SOME 25 years ago today Vladimir Putin seized power – but despite his tyrannical rule his fragile regime always sits just one step from collapse. The bloodthirsty tyrant could go the way of his deposed Syrian dictator pal Bashar al-Assad if he isn’t able to win the war in Ukraine and continue extending his regime’s … Read more
Officially, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy celebrated Biden’s decision as significant support for Ukrainian soldiers that would help to stabilize the frontlines. “Every additional supply from our partners means more saved lives of our soldiers. We are also working to ensure that other partners maintain their support at the necessary level,” Zelenskyy said in a … Read more
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening retaliatory measures against Ukraine if Kyiv stops Russian gas transit to Slovakia as of Jan. 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week said his government “would not prolong the transit of Russian gas” once the current contract expires at the end of this year. Zelenskyy accused Fico of … Read more
The civilian airliner was flying on Wednesday from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Russia’s Chechen Republic. After passengers reported hearing a blast, the plane diverted hundreds of kilometers from its route and crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. There were 29 survivors. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal probe into the … Read more
In the South China Sea, meanwhile, Beijing continues a campaign of maritime harassment against civilian vessels from neighboring nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines. Yes, our oceans are under threat. And lest we forget, climate change is contributing even further harm. The shipping industry is a significant carbon emitter, and in the past decade, its … Read more
Europe should rally behind the reality that a successful transition will not only help Syrians but is the only means of addressing the full range of its interests — such as cementing democratic governance, securing sustainable conditions to allow significant Syrian refugee returns, and diluting Iranian and Russian influence in the country. If the transition … Read more
Peskov added it could be “easily assumed” that energy ties will be on the agenda. The diplomatic trip came as Slovakia and Hungary seek a deal to avoid being cut off from Russian gas when a key transit agreement with Ukraine expires at the end of 2024. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three … Read more
“We constantly ask for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry,” the official said, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the sensitive row. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert “Fico is among those who block those sanctions … and is one of the key blockers of [Ukraine’s] bid to join NATO, too.” Fico, who along with Hungarian Prime … Read more
The center-right Romanian National Liberal Party paid for a campaign on TikTok that ended up favoring far-right independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a new report from investigative outlet snoop.ro indicates. Georgescu was catapulted from obscurity into the lead in the first round of voting in the Romanian presidential election on Nov. 24. But the country’s top constitutional court … Read more
Tusk also acknowledged the historical “ups and downs” that have occurred in relations between Kyiv and Warsaw. Responding to a question from a reporter about lingering bad blood from the World War II Volhynia massacre, in which a Ukrainian guerrilla group killed tens of thousands of Poles within an ethnic cleansing mission, Tusk said it … Read more
