The shift by the White House comes as Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region brace for an assault by some 50,000 troops — including 10,000 North Korean soldiers — and as President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to strike a peace agreement immediately upon taking office, stoking fears in Kyiv he could press Ukraine to make … Read more
Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar mentioned the Kurdish people in his first speech upon taking office. “The Kurdish people are a great nation, one of the largest nations without political independence,” Sa’ar said at a ceremony marking the handover of the ministry from outgoing Foreign Minister Israel Katz to Sa’ar. Israel has enjoyed … Read more
Finally, following years of negotiations, the Labour administration announced on Oct. 3 that — after more than half a century — it would give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, albeit with carve-outs to protect the U.K./U.S. airbase on Diego Garcia. Looking back, Sands sees Britain’s EU departure as a major contributor. “Brexit … Read more
The closure will affect 32 consular staff members, according to an official from the Foreign Office in Berlin, who said Germany last took such “drastic, but appropriate” measures after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Iranian embassy in Berlin, however, will remain open, as will the German embassy in Tehran. According to the … Read more
However, Szijjártó continued to promote the policy in his keynote speech on Thursday, addressing the conference audience in Russian. In his 14-minute speech, Szijjártó did not mention Ukraine once, nor did he speak specifically about the war — saying only that “Europe and Hungary are facing one of the most serious conflicts since World War … Read more
Zelenskyy criticized Guterres in an evening speech on Thursday that marked United Nations Day, in which he said it is “crucial” the world remembers the goals and principles of the U.N. Charter. “Even if some officials prefer the allure of Kazan over the substance of the U.N. Charter, our world is structured so that the … Read more
In separate comments on Friday during the annual diplomatic forum on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Western countries to lift sanctions on the Taliban. “We once again appeal to Western countries with an urgent call to acknowledge responsibility for the post-conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan, lift sanctions restrictions, and return Kabul’s appropriated assets,” … Read more
Iran’s top advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that ties between Russia and Iran are expanding. Advisor Ali Akbar Velayati’s comments come in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iran. “Velayati made the remarks while meeting in Tehran with Alexander Lavrentiev, Putin’s special envoy for Syria on Wednesday,” … Read more
The British government insisted its U.S. allies were foursquare behind the move, after a report claimed Washington raised concerns about the decision with the U.K. But top Republican lawmakers echoed criticism from Conservatives in Britain that conceding to the long-standing Mauritian campaign for control of the islands could be a mistake. Idaho Senator James Risch, … Read more
Talking with POLITICO on the margins of the recent annual Yalta European Strategy conference, a high-level gathering of Ukrainian and Western leaders and officials, Ischinger, added with a chuckle: “Of course, as many of my friends remind me, the problem, is that if you paint a red line you’ve got to stick to it. You can’t … Read more
