Zelensky, Council of Europe rights body sign agreement for Ukraine war tribunal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an agreement with the Council of Europe's human rights body to create a tribunal for the Ukraine war, reaching an objective he had sought since the conflict with Russia began in February 2022. The new pact seeks to bring to justice "any Russian war criminal faces justice," including Russian President Vladimir Putin, holding a mandate to prosecute the "crime of aggression" in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
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France 24
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- France 24
Iran vetting body okays bill suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of the bill on Wednesday, a day after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Israel that saw Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Since the start of the war on June 13, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the International Atomic Energy Agency for failing to condemn the strikes. Iran has also criticised the watchdog for passing a resolution on June 12 accusing it of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian officials say the censure motion was "one of the main excuses" for the Israeli and US attacks. "The government is required to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA to ensure full respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Guardian Council spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif told the official IRNA news agency. He said the move was prompted by the "attacks... by the Zionist regime and the United States against peaceful nuclear facilities." The bill, which will now be submitted to President Masoud Pezeshkian for final ratification, would allow Iran "to benefit from all the entitlements specified under... the Non-Proliferation Treaty especially with regard to uranium enrichment," Nazif said. Key Tehran ally Moscow had earlier spoken out against the move to suspend coooperation with the IAEA. "We are interested in continuing cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, so that everybody respects Iran's repeated statements that Iran does not have and will not have plans to develop a nuclear weapon," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X that cooperation with the watchdog was "not possible" at this time until security at Iran's nuclear facilities "is ensured." Israel launched a major bombing campaign on June 13 that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities and killed top scientists and commanders. On Sunday, Israel's ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on Tuesday.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
In Finnish border town, worry mounts over Russian military build-up
Finland, which dropped decades of military non-alignment to join NATO in 2023, shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia. Recent satellite images obtained by media outlets including the New York Times, Finnish public broadcaster Yle and Swedish broadcaster SVT have revealed an expansion of Russian military infrastructure in various locations near the Finnish border. Speculation is rife that Russia could be preparing for future military action against Finland once its war in Ukraine is over. Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland of repercussions since it joined NATO after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "We have now noticed some new organisational changes, such as new divisions which are beginning to appear near Finland's borders," military expert Emil Kastehelmi, of Finland-based Black Bird Group which analyses Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Russian forces near NATO's eastern border, told AFP. "Russia continues to build, prepare and train in the vicinity of Finland's and NATO's eastern border," he said. Kastehelmi said the Russian activity was a reaction to Finland's NATO accession, as well as an attempt to step up recruitment of soldiers and a result of the re-establishment of the Leningrad Military District near the border last year. In May, the Finnish Defence Forces told AFP that "Russia is building more infrastructure to be able to bring in more troops after the war (in Ukraine) is over". Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen told AFP that Helsinki was "closely monitoring and assessing Russia's activities and intentions" together with its allies. Preparing for different scenarios In the small border town of Kuhmo, around 600 kilometres north of Helsinki, 49-year-old Samuli Pulkkinen was selling seasonal berries and vegetables outside a grocery store. He said locals were increasingly worried about another war with Russia -- the last one, in 1939-1940, saw Finland cede 11 percent of its territory. "After a long period of peace, everyone is of course now talking about war and the threat of war," Pulkkinen told AFP. "It's really sad that it's as if this time of peace is already over, that there is a constant threat that something bad will happen or will happen in the next few years." "I myself think it's very likely," he added ominously. Kuhmo, with a population of less than 10,000, is located some 60 kilometres from the closed Vartius border crossing. The proximity to Russia has always influenced Finland's eastern border regions. Many locals have family on both sides of the border, and tourism and cross-border trade were important sources of income before 2022. "I'm not worrying too much, because living with fear is challenging in one's daily life," said a 67-year-old man who asked to remain anonymous. "But thinking about the future generations, children and grandchildren, I worry about their future." Closed border Finland is building a 200-kilometre border fence aimed at preventing Russia from "instrumentalising migrants" across its border to destabilise Finland. The Nordic country shut its border with Russia in December 2023 until further notice, after the arrival of around 1,000 migrants without visas. Helsinki said the surge was orchestrated by Russia -- a claim Moscow denied. Tomi Tirkkonen, deputy commander of the Kainuu border guard district which includes Kuhmo, said the border guard was monitoring activity along the eastern border on a daily basis, and was "very well updated about the situation on the Russian side." "There is no reason to be scared, the situation is completely under the control of the Finnish border guard," he told AFP during a visit to the Vartius border crossing, located amidst lush forest. "We are prepared for the many different kinds of scenarios," Tirkkonen said, unable to divulge "operational and classified" details. Finland has beefed up its military investments and preparedness since joining NATO, and has urged citizens to increase their civil preparedness. 'No immediate threat' The Nordic country backs NATO's five percent spending target and has launched a reform of its defence forces to tackle the security threat. Pirjo Rasinkangas, who was visiting relatives in Kuhmo, said she supported Finland's decision to shut the border and build the border fence, saying it gave her a "sense of safety". "I am still trying to be a bit positive and think that it won't get worse at least," she said. "Of course we discuss what comes next with my family. Because it feels like there are such bleak prospects cropping up all the time," the 54-year-old added. Analyst Kastehelmi said the increased Russian military activity posed no immediate threat to Finland's security nor indicated Russia was preparing a military attack. Finnish President Alexander Stubb assured in a CNN interview in May that Russia's military bases along the border were nothing new and "there is a normal build-up" of troops there. "The most important question is what happens when the war in Ukraine ends," Kastehelmi said. "It (would be) a very worrying sign if, for example, Russia doesn't discharge or demobilise soldiers after the active military operations in Ukraine end." © 2025 AFP
France 24
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- France 24
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