Category: European Union

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to hit the European Union with tariffs, adding that a 10% duty on Chinese imports could also come as soon as February 1.  Trump, who was speaking to reporters at the White House a day after being sworn in, cited the need to rectify the EU’s trade imbalances with the United States while taking aim once again at Beijing over fentanyl trafficking.  “They treat us very, very badly. So they’re going to be in for tariffs,” Trump said of the EU. “You can’t get fairness unless you do that.”  A day earlier, Trump accused the bloc of not importing enough American products, saying he would “straighten that out” by imposing duties or by urging for more oil and gas purchases.  Regarding China, Trump on Tuesday reiterated his threat to impose a 10% tariff, saying it was “based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada.”  When asked how soon these tariffs could be enacted, he added: “Probably February 1st is the date we’re looking at.”  This was the same date he earlier said he could impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking into the United States.  Mexico, Canada and China are leading sources for goods imported by the United States, according to official trade data.  The EU’s economy commissioner vowed this week that the bloc stands ready to defend its interests.  Speaking at an annual meeting of global elites in Davos, Switzerland, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared that Europe was ready to negotiate with Trump, while maintaining that Washington remains an important partner.  The EU’s “first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests, and be ready to negotiate” with Trump, she said.  “We will be pragmatic, but we will always stand by our principles, to protect our interests and uphold our values,” she said.  On Monday, Trump vowed an immediate overhaul of the U.S. trade system, promising to “tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.”  He signed an order directing agencies to study a range of trade issues including deficits, unfair practices and currency manipulation.  The investigations could pave the way for further duties.  …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s mid-January press conference “on the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2024” was filled with false and misleading claims, many previously debunked, highlighting the Kremlin’s broader disinformation tactics. Russia’s disinformation aims to legitimize its war, undermine NATO and erode Western support for Ukraine. By targeting domestic and international audiences — especially skeptics of U.S. policy — it seeks to shape perceptions, distort historical facts and create false equivalencies. The goal is to justify aggression while portraying Ukraine as illegitimate and extremist. NATO expansion Lavrov falsely claims that NATO promised not to expand eastward. “We have long lost hope that Western countries will fulfill their promises and obligations, including NATO’s non-expansion to the east, refraining from luring Ukraine into NATO,” he said. In reality, NATO has always maintained an “open door policy,” allowing any state to join if it meets membership requirements. No treaty ever restricted NATO expansion. In 2014, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev confirmed the West never promised the Soviet Union otherwise. In 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton rejected a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Russian President Boris Yeltsin to bar former Soviet republics from joining NATO. These facts disprove Lavrov’s claims that NATO broke any commitments to Russia, exposing the Kremlin’s use of disinformation to justify its foreign policy and aggression against Ukraine. Claim that invasion was defensive Lavrov on Jan. 14 also falsely claimed that Russia’s war against Ukraine is defensive and aimed at protecting Russian-speaking populations. “Despite the Minsk agreements, [Ukraine] bombed these people [in Donbas], who should have been granted a special status in accordance with the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions,” he said. “After years of explaining this … we ultimately launched the special military operation to protect our security interests and the interests of the Russian people in Ukraine.” This false narrative has been challenged consistently. The international community, including the United Nations, has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an act of aggression violating international law. Investigations have found no credible evidence supporting claims of systemic oppression of Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine that would justify such military intervention. United Nations data shows civilian casualties in Donbas steadily declined before Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, contradicting claims of a “humanitarian” mission. Experts have repeatedly demonstrated the war is not about protection but constitutes genocide against Ukrainians, exposing the Kremlin’s disinformation to justify aggression. Zelenskyy’s legitimacy Lavrov falsely called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency … “Lavrov echoes debunked Kremlin narratives to justify war, undermine NATO” →

Six Kurdish journalists have been detained in Turkey, charged with being members of a “terrorist organization” with no word from their lawyers. Journalists and activists say opposition media outlets are being targeted more and more every day. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. …

