BLOGONITY

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Political analysts in Nigeria say the country needs to be careful after signing a series of agreements with France during President Bola Tinubu’s three-day visit to the European country last week. Tinubu’s three-day visit to France was the first official state visit to Paris by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades. During the visit, Nigeria and France signed two major deals, including a $300 million pact to develop critical infrastructure, renewable energy, transportation, agriculture and health care in Nigeria. Both nations also signed an agreement to increase food security and develop Nigeria’s solid minerals sector. Tinubu has been trying to attract investments to boost Nigeria’s ailing economy. While many praise his latest deals with France, some critics are urging caution. The deals come as France looks for friends in West Africa following a series of military coups in countries where it formerly had strong ties — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Ahmed Buhari, a political affairs analyst, criticized the partnership. “Everybody is trying to look for a new development partner that would seemingly be working in their own interest, but obviously we don’t seem to be on the same page,” Buhari said. “We’re partnering with France, who [has] been responsible for countries like Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and the likes, and we haven’t seen significant developments in those places in the last 100 years.” Abuja-based political analyst Chris Kwaja said France’s strained relationships with the Sahelian states do not affect Nigeria. “That the countries of the Sahel have a fractured relationship with France does not in any way define the future of the Nigeria-France relationship,” Kwaja said. “No country wants to operate as an island. Every country is looking at strategic partnerships and relationships.” France has a long history of involvement in the Sahel region, including military intervention, economic cooperation and development aid. Critics say the countries associated with France have been grappling with poverty and insecurity. Eze Onyekpere, economist and founder of the Center for Social Justice, said Nigeria must be wary of any deal before signing. “It is a little bit disappointing considering the reputation of France in the way they’ve been exploiting minerals across the Sahel,’ Onyekpere said. “They’ve been undertaking exploitation in a way and manner that’s not in the best interest of those countries. I hope we have good enough checks to make sure that the agreements signed will generally … “Regional analysts suggest caution as Nigeria signs new deals with France” →

LONDON/LAS PALMAS, SPAIN — Record numbers of migrants arrived on Spain’s Canary Islands from West Africa this year, according to newly released government figures. Some 41,425 migrants arrived on the islands between January 1 and November 30, according to the figures released Monday. The number surpassed the 39,910 migrants recorded in 2023, which also broke previous records. Most of the migrants are from Mali, Morocco and Senegal. The islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean more than 100 kilometers west of Morocco and have long attracted migrants seeking a new life in Europe. The latest figures were published as Spain outlines plans to offer visas to up to 900,000 undocumented migrants already in the country, while simultaneously clamping down on new arrivals. Madrid announced plans to offer visas to 300,000 undocumented migrants every year for the next three years, allowing them to remain in the country to study and find work. Spain needs young workers’ taxes to fund the pensions and health care of its aging population, according to the minister for migration, Elma Saiz. “Spain has to choose between being an open and prosperous country or being a closed and poor country. And we have chosen the former. That is why there are already 2.9 million foreigners paying monthly Social Security contributions [taxes],” Saiz announced at a press conference in Madrid on November 19. Saiz said that the government plans to “cut red tape” to make it easier for migrants to enter the labor market. “We want to make it easier for foreigners to get a job suited to their professional profile and, at the same time, for companies to find the professionals they need,” she said. The visas will be offered only to migrants already in Spain. Simultaneously, Madrid says it is clamping down on new arrivals by striking deals with African states to curb migrant departures and increase offshore patrols. Spain has also called for the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, to resume patrols in the region. Authorities have struggled to cope with the surge in migrant arrivals on the Canary Islands. Adult migrants are held in camps as they await transfer to the Spanish mainland, where their visa applications are processed. Children younger than 18 stay at shelters on the islands and are offered places in local schools. Bocar Gueye, 36, who arrived on the island of Gran Canaria from Mauritania, told VOA that he was happy to … “Spain to offer visas to 900,000 undocumented migrants amid surge” →

In Ukraine, a music teacher is teaching children how to fly drones. While it grew out of Russia’s invasion, the teacher says the skills the students learn will serve them well in peacetime as well. Lesia Bakalets reports from Kyiv. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets. …

