Author: AFP
European leaders backed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky after a White House showdown with US President Donald Trump that has cast doubts on efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia backed Trump, who openly berated Zelensky on Friday and accused him of having “disrespected” the United States. Here are some key reactions from around the world. Zelensky has thanked dozens of allies on social media for their “support”. – UK: ‘unwavering support’ – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met Trump this week, vowed “unwavering support” for Ukraine and spoke to both Trump and Zelensky following their meeting. Starmer “is doing…
US President Donald Trump erupted at Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, angrily sending the Ukrainian leader out of the White House after an extraordinary Oval Office meltdown because he was “not ready” for peace with Russia. The stunning row saw European leaders scramble to voice support for Ukraine, its ability to survive Russian invasion thrown further into doubt by the abrupt exit, as Zelensky left without a minerals deal painted as a significant step towards a US-brokered truce. Instead, an ugly clash blew up in the Oval Office where Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of…
Two passenger buses collided Saturday on a highway in southern Bolivia, leaving at least 37 dead, including two children, and some 30 people injured, police said. “So far we have 37 confirmed deaths,” Colonel Wilson Flores told AFP about the crash near the city of Uyuni in the department of Potosi. The accident, the country’s most serious so far this year, occurred on a narrow two-way road early Saturday. One of the buses was heading to the city of Oruro, the scene this weekend of the Oruro Carnival, one of the largest festivals in Latin America that attracts tens of…
Germany’s foreign minister said Saturday the “unspeakable” row between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House resembled a “bad dream” as Kyiv’s European allies rallied to its side. “Yesterday evening underlined that a new age of infamy has begun,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a televised statement.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump openly clashed in the White House on Friday at a meeting where they were due to sign a deal on sharing Ukraine’s mineral riches and discuss a peace deal with Russia. “You’re not acting at all thankful. It’s not a nice thing,” the US president said. “It’s going to be very hard to do business like this,” he added.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Thursday slammed Israeli threats as “outrageous” after Israel’s foreign minister warned a “military option” might be needed to halt Iran’s nuclear capabilities. In an interview with Politico, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Iran had enriched enough uranium to build a “couple of bombs” and that time was running out. “I think that in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponised, a reliable military option should be on the table,” he said, in the article published on Wednesday. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the remarks as “outrageous and irrational.”…
Saudi Arabia on Friday opposed the formation of entities and parallel governments in Sudan, calling any such move “unlawful.” On Feb. 22, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied armed groups signed “a political charter” in Kenya to form a parallel government. The Sudanese government protested Kenya’s hosting of what it called a “conspiracy to establish a government” for the RSF. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry affirmed the kingdom’s “rejection of any unlawful measures taken outside the framework of Sudan’s official institutions, including the formation of a parallel government.” It stressed that such actions “undermine Sudan’s unity…
Iran’s foreign ministry on Thursday slammed Israeli threats as “outrageous” after Israel’s foreign minister warned a “military option” might be needed to halt Iran’s nuclear capabilities. In an interview with Politico, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Iran had enriched enough uranium to build a “couple of bombs” and that time was running out. “I think that in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponised, a reliable military option should be on the table,” he said, in the article published on Wednesday. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the remarks as “outrageous and irrational.”…
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly disparaged NATO, said Thursday that he does support the alliance’s crucial Article 5 provision for mutual defense between members. “I support it,” he said at a press conference, adding, “I don’t think we’re going to have any reason for it.”
President Donald Trump on Friday warned Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine had to make a deal with the United States — or Washington would end its support since the Russian invasion. “Your people are very brave, but you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out,” Trump said in the White House in a dramatic verbal clash. “I don’t think it’s going to be pretty, but you’ll fight it out, but you don’t have the cards.”