Russian lawyer practice could face existential risks after the recent guilty verdict against three lawyers who had represented late opposition leader Alexey Navalny in court. VOA Russian spoke to legal experts who voice concern about the ability of Russian activists to get proper legal representation in the future after Navalny lawyers got up to 5½ years in prison for essentially doing their job, something that did not happen even in the Soviet times. Click here for the full story in Russian. …

Geneva — United Nations agencies say the imminent U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and Paris climate agreement will have serious consequences for global health and efforts to slow down climate change. “The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the organization,” the WHO said Tuesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration Monday that he intends to quit the U.N. health agency. “WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go,” it stated. In explaining his decision, Trump accused the agency of being subject to “inappropriate political influence” from other member states.  “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” he said in signing an executive order Monday, hours after his inauguration. In responding to the allegations, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told journalists at a briefing in Geneva Tuesday that the United States, which was one of the founding members of WHO in 1948, had over seven decades together with the WHO, “saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats.” “Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” he said. The United States is the WHO’s single largest donor. It contributed $1.284 billion or 18 percent of the agency’s 2022-2023 budget. Jasaravic said the U.S. decision was not unexpected and the WHO was now analyzing the exact details of Trump’s executive order “to see how this will play out and to see what will be the consequences.” He noted that the United States can formally leave the WHO and stop financing the organization one year after the United Nations receives official written notice of U.S. withdrawal. He said the WHO hopes the United States will reconsider its decision and maintain the U.S.-WHO partnership “for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.” “At the same time, we will continue to work in the world’s most difficult places,” including countries in conflict, “so we can protect the most vulnerable and be where people need us the most,” he said. “The world lives longer, healthier, perhaps a … “US withdrawals from WHO, Paris Agreement met with regret, calls for reversal” →

NUUK, GREENLAND — U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his assertion Monday that the United States needs to take control of Greenland from Denmark in the interests of “international security.” His repeated calls in recent weeks are raising concerns and stirring debate among the Arctic island’s 57,000-strong population as well as alarm among the United States’ European allies. “Greenland is a wonderful place. We need it for international security. And I’m sure that Denmark will come along,” the president said. “The people of Greenland are not happy with Denmark, as you know. I think they are happy with us. … My son and representatives went up there two weeks ago, and they like us. So, we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, hours after his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States. Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Jan. 7, where he handed out “Make America Great Again” baseball caps and had lunch with a group of locals before returning to the U.S. a few hours later. At a press conference in Florida the same day, President-elect Trump said he refused to rule out using economic or military force to take control of Greenland. ‘Not for sale’ Denmark and its European allies have offered a cautious response, emphasising the need to respect international sovereignty while trying not to offend Trump. Greenland already has a high degree of independence, although Denmark retains responsibility for the island’s security affairs. Naaja Nathanielsen, a senior minister in Greenland’s autonomous government, gave a simple response to Trump’s comments.  “We are not a commodity. And we are not for sale,” she told VOA. Nevertheless, Nathanielsen sees common ground with Washington. “If you cut through the rhetoric, I hear two messages from the U.S.,” she said. “One is we need to look at the national security aspect, and we quite agree with the U.S. message in that point. We’ve been trying to advocate for that as well for some years. And the other perspective is, and the other message I hear is, we want to engage more in the Greenlandic mineral sector. And that is really, you know, kicking in an open door.” Political change Greenland is due to hold a general election by April at the latest. The government wants a simultaneous referendum on full independence from Denmark. “Greenlanders themselves must decide what our future looks like,” Greenlandic … “Trump repeat of need to take control of Greenland raises concerns, stirs debate” →

U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his assertion Monday that the United States needs to take control of Greenland from Denmark, in what he described as a move necessary for international security. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, the U.S. leader’s stated intentions have raised concerns among the island’s tiny population, as it tries to navigate a changing future. …