BUCHAREST — Romania’s hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) party wants to be part of a coalition government, its leader said on Tuesday, as the nation eyes a presidential runoff vote that will decide who appoints the prime minister. Hard-right and ultranationalist parties, including AUR, saw a sharp surge in support in a parliamentary election on Sunday, and while they lack a majority they garnered more than 30% of seats in the legislature. A Constitutional Court ruling on Monday cleared the way for a presidential runoff next Sunday that will pit far-right candidate Calin Georgescu against centrist Elena Lasconi, raising the possibility that the new head of state, who appoints the government, will share AUR’s views. A Georgescu win in the presidential runoff would upend Romania’s pro-Western orientation and erode its backing for neighboring Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Romania is a member of NATO and the European Union. The court had ordered a recount of the first round of the election amid concerns over interference in the electoral process, but finally validated the result. “As Romania’s second-largest party we … have the responsibility to come up with a credible vision,” AUR leader George Simion told foreign press. “I would like to have a governmental coalition. If the next president of Romania nominates me as prime minister or asks our party to propose a name for prime minister [then we will]. “We will stay and talk with every political force in the Romanian parliament,” he said, speaking in English. However Simion ruled out cooperating with the leftist Social Democrats (PSD), who came first in Sunday’s ballot. Unity The leader of the far-right SOS grouping, Diana Sosoaca, appealed for unity among nationalist parties on Monday, saying they should try to form a government even if it was a minority one. AUR and Sosoaca have previously clashed over policy and the latter’s pro-Russian statements. A survey conducted by pollster CURS on Dec. 1 at polling stations showed Georgescu would win 57.8% in a run-off to Lasconi’s 42.2% among people who say they will vote. The survey polled 24,629 people after they cast their vote and had a margin of error of plus/minus 0.6%. An admirer of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and a critic of the European Union, Simion has said he would stop military aid to Ukraine. He has opposed Holocaust education and gay marriage, and wants to recover territories that … “Romanian hard-right says it wants to be part of new government “ →

A Turkish court has jailed pending trial nine protesters who disrupted President Tayyip Erdogan’s speech in Istanbul last week, accusing his government of continuing oil exports to Israel despite a publicized embargo. The incident occurred during Erdogan’s televised address at a forum on Friday, where the protesters said the government was failing to uphold its pro-Palestinian rhetoric. They chanted slogans such as “Ships are carrying bombs to Gaza” and “Stop fueling genocide.” Erdogan responded sharply. “My child, don’t become the mouthpiece of Zionists here. No matter how much you try to provoke by acting as their voice, mouth, and eyes, you will not succeed,” he said. “Zionists around the world know very well where Tayyip Erdogan stands. But it seems you still haven’t understood.” Police removed the demonstrators from the event, and prosecutors charged them with insulting the president and participating in an illegal demonstration. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the group had coordinated their actions inside and outside the venue and sought their detention pending trial. The arrests have drawn strong criticism from opposition politicians and rights advocates. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel denounced the detentions as a blow to democracy. “The decision to arrest nine young people who protested Tayyip Erdogan proves the grave situation our country’s democracy has fallen into,” Ozel said. “These young people were exercising their right to free expression and should be released immediately.” …

Most of the world’s airlines are not doing enough to switch to sustainable jet fuel, according to a study by Brussels-based advocacy group Transport and Environment, which also found too little investment by oil producers in the transition. The airline sector is calling for more production of the fuel, which can be made from materials such as wood chips and used cooking oil. “Unfortunately, airlines at the moment are not on the trajectory to have meaningful emissions reduction because they’re not buying enough sustainable aviation fuel,” Transport and Environment aviation policy manager Francesco Catte said. As it stands, SAF makes up about 1% of aviation fuel use on the global market, which needs to increase for airlines to meet carbon emission reduction targets. The fuel can cost between two to five times more than regular jet fuel. A lack of investment by major oil players, who have the capital to build SAF processing facilities, is hampering the market’s growth, the study says. In its ranking, Transport and Environment pointed to Air France-KLM, United Airlines and Norwegian as some of the airlines that have taken tangible steps to buy sustainable jet fuel, particularly its synthetic, cleaner burning version. But 87% are failing to make meaningful efforts, the ranking shows, and even those who are trying could miss their own targets without more investment. Airlines such as Italy’s ITA Airways, the successor airline to bankrupt Alitalia, and Portugal’s TAP have done very little to secure SAF in the coming years, the ranking shows. A TAP spokesperson said the airline was the first to fly in Portugal with SAF in July 2022, “and is committed to flying with 10% SAF in 2030.” “While we would have liked to increase our investment in SAF, the low availability…and high costs…have limited our ability to do so, considering also our start up condition,” an ITA spokesperson said. …

