephen Merchant — the co-writer of the TV comedy series “The Office” — and …

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ISTANBUL — Turkey will impose a 40% additional tariff on imports of vehicles from China to halt a possible deterioration of its current trade balance and protect domestic automakers, the trade ministry said Saturday.  China is facing increasing trade pressures worldwide over its growing exports of electric vehicles, which many countries claim are being heavily subsidized by Beijing to support its sputtering economy. The European Commission is expected to announce next week whether to impose provisional extra tariffs.  The additional Turkish tariff will be set at a minimum of $7,000 per vehicle, going into effect from July 7, a presidential decision …

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PARIS — U.S. President Joe Biden capped his visit to France by being feted with a tres-chic state visit Saturday — finishing with a flourish a trip that launches a frantic six-week diplomatic push that analysts say could radically alter Europe’s security architecture, right as the continent holds parliamentary elections that could shift the politics sharply inward at a time when Biden is stressing the need for global unity. Leonie Allard, a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and a former French defense official, told VOA, “I believe that we are in a very significant sequence, not only for …

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KYIV, Ukraine — Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Luhansk said Ukrainian attacks left at least 28 people dead as Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange drone attacks overnight into Saturday. A Ukrainian attack Friday on the small town of Sadove in Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region killed 22 and wounded 15 people, Moscow-backed governor Vladimir Saldo said. Russian state news agency Tass cited Saldo as saying that Ukrainian forces first struck the town with a French-made guided bomb, then attacked again with a U.S.-supplied HIMARS missile. He said Ukrainian forces had “deliberately made a repeat …

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A man accused of assaulting the Danish Prime Minister in central Copenhagen will appear in a pre-trial custody hearing on Saturday, authorities said. Police confirmed “there has been an incident” with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Friday and that a 39-year-old man was arrested. They didn’t provide further details and it wasn’t clear if Frederiksen was hurt. The man is expected to arrive at 1100 GMT at the Copenhagen District Court in Frederiksberg, a municipality enclave within the Danish capital. The prime minister’s office told the Danish state broadcaster DR on Friday that Frederiksen was “shocked” by what …

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DAKAR, Senegal — Russia’s top diplomat pledged help and military assistance while on a whirlwind tour of several countries in Africa’s sub-Saharan region of Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich section of the continent. Russia is emerging as the security partner of choice for a growing number of African governments in the region, displacing traditional allies like France and the United States. Sergey Lavrov, who has made several trips to Africa in recent years, this week stopped in Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Chad. Moscow has aggressively expanded its military …

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PRAGUE — Voters in Slovakia, Italy and other European Union nations are casting their ballots Saturday on the third day of elections for the European Parliament, with populist and far-right parties looking to make gains across the 27-member bloc. In Slovakia, the election was overshadowed by an attempt to assassinate populist Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15, sending shockwaves through the nation of 5.4 million and reverberating throughout Europe. Analysts say the attack could boost the chances of the premier’s leftist Smer (Direction) party, the senior partner in the governing coalition, to win the vote. Fico, who took office last …

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President Joe Biden stressed the need for transatlantic unity during his speech at the monument overlooking the beach where, 80 years ago, Allied troops fought a battle that delivered a decisive blow to Nazi aggression. VOA White House Correspondent Anita Powell reports from Pointe du Hoc, France. …

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Pointe du Hoc, France — Standing alone atop a concrete bunker dug into a 100-foot cliff overlooking the cold, choppy waters off Normandy’s coast, U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday explained why he came to the French countryside to deliver a forceful speech drawing a straight line from the past to the present. “Where we stand was not sacred ground on June 5th, but that’s what it became on June the 6th,” he said, referring to the battle that Allied forces launched that day in 1944. “The Rangers who scaled this cliff didn’t know they would change the world,” he said …

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White House — U.S. President Joe Biden is aiming to persuade leaders of the world’s seven richest economies on a plan that could potentially provide up to $50 billion in loans for Ukraine’s war effort by using interest from frozen Russian assets held in Western financial institutions. The U.S. leader wants his G7 counterparts to endorse the plan at their upcoming summit in Apulia, Italy, set to kick off June 13. But before G7 partners can get on board, much of the scheme’s details must first be ironed out, a source familiar with Biden’s plan told VOA. If agreed upon, the …

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PARIS — U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly apologized to Ukraine for a monthslong congressional holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make gains on the battlefield, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for bipartisan U.S. support “like it was during World War II.” Speaking in Paris, a day after they both attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, Biden apologized to the Ukrainian people for the weeks of not knowing if more assistance would come while conservative Republicans in Congress held up a $61 billion military aid package for …

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Cut off from the West, Russia is pitching its $2 trillion economy to giants like China and Saudi Arabia and longer-term prospects like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at its premier investment forum in St. Petersburg, which was founded by the czars as a window to Europe. The war in Ukraine has led to the biggest upheaval in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and Western sanctions have forced a once-in-a-century revolution in Russia’s economic relations. Since Peter the Great laid the foundations of the modern Russian state and made St. Petersburg the capital …

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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian air force shot down all five missiles and 48 out of 53 drones over nine regions during Russia’s overnight attack, Ukrainian military said on Friday. The Russian forces attacked Kyiv region with drones and Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles, causing a fire at one of the industrial facilities, according to the governor. Emergency services worked to put out the fire on Friday morning with no casualties reported. Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov said the drone attack knocked out windows in at least three residential buildings, damaging a store and a post office, among other local infrastructure. Three drones were destroyed …

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