Category: European Union

ROME — Pope Francis had coffee and was reading newspapers Saturday after an alarming setback in his two-week recovery from double pneumonia: Doctors had to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation following a coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit that needed to then be extracted. Doctors said it would take a day or two to evaluate how and if the Friday afternoon episode affected Francis’ overall clinical condition. His prognosis remained guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of danger. In its morning update Saturday, the Vatican said the 88-year-old pope didn’t have any further respiratory crises overnight: “The night has passed quietly, the pope is resting.” He had coffee in the morning for breakfast, suggesting that he was not dependent on a ventilation mask to breathe and was still eating on his own. In the late Friday update, the Vatican said Francis suffered an “isolated crisis of bronchial spasm,” a coughing fit in which Francis inhaled vomit, which resulted in a “sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.” Doctors aspirated the vomit and placed Francis on noninvasive mechanical ventilation. The pope remained conscious and alert at all times and cooperated with the maneuvers to help him recover. He responded well, with a good level of oxygen exchange, and he was continuing to wear a mask to receive supplemental oxygen, the Vatican said. The episode, which occurred in the early afternoon, marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly upbeat reports from doctors treating Francis at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14. The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has lung disease and was admitted after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into pneumonia in both lungs.   Doctors say episode is ‘concerning’ The Vatican said the episode was different from the prolonged respiratory crisis on Feb. 22 that was said to have caused Francis discomfort. Dr. John Coleman, a pulmonary critical care doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said the isolated episode Friday as relayed by the Vatican was nevertheless alarming and underscored Francis’ fragility and that his condition “can turn very quickly.” “I think this is extremely concerning, given the fact that the pope has been in the hospital now for over two weeks, and now he’s continuing to have these respiratory events and now had this aspiration event that is requiring even higher levels of support,” he told The … “Pope has coffee, rests after setback in recovery” →

The public spat Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House has triggered European solidarity for Ukraine. Barring Hungary, major European powers led by Germany and France have thrown their weight behind Kyiv, calling it the victim of Russian aggression, while promising sustained support to the war-torn country. Experts say rising tensions in the transatlantic relationship would benefit one country – the People’s Republic of China. They argue that recent developments provide Beijing with an opportunity to make inroads in Europe. Click here for the full story in Mandarin. …

MOSCOW — Moscow on Saturday said it seized two more villages in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv officials said Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 19. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces captured Sudne and Burlatske in the south of the eastern Donetsk region. They lie near the town of Velyka Novossilka, which was seized by the Russian army at the end of January. The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 154 drones overnight, of which 103 were downed and 51 disappeared from the radar without causing damage or casualties. Ukrainian regional authorities reported one death and several injuries. In the southern Odesa region, one person died and three were injured, according to Ukrainian prosecutors. Twelve people were wounded in the northeastern Kharkiv region and two others in the southern Kherson region, local authorities said. Two people were wounded in the rail and mining hub of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces are gaining ground, threatening this key logistical hub for Ukrainian troops. …

Following the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the Kremlin sent new instructions to state-run media to cover developments between Moscow and Washington in a positive tone, but instead of praising U.S. President Donald Trump personally follow the line that “the United States were wise to respond to Russia’s outstretched hand.” Click here for the full story in Russian. …