TURKU, Finland — On Nov. 18, hours after two communication cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, 30 NATO vessels and 4,000 military staff took to the same body of water for one of northern Europe’s largest naval exercises. The 12-day ‘Freezing Winds’ drill was part of a push to step up the transatlantic defense alliance’s protection of infrastructure in waters that carry 15% of global shipping traffic and are seen as increasingly vulnerable to attack. The Baltic Sea is bordered by eight NATO countries and Russia. There have been at least three incidents of possible sabotage to the 40-odd telecommunication cables and critical gas pipelines that run along its relatively shallow seabed since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. “NATO is stepping up patrols, … allies are investing in innovative technologies that can help better secure these assets,” said Commander Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesperson for NATO’s Allied Maritime Command. Yet the ease with which a ship’s anchor can slice through a cable, coupled with the often-treacherous sea conditions, makes actual prevention of such attacks almost impossible. On day three of the exercise, German Navy commander Beata Król tried to launch an underwater drone from her de-mining vessel, the Weilheim, to inspect the seabed as a winter storm raged. After a 30-minute delay in launching it, the drone had frozen and could not operate. “The batteries got cold,” she said, shrugging, as she waited for the equipment to warm up. Having spent years detonating World War II-era mines on the Baltic seabed, NATO is repurposing its six-vessel mine hunting fleet to also monitor suspicious underwater activity, with its hull-mounted sonar scanning the seabed, drones able to take pictures and video under the water, and specialist divers on hand. But its powers are still limited. “We are a defensive alliance, so by conducting training and exercising, also in areas which are crucial with underwater infrastructure, we show presence and prevent rather than actively engage,” Król said. Security sources say the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15, was responsible for severing the two undersea cables in Swedish economic waters between Nov. 17 and 18 by dragging its anchor on the seabed. As of Monday, it was stationary in Danish economic waters, being watched by NATO members’ naval ships, having been urged by Sweden to return to be investigated. Some politicians had accused it of … “As sabotage allegations swirl, NATO struggles to secure the Baltic Sea” →

NATO foreign ministers open two days of talks Tuesday in Brussels with support for Ukraine high on the agenda as the country fights to defend itself from a Russian invasion that began nearly three years ago. Allies have already pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in new military aid ahead of the meetings, including new rounds of assistance from the United States and Germany. In addition to the NATO ministerial talks, the agenda also includes the latest round of meetings for the NATO-Ukraine council as Ukrainian officials push for membership in the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that an invitation to join NATO “would fundamentally strengthen Ukraine before any negotiations to end the war.” NATO leaders have repeatedly said Ukraine’s future is in NATO, but that the country would not be able to join while the Russian war is ongoing. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Monday that the United States is focused on “helping Ukraine to be in the strongest position possible on the battlefield and to ensure they are able to defend itself now and over the long term.” On the battlefront, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that Russian aerial attacks overnight damaged energy infrastructure in the western regions of Rivne and Ternopil. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram that Russian shelling and a drone hit the city of Nikopol, damaging multiple homes, a gym, and gas and power lines. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region and another drone over Bryansk. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters …

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the U.S. ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post. Stephens is the chairman, president and CEO of Little Rock, Arkansas-based financial services firm Stephens Inc., having taken over the firm from his father. Trump has already named many of his nominees for his Cabinet and high-profile diplomatic posts, assembling a roster of staunch loyalists. Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. During his first term, Trump selected Robert “Woody” Johnson, a contributor to his campaign and the owner of the New York Jets football team, as his representative to the United Kingdom. …

TBILISI, Georgia — Police in Georgia’s capital again moved to disperse thousands of demonstrators on Monday after over 200 people were detained during four previous nights of protests against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. Police used water cannons and tear gas to drive protesters away from the parliament building where they have gathered each night since Thursday when the ruling Georgian Dream party declared its decision to put EU accession talks on hold. Georgian Dream’s disputed victory in the country’s Oct. 26 parliamentary election, widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s aspirations to join the EU, has sparked mass demonstrations and the opposition boycott of the parliament. The opposition and the country’s pro-Western president have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with Moscow’s help. Georgia’s Interior Ministry said Monday that 224 protesters were detained on administrative charges and three arrested on criminal charges. So far, 113 police officers needed medical treatment while three others were hospitalized after clashes with protesters, who hurled fireworks at police. Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili said many of the arrested protesters had injuries to their heads and faces, including broken bones and eye sockets. Writing on X and citing lawyers who represent the detained, she said some people were subject to systematic beatings between arrest and transportation to detention facilities. Zourabichvili, who plays a largely ceremonial role, has rejected official election results and refused to recognize the parliament’s legitimacy. She has declared that she would stay on the job even after her six-year term ends later this month to spearhead the demands for a new parliamentary election. The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke to Zourabichvili on Sunday to condemn the violence against protesters and to note that “the actions of the government run counter to the will of the people,” Costa wrote on X. Kallas and EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos also released a joint statement that reiterated the EU’s “serious concerns about the continuous democratic backsliding of the country” and urged Georgian authorities to “respect the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, and refrain from using force against peaceful protesters, politicians and media representatives.” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgian Dream has warned the opposition that “any violation of the law will be met with the full rigor of the law.” “Neither will those politicians who … “Police in Georgia move again to disperse protests over the suspension of EU talks” →