Davos, Switzerland — EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared Tuesday that Europe was ready to negotiate with the United States and seek to improve ties with China as Beijing warned against damaging trade wars in the face of Donald Trump’s protectionism. Trump returned to the White House on Monday, and while he may not be physically present in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos, he is the elephant in the room for the executives and leaders hobnobbing at the annual World Economic Forum. With Beijing and Brussels facing some of the biggest risks from the return of self-professed tariff-loving Trump, China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to the stage first at the forum. “Protectionism leads nowhere and there are no winners in a trade war,” Ding said, without mentioning Trump directly. Trump threatened on Monday to impose tariffs if Beijing rejects his proposal to keep Chinese-owned app TikTok online on condition that half of it is sold off. China is taking a cautious approach to Trump and after the TikTok threat, Beijing said it hoped the United States would provide a fair business environment for Chinese firms. After Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Trump by phone on Friday, he said he hoped for a “good start” to relations with the new US administration. Meanwhile, von der Leyen took a conciliatory tone. She said the EU’s “first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests and be ready to negotiate” with Trump. “We will be pragmatic but we will always stand by our principles, to protect our interests and uphold our values,” she said. The European Commission president also stressed that Europe “must engage constructively with China – to find solutions in our mutual interest” despite escalating trade tensions between the two. Brussels has provoked Beijing’s ire with a raft of probes targeting state subsidies in the green tech sector, as well as slapping tariffs on Chinese electric cars. In an apparent reference to the European Union measures, Ding warned against “erecting green barriers that could disrupt normal economic and trade cooperation.” More trade deals On the campaign trail, Trump said he would impose extra customs duties on allies including the EU, as well as on China. After his inauguration, Trump raised the possibility of imposing 25-percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Von der Leyen reiterated her commitment to free trade … “EU, China warn against trade friction at Davos after Trump return “ →

Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president. The two leaders have developed strong personal links that helped bring relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. China has become a major customer of Russian oil and gas and a source of key technologies amid sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow. In Tuesday’s call with Xi, Putin emphasized that Russia-China relations are based on shared interests, equality and mutual benefits, noting that they “don’t depend on internal political factors and the current international environment.” “We jointly support the development of a more just multipolar global order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world as a whole,” Putin told Xi in remarks carried by the Russian state TV. “Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in global affairs.” Xi similarly praised close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, saying it helps “bring positive energy to reforming and developing the global system.” While neither leader directly mentioned Trump in the televised fragment of their call, the timing of the conversation may signal that Putin and Xi want to coordinate their action in dialogue with the new U.S. administration. The Chinese president had a call with Trump on Friday and expressed hope for positive ties with the U.S. Trump had threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China in his second term, while also hinting at ways in which the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl. Putin, who is yet to talk to Trump, congratulated him on taking office in televised remarks during a video call with officials and welcomed his intention to open a dialogue with Moscow. Trump told reporters Monday after taking office that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Putin would follow suit. He added that Putin would be destroying Russia by failing to make a deal, pointing out Russia’s economic troubles, including high inflation. Putin hailed Trump’s openness to dialogue as he spoke to Russia’s Security Council members shortly before the U.S. president’s inauguration. “We hear the statements from Trump … “Russia’s Putin discusses ‘multipolar global order’ with China’s Xi hours after Trump inauguration “ →

ANKARA, Turkey — A fire at a ski resort hotel overnight killed at least 10 people and injured 32 others in northwestern Turkey, authorities said on Tuesday, as TV footage showed crews fighting flames and smoke that engulfed the 11-story building. The blaze began on the restaurant floor of the hotel at Bolu’s Kartalkaya ski resort at around 3:30 a.m. local time, Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told state broadcaster TRT. He said there were 234 guests at the Grand Kartal Hotel, which has a broad wooden exterior. The fire comes at the beginning of a nationwide two-week school holiday, a time when skiers from nearby Istanbul and Ankara usually head to the Bolu mountains. TV footage showed several fire engines surrounding the charred hotel at the base of the ski slopes, with white bed sheets tied together and dangling from one upper-floor window. The death toll had risen to 10, with 32 injured, from an earlier lower count, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding more than 250 first responders attended to the incident. Investigators were looking into what caused the blaze, authorities said. …

Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that Russian drone attacks damaged residential buildings in several parts of central and southern Ukraine. The attacks were part of an assault that Ukraine’s military said involved 131 Russian drones and four ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 72 of the drones, the air force said. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysask said on Telegram that Russian attacks damaged houses and a warehouse, injuring one person. Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets reported Tuesday that falling drone fragments damaged four residential buildings, a school, a shop and a power line. Poltava Governor Filip Pronin said on Telegram that a drone fell on a house in his region, sparking a fire, while pieces of destroyed drones damaged six residential buildings. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it destroyed 55 Ukrainian aerial drones, mostly in regions along the Russia-Ukraine border. Russian air defenses knocked down 22 of the drones over Bryansk, 12 drones over Rostov and 10 over the Smolensk region, the ministry said. Other intercepts took place over Voronezh, Saratov and Kursk. Smolensk Govenror Vasily Anokhin said on Telegram that drone debris damaged several residential buildings, while Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a drone attack on a car injured two people. Some information for this report was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.   …

Davos, Switzerland — With Donald Trump back as US president with his confrontational style, Chinese, European and Ukrainian leaders are expected to defend global cooperation on Tuesday at the annual gathering of the world’s elites in Davos. There will no doubt be a Trump-sized elephant in the rooms at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine resort. even if some leaders avoid saying his name — although the man will speak himself by video link on Thursday. Trump returned to the White House on Monday, bringing with him a more protectionist administration and fears he will deliver on promises to slap heavy tariffs on China and U.S. allies including Canada and the European Union. In his inaugural address, he vowed Washington will “tariff and tax foreign countries.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will kick the day off. She appeared, in a post on X as she arrived in Davos, to give a taste of what to expect, defending the “need to work together to avoid a global race to the bottom” and wanting to “forge new partnerships.” China, Ukraine China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang — also a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s apex of power that rules the country — will speak immediately after von der Leyen. China is taking a cautious approach to Trump. After Chinese President Xi Jinping’s conversation with Trump by phone on Friday, he said he hoped for a “good start” to relations with the new administration. Although Trump said he would undertake sweeping trade penalties against China, he has also indicated he wants to improve ties — and even stepped in to reverse a U.S. ban of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok on national security grounds. Ukraine meanwhile is keeping a very close eye on what Trump’s second mandate will involve. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to call on world leaders and company executives to maintain — and even ramp up — their support for his country’s fight against Russia. Zelenskyy on Monday said he is hopeful Trump will help achieve a “just peace.” European ‘struggle’ Europeans are set to dominate the forum’s key speeches here on Tuesday. Embattled German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will address the forum, likely his last as leader ahead of elections next month. Also speaking on Tuesday will be conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the favorite to succeed him as German chancellor. Europeans are fretting the most … “China, EU, Ukraine leaders take Davos stage under Trump shadow” →

World leaders on Monday are congratulating President Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among those who congratulated Trump. “President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is a top priority,” Zelenskyy said. The third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war is approaching at the end of February. Trump previously promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day after becoming president, or even before his inauguration. More recently, Trump advisers have said resolving the conflict will now take months or even longer. Trump has voiced skepticism of continued U.S. military support for Kyiv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated President Trump. “I believe that working together again will raise the U.S.-Israeli alliance to even greater heights,” Netanyahu said. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began Sunday, just one day before Trump assumed the presidency. “I look forward to working with you to return the remaining hostages, to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and end its political rule in Gaza, and to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu added. Congratulations also rolled in from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as U.S. allies like Germany, Italy and Britain. “The U.S. is our closest ally, and the aim of our policy is always a good transatlantic relationship,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pointed to the longtime relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. “For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership,” Starmer said. “With President Trump’s longstanding affection and historical ties to the United Kingdom, I know that depth of friendship will continue.” And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who attended the inauguration at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, said she is “certain that the friendship between our nations and the values that unite us will continue to strengthen the cooperation between Italy and the USA.” But not all of the messages were congratulatory. Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino rejected a portion of Trump’s inaugural address, in which Trump reaffirmed his desire to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal. The United States fully ceded control of the strategically important canal to … “World leaders congratulate Trump on inauguration” →

Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 93 of the 141 drones that Russian forces launched overnight in attacks targeting regions across the country. The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy and Vinnytsia regions, Ukraine’s air force said. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram that Russian attacks, which also included artillery and missiles, damaged four high-rise buildings. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it destroyed more than 30 Ukrainian aerial drones late Sunday and early Monday. Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram that falling debris from a destroyed drone sparked a fire at a business that was quickly extinguished. In Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a drone attack hit a car, injuring a woman. The Ukrainian assault also damaged six houses, Gladkov said. Russian air defense also shot down drones over the Bryansk, Kursk, Ryazan, Oryol and Tatarstan regions. Some information for this report was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters. …

Vatican City — Pope Francis called Sunday for a ceasefire in Gaza to be “immediately respected,” as he thanked mediators and urged a boost in humanitarian aid as well as the return of hostages. “I express gratitude to all the mediators,” the Argentine pontiff said shortly after the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas began. “Thanks to all the parties involved in this important outcome. I hope that, as agreed, it will be immediately respected by the parties and that all the hostages will finally be able to go home to hug their loved ones again,” he said. “I pray so much for them, and their families. I also hope that humanitarian aid will even more quickly reach… the people of Gaza, who have so many urgent needs,” Francis said. “Both Israelis and Palestinians need clear signs of hope. I hope that the political authorities of both, with the help of the international community, can reach the right two-state solution. “May everyone say yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace,” he added. A total of 33 hostages taken by militants during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel are scheduled to be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce. Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli jails. The truce is intended to pave the way for an end to more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’ attack, the deadliest in Israeli history. It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president. …

At 23, American Army veteran Manus McCaffery volunteered to join the fight against Russian aggression in Ukraine. In 2022, a Russian shell left him partially blind, but despite his wounds he continues to fight for those on the front lines. Ivanna Pidborska met with McCaffery. Anna Rice narrates her story. VOA footage by Iurii Panin. …

PARIS — France’s President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to former French Resistance activist and author Genevieve Callerot, who has died at age 108. Callerot, who was among the last survivors of the groups that fought the country’s World War II occupation by Nazi Germany, died Thursday in a care home in Saint-Aulaye-Puymangou, a town in the Dordogne region of southwestern France where she had lived since childhood, according to local media reports. A statement from the presidential Elysee Palace said Macron offered “his heartfelt condolences to her loved ones, to all those who were illuminated by her solar presence, and finally to those whose lives she saved.” Callerot “takes with her a little piece of France, a certain France that is tough on suffering and intimidation, tender toward the beauty of the world, as quick to raise its fist in the face of oppression as it is to extend its hand,” the statement said. Born in 1916, Callerot was 24 when France surrendered to Adolf Hitler’s invasion forces in June 1940, an event “which forever marked her life and revealed her to herself,” the statement said. It said she and her family joined a Resistance network that smuggled people across the demarcation line that separated Nazi-occupied areas that included Paris, northern France and the country’s Atlantic seaboard and the so-called free zone governed by the French Vichy administration that collaborated with the Nazi occupiers. She participated in the escape of 200 men and women, including Jews and American and British war-wounded, “whose lives she saved with anonymous heroism, and who often never knew what they owed” her, Macron’s office said. It said German forces took her into custody three times — twice releasing her for lack of evidence and holding her in prison for several weeks the third time. She and her husband worked as farmers after the war. When she was 67, she published her first novel — Les cinq filles du Grand-Barrail, or The Five Girls of Grand-Barrail — about a family of sharecroppers.  …

WARSAW, POLAND — Hundreds of Swedish troops arrived in Latvia on Saturday to join a Canadian-led multinational brigade along NATO’s eastern flank, a mission Sweden is calling its most significant operation so far as a member of the Western defense alliance. A ship carrying parts of a mechanized infantry battalion arrived early Saturday in the port of Riga, the Latvian capital, escorted by the Swedish air force and units from the Swedish and Latvian navies, the Swedish armed forces said in a statement. Latvia borders Russia to its east and Russia ally Belarus to its southeast. Tensions are high across Central Europe due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sweden’s armed forces said that the mission of 550 troops will contribute to the alliance’s deterrence and defense efforts and ensure stability in the region, and that it “marks Sweden’s largest commitment yet since joining NATO” last year. Commander Lieutenant Colonel Henrik Rosdahl of the 71st Battalion said he felt great pride in contributing to the alliance’s collective defense. “It’s a historic day, but at the same time, it’s our new normal,” he said. The Swedish troops join one of eight NATO brigades along the alliance’s eastern flank. The battalion is stationed outside the town of Adazi, near Riga. Sweden formally joined NATO in March as the 32nd member of the trans-Atlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader nonalignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Finland also abandoned its longstanding military neutrality to join NATO in April 2023. …