WASHINGTON — On the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s “no limits” partnership with Moscow in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Chinese state media. “China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force and unique strategic value,” Xi said, according to the official readout from state media. He also called Russia a “true friend” and a “good neighbor.” The sentiment is not new. Moscow and Beijing have long touted the strength and long-term nature of their relationship. But according to a new report from Filter Labs, a U.S.-based political research and analysis company, Russia and China’s relationship may be weaker than they want the rest of the world to believe. “Their partnership is vulnerable,” Filter Labs founder Jonathan Teubner told VOA. “This ‘no limits’ partnership is much more complicated.” ‘Infused with doubt’ While the governments and state-run media from both countries work to project the image of a strong partnership, their relationship may be underpinned by more tension, mistrust and competing interests than previously thought, according to an extensive analysis of news media and social media posts by Filter Labs. “The axis is infused with doubt, ripe for disruption,” the report said. Teubner added, “The monolith theory of the China-Russia relationship isn’t necessarily the way it has to be.” But not all experts agree that the Russia-China relationship is fragile. “The China-Russia relationship continues to deepen and widen, and occasional disagreements are dwarfed by the scale and momentum of their strategic cooperation,” Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine wrote in a 2024 Council on Foreign Relations report. From the Chinese perspective, according to the Filter Labs report, there are doubts over the true resilience of Russia’s economy, whether Russia’s military is as strong as it says it is, and what Russia’s true intentions are in the long term. Meanwhile, says Filter Labs, Russian doubts pertain to quality concerns about Chinese goods, how militarily committed China actually is to Russia, and whether Chinese investment in Russia is really that substantial. Chinese state media is generally positive about the state of the Russian economy and often criticizes Western sanctions. However, Chinese netizens are increasingly worried about the impact that secondary sanctions could have on China. The United States has threatened to use secondary sanctions against Chinese businesses viewed as engaging with Russia, pushing some Chinese netizens to weigh the value of … “Russia and China’s relationship may not be as strong as it seems, report says” →

European leaders across much of the continent vowed to stand by Ukraine after a White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned into a heated exchange Friday, with Trump calling Zelenskyy “disrespectful.” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it has become clear that “the free world needs a new leader.” “Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine,” Kallas wrote on the social media platform X. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X, “Ukraine can rely on Germany — and on Europe,” while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social media, “Ukraine, Spain stands with you.” “Dear @ZelenskyyUa, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone,” wrote Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on X. French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Portugal, “Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the aggressed people.” Other European leaders, including from Finland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Norway, also took to social media to voice support for Ukraine. Not all European leaders backed Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has long been critical of EU military aid to Kyiv, posted on X, “President @realDonaldTrump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!” The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy came as the two countries were seeking a deal that would allow the U.S. access to Ukrainian rare mineral rights. The discussion took a combative tone about 40 minutes into the meeting when Zelenskyy raised Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea. U.S. Vice President JD Vance immediately criticized Zelenskyy, accusing him of engaging in a “propaganda tour.” Both Vance and Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of not being thankful for the assistance his country has received from Washington. After the meeting abruptly ended, the White House confirmed that the mineral deal was not signed. US response In the U.S., many Republicans in Congress expressed support for Trump’s actions. Senator Lindsey Graham, who has previously supported military aid to Ukraine, said, “What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again.” House Republican leader Steve Scalise, who has also previously supported military aid to Ukraine, wrote on X, “President Trump is fighting for PEACE around the world and is putting America First as our best negotiator — he’s the only one to get Russia to the table to … “European leaders stand by Ukraine after heated exchange between Trump, Zelenskyy” →

Pope Francis had a setback Friday during his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been for the last two weeks. The Vatican said an “isolated breathing incident” caused the 88-year-old pontiff to inhale his own vomit, which required noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Francis was conscious during the episode and was able to cooperate and participate in the maneuvers needed for his recovery. The Vatican said the pope remained “alert and well-oriented.” The news of Friday’s complication followed three days of reports of improvement in Francis’ medical condition. The Vatican also announced Friday that Francis would not lead the Ash Wednesday service next week that marks the beginning of the Lenten season leading to Easter Sunday.  A senior Vatican official will stand in for the pope. Doctors said Thursday that Francis’ “prognosis remains guarded,” suggesting that they did not think he was out of danger. Francis spent Thursday morning in respiratory therapy. Later, he prayed in the chapel of his private suite at Gemelli Hospital, where he also received the Eucharist. After that, the pope attended to Vatican work responsibilities. Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, was admitted to Gemelli Feb. 14 with a case of bronchitis that soon worsened to double pneumonia. This hospital stay is his longest during his time as pope. He is prone to lung infections, having had part of a lung removed when he was a young man. Some of the faithful who have journeyed to Rome to see the Vatican and possibly the pope have altered their plans and are now saying prayers for Francis outside the hospital for his full recovery. Lili Iparea Fernandez, from La Cruz, Mexico, traveled to Rome with other pilgrims from Mexico, hoping to participate in Francis’ general audience this week. When that was canceled, she decided to pray for him outside the hospital instead. “We firmly believe that the pope will recover because he is a very strong man,” she said Thursday. “So, I invite everyone to believe firmly, with certainty, with confidence, with hope, that the pope is going to be well.” The pope’s illness has prompted Catholics to gather in Vatican City, his native Argentina and other areas of the world to hold prayer vigils. Francis became pope in 2013 when his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.  …