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election. The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019. The invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend. Trump announced his trip in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening. “It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!” Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship. Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner and Trump traveled to France several times. But the relationship soured as Trump’s term progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual-defense pact. As he ran for a second term this year, Trump often mocked Macron on the campaign trail, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies. After Trump won another term last month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the first global leaders to congratulate Trump — even before The Associated Press called the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory phone call. “Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.” The reopening of Notre Dame will be an elaborate, multiday celebration, beginning Saturday. Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will preside at a reopening service that afternoon, banging on Notre Dame’s shuttered doors with his staff to reopen them, according to the cathedral’s website. The archbishop will also symbolically reawaken Notre Dame’s thunderous grand organ. The fire that melted the cathedral’s … “Trump to attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris” →

PENTAGON — President Joe Biden has asked Congress for an additional $24 billion to support Ukraine and replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles, two U.S. officials tell VOA, as the administration continued Monday to push out new aid packages from the last congressionally approved funds for Kyiv before Biden leaves office on January 20. Officials who have seen the administration’s request, on condition of anonymity to discuss its details, told VOA, that the new support would include $16 billion to restock U.S. weapons under the Pentagon’s presidential drawdown authority (PDA), along with $8 billion to manufacture weapons under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which focuses on supplying Kyiv’s long-term defense needs. “This funding not only supports Ukraine’s fight for its sovereignty and degrades Russian military capabilities but also strengthens U.S. military readiness by modernizing our weapons systems and making direct investments in our defense industrial base,” a U.S. defense official told VOA on Monday. The Biden administration submitted aid for Ukraine in an anomaly funding bill that also includes spending on other matters rather than in a separate supplemental funding request. “We defer to Congress to determine the most appropriate vehicle for addressing this urgent need,” one official said. News of the latest request was first reported by Politico. Some Republicans are already opposing the request. “Any Biden funding demands should be DOA (dead on arrival),” Senator Mike Lee posted on X. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who will determine whether the bill is brought to a vote in the form proposed by the White House, wrote on X that funding decisions “are for the incoming administration, not the outgoing lame duck President.” “The American people resoundingly elected President [Donald] Trump because he promised to bring an end to wars, not prolong them indefinitely,” Johnson added. The aid request follows vows from Biden administration officials to seek additional aid approval from Congress for 2025. Last week, the Biden administration also informed Congress of its intention to forgive $4.65 billion worth of Ukrainian debt. The U.S. announced Monday it was sending another military aid package to Ukraine valued at up to $725 million, its 71st tranche of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Kyiv since August 2021. Monday’s PDA included air defense capabilities, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, and anti-tank weapons. The package is the latest round of aid stemming from a $61 billion assistance bill for Kyiv that was approved … “Biden seeking additional $24B to support Ukraine, replenish US weapons stockpiles” →

The new head of the International Broadcasting department at Polish Television tells VOA Russian about plans to increase programming for viewers in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.   “There is a need for truthful information about what is going on in Belarus and Russia,” Michael Broniatowski said. He also discussed the biggest challenges when producing programming for Belarusian and Russian audiences.     See the full story here.   …

