Romanian presidential election: EU celebrates hard-right defeat
European leaders have hailed the unexpected victory of a centrist as Romania's new president, after his hard-right rival refused to accept defeat.
As near-complete results showed Nicusor Dan, a former mathematician and centrist mayor of Bucharest, had taken more than 54 per cent of votes, the defeated favourite George Simion wrote 'I am the new president of Romania' on X.
Dan's victory is a relief for EU officials who were alarmed at Simion's attacks on Brussels, his threat to halt support for Ukraine, to annex Moldova and the support he enjoyed from Trump officials.
President Zelensky hailed the result as a 'historic victory', posting on X: 'For Ukraine as a neighbour and friend it is important to have Romania as a reliable partner. And we
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Putin's Ukraine war toll tops 1MILLION Russians dead & wounded 40 months into ‘days-long operation'…with no end in sight
PUTIN's battlefield casualties have soared past the bloody one million milestone after 40 months of a war he expected to win within days. Ukraine's fierce resistance has ensured Russia has paid a mighty toll for every inch of land it has taken, and its advances remain painfully slow. 5 5 5 The staggering milestone includes troops who have been killed or wounded so severely they cannot fight on. Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate. Despite the devastating losses which have already ripped a scar in Russian society, experts fear that Putin is likely unaffected by the numbers, because mass sacrifice is ingrained in his battle plan. Dr Stephen Hall, politics lecturer at the University of Bath, said that as far as the warmongering dictator is concerned, things are heading in the right direction, so he will keep on condemning young Russians to their deaths. He told The Sun: "Putin believes he's winning the war. The Russian army is moving forward like it or not. "He believes that he can outlast the West, that the West is weak." Russia's strategy, Hall said, has been one of "meat assault". This relies on the logic that if you flood the front line with overwhelming numbers, "eventually some will get through". Hall said Putin has learned this strategy from his ruthless Soviet predecessors in World War Two. Their idea was "ten men to every rifle", which meant: "You pick up the rifle of a fall soldier. You keep going, you get shot. You're next. Your buddy picks up your rifle. We know Russia is plotting to invade Nato – Ukraine is just the beginning for Putin, says head of Germany's MI6 "The Soviet army would eventually push through. So that remains the case in Russia." And that approach suits Putin just fine, because he "doesn't care about his men", Hall said. He said the Russian people "know how to suffer", which allows the regime to continue with its meat-grinder tactics. The Kremlin also meets less resistance from the Russian people than a million losses should merit, because it simply lies to them, Hall said. He said: "They're simply not going to be told, especially in the poorer areas where Russia is recruiting - like Buryatia and Bashkortostan and elsewhere." Hall also explained why he has little faith in the peace negotiations bringing an end to the war any time soon. Even if Ukraine makes land concessions, Putin won't feel his goals are fulfilled. Hall said: 'Putin has been very clear. They're not fighting Ukraine. Ukraine is the battleground. They're fighting the West.' "Ukraine has been forced to fight a war with two hands tied behind its back — a war that NATO would never fight." Hall said Putin's hope is that "Ukraine will have to just accept whatever negotiations Russia is going to give [...] because the West is going to tide over this war, and the Russian military is going to keep on going forward." 5 Even with the death toll climbing higher by the day — over 1,140 Russian soldiers killed or wounded just yesterday, according to Ukraine's military — Putin appears to be doubling down. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russia's total personnel losses since the invasion began now stand at approximately 1,000,340. The tally includes not just dead soldiers but those so grievously wounded they can't return to the battlefield. The bloody milestone comes as Putin calls for a major upgrade to Russia's ground forces, Ukrainian outlet Pravda reportas. The Kremlin tyrant declared them the 'dominant force' in modern warfare and demanding faster development of 'advanced weapons systems' with 'the highest tactical and technical specifications.' In a meeting on the state armaments programme, Putin also directed resources toward strengthening Russia's navy, further signalling his long-term military ambitions. British volunteer fighter Macer Gifford, who previously fought alongside Ukrainian units, said the million mark is a tragic reminder of just how far off course Russia has veered under Putin. 'It's another grim milestone in a war that's dragged on for too long,' he said. 'It's also a reminder that Vladimir Putin is a tragedy for Russia, as well as Ukraine. A million casualties is a horrifying figure to comprehend. 'There are millions of Russians who have now lost a loved one in Ukraine. 'Millions more have to deal with the physical and emotional injuries of the wounded. He added: 'Putin once compared himself to Peter the Great, but his legacy is now much closer to Stalin. 'The two men share many of the same delusions and a profound disregard for human life. 'Stalin once said, 'A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.' Since Putin has made no effort to end this war, it's clear he feels the same way.'