Georgians broadly supported Maidan protests in Ukraine seeking closer integration with Europe, elimination of corruption and malign foreign influence. Those goals resonate with Georgia’s current opposition. …

NATO’s newest rapid-response force is testing its strength in Romania, just kilometers from the Ukrainian border. VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze has more on the drills and NATO’s evolving defense strategy. Camera: Daniil Batushchak …

PARIS — French police said at least three people were killed when a tropical storm packing fierce winds and torrential rains thumped the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion on Friday.  Residents were ordered to stay at home as Tropical Cyclone Garance brought heavy rain and winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), causing floods, power cuts and damage to buildings.  France’s national police force confirmed three fatalities but said it had no details about the circumstances.  Authorities said 847 people sought refuge in emergency shelters and 54 were evacuated due to the risk of flooding or landslides.  About 182,000 people were without power and 171,000 lost access to drinking water, the authorities said.  Officials said strong winds ripped off roofs, doors, and windows of many buildings. Tarpaulins were being sent to the hardest-hit areas to provide shelter in the eastern part of the island.  Authorities lifted the purple cyclone warning, the highest level, Friday morning, allowing rescue services to begin operations. However, the island remained under a red warning, with residents requested to stay indoors as heavy rain and strong winds were expected to persist throughout the day.  National weather agency Meteo France said winds reaching 214 kilometers per hour (133 mph) were recorded at the island’s main airport.  Reunion island is located about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) to the southeast of the French territory of Mayotte, an island group off Africa, which was hit in December by the worst cyclone in nearly a century, with widespread devastation left in its wake.  Local authorities have confirmed 40 deaths from Cyclone Chido’s landfall and 41 people missing or believed to have been buried, but fear more may be dead. …

WASHINGTON — The issue of Ukraine’s next presidential election has emerged as a possible element in the peace deal between Russia and Ukraine that the United States is negotiating. Ukrainian leaders and elections experts argue, however, that holding elections anytime soon would endanger lives and Ukraine’s sovereignty. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected in April 2019, and the next presidential election was scheduled for March or April 2024. However, martial law has been in effect since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, and Ukrainian law prohibits presidential elections when martial law is in effect. U.S. President Donald Trump has lambasted Zelenskyy for not holding a presidential election. In a Feb. 19 post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said of Zelenskyy, “He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.” Some members of the U.S. Congress and conservative commentators echoed Trump’s demand that Ukraine hold elections to prove its democratic credentials. “Zelenskyy should hold elections. They are basically under martial law. That’s not good when you claim to be defending democracy. They need to practice it,” Republican Senator Josh Hawley told VOA. Republican Representative Victoria Spartz told VOA that Ukraine should hold “transparent elections, and that not doing so allows Russia to say, ‘You have an illegitimate president signing these contracts and deals.’” Russia has questioned the legitimacy of Ukraine’s president and government since 2014, well before Zelenskyy was elected to office. During his televised question-and-answer event on Dec. 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested he couldn’t negotiate with Zelenskyy until his legitimacy is confirmed through elections. “If someone goes to the elections, gains legitimacy there, we will talk with anyone, including Zelenskyy,” he said. Zelenskyy said during a Feb. 23 press conference that he would step down as president if it meant “peace for Ukraine” but pushed back on the calls for holding elections. “How can we call an election in which half of the country’s population won’t be able to vote?” he said. “How can we vote when today, [Ukraine was] attacked with 267 drones?” His major political rivals, former President Petro Poroshenko, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, have also rejected the call for holding elections. According to a … “Perspectives, challenges of Ukraine’s next election” →

