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☆ Possible NATO should send troops to Ukraine, Lithuania's foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPossible NATO should send troops to Ukraine, Lithuania's foreign minister saysLithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says no options should be taken off the table when it comes to the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine. He adds that "brave steps" are needed to defend Europe against Russian aggression.

Persons: Gabrielius Landsbergis Organizations: NATO Locations: Ukraine

☆ Latest on the intense heat waves and scorching temperatures in Europe and the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Adrienne Vogt | Mike Hayes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Firefighters rush to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Vlyhada, Greece, on Wednesday. Stelios Misinas/ReutersSouthern Europe is experiencing very high temperatures while wildfires continue in many areas. The fire danger is expected to increase in Greece and Switzerland, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). A series of heavy thunderstorms hit a large part of the northern Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige on Tuesday afternoon. Two firefighting aircraft of the Italian firefighters' service have been deployed to the northwest of Athens, the force said on Twitter.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, SkyTG24, Gabrielius Landsbergis Organizations: Reuters, Milan, Twitter, Lithuanian Locations: Vlyhada, Greece, Reuters Southern Europe, Switzerland, Italy, Turin, Sardinia, Italian, Trentino Alto Adige, Bitsch, Valais, EU, Athens, Lithuania

☆ NAFO: The pro-Ukraine internet 'fellas' using Shiba Inu memes to fight Russian propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“NAFO” stands for the North Atlantic Fellas Organization and is a decentralized online volunteer organization that is waging its own social media war against Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. Over the weekend, the group held its own summit in Lithuania’s capital, which was opened by the country’s foreign minister. A cartoon Shiba Inu, wearing the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine's flag, pops up behind Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in a video she shared on Twitter. Some fellas are Ukrainian soldiers, who are fighting on the front lines and provide pictures from the battlefield, mocking the incompetence of the Russian military or praising Ukrainian bravery. After identifying Russian propaganda or pro-Russian sympathizers, fellas pile on their posts with memes, humor, wry logic, and dismissive comments.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Petras Malulas, NAFO, Kamil Dyszewski, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Keir Giles, Matt Moores, you’ve, Maria Zakharova, ’ ”, Defense Oleksii Reznikov, ”, Shiba, Shiba Inu, Ben Wallace, Adam Kinzinger Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Atlantic Fellas Organization, Twitter, Getty, Georgian Legion, Center for Strategic, International, Russian Foreign, Union, Ukraine’s, Defense, United Kingdom’s, Ukraine Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Estonian, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania’s, AFP, Russian, Egypt

☆ Shocked by the speed of the Wagner revolt, Russia's neighbors want to beef up NATO's eastern flank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Petras Malukas | Afp | Getty ImagesThe fallout of the Wagner Group's short-lived armed rebellion has raised the alarm among Europe's Baltic countries. Speaking alongside his counterparts from Latvia and Estonia on Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the speed of the Wagner uprising underscored the strategic importance of strengthening NATO's eastern flank. Germany has offered to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to bolster NATO's eastern flank. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year had already fueled concerns about the regional security of the Baltic region. Regional security concernsLatvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics described the Wagner rebellion as an example of "one evil fighting another evil."

Persons: Griffin, Silvestras, Petras Malukas, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Landsbergis, Malukas, Catherine Colonna, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia's, Mario Bikarski, Federica Reccia, Edgars Rinkevics, Rinkevics, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Gavriil Grigorov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Belarusian, Lithuanian, NATO, French, European Union, Economist Intelligence Unit, CNBC, Latvia, AFP Locations: Lithuanian, Pabrade, Lithuania, Baltic, Moscow, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Paris, Belarus, Estonian, Germany, Vilnius, Ukraine, Belarusian, Russian

☆ Turmoil in Russia: Reactions from foreign governments
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner." LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS"For 100 years Lithuanians have lived on the edge of Moscow's brutal banditocracy, knowing it's only a matter of time before the next chaotic implosion. CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER JAN LIPAVSKY"We are closely following the situation in the Russian Federation. ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER KAJA KALLAS"Estonia is closely following the development of the situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. The instructions of Russian security authorities should be followed at all costs," it said in its updated travel advice.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, Wagner, JAMES, OANA, GABRIELIUS, it's, JAN LIPAVSKY, ANDRZEJ DUDA, Emmanuel Macron, GIORGIA, Meloni, Frances Kerry, Hugh Lawson Organizations: MINISTRY, Russian National Guard, Wagner Group, NATO, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Britain, Ukraine, Rostov, Voronezh Oblast, Moscow, EU, Estonia

OSLO, June 1 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday he would soon travel to Turkey to discuss Sweden's NATO membership, in a bid to close a process that has been delayed due to objections from member countries Turkey and Hungary. Speaking during a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said he had spoken to Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week, who at the weekend won re-election as Turkey's president. "I will also travel to Ankara in the near future to continue to address how we can ensure the fastest possible accession of Sweden," Stoltenberg told reporters. "It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of Swedish membership to NATO." Several NATO foreign ministers expressed confidence Sweden could become a member before, or at, a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Tayyip Erdogan, Sweden, Tobias Billstrom, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Gwladys Fouche, Sabine Siebold, Terje Solsvik Organizations: NATO, Lithuanian, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Turkey, Hungary, Oslo, Ankara, Sweden, Swedish, Vilnius, Lithuania

"All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement," Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Oslo, seeking to dispel any signs of discord ahead of the summit. At the Vilnius summit, NATO leaders aim to send a strong message of support to Kyiv. But with only six weeks to go, pressure is building for allies to find common ground on what exactly to offer Ukraine. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Kyiv had suffered two invasions while waiting for an answer from NATO for 14 years. "Ukraine needs to get a clear path, and the next steps, on how to enter NATO," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Margus Tsahkna, Annalena Baerbock, Luxembourg's Jean Asselborn, Sabine Siebold, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Alezander, Boldizsar, Bart H, Meijer, Ros Russell Organizations: NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, Lithuania's, Estonian, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Moscow, Ukraine, Vilnius, Oslo, Moldova, Kyiv, Europe, United States, Germany, Russia, Estonian, Luxembourg, Hungary, NATO, Brussels, Alezander Tanas, Chisinau, Olena, Budapest

☆ China says it respects ex-Soviet nations after envoy’s 'unacceptable' comments on sovereignty
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China said Monday it respects the independency of former Soviet nations after remarks by its ambassador in France were deemed "unacceptable" in Europe. It comes as the 27 members of the European Union reassess their diplomatic and economic relationship with Beijing. That sentiment was echoed by Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna, "We are an independent country, member of the EU, of NATO. Speaking also in Luxembourg, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the comments of the Chinese ambassador were "totally unacceptable." This is just the latest episode in a series of controversial events between China and the European Union.

☆ Chinese ambassador sparks European blowback over post-Soviet states comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several leaders in former Soviet states, including Ukraine, were quick to hit back following the interview, which aired Friday on French station LCI. Beijing has formal diplomatic relations with post-Soviet states, which include Russia. Ties have soured as Europe has uneasily watched China’s tightening relationship with Russia and its refusal to condemn Putin’s invasion. Voices in former Soviet states, where many remember being under Communist authoritarian rule, have been among those in Europe critical of such an approach. For Russia, giving up control of Crimea is widely seen as a non-starter in any potential peace settlement on Ukraine.

☆ China walks back ambassador's claim that ex-Soviet states aren't real countries, a position that played strongly into Putin's hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's foreign ministry walked back ambassador's comments dismissing ex-Soviet states' sovereignty. Other former Soviet Union countries include Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Central Asian countries that Russia has retained closer ties to. And Lu's comments seemed to suggest that China's foreign policy was inching closer to that of Russia. The Baltic countries have already questioned China's efforts to play peacemaker in Ukraine, and Lu's comments appear to have made them even more concerned. Estonia's foreign minister said Lu's comments were "false and a misinterpretation of history," and Latvia's foreign minister called them "completely unacceptable."

LUXEMBOURG, April 24 (Reuters) - Recent remarks by China's ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states such as Ukraine are totally unacceptable, several EU foreign ministers said before a meeting on Monday. "It is totally unacceptable", Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said ahead of the Luxembourg meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. It was unclear when Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to the EU, gave the interview to the Chinese news outlet The Paper. But its publication came hard on the heels of the remarks by China's ambassador to France. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he disagreed with Lu's comments, while Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn called Lu's remarks a "blunder" and said efforts were being made to calm things down.

☆ US opposes offering Ukraine a path to NATO membership at upcoming summit, says focus should be on defeating 'Russian aggression'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US opposes extending NATO membership to Ukraine in the immediate future, per the Financial Times. The State Department told Insider the US is focused on helping Ukraine "defend itself against Russian aggression." Ultimately allowing Ukraine to join NATO remains US policy. A spokesperson for the State Department told Insider that the US is focused right now "on doing what needs to be done to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression." It also remains committed, the spokesperson said, to allowing Ukraine to someday join NATO.

The EU has slapped 10 rounds of sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but hundreds of millions of euros worth of trade with Russia's nuclear energy industry has not been directly affected. All EU countries must agree for the bloc to impose sanctions and Budapest - where Rosatom is to expand the Paks nuclear power plant - has vowed to oppose any curbs on the Russian nuclear energy industry. It was not clear when the EU would impose any new sanctions on Russia. EU nuclear agency Euratom said Russia provided a fifth of the uranium used by EU utilities in 2021, the latest data available, as well as a fourth of conversion and a third of enrichment services. “The future dependence on Russia in the nuclear fuel cycle depends on investment in the ‘global West’,” Euratom told Reuters.

[1/2] Visitors queue in front of the Ukraine House during the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland, January 16, 2023. It is about creating momentum and giving assurances that even during the war, Ukraine is not closed for business. "Ukraine has shown resilience in war time and business too so we have to find additional tools on how to facilitate Ukraine business to develop and foreign investment to come to Ukraine even now," she said. WAR NOT ENDING SOONZelenskiy addressed BlackRock executives and its clients in Davos via Zoom on Tuesday, a person who attended said. In Davos, an exhibition at Ukraine House reminds visitors of the scale of the destruction.

☆ Davos 2023: Europe, NATO to build Ukraine unity in Russian no-go zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"On my way from Lithuania to @Davos where I have been invited to speak. Lithuania is a very good friend of Ukraine, so you know what I will be saying. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, calling it a "special military operation" to "denazify" and demilitarise its neighbour. Ukraine, which dominated the WEF's last big meeting in May, has sent another high-level delegation. It has one panel session on mapping Russia's trajectories, but none of its speakers are Russian.

☆ Analysis: EU unity over Russia sanctions falters as Europe's economy wilts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( John O'Donnell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some, such as Belgium and Greece, as well as Hungary which still relies heavily on Russian energy imports, pushed back against further sweeping measures, EU diplomats told Reuters. Russia says sanctions have boomeranged against the West, driving up inflation as energy prices have rocketed higher. Meanwhile, existing EU measures are not always watertight. Others are more discrete, while some have half an eye on a future relationship with Russia after the war ends. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this month that the EU would "tighten the sanctions against Russia for as long as Putin continues his war".

Russia acknowledges attacking Ukrainian infrastructure but denies deliberately seeking to harm civilians. NATO foreign ministers pledged to step up political and practical support to Ukraine and maintain it for as long as necessary. If we have air defence systems, we can protect from the next Russian missile strikes," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. [1/4] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg poses with foreign ministers of NATO countries during the family photo at their meeting in Bucharest, Romania November 29, 2022. Foreign ministers also reaffirmed a 2008 NATO summit decision that Ukraine would eventually become a member of the alliance.

☆ Transformers, air defences needed, Ukraine tells visiting ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Foreign ministers of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Lithuania's Gabrielius Landsbergis, Iceland's Thordis Gylfadottir and Sweden's Tobias Billstrom attend a joint news conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/PoolKYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told a gathering of seven Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers on Monday that his country needed transformers and improved air defences to stave off Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure. Kuleba was flanked by officials from Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden ahead of a meeting of NATO military alliance foreign ministers in Bucharest on Tuesday and Wednesday. And we need air defence that will allow us to shoot down Russian missiles targeting our infrastructure." The ministers issued a joint statement after their talks calling for efforts to improve Ukrainian air defences.

☆ EU sanctions to target Iran Guards 'inner circle', Germany says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Fresh European Union sanctions will target the "inner circle of power" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Germany said on Monday as the bloc convened to respond to what it has condemned as Tehran's widespread use of force against peaceful protesters. So far, 336 demonstrators have been killed in the unrest and nearly 15,100 detained, according to the activist HRANA news agency. "New sanctions will target in particular the inner circle of power of the Revolutionary Guards and the structures financing them." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the decision on talks was up to Ukraine. EU foreign ministers will discuss increasing support for Kyiv during the winter and also touch on a ninth package of sanctions on Russia, though diplomats say no decision is expected yet.

☆ Elon Musk says SpaceX won't cut off Starlink in Ukraine even if the US government refuses to fund the internet service
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said SpaceX wouldn't stop Starlink in Ukraine even if the Pentagon declined to fund it. SpaceX asked the Pentagon to fund Starlink in Ukraine because the company said it couldn't afford it. Despite this, Musk has said SpaceX was burning around $20 million per month to keep the service running in Ukraine and Starlink was losing money. Although Musk said the costs were "unreasonable," he then backtracked on his refusal and said SpaceX would continue to fund Starlink in Ukraine. Politico reported on October 17 that the Pentagon has discussed whether to fund Starlink, according to two US officials involved with the project.

☆ The EU is considering paying for Elon Musk's Starlink internet service in Ukraine days after SpaceX threatened to stop footing the bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The EU is mulling paying for Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, per Politico. EU officials are worried that SpaceX could cut internet service for Ukraine on a whim. SpaceX had earlier requested the Pentagon to fund the Starlink service in Ukraine due to costs. This is days after CNN reported that Elon Musk's SpaceX had requested the Pentagon to fund the satellite internet service in Ukraine, due to costs. SpaceX has sent some 25,300 SpaceX terminals to Ukraine, Musk said in a tweet on Monday.

☆ Elon Musk says SpaceX has withdrawn Pentagon funding request for Starlink internet in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said SpaceX has "already withdrawn its request for funding" over Starlink in Ukraine. The company reportedly asked the Pentagon to cover the cost of its satellite internet service in Ukraine. Musk said that out of 25,300 Starlink terminals in Ukraine, only 10,630 are paying for service. Representatives for SpaceX did not immediately respond to Insider's request for confirmation on the funding request withdrawal, which was made outside normal working hours. Musk previously said that sending Starlink terminals to Ukraine had been costly for the company.

☆ Winter's approach sets the clock ticking for Ukraine and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A destroyed Russian tank is seen as Ukrainian serviceman rides a tractor and tows a Russian military vehicle, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine, near the village of Dolyna in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 23, 2022. Russia, meanwhile, pressed on with its call-up of hundreds of thousands of men to throw into the seven-month war, seeking to reverse its recent losses. The Russian mobilization — its first such call-up since World War II — is sparking protests in Russian cities, with fresh demonstrations Sunday. It is also opening splits in Europe about whether fighting-age Russian men fleeing in droves should be welcomed or turned away. For Ukrainian and Russian military planners, the clock is ticking, with the approach of winter expected to make fighting more complicated.

☆ Svetlana Tihanovskaia a primit statut oficial în Lituania
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-05 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Lituania i-a acordat, luni, liderei opoziției belaruse, Svetlana Tihanovskaia, precum și echipei sale, statut oficial în această țară, relatează Agerpres, care citează DPA. ”Începând de astăzi, reprezentarea belarusă democratică în Lituania este o instituție acreditată”, a declarat ministrul lituanian de externe, Gabrielius Landsbergis. Șeful diplomației lituaniene a mai spus că această acreditare reprezintă un pas simbolic către recunoașterea legală a societății civile belaruse, precum și a eforturilor ei pentru realizarea unor schimbări democratice în această țară. Aceasta, la rândul ei, a mulţumit Lituaniei pentru ”pasul important de a delegitima regimul Lukaşenko” prin acceptarea unei reprezentanţe a opoziţiei belaruse. ”Este uimitoare imprudenţa cu care anumite state (…) continuă să se amestece în afacerile interne ale Belarusului”, a scris pe Telegram preşedintele Comisiei de Politică Externă din Duma de Stat a Rusiei, Leonid Sluţki.

Persons: Svetlana Tihanovskaia, Lukașenko, Duma de Stat, Leonid Sluţki Locations: Lituania, Agerpres, lituanian, Lituaniei, Rusia, Belarusului, Duma de, Rusiei

„Începând de astăzi, reprezentarea belarusă democratică în Lituania este o instituție acreditată”, a declarat ministrul lituanian de externe, Gabrielius Landsbergis. Însă această acