Author: AFP
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged the United States not to give up on working for peace in Ukraine, saying that only Russian President Vladimir Putin would “benefit” from US disengagement. “It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin,” Zelensky said on social media after Trump held a series of calls with both leaders in his bid to end the three-year war.
The EU on Tuesday said it is preparing to impose a two-euro ($2.25) flat fee on the billions of low-value packages that flood into the bloc each year, the great majority from China. Trade chief Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament that e-commerce platforms would be expected to pay the fee per parcel, which aims to help the European Union tackle the challenges from the massive influx of cheap items. The fee would remove the customs-free status of packages worth less than 150 euros that are imported directly to consumers, often via platforms like Chinese-founded Temu and Shein. In 2024,…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Tuesday of delaying peace talks in a bid to pursue its three-year invasion, even as US President Donald Trump pushes for an immediate ceasefire. Trump spoke by phone on Monday to both Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, after Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on Friday for their first direct talks on the conflict in three years. Neither the talks nor the phone call resulted in Russia offering any concessions, and Putin has consistently rejected proposals for a 30-day truce put forward by Kyiv and its Western allies. US Secretary of State…
Ukrainians felt no closer to peace following Donald Trump’s two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday, despite the US leader hailing the talks as a starting point for ending Russia’s war. Trump said Moscow and Kyiv would “immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire” following the conversation, which came after direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Türkiye. But Putin made no commitment to pause his three-year invasion of Ukraine, announcing only a vague proposal to work on a “memorandum” outlining Moscow’s demands for peace. “For me, it hasn’t moved in either direction,” 53-year-old engineer Vitaliy told AFP in…
The European Union on Tuesday agreed to review its cooperation deal with Israel over alleged human rights abuses in Gaza, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said. Kallas said Brussels was acting after “a strong majority” of its 27 member states backed the move, in a meeting of EU foreign ministers, in a bid to pressure Israel. “What it tells is that the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable, and what we want is to really help the people, and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people,” Kallas…
Three US senators said Tuesday they had written to Paramount over its efforts to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against its news division, suggesting that the entertainment giant risks violating bribery laws. The trio warned Paramount Global Chair Shari Redstone that the company “may be engaging in improper conduct involving the Trump administration in exchange for approval of its merger with Skydance Media.” Trump’s lawsuit argues that the editing of a CBS News “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris was biased in her favor and “deceptive.” It is described by Trump’s critics as part of a…
European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said fresh attacks killed dozens of people on Tuesday. An AFP journalist saw five trucks entering the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza from the Israeli side on Tuesday, a day after the UN said it had been cleared to send aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine. The dire humanitarian situation in the Strip has prompted an international outcry, with Sweden saying…
Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel on Tuesday and summoned its ambassador to the foreign ministry in its toughest stance yet against Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Lammy accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of “egregious actions and rhetoric” over its expansion of military operations in the Palestinian territory. During an impassioned speech to Britain’s parliament, Lammy also said the UK government was imposing new sanctions on individuals and organisations involved in settlements in the West Bank. “The world is judging, history will judge them. Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of…
Securing South Africa’s trade ties with the United States will be a key aim of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington this week to meet Donald Trump, a minister in the delegation said Monday. Ramaphosa was to be accompanied by four cabinet ministers on the high stakes visit and was expected to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday. Ties between Pretoria and Washington have plummeted since Trump took office in January and Ramaphosa’s visit is seen as an attempt to reset the relationship. A priority is securing trade relations in order to “protect jobs, grow the economy and…
The Eurovision song contest should exclude Israel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday, expressing solidarity with “the people of Palestine who are experiencing the injustice of war and bombardment”. The intervention by Sanchez, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, comes after protests against Israeli participation marked last weekend’s extravaganza in Switzerland. Russia has not been allowed to participate in Eurovision since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “Therefore, Israel shouldn’t either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture,” Sanchez said at an event in Madrid. “Spain’s commitment to international law…