PRAGUE — “Are you going to ask why I brought you here?” asked Alexey Levchenko as he arrived in Prague’s Smichov neighborhood. It was a brisk October morning, and the editor of the Russian outlet The Insider had suggested the meeting place: a small park with a Baroque fountain featuring the Roman god Neptune held aloft by bears. The neighborhood’s architecture, Levchenko said, reminds him of Russia’s second-biggest city, St. Petersburg.  “It’s difficult to know that I can’t come back to St. Petersburg,” said Levchenko, who often visited the city from his home in Moscow. “It’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and one of my favorites.” Levchenko left Russia in 2021, a few months before the war began in Ukraine. He made his way to Prague, which has a history as a hub for dissident writers. Although the Czech capital was once subject to Soviet rule, it’s different from Russia, Levchenko said. But for a fleeting moment, when he visits the Smichov neighborhood, the similarities can make him feel as if his life hasn’t been upended. Watchdogs estimate about 1,500 journalists fled Russia after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and escalated its repression of dissent and independent media. Some journalists went to Berlin, Riga and Tbilisi. Others, like Levchenko, found refuge in Prague. And while they enjoy a degree of safety to continue reporting, the journalists must also contend with the emotional turmoil that comes with being forced to leave your family and friends, your home and culture, for an unfamiliar place. The journalists also maintain a fractured relationship with their homeland, characterized by nostalgia and homesickness as well as hope and a commitment to the work that forced them into exile in the first place. Some, like Levchenko, look for comfort in their new surroundings. Others turn to the experiences of exiles who came before them. After Alesya Marokhovskaya left Moscow in 2022, she began reading the memoirs of other Russian exiles. The editor-in-chief of the investigative outlet IStories says she found some solace and camaraderie in their writing. She read the works of writers such as Boris Zaitsev, Vladimir Veidle and Marina Tsvetaeva, the latter of whom lived in exile during the 1920s and 1930s, including in Prague. Marokhovskaya hoped their experiences would offer some guidance or wisdom. But what struck her most was that their writing often centered around a deep longing to return … “Far from home, exiled journalists say Russia is always on their minds” →

Ukrainian officials say at least four people were killed early Saturday in a nighttime Russian attack in the capital, Kyiv. Timur Tkachenko, head of the Ukrainian capital’s military administration said on Telegram that the deaths occurred in the city’s Shevchenkivsky district.  He said the Holosiivsky district on the west bank of the Dnipro River that runs through the city and the Desnyansky district on the opposite bank were hit with falling debris. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defenses were in operation around the city. On Friday, a Russian missile attack killed at least four people and injured at 14 others in the southern-central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address. “Such strikes, such losses, simply would not have happened if we had received all the necessary air defense systems that we have been talking about with our partners for such a long time and that are available in the world,” he said. Earlier Friday, Zelenskyy, who was born in Kryvyi Rih, condemned the attack on Telegram. “Each such terrorist attack is another reminder of who we are dealing with. Russia will not stop on its own — it can only be stopped by joint pressure,” he said. The attack also damaged an educational facility and two five-story buildings, officials said. VOA was unable to independently verify the reports. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack late Friday ignited a fire at an industrial site in Russia’s Kaluga region, about 170 kilometers from the shared border. “As a result of a drone attack in Lyudinovo, a fire broke out on the territory of an industrial enterprise,” regional Governor Vladislav Shapsha posted on Telegram. Agence France-Presse reported that unverified videos on unofficial Russia social media showed what they said was the attack targeting an oil depot. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has previously said he would be able to stop the war in Ukraine in one day, but he has not specified how he would do so. Trump aides recently said the new plan is to end the war within the first 100 days of the administration. Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.  …