ATHENS — Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities and towns across Greece on Friday to demand justice on the second anniversary of the country’s deadliest-ever train crash, and striking workers grounded flights and halted sea and train transport. Fifty-seven people were killed when a passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023, near the Tempi gorge in central Greece. Two years later, the safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled, an inquiry found on Thursday. A separate judicial investigation remains unfinished, and no one has been convicted in the accident. Mass demonstrations were planned in dozens of cities across the country. All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Businesses were shut and theatres cancelled performances. By early morning, tens of thousands had gathered in Syntagma Square in the center of Athens, watched by police in riot gear. A sign read: “Government of murderers.” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023, has faced repeated criticism by relatives of the victims for failing to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. The government denies wrongdoing and says it is up to the judiciary to investigate the accident. Friday’s protests reflected mounting anger over the disaster in Greece, where mistrust of government is common following a 2009-2018 debt crisis in which millions lost out on wages and pensions, and public services suffered from underfunding. “The government hasn’t done anything to get justice,” said Christos Main, 57, a musician at the Athens rally. “This wasn’t an accident, it was murder,” he said. Another protester, who gave her name as Evi, said she was there to mourn the dead, “but also because the government has tried to cover things up.” The names of those killed were spray-painted in red on the ground in front of the parliament building. In the suburbs of Athens, groups of all ages made their way downtown with placards reading “I have no oxygen,” a slogan of the protests echoing a woman’s last words in a call to emergency services. Many pupils went to class dressed in black, a symbol of mourning. Others held up black balloons. Major issue for Greeks In a Facebook post on Friday, Mitsotakis … “Hundreds of thousands protest across Greece over deadly train crash” →

Moscow’s Sheremetevo Airport resumed flight arrivals and departures early on Friday after a temporary suspension of operations, Russia’s aviation authority said. “Restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft were lifted at Sheremetevo Airport at 03:45 Moscow time (0045 GMT),” the aviation authority said on its Telegram app. The authority said the restrictions were introduced to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights. During the period of restrictions, one aircraft flying to Sheremetevo landed at the alternate airfield in Pulkovo, the authority said on Telegram. TASS news agency earlier reported that the airport had briefly suspended operations at 2:41 Moscow time. …

MOSCOW — Soviet chess grandmaster Boris Spassky, who was famously defeated at the height of the Cold War, has died at 88, the Russian Chess Federation announced Thursday. “The tenth world champion Boris Spassky has died at 88,” the Russian Chess Federation said in a statement on its website, calling this a “great loss for the country.” The statement did not say when exactly he died or from what cause. Spassky is best remembered for his duel with American Bobby Fischer in 1972, which was emblematic of the confrontation between East and West. The iconic Cold War duel has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries and films. Most notably it inspired the Walter Tevis novel The Queen’s Gambit, which was adapted into the acclaimed Netflix series in 2020. Spassky became world champion in 1969 and held the title until he played the match that would define his career, facing the eccentric American prodigy. With the Soviet Union having dominated the game for years, Spassky faced a must-win situation and initially took the lead. But the American roared back to win, ending an unbroken streak of Soviet world champions since 1948. Although the loss was a slap in the face for Moscow, Spassky admitted decades later it was a relief to be rid of a “colossal responsibility.” Born in 1937 in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Spassky showed prodigious talent early, becoming junior world champion and the youngest grandmaster in history at the time at 18.  …

Kurdish political parties in the Kurdistan Region have largely welcomed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for disarmament and a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey. In his message, Ocalan urged the PKK to lay down arms and shift to a political struggle, an appeal that many see as a potential turning point in Kurdish-Turkish relations. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. …