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: US warned that cut to military aid to Kyiv ‘will lead to more casualties'
Cuts to US aid for Ukraine in the Trump administration's forthcoming defence budget will lead to more casualties for Kyiv, a top Kyiv MP is warning. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said military aid to Ukraine would be reduced – the latest sign of Washington's waning support for Kyiv's war effort. But Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said cuts would play into Russia 's hands. "Such a reduction will lead to more casualties on the Ukrainian side, including casualties among [the] civilian population," he told Newsweek. And he warned: "Anyone in the US who is acting in support of the reduction of the military aid to Ukraine becomes morally responsible for the increased casualties among civilians." A massive Russian overnight drone strike killed three people and injured more than 60 others in the eastern city of Kharkiv. Mr Hegseth said the to the conflict despite Russia's having launched some of its largest aerial attacks of the war so far in the past week.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
A Belgrade landmark bombed by Nato could get Trump makeover
One of the first sights that greets arrivals to the centre of Serbia's capital Belgrade are government buildings in an advance state of collapse. Nato planes bombed them back in 1999 – and they remain in much the same message they deliver to visitors could be "welcome to Serbia, our recent history has been tumultuous and complicated – and we still haven't quite finished processing it".Like a smile with a row of broken teeth, the Defence Ministry buildings are still standing. But they clearly took a serious hit when Nato intervened to stop Serbia's then military campaign in a member of the Western military alliance, the US was implicated in the bombing. Given that history, last year it came as something of a jolt for Serbians when the government struck a deal with a company called Affinity Global to redevelop the site into a $500m (£370m) luxury hotel and apartment tower just because the business concerned is American, but due to the fact its founder is Jared Kushner, best-known as Donald Trump's son-in-law. And because the planned development is due to be called Trump Tower these has now been a major twist in the tale that puts the scheme in some doubt, the Serbian government's decision to strike the deal wasn't too he became US president in 2016, Donald Trump himself expressed interest in building a hotel on the move also fits a government pattern - as alleged by the Serbian opposition - of allowing foreign investors to profit from public cite, as a prime example, the Belgrade Waterfront residential and retail project, constructed by Emirati developers on land owned by Serbia's there used to be rusting rolling stock and derelict sidings, there is now a swish shopping centre, smart restaurants and the oddly bulbous, 42-storey Belgrade Tower. It is not to everyone's taste. That, however, was a brownfield site, rather than a city centre landmark. The Defence Ministry complex is an entirely different proposition – not least because it acts as a memorial to the casualties of the 1999 bombing is also a highly visual reminder of why the vast majority of Serbians remain opposed to Nato, and feel sympathetic towards that context, granting a US developer a 99-year lease on the site, reportedly for no upfront cost, is a bold Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, is unapologetic. "It's important to overcome the burden from 1999," he tells the BBC."We are ready to build better relations with the US – I think that is terribly important for this country." That view garners a degree of sympathy from Belgrade's international business direct investment inflows have more than tripled over the past decade. But GDP per capita remains low compared to EU member states. It stands at just one third of the bloc's keep those figures moving in the right direction, attracting new investors is vital. And while the financial details of the Ministry of Defence development have not been revealed, the New York Times has reported that the Serbian government will get 22% of future profits. "For a small and specific market – ex-Yugoslavia, outside the EU – all publicity is good publicity," says James Thornley, a former senior partner at KPMG Serbia, who is now a partner at financial consultants KP Advisory in Belgrade."If you have major international players coming in, it's a pull, it's a draw. You're getting the name and opportunity out there."Mr Thornley has lived in Serbia for 25 years and is fully aware of the sensitivities surrounding the Defence