During Donald Trump’s first presidential term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoyed a close relationship with the U.S. leader, benefiting from policies such as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria. With Trump returning to the White House, Erdogan hopes to revive ties to secure the final U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria and lift the ban on F-35 fighter jet sales. Click here to see the full story in Kurdish. …

RANST, Belgium — Belgium’s once pastoral pastime of pigeon racing has come to this: Drones swoop over lofts where valuable birds are housed to look for security weaknesses, laser sensors set off alarms at night and cameras linked live to mobile apps keep potential thieves at bay — 24/7. That’s what happens when the fast-flying fowl — which in a bygone era were, at best, the toast of local bars — have turned into valuable commodities. The most expensive bird to come out of the top pigeon-racing nation in the world fetched 1.6 million euros ($1.65 million) a few years ago. No wonder the sport is grappling with an unprecedented wave of unsolved pigeon pilfering that has hit several of the best birds in the business. This winter season is “extreme,” Pascal Bodengien, the head of the Belgian Pigeon Racing Federation, told The Associated Press. “Not a week goes by without a theft somewhere.” In one loft, an estimated 100,000 euros ($102,900) worth of pigeons were stolen last week. Overall, no arrests have been made. Prices per bird, said Bodengien, “can vary from 1,000 to 100,000 euros … and that is what they are after.” Exact statistics on losses are often not available because the reporting and police investigations are not centralized. The emotional loss often weighs heaviest of all. The sport involves daily care, over decades, and the rustling of feathers combined with the tranquil cooing often gives breeders a haven of peace in their otherwise bustling lives along with a measure of pride if their birds are winners. Frans Bungeneers is a breeder of champions. He started at age 8 and is still going strong in his 60s. His life got one of its biggest jolts in November 2016 when thieves broke into his garden shed and took away just about all his top pigeons in a heist of some 60 overall. “It was such an incredible blow for me. I can tell you honestly, I cried like a little boy because my life’s work was completely destroyed,” Bungeneers said outside his loft where he had to restart his breeding and racing almost from scratch. “I was — I was broken,” he said. “If you have those successes and those birds are then taken away. You know that it takes years.” He never got his birds back, even though the thieves were caught in Romania and convicted in Belgium. … “Belgium’s pastoral pastime of pigeon racing faces high anxiety over crime wave” →

WASHINGTON — Russia’s Justice Ministry on Friday added more journalists to its list of so-called foreign agents, including reporters for Voice of America, Current Time and the BBC. Six journalists were named to the registry, including Ksenia Turkova, who works for VOA’s Russian language service in Washington, and Iryna Romaliiska, who works for Current Time, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty program in partnership with VOA. Others designated by Russia include Anastasia Lotareva and Andrey Kozenko, who work for BBC Russian; Alexandra Prokopenko, a journalist and research fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin; and Anton Rubin, a journalist at exiled media outlet Ekho Moskvy, who is also the director of a nongovernmental organization that helps orphans. Authorities use law to target critics Russia’s foreign agent law came into effect in 2012. Since then, say watchdogs, it has been used by authorities to target groups and individuals who are critical of the Kremlin. Hundreds of media outlets, journalists and civil society groups have been listed by the Justice Ministry. Those named as foreign agents have to mark any online content, even personal social media posts, as having come from a foreign agent, and to share financial details. Failure to comply can lead to fines or even imprisonment. Both VOA and its sister network RFE/RL have been designated as so-called foreign agents. Turkova is the first VOA journalist to be named individually. In a statement, VOA director Mike Abramowitz said that VOA and its journalists, by law, provide “a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news around the world.” “We stand with our journalists who often face repercussions for providing this vital public service and we remain committed to ensuring that audiences can access the vital content that VOA provides,” he said. Turkova told VOA that she considers the designation by Russia a “meaningless label.” “For the authorities, it’s a synonym for ‘traitor,’ ‘enemy of the people,’ ” she said. “For those whom the Russian authorities are targeting, it’s, in general, an empty sound, a word that means absolutely nothing.” Previously, Turkova worked in Ukraine, where she reported on Russia’s occupation of Crimea, the war in Donbas and repressive actions by Moscow. Since moving to Washington, Turkova said, “I continued to write and speak about the topics that I consider very important. First of all, it’s the war in Ukraine. It’s repression in Russia and it’s the role of propaganda.” Current … “Russia adds VOA, Current Time, BBC journalists to register of ‘foreign agents’” →

