Finland summons Russian ambassador over suspected airspace violation
Finland's foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned Russia's Helsinki ambassador to ask for an explanation regarding a suspected violation of Finnish airspace that took place last week.
The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with the NATO alliance boosting its presence in the area with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
19 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Russia, Ukraine Head to Istanbul for Fresh Peace Talks
Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet Monday in Istanbul to exchange their plans for how to end the three-year war, Europe's largest conflict since World War II, after Kyiv says it struck dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases deep in Russia. Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia's invasion but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement, said AFP. Monday's talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil -- hitting dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases thousands of kilometers behind the front line. At the first round of talks in Istanbul last month, they agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange and to swap notes on what their vision of a peace deal might look like. The second set of negotiations is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, an Ottoman imperial house on the banks of the Bosphorus that is now a luxury five-star hotel. Russia says it will present a "memorandum" of its peace terms, having resisted pressure by Ukraine to send its demands in advance. Despite the flurry of diplomacy, the two sides remain far apart over a possible deal -- either for a truce or longer-term settlement. Outlining Kyiv's position ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refreshed his call for an immediate halt to the fighting. "First –- a full and unconditional ceasefire. Second –- the release of prisoners. Third -– the return of abducted children," he said Sunday in a post on social media. He also called for the sides to discuss a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The key issues can only be resolved by the leaders," Zelensky said. The Kremlin has repeatedly pushed back on that prospect, saying a Putin-Zelensky meeting could only happen after the negotiating delegations reach wider "agreements". Russia has questioned Zelensky's legitimacy throughout the war and repeatedly called for him to be toppled. Moscow says it wants to address the "root causes" of the conflict -- language typically used to refer to a mix of sweeping demands including limiting Ukraine's military, banning the country from joining NATO and massive territorial concessions. Kyiv and the West have rejected those calls and cast Russia's assault as nothing but an imperialist land grab. Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded, with swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed and millions forced to flee their homes. War rages on Russia's top negotiator in Istanbul will be Vladimir Medinsky, an ideological Putin aide who led failed talks in 2022, has written school textbooks justifying the invasion and questioned Ukraine's right to exist. Ukraine's team will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, seen as a skilled and pragmatic negotiator, but who has been mired in domestic scandal over alleged abuse of power and a lack of transparency. "Diplomatic advisors" from Germany, France and Britain will be "on the ground... in close coordination with the Ukrainian negotiating team," a German government spokesperson said Sunday. Ukraine on Sunday said it had damaged some 40 strategic Russian bombers, worth $7 billion, in a major special operation after months of setbacks for Kyiv's military. Kyiv's security service said the plan, 18 months in the making, had involved smuggling drones into Russia which were then launched from near the airbases, thousands of kilometers away from the front lines. Russian troops have meanwhile been advancing on the ground, particularly in the northeastern Sumy region, where Putin ordered his forces to establish a "buffer zone" along the border. Ballistic strikes in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Monday injured at least six people, including a seven-year-old, and damaged a civilian business and a warehouse, Kharkiv Governor Oleg Synegubov said on Monday. Ahead of the talks, Russian officials have called for Ukraine to be cut off from Western military support and cede territory still controlled by its army. Ukraine has pushed Russia to agree a full, unconditional and immediate ceasefire -- saying a pause in the fighting is necessary to then discuss what a long-term settlement could look like. Kyiv has refused to formally give up the one-fifth of its territory controlled by Russia, though it has accepted that it may only be able to get some land back through diplomacy, not fighting. It also wants concrete Western-backed security guarantees -- like NATO protections or Western troops on the ground -- that have also been ruled out by Russia.
Al Arabiya
24 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Ukrainian delegation arrives in Istanbul for Russia talks
A Ukrainian delegation has arrived in Istanbul for talks with Russian officials and their meeting is planned for Monday afternoon, the spokesperson for Ukraine's foreign ministry said. The two sides are set to hold their second round of direct peace talks since 2022, but the two sides are still far apart on how to end the war and the fighting is stepping up.
Saudi Gazette
38 minutes ago
- Saudi Gazette
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential election
WARSAW — Conservative Karol Nawrocki has won Poland's weekend presidential runoff election, according to the final vote count. Nawrocki won 50.89% of votes in a very tight race against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%. The close race had the country on edge since a first round two weeks earlier and through the night into Monday, revealing deep divisions in the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. The outcome indicates that Poland can be expected to take a more nationalist path under its new president, who was backed by US President Donald Trump. A first exit poll initially showed Trzaskowski with a slight lead over conservative historian Nawrocki, but two hours later an updated 'late poll' showed Nawrocki winning 50.7%, more than Trzaskowski with 49.3% Turnout was 72.8% — higher than the 67.3% reported in the first round on 18 May. Voting started at 7 am and ended at 9 a conference at 6:30 pm, the chairman of the Polish National Electoral Commission said incidents had been reported during the voting, with "232 possible offences" taking runoff follows a tightly contested first round of voting on May 18, in which Trzaskowski won just over 31% and Nawrocki nearly 30%.Though the final result was still unclear on Sunday evening with the two locked in a near dead heat, both men claimed to have won in meetings with their supporters in Warsaw.'We won,' Trzaskowski told his supporters to chants of 'Rafał, Rafał.''This is truly a special moment in Poland's history. I am convinced that it will allow us to move forward and focus on the future,' Trzaskowski said. 'I will be your president.'Nawrocki, speaking to his supporters at a separate event in Warsaw, said he believed he was on track to win. 'We will win and save Poland,' he said. 'We must win tonight.'The new president will have significant influence over whether Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist government can fulfill its agenda, given the presidential power to veto laws. — Euronews