ROME — Nations cheered a last gasp deal reached Thursday to map out funding to protect nature, breaking a deadlock at United Nations talks seen as a test for international cooperation in the face of geopolitical tensions.  Rich and developing countries worked out a delicate compromise on raising and delivering the billions of dollars needed to protect species, overcoming stark divisions that had scuttled their previous meeting in Cali, Colombia, last year.  Delegates stood and clapped in an emotionally charged final meeting that saw key decisions adopted in the final minutes of the last day of rebooted negotiations at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome.   COP16 President Susana Muhamad of Colombia hailed the fact that countries worked together for a breakthrough, enabling progress “in this very fragmented and conflicted world,” she said.  “This is something very beautiful because it’s around protecting life that we have come together, and there cannot be anything higher than that,” she said. The decision comes more than two years after a landmark deal to halt the destruction of nature this decade and protect the ecosystems and wildlife that humans rely on for food, climate regulation, and economic prosperity.  One million species are threatened with extinction, while unsustainable farming and consumption destroy forests, deplete soils and spread plastic pollution to even the most remote areas of the planet.  The agreement on Thursday is seen as crucial to giving impetus to the 2022 deal, which saw countries agree to protect 30% of the world’s land and seas.   Talks were also seen as a bellwether for international cooperation.   The meeting comes as countries face a range of challenges, from trade disputes and debt worries to the slashing of overseas aid.  Washington, which has not signed up to the U.N.’s Convention on Biological Diversity, sent no representatives to the meeting.  “Our efforts show that multilateralism can present hope at a time of geopolitical uncertainty,” said Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s minister of environment and climate change.   Ousseynou Kasse of Senegal, speaking on behalf of the Africa Group, also threw support behind global cooperation.   “We believe that this is the way that can save the world, and we must continue down this path,” he said.   Countries must be “accountable to our children, to the generations to come,” he added.  The failure to finalize an agreement in Cali was the first in a string of … “At UN talks, nations agree to invest in plan to protect nature” →

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday at the White House, where the two laid out their visions for the end of Ukraine’s brutal three-year war. The allies also sparred over trade and tariffs, and Trump revived his first-term push for NATO allies to contribute more to their own security and rely less on American support. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington. Kim Lewis contributed. …

white house — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he and President Donald Trump discussed achieving an agreement to end the war between Ukraine and Russia that would involve Kyiv and be backed by European peacekeeping forces. Following meetings Thursday at the White House, Starmer said the plan would “reach a peace that is tough and fair, that Ukraine will help shape, that’s backed by strength to stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin coming back for more.” Any agreement cannot lead to a peace “that rewards the aggressor,” Starmer underscored, mirroring remarks that French President Emmanuel Macron delivered at his White House meeting with Trump on Monday that “the aggressor is Russia.” “We agreed history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader,” Starmer said, speaking alongside Trump during their joint news conference. Starmer vowed to work closely with other European leaders and said the United Kingdom was ready to deploy peacekeeping troops together with its allies, “because that is the only way that peace will last.” Trump, however, was noncommittal on providing any security guarantees, including on a proposed U.S. “backstop” to support European peacekeepers to enforce a potential truce — a condition Starmer required. “I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal,” Trump said during the news conference. “I like to get things done. I don’t want to give it the bad luck sign.” Trump signaled that the U.S. backstop could be given in the form of the deal he is trying to secure with Kyiv that would allow American access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and recoup funds given by former President Joe Biden’s administration to support the country’s war efforts. “It’s a backstop, you could say. I don’t think anybody’s going to play around if we’re there with a lot of workers,” the president told reporters at the Oval Office earlier Thursday. During the news conference, Trump defended his decision to directly negotiate with Russia without the involvement of Kyiv or European allies as “common sense,” saying, “If you want peace, you have to talk to both sides.” Trump said that talks with Moscow were “very well advanced” but cautioned that there was only a narrow window to secure a deal. He expressed confidence that Putin would “keep his word” and not launch further aggression on Ukraine should a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv be reached. “I’ve known him for … “British PM Starmer seeks to project unity with Trump despite differences on Ukraine “ →

Pope Francis is continuing to improve from a bout of double pneumonia, the Vatican said Thursday evening. The 88-year-old pontiff had progressed from using a nasal tube for supplemental oxygen to alternating the tube with a mask that allowed for a more comfortable flow, according to a detailed update. Doctors on Thursday still said Francis’ “prognosis remains guarded,” suggesting that they did not think he was out of danger. Francis spent Thursday morning in respiratory therapy. Later, he prayed in the chapel of his private suite in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he also received the Eucharist. After that, the pope attended to Vatican work responsibilities. Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 with a case of bronchitis that soon worsened to double pneumonia. This hospital stay is his longest during his time as pope. He is prone to lung infections, having had part of a lung removed when he was a young man. It is not yet clear how his illness will affect his participation in the Lenten season, which begins on March 5 on Ash Wednesday and leads up to Holy Week and then Easter, on which according to Christian tradition Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem. Some of the faithful who have journeyed to Rome to see the Vatican and possibly the pope have altered their plans and are now saying prayers for Francis outside Gemelli Hospital for his full recovery. Lili Iparea Fernandez, from La Cruz, Mexico, traveled to Rome with other pilgrims from Mexico, hoping to participate in Francis’ general audience this week. When that was canceled, she decided to pray for him outside the hospital instead. “We firmly believe that the pope will recover because he is a very strong man,” she said Thursday. “So I invite everyone to believe firmly, with certainty, with confidence, with hope that the pope is going to be well.” The pope’s illness has prompted Catholics to gather in Vatican City, his native Argentina and other areas of the world to hold prayer vigils. Francis has been pope since 2013 when his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. …

Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, on Thursday called for the group’s disarmament and disbandment. VOA Kurdish spoke to locals in Diyarbakir, Turkey’s largest Kurdish-majority city. While many residents supported Ocalan’s message of peace, others wondered whether his call would be met by real steps by the Turkish government to address the Kurdish question. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. …

Following the Freedom House report where Russia occupies the record low 183rd place in global ratings of political and civil freedoms, VOA Russian spoke to human rights activists who painted a grim picture of Russia rapidly descending into the abyss with the war in Ukraine exacerbating the lack of democratic freedoms that existed before.  Click here for the full story in Russian. …

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday that North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia after its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties. The National Intelligence Service said in a brief statement it was trying to determine how many more troops North Korea has deployed to Russia. The NIS also assessed that North Korean troops were redeployed at fronts in Russia’s Kursk region in the first week of February, following a reported temporary withdrawal from the area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an address on Feb. 7, confirmed a new Ukrainian offensive in Kursk and said North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russian forces there. North Korea has been supplying a vast number of conventional weapons to Russia, and last fall it sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials. North Korean soldiers are highly disciplined and well trained, but observers say they’ve become easy targets for drone and artillery attacks on Russian-Ukraine battlefields because of their lack of combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain. In January, the NIS said about 300 North Korean soldiers had died and 2,700 had been injured. Zelenskyy earlier put the number of killed or wounded North Koreans at 4,000, although U.S. estimates were lower at around 1,200. Earlier Thursday, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported that an additional 1,000 to 3,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Kursk between January and February. South Korea, the United States and their partners worry that Russia could reward North Korea by transferring high-tech weapons technologies that can sharply enhance its nuclear weapons program. North Korea is expected to receive economic and other assistance from Russia, as well. During talks in Saudi Arabia last week, Russia and the U.S. agreed to start working toward ending the war and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. Ukrainian officials weren’t present at the talks. That marked an extraordinary shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump and a clear departure from U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine. …

JOHANNESBURG — The Group of 20 major economies has been instrumental in coordinating the response to crises like the COVID pandemic. But top officials from the U.S. and several other member states skipped the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in South Africa this week, raising questions about the group’s continued relevance in a splintered global environment. The two-day meeting in Cape Town ended without a communique, with current G20 leader South Africa saying there was not sufficient consensus to issue one. In his opening remarks at the event, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to the fractured geopolitical climate and stressed the importance of international cooperation. “At this time of global uncertainty and escalating tension, it is now more important than ever that the members of the G20 should work together,” Ramaphosa said. “The erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global growth and stability.” He said the G20 finance ministers meeting had to address major issues like climate change financing, ensuring debt sustainability for developing countries, and Africa’s need to process its own critical minerals for inclusive growth. But it appeared the world’s largest economies were not able to find common ground on a number of issues. South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana noted this wasn’t the first time. “The issue of the communique and the absence of it is not something new,” Godongwana said. “To my knowledge, I mean, since the Russia-Ukraine war, it has been difficult to find a joint communique. Now, new differences have emerged on a number of other topics.” Climate adaptation funding was one of the areas where there was a “difference of opinion,” he said. The finance ministers meeting was beset with similar problems faced by last week’s G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg, which laid bare the discord in current geopolitics. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent skipped the event amid a spat with host country South Africa, and after the U.S. criticized the themes around climate change and “solidarity, equality and sustainability.” The finance chiefs of other large economies, including Japan, India and China also sat it out. However, all of them, including the U.S., sent representation at various levels. Still, the absence of some top officials underscores global divisions sparked by Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the “America First” administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Professor Alex van den Heever of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. “I think that this has … “Global splinters evident at G20 finance ministers meeting” →