Ministry complex. But he believes that views would change once people saw the benefits of the development."That site is an eyesore and should be resolved," he says. "Nothing's happened for 26 years, let's get it sorted out." But not everyone involved with international investment in Serbia is so Peirson was the managing director of global real estate giant CBRE in Southeast Europe, and now holds the same role at iO Partners, which focuses entirely on the admits that the shattered state of the Defence Ministry complex is "not good for the city's image", and that the deal to develop the site is "probably good news, because it shows the country can attract big investments".But he has serious qualms about how the government struck the deal with Affinity Global. Mr Peirson says that there was no open tendering process that would have allowed other firms to bid for the site."With state-owned land, you should be able to prove you're getting market value for the site. The way you usually do that is to run a proper tender process," says Mr Peirson."If it had been in UK, Germany, Hungary or even Romania or Bulgaria, there would have been a process; it would have gone through the open market. Developers that were looking to enter Serbia, or already active, would have been given the chance to buy it themselves."Back in 2023 Vucic said he met with Kushner and had an "excellent conversation" with Jared Kushner regarding the "potential for large and long-term investments."And Donald Trump Jr has since made follow up visits to Belgrade after Affinity Global announced that a Trump International Hotel would form part of the development. The role of Trump Jr and the family business is thought to be limited to the have been raised about the Trumps making commercial deals while Donald Trump is in the White House but his press secretary has rejected any suggestion he is profiting from the Peirson is concerned that the nature of the Ministry of Defence building deal may irk businesses which have already committed to Serbia."If I'm an investor already putting tens or hundreds of millions into the country, I would feel sad that I hadn't been given the chance," he Affinity Global and the Serbian government did not respond to requests for comments about how the deal over the site was agreed, and whether or not there was an open tendering process. Then there is the question of whether a commercial development should be taking place at all. The site, even in its current state, remains architecturally and historically buildings were originally constructed to welcome visitors to the capital of Tito's Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Architect Nikola Dobrovic created two structures on either side of Nemanjina Street which, viewed together, took the form of a design also echoes the contours of Sutjeska Gorge, the site of the Yugoslav Partisans' pivotal victory over Nazi forces in 1943. And in 2005, it was granted protected status under Serbia's cultural heritage laws."No serious city builds a modern future by demolishing its historical centres and cultural monuments," says Estela Radonjic Zivkov, the former deputy director of Serbia's Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments."For Serbia to progress, it must first respect its own laws and cultural heritage," she insists. "According to Serbian law, it is not possible to revoke the protection of this site." But just when it seemed the site's fate was sealed, Serbian organised crime prosecutors delivered a twist worthy of a Hollywood 14 May, police arrested the official who had given the green light for the lifting of the Defence Ministry complex's protected said Goran Vasic, the acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, had admitted to fabricating an expert opinion which had been used to justify the change of status. He faces charges of abuse of office and forgery of official admission has been seized on by those opposed to the project as evidence Kushner got preferential treatment. The Serbian government denies this leaves the Affinity Global project – Trump International Hotel and all – is not entirely efforts to arrange an interview with the company have been unsuccessful, though it did issue a statement insisting that Mr Vasic had "no connection to our firm", adding that it would "review this matter and determine next steps".Vucic, meanwhile, denies there is any problem with the development. During a meeting of European leaders in Tirana, he said "there was not any kind of forgery".Still, it seems the Defence Ministry's shattered visage will remain unchanged for a while at least. And thanks to the Trump connection, it will offer even more of a talking point for first-time visitors to Belgrade.
