Europe
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls for Europe’s help in buying artillery shells
European Union leaders said on Thursday that they will continue to support Ukraine, but they did not immediately endorse a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to approve a package of at least five billion euros ($7.8 billion Cdn) for artillery purchases. “We need funds for artillery shells and would really appreciate Europe’s support … as soon as possible,” Zelenskyy told the EU leaders meeting in Brussels via video link. Arriving at the summit in Brussels, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had also called on leaders to match words ofRead more
Europe’s leaders warn against ‘appeasement’ with Russia, ceasefire talks without Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday Ukraine would not accept any bilateral agreements on its fate reached by Moscow and Washington in its absence, and called for Europe to have a seat at the negotiating table at the end of the war. “Today it’s important that everything does not go according to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the U.S.],” Zelenskyy told reporters. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the president’s comments, in an interview with Le MondeRead more
Marine Le Pen hits back in EU funds misuse trial
French politician Marine Le Pen has hit back against charges of illegal party funding by European Parliament deputies from her far-right National Rally (RN) party. Le Pen and more than 20 other senior party figures are accused of hiring assistants who worked on party affairs rather than for the European Parliament which paid them. She told a court in Paris on Monday that parliamentary assistants paid for by the Brussels assembly were naturally involved in politics – because that was what drew them to the job in the first place.Read more
Italy’s Meloni plays down G7 abortion row
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says a suspected row over the absence of the word “abortion” in a G7 statement has been blown out of proportion. She issued the response after a commitment made last year by G7 nations to address access to “safe and legal abortion” was left out of the final statement at this year’s summit in Italy. Both France and the US are reported to have been part of a diplomatic tug of war with Italy about whether to mention abortion in the final statement. French PresidentRead more
Peace talks tomorrow if Russia leaves Ukraine – Zelensky
Kyiv will hold peace talks with Russia tomorrow if Moscow pulls out of all Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. But speaking at the close of a summit for peace in Switzerland, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not end the war and had to be stopped “in any way we can”, whether by military or diplomatic means. Western aid was not enough to win the war, he added, but the summit had shown that international support for Ukraine was not weakening. The meeting concluded with dozens ofRead more
NATO chief chides Ukraine allies for delays that helped Russia
NATO countries haven’t delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the alliance’s chief said Monday, allowing Russia to press its advantage while Kyiv’s depleted forces wait for military supplies to arrive from the U.S. and Europe. “Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Outgunned, Ukraine’s troops have struggled to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield. They were recently compelled to make a tactical retreat from three villagesRead more