Anticipation is growing in Russia for a summit – yet to be scheduled – between U.S. President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. On the streets of Moscow, many Russians welcome what they see as a thaw in relations with Washington, and what some hope is the beginning of the end of their country’s isolation from the West. Jonathan Spier narrates this report. …

Friedrich Merz, who is set to become Germany’s chancellor after his Christian Democratic Union party won the country’s Feb. 23 parliamentary elections, has said that Europe may have to establish an “independent” defense capability because the U.S. has become “largely indifferent” to Europe’s fate.  A top priority of any new European defense mechanism would be protecting Ukraine, now in its fourth year of trying to fight off the Russian invasion.   The country has survived thus far in large part because of a heavy flow of U.S. military aid provided by then-president Joe Biden. New President Donald Trump has said he wants to end the war and recoup Washington’s costs, going so far as to demand Ukraine give the U.S. access to the country’s mineral wealth in return for the tens of billions of dollars the U.S. has spent on Ukraine’s defense.   Voice of America’s Russian Service asked experts to assess the ability of European countries to help Ukraine to withstand, both militarily and economically, the Russian invasion, and to rebuild its destroyed infrastructure.  Andriy Zolotarev, director of the Third Sector Analytical Center, a Kyiv-based think tank, told VOA that U.S. military aid is uniquely important to Ukraine’s defense. “In particular, the U.S. has huge stockpiles of weapons, they are a supplier of critically important intelligence information,” he said. “All the European countries taken together do not have satellite groupings like the United States. In addition, the U.S. has extremely important and truly irreplaceable types of weapons for Ukraine — Patriot [missile defense] systems, ATACMS [long-range guided missiles], HIMARS [multiple launch rocket systems], as well as spare parts for armored vehicles and artillery systems, and much more. This cannot be discounted in any way.”  According to Zolotarev, while Europe produces advanced weapons and other military equipment, the European Union together with Great Britain can only partially compensate for what Ukraine would lose if the U.S. stopped providing assistance.  “Their efforts can soften the negative effect, but will not avoid unpleasant consequences,” he said. “This will simply delay the inevitable end. Europe is currently far from being in the best economic and military shape.”  Mark Feigin, a self-exiled Russian human rights activist and former lawyer, noted in an interview with VOA that while Europe includes two countries with nuclear arsenals, Great Britain and France, and is collectively far richer than Russia, the continent’s military potential is hampered by the fact that it … “Experts: Europe could not replace US as guarantor of Ukraine’s security” →

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA — Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, left for the United States after authorities lifted travel restrictions imposed as part of the case, an official said Thursday. The brothers — who are dual U.S.-British citizens and have millions of online followers — were arrested in late 2022 and indicted last year on charges they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were sexually exploited. Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. They deny the allegations. In December, a court ruled that the case couldn’t go to trial because of multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors. The case, however, remained open, and there is also another ongoing investigation against them in Romania. Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said in a statement Thursday that prosecutors approved a request to change the travel restrictions on the Tates but didn’t say who made the request. The brothers are still required to appear before judicial authorities when summoned. “The defendants have been warned that deliberately violating these obligations may result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation of liberty measure,” the statement said. Andrew Tate, 38, a former professional kickboxer and self-described misogynist who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He and Tristan Tate, 36, are vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump. The Tates’ departure came after Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu said this month that an official in the Trump administration expressed interest in the brothers’ case at the Munich Security Conference. The minister insisted no pressure was applied to lift restrictions on the Tates after a Financial Times report on the meeting caused a stir in Romania. The Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision that the Tate case could not proceed was a huge setback for DIICOT, but it didn’t mean the defendants could walk free, and the case hasn’t been closed. Last August, DIICOT also launched a second case against the brothers, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. They have denied those charges as well. The Tate brothers’ legal battles aren’t limited to Romania. Late last year, a U.K. court ruled that police can … “Andrew Tate, accused of rape, trafficking in Romania, leaves for US” →