WASHINGTON — An Azerbaijani court on Friday denied petitions by two jailed journalists to be released from house arrest, their lawyers said. The journalists, Aynur Elgunesh and Natig Javadli, work for Meydan TV, an independent outlet based in Germany. They were among six journalists arrested in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, in early December. Azerbaijan is among the worst jailers of journalists in the world, with more than a dozen behind bars, according to a report released this week by the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ. Azerbaijan is currently detaining at least 18 journalists for their work, according to CPJ. The group’s latest prison census, which acts as a snapshot of media workers in custody as of Dec. 1, listed 13 journalists in the Azerbaijani prison. One of those was released after the census was taken, but authorities then jailed six more journalists, including Elgunesh and Javadli. The arrests are a concern for local activists and reporters. “Independent and critical media in Azerbaijan is going through its most difficult period,” Azerbaijani activist Samir Kazimli told VOA. “If this policy of repression does not stop, if it continues, independent media in Azerbaijan may completely collapse.” The annual CPJ report found 361 journalists behind bars around the world. Azerbaijan ranked eighth worst in the census, behind countries such as China, Israel, Myanmar, Belarus and Russia. “Azerbaijan has been cracking down on independent media for well over a decade,” CPJ’s CEO, Jodie Ginsberg, told VOA. “It doesn’t often get the attention that it deserves.” Local journalists like Shamshad Agha are worried that Azerbaijani authorities are trying to stamp out independent media. Agha is editor of Argument.az, a news website covering democracy, corruption and human rights. “The lives of all independent journalists are in danger,” he told VOA. Agha said he has been banned from leaving the country since July 2024. Azerbaijan’s Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment. Many of the journalists jailed in Azerbaijan are accused of foreign currency smuggling, which media watchdogs have rejected as a sham charge. Many of those currently detained work for the independent outlets Abzas Media and Meydan TV. Farid Mehralizada, an economist and journalist with the Azerbaijani Service of VOA’s sister outlet, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is among those currently imprisoned. Jailed since May, Mehralizada is facing charges of conspiring to smuggle foreign currency, as well as “illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion … “Journalists in Azerbaijan face trials, jailings, travel bans” →

WARSAW, POLAND — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday condemned what he called “the poison of antisemitism rising around the world” after a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former German Nazi concentration camp. His visit came as many international delegations are expected to attend the Jan. 27 ceremony commemorating 80 years since the Soviet Red Army liberated the death camp built in occupied Poland. King Charles III will be among those attending the ceremony, Buckingham Palace said Monday, in his first visit to the former camp. “Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say, ‘never again,’” Starmer said in a statement following his visit. “But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world” in the aftermath of October 7th, he said. The Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas staged the deadliest attack in Israeli history. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has left 46,876 people dead, the majority civilians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations has described as reliable. Last week, the Polish government said it would grant free access to Israeli officials wanting to attend the commemoration, despite a warrant issued in November by the International Criminal Court for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had information from the Israeli Embassy that the country would be represented by its education minister. The International Criminal Court issued the warrant in November over the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, prompting outrage from Israel and its allies. Auschwitz has become a symbol of Nazi Germany’s genocide of 6 million European Jews, 1 million of whom died at the site between 1940 and 1945, along with more than 100,000 non-Jews. …

For nearly three years, a combat medic from California named Jennifer Mullee has been saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines. Mullee decided to join the Ukrainian war effort following the death of a close friend. Anna Kosstutschenko has her story. Camera: Pavel Suhodolskiy   …