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New European
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New European
Robert Fico goes to Moscow
The prime minister, Robert Fico, was en route to Moscow for a meeting with Putin, his second visit in recent months. He was the only EU leader present in Moscow on that day. Fico's previous trip triggered widespread outrage and months of mass demonstrations. At one point, Fico described the protests as an attempted coup. In an extravagant show of military might, Vladimir Putin presided over a grand parade in Moscow's Red Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the second world war. More than 10,000 troops marched through the capital, even as the war in Ukraine continued. Meanwhile, in Slovakia, almost 10,000 demonstrators gathered in central Bratislava on Victory in Europe Day, the day before the Moscow parade. People protested outside the government's headquarters, with Slovak and EU flags filling the square in a show of dissent. Michal Šimečka, leader of Progressive Slovakia, the main opposition party, which is currently leading in the opinion polls, has criticised Fico's foreign policy direction. 'It is a disgrace and a betrayal of Slovakia's national interests, which is driving our country out of the EU. This is happening against the will of our citizens,' he told me. 'I am convinced that there will be a political change in Slovakia and that we will bring Slovakia back to the European table'. A few hours before his departure for Moscow, Fico marked Victory Day in the town of Piešťany. His speech was met with a mix of applause and boos. Then it was off to Moscow, where he had a brief exchange with Putin, a meeting with the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Tô Lâm, a cheerful photo op with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, and even a meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, their second in six months. Fico did not attend the parade itself – the EU had made clear that his attendance would have crossed a red line. In protest at Fico's show of friendship towards Putin, the Baltic states barred his plane from their airspace, forcing a lengthy detour. Rastislav Káčer, our former foreign minister, told me he thought the trip was 'both a disgrace and a strategic mistake'. The trouble with Fico, he said, was that he 'targets 'the west', despite the fact that we conduct almost 90% of our trade with the west. Yet when he is in trouble, he turns to Brussels, seeking compensation, subsidies, and diplomatic support.' Since the start of the year, Fico has managed, albeit with difficulty, to hold his fractured coalition together, while using foreign affairs as a tool of self-promotion. It began in February with a trip to the conservative gathering of MAGA Republicans at the CPac conference in the US. It was meant to be a photo opportunity with Donald Trump, but events did not unfold as planned. In the end, Fico managed only a brief meeting with Elon Musk and a mention on the welcome list from Trump. He returned from Washington without his longed-for photo, or even a handshake from his political idol. Trump is no friend of Slovakia. His tariffs on the car industry pose a significant threat to our economy – Slovakia produces around 1m vehicles each year. Jakub Filo, deputy editor-in-chief of Slovak daily SME, said: 'Fico is a Slovak proponent of authoritarian national conservatism. His approach to foreign affairs is not focused on strengthening ties with Slovakia's natural partners and allies, but rather on forging connections with other national conservatives and autocratic leaders. 'Domestically it serves him, as a significant portion of his and the governing coalition's electorate holds pro-Russian sentiments and is susceptible to Russian propaganda.' Against this backdrop, Fico appears to be cultivating a carefully crafted image of strength, just like Putin. However, also like Putin, Fico's foreign adventures are leaving him increasingly isolated. They may no longer be delivering the domestic political gains they once did. Branislav Ondrášik reports for the Slovak daily SME
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Eurasia-Asia bonding: Kazakhstan signs strategic partnership with Vietnam; expands ties with UAE
Kazakhstan and Vietnam, key players in their respective regions, have officially upgraded their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership , to deepen cooperation across a range of sectors. The joint statement establishing the strategic partnership was signed during a state visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, and President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The agreement highlights a mutual commitment to closer collaboration in diplomacy, economics, and cultural exchange. In addition to the joint statement, both sides signed several memoranda of cooperation covering key areas such as technology, innovation, digital transformation, culture, and sports. These agreements include cultural and sports cooperation programs for the period 2025–2027 and a twinning initiative between Kazakhstan's Kyzylorda region and Vietnam's Hung Yen province to foster local-level engagement. Economically, the countries finalized a notable transaction involving the sale of shares in Qazaq Air between Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, and Vietnam's Sovico Group. In the energy sector, KazMunayGas and Petrovietnam Exploration Production agreed to cooperate on geological exploration projects, opening doors for joint ventures in resource development. Simultaneously, Kazakhstan and UAE also expanded their partnership. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the signing of more than 20 commercial agreements worth $5 billion during the official visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Kazakhstan on May 12. During the negotiations, President Tokayev emphasized that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of Kazakhstan's main partners, sharing common goals and aspirations. In 2023, both governments signed a Joint Declaration on strategic investment projects, and the inflow of direct investment from the UAE in 2024 more than doubled. Crown Prince Al Nahyan noted that bilateral ties now go beyond trade and investment, covering various areas from energy and transport to digital infrastructure and education. Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar and Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund signed collaboration agreement related to the development of renewable energy and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Kazakhstan during the official visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Kazakhstan on May 12. Kazakhstan aims to generate 15% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 and 50% by 2050. Masdar signed an agreement at COP28 with W Solar, Qazaq Green Power QGP, a Samruk Kazyna Group company, and the Kazakhstan Investment Development Fund to develop and implement the one gigawatt (GW) wind project. The power purchase agreement and the investment agreement for the project were signed at COP29 in Baku last year, with construction expected to begin in 2026.
