Wars to dominate G7 talks as foreign ministers seek path to peace
Rome, Italy Reuters Efforts to end wars in the Middle East and Ukraine will dominate this week’s meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers, host Italy’s top diplomat Antonio Tajani said on Monday, with the West struggling to get its voice heard. Gathering on the picturesque island of Capri from 17th to 19th April, the […]
Protesters rally, lawmakers brawl as Georgia debates “foreign agent” bill
Tbilisi, Georgia Reuters Thousands of Georgians protested on Monday and lawmakers came to blows as ruling party legislators gave the initial go-ahead for debate on a bill on “foreign agents” that has been criticised by Western and domestic critics as Russian-inspired. More than 5,000 demonstrators massed outside Georgia’s Soviet-built parliament building, demanding the government withdraw […]
Ministers to mark 75 years of NATO, discuss more support for Ukraine
Brussels, Belgium Reuters NATO foreign ministers meet on Thursday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their alliance, having agreed to start planning for a greater role in coordinating military aid to Ukraine. On the second day of a meeting in Brussels, the ministers will mark the signing in Washington on 4th April, 1949, of the […]
Azeri President says peace with Armenia is closer than ever
Reuters Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday his country is “closer than ever” to a peace with Armenia, half a year after Azerbaijan recaptured its Karabakh region from its ethnic Armenian majority, prompting a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians. “Today, we are in an active phase of peace talks with Armenia,” Aliyev said in […]
Putin warns the West a Russia-NATO conflict is just one step from World War III
Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Monday that a direct conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would mean the planet was one step away from World War III but said hardly anyone wanted such a scenario. The Ukraine war has triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow’s relations […]
Poland’s capital Warsaw earmarks $US30 million for bomb shelters and other security
Warsaw, Poland Reuters Poland’s capital Warsaw will spend 117 million zlotys ($US30 million) in the next two to three years on bomb shelters and other security measures, with war in neighbouring Ukraine in its third year, the city’s mayor said on Wednesday. While NATO member Poland has reassured citizens that its place in the alliance […]
Vatican says Russian aggression must end to allow peace in Ukraine
Vatican City Reuters The first condition for any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is that Russia should halt its aggression, the second in command to Pope Francis said in a newspaper interview on Tuesday. Ukraine’s foreign ministry summoned the papal nuncio on Monday to express “disappointment” with previous comments by Francis that Ukraine […]
Kremlin, NATO at odds over Pope’s call for Ukraine to show ‘white flag’ and start talks
Moscow, Russia/Brussels, Belgium Reuters The Kremlin on Monday said a call by Pope Francis for talks to end the Ukraine war was “quite understandable”, but NATO’s boss said now was not the time to talk about “surrender”. Pope Francis said in an interview recorded last month that Ukraine should have “the courage of the white […]
Biden takes on Trump over Russia, democracy in fiery State of the Union address
Updated: 3pm (AEDT) Washington DC, US Reuters President Joe Biden assailed former President Donald Trump for kowtowing to Russia, failing to care about COVID-19 and papering over the 6th January Capitol assault on Thursday in a State of the Union speech making his case for re-election in 2024. Biden, speaking before a joint session of […]
Sweden joins NATO as war in Ukraine prompts security rethink
Washington DC, US/Stockholm, Sweden Reuters Sweden joined NATO in Washington on Thursday, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy and conclude that support for the alliance was the Scandinavian nation’s best guarantee of safety. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the final documentation to the US […]