ATHENS, Greece — Authorities on the Greek islands Rhodes and Lemnos declared a state of emergency Monday after storms battered the islands, leaving two dead and widespread damage.  Rescue teams, assisted by the military and local authorities, rescued many older residents in flood-hit areas, after strong winds and torrential rain over the weekend flipped cars, caused power outages and damaged roads. Two men were killed in a flooded village on Lemnos, while scores of people were evacuated and taken to hotels in the island’s main port. Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection, urged residents in storm-hit areas to comply with evacuation orders that are announced using cellphone push alerts. “It is a thousand times better to comply with potentially excessive warnings than to face tragedy,” the minister told private Skai television. Kikilias has pointed to climate change as the cause of worsening weather conditions in Greece in recent years, including an unprecedented series of heatwaves that intensify wildfires, a severe drought this year and massive floods in central Greece in 2023. Rail travel on the Greek mainland was disrupted Monday. Weather warnings remained in effect for islands of the eastern Aegean islands, as well as parts of central and southern mainland Greece. …

Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group remains active, even after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in August of 2023. Russian experts say the group has been drawn closer to Kremlin power structures and is still fighting to advance Moscow’s interests around the world. Matthew Kupfer has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …

The exiled Russian opposition is looking to organize a common strategy while waiting for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to fulfill his campaign promises to end Russian President Vladmir Putin’s war with Ukraine, something they fear could mean a loss of U.S. support. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina. …

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby has defended his decision to break military ties with France, saying at a news conference Sunday that their defense pact no longer meets Chad’s security needs. The decision requires France to withdraw its troops from the central African nation and echoes growing anti-French sentiment with civil society groups who say it is long overdue.  Deby said military ties with France that have existed for close to 65 years are in no way helping to rescue Chad from what he calls growing security challenges, including terrorism and armed conflicts.  In a Sunday broadcast on state TV, Deby said his decision to end cooperation agreements with the French military is part of a promise he made during his May 23 inauguration, ending three years of military transition.  In the message, Deby said he would build reciprocal relations only with friendly nations that respect each other’s independence and sovereignty and assist each other in times of crisis. Deby promised to stop ties with countries he said behaved as if Chad had remained their colony.   The central African state first announced that it was ending military ties with France last week. The announcement came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Chad and was told that Chad’s military is strong enough to protect civilians and their property, according to government officials.  Last Friday, the French foreign ministry said it had taken note of Chad’s decision to end the military agreement with Paris, but gave no further details.  Deby’s decision has reignited debates on what civil society and opposition groups call France’s overbearing influence provoking tensions in several African countries, especially Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Senegal. Mamadou Doudet, coordinator of Chad’s Patriotic Movement, an opposition political party, said he was part of several dozen civil society organizations and opposition parties that met in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, on Monday to ask Deby to order the departure of over a thousand French troops stationed in Chad.  Doudet said the presence of French troops in Chad is of no use. He said Chad’s civil society and opposition find it very difficult to understand why French troops did not assist Chad last month when Boko Haram attacked and killed 40 Chadian soldiers in a military garrison in Lake Chad shared by Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger.  It is not the first time Chadian civil society and opposition groups sought the expulsion … “Chad orders French troops’ departure, triggers fresh anti-French military sentiment” →

Beijing — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday warned her Chinese counterpart that Beijing’s support for Moscow would impact ties and instead urged China to help end the Ukraine conflict. Speaking in Beijing, she said the over 1,000-day war was impacting the whole world and condemned the battlefield role of North Korean troops and the use of Chinese-made drones in the conflict. Baerbock urged an international peace process for Ukraine and said “that is why I am here in China today,” adding that every permanent member of the U.N. Security Council had a “responsibility for peace and security in the world.” “The Russian president is not only destroying our European peace order through his war against Ukraine, but is now dragging Asia into it via North Korea,” she told a press briefing. “My Chinese counterpart and I have therefore discussed in depth that this cannot be in China’s interest either.” Germany’s top diplomat met with her counterpart Wang Yi for a “strategic dialogue” as Berlin seeks to build better ties with China while engaging on key differences. Wang told his German counterpart that, “as the world’s second- and third-largest economies” China and Germany must improve ties “as great powers in a turbulent international situation.” On the day German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a surprise visit to war-torn Ukraine, Baerbock stressed that “in order to protect our own German and European security, we must now support Ukraine.” “And it is just as important to enter into a peace process together in the world, and that is why I am here in China today,” she said. Chinese drone worries   China presents itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations. But it remains a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war, which it has never condemned. “Drones from Chinese factories and North Korean troops attacking the peace in the middle of Europe are violating our core European security interests,” Baerbock said. She said she had “advocated a just peace process here in Beijing today, precisely because we come from different perspectives and roles”. Baerbock had earlier told Wang that “increasing Chinese support for Russia’s war against Ukraine has an impact on our relations,” according to a readout by the German … “German FM urges China to stop backing Russia, work for Ukraine peace” →