Economic Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Ukraine and allies urge Putin to commit to a 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with leaders of France Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump , whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday told CNN that Moscow will need to consider the proposal. Earlier that day, Peskov reiterated Russia 's claim that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine "without preconditions", and accused Kyiv of blocking own unilateral three-day ceasefire, declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany expires Saturday, and Ukraine says Russian forces have repeatedly violated it. In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv, called their meeting "a very important signal."In a joint statement, as published on Zelenskyy's official website, the five leaders called for a ceasefire "lasting at least 30 days" from Monday, to make room for a diplomatic push to end the war."An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy," the statement President Emmanuel Macron said that the U.S. would take the lead in monitoring the proposed cease-fire, with support from European countries, and threatened "massive sanctions ... prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans," should Russia violate the traveled to Kyiv with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk."This is Europe stepping up, showing our solidarity with Ukraine," Starmer Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, said Saturday that a "comprehensive" 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, "will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II."Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday held a series of bilateral talks with foreign officials who had attended Moscow's own celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, in an apparent attempt to underscore the West's failure to isolate it on the global stage. Putin's interlocutors included To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the leaders of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and the Palestinian threatens more sanctions if Russia ignores ceasefire offer Progress on ending the three-year war has seemed elusive in the months since Trump returned to the White House, and his previous claims of imminent breakthroughs have failed to come to fruition. Trump has previously pushed Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, threatening to walk away if a deal becomes too the start of U.S.-mediated talks, Russia has kept up attacks along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, including deadly strikes on residential areas with no obvious military ceasefire would include a halt to fighting on land, sea and in the air. The European leaders threatened to ratchet up sanctions, including on Russia's energy and banking sectors, if Putin did not priority was to make it too costly for Russia to keep fighting in Ukraine, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii asked how the monitoring mechanism would work, Sybiha told The Associated Press the details were still being skepticism over whether fresh sanctions against Moscow, which has so far managed to keep fighting in the war, Merz said "almost all member states of the European Union and a large coalition of the willing around the world are determined to enforce these sanctions even if our initiative of the weekend should fail."The leaders also discussed security guarantees for up Kyiv's military capabilities will be a key deterrent against Russia and require supplying Ukraine with robust quantities of arms to deter future attacks and investing in its defense sector. A force comprised of foreign troops could also be deployed as an added "reassurance" measure, Macron said details about potential European deployments to Ukraine were still being fine-tuned. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Kyiv's top choice for a security on Saturday, the European leaders joined a ceremony at Kyiv's Independence Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lit candles alongside Zelenskyy at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians slain since Russia's attacks continue Russian shelling in Ukraine's northern Sumy region over the past day killed three residents and wounded four more, local officials said. Another civilian died Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Friday warned of a "potentially significant" Russian air attack in the coming days, without giving in November gave the U.S. brief advance warning before striking Ukraine for the first time with its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, an experimental hypersonic weapon that Putin claimed could travel at 10 times the speed of Telegram channels linked the embassy's warning to reports of an imminent flight ban by Moscow over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex. A similar flight ban preceded November's strike. There was no immediate comment from Russian said last week that he doubts Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon, and hinted at further sanctions against European allies view its fate as fundamental to the continent's security, and pressure is now mounting to find ways to support Kyiv militarily, regardless of whether Trump pulls out.
Los Angeles Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Ukraine and allies urge Putin to commit to a 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions
KYIV, Ukraine — Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv. The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start Monday was supported by President Trump, whom they had briefed by phone earlier in the day. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday told reporters that Moscow 'will need to think about' the proposal, and described it as 'a new development.' Earlier that day, Peskov reiterated Russia's claim that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine 'without preconditions,' and it accused Kyiv of blocking those. Russia's own unilateral three-day ceasefire, declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, expires Saturday. Ukraine says Russian forces have repeatedly violated it. In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv, called their meeting 'a very important signal.' French President Emmanuel Macron said that the U.S. would take the lead in monitoring the proposed ceasefire, with support from European countries, and threatened 'massive sanctions ... prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans,' should Russia violate the truce. Macron traveled to Kyiv with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 'This is Europe stepping up, showing our solidarity with Ukraine,' Starmer said. Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, said Saturday that a 'comprehensive' 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, 'will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.' Meanwhile, Putin on Saturday held a series of bilateral talks with foreign officials who had attended Moscow's Victory Day celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in an apparent attempt to underscore the West's failure to isolate it on the global stage. Putin's interlocutors included To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the leaders of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and the Palestinian Authority. Progress on ending the three-year war has seemed elusive in the months since Trump returned to the White House, and his previous claims of imminent breakthroughs have failed to come to fruition. Trump has previously pushed Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, threatening to walk away from the peace process if a deal becomes too difficult. Since the start of U.S.-mediated talks, Russia has kept up attacks along the roughly 600-mile front line, including deadly strikes on residential areas with no obvious military targets. The ceasefire would include a halt to fighting on land, sea and in the air. The European leaders threatened to ratchet up sanctions, including on Russia's energy and banking sectors, if Putin did not comply. The priority was to make it too costly for Russia to keep fighting in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. When asked how the monitoring mechanism would work, Sybiha told the Associated Press the details were still being discussed. Addressing skepticism over imposing fresh sanctions against Moscow, which has continued fighting the war despite previous sanctions, Merz said that 'almost all member states of the European Union and a large coalition of the willing around the world are determined to enforce these sanctions even if our initiative of the weekend should fail.' The leaders also discussed security guarantees for Ukraine. Building up Kyiv's military capabilities will be a key deterrent against Russia and require supplying Ukraine with robust quantities of arms to deter future attacks and investing in its defense sector. A force composed of foreign troops could also be deployed as an added 'reassurance' measure, Macron said. He said details about potential European deployments to Ukraine were still being fine-tuned. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Ukraine's top choice for a security guarantee. Earlier Saturday, the European leaders joined a ceremony at Kyiv's Independence Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lighted candles alongside Zelensky at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians slain since Russia's invasion in 2022. Russian shelling in Ukraine's northern Sumy region over the last day killed three residents and wounded four more, local officials said. Another civilian died Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Friday warned of a 'potentially significant' Russian air attack in the coming days, without giving details. Russia in November gave the U.S. brief advance warning before striking Ukraine for the first time with its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, an experimental hypersonic weapon that Putin claimed could travel at 10 times the speed of sound. Ukrainian Telegram channels linked the embassy's warning to reports of an imminent flight ban by Moscow over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex. A similar flight ban preceded November's strike. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials. Trump said last week that he doubts Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon, and hinted at further sanctions against Russia. Ukraine's European allies view Kyiv's fate as fundamental to the continent's security, and pressure is now mounting to find ways to support Ukraine militarily, regardless of whether Trump pulls out. Kullab and Novikov write for the Associated Press. AP writers Thomas Adamson in Paris, Philipp Reissfelder in Berlin and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
Chicago Tribune
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Ukraine and allies urge Putin to commit to a 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions
KYIV, Ukraine — Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv. The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday told reporters that Moscow 'will need to think about' the proposal, and described it as 'a new development'. Earlier that day, Peskov reiterated Russia's claim that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine 'without preconditions', and accused Kyiv of blocking those. Russia's own unilateral three-day ceasefire, declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany expires Saturday, and Ukraine says Russian forces have repeatedly violated it. In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv, called their meeting 'a very important signal.' French President Emmanuel Macron said that the U.S. would take the lead in monitoring the proposed cease-fire, with support from European countries, and threatened 'massive sanctions … prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans,' should Russia violate the truce. Macron traveled to Kyiv with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 'This is Europe stepping up, showing our solidarity with Ukraine,' Starmer said. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, said Saturday that a 'comprehensive' 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, 'will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II.' Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday held a series of bilateral talks with foreign officials who had attended Moscow's own celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, in an apparent attempt to underscore the West's failure to isolate it on the global stage. Putin's interlocutors included To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the leaders of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and the Palestinian Authority. Progress on ending the three-year war has seemed elusive in the months since Trump returned to the White House, and his previous claims of imminent breakthroughs have failed to come to fruition. Trump has previously pushed Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, threatening to walk away if a deal becomes too difficult. Since the start of U.S.-mediated talks, Russia has kept up attacks along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, including deadly strikes on residential areas with no obvious military targets. The ceasefire would include a halt to fighting on land, sea and in the air. The European leaders threatened to ratchet up sanctions, including on Russia's energy and banking sectors, if Putin did not comply. The priority was to make it too costly for Russia to keep fighting in Ukraine, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. When asked how the monitoring mechanism would work, Sybiha told The Associated Press the details were still being discussed. Addressing skepticism over whether fresh sanctions against Moscow, which has so far managed to keep fighting in the war, Merz said 'almost all member states of the European Union and a large coalition of the willing around the world are determined to enforce these sanctions even if our initiative of the weekend should fail.' The leaders also discussed security guarantees for Ukraine. Building up Kyiv's military capabilities will be a key deterrent against Russia and require supplying Ukraine with robust quantities of arms to deter future attacks and investing in its defense sector. A force comprised of foreign troops could also be deployed as an added 'reassurance' measure, Macron said. He said details about potential European deployments to Ukraine were still being fine-tuned. No mention was made of NATO membership, still Kyiv's top choice for a security guarantee. Earlier on Saturday, the European leaders joined a ceremony at Kyiv's Independence Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. They lit candles alongside Zelenskyy at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians slain since Russia's invasion. Russian shelling in Ukraine's northern Sumy region over the past day killed three residents and wounded four more, local officials said. Another civilian died Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Friday warned of a 'potentially significant' Russian air attack in the coming days, without giving details. Russia in November gave the U.S. brief advance warning before striking Ukraine for the first time with its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, an experimental hypersonic weapon that Putin claimed could travel at 10 times the speed of sound. Ukrainian Telegram channels linked the embassy's warning to reports of an imminent flight ban by Moscow over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex. A similar flight ban preceded November's strike. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials. Trump said last week that he doubts Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon, and hinted at further sanctions against Russia. Ukraine's European allies view its fate as fundamental to the continent's security, and pressure is now mounting to find ways to support Kyiv militarily, regardless of whether Trump pulls out.
