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…
Senate Democrats accused US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance of siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin after they berated Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky in an extraordinarily tense White House meeting on Friday. “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on social media.
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.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal “must hold”, with just hours to go before an initial phase expires. His comments came after Palestinian resistance group Hamas called for international pressure on Israel to enter the next phase of the ceasefire, as negotiations were resuming in Cairo. The truce’s first phase is due to expire Saturday morning, after largely halting more than 15 months of bombardment and fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. “The ceasefire and hostage release deal must hold. The coming days are critical. The parties must spare…
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.”
Meta on Thursday said it had laid off 20 workers for leaking information to the media, as the social media giant faces pressure over the recent political shift of its boss Mark Zuckerberg towards US President Donald Trump. “We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent,” a Meta spokesperson said, confirming a story first reported in The Verge. “We recently conducted an investigation that resulted in roughly 20 employees being terminated for sharing confidential information outside the company, and we expect…
Meta on Thursday said it had laid off 20 workers for leaking information to the media, as the social media giant faces pressure over the recent political shift of its boss Mark Zuckerberg towards US President Donald Trump. “We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent,” a Meta spokesperson said, confirming a story first reported in The Verge. “We recently conducted an investigation that resulted in roughly 20 employees being terminated for sharing confidential information outside the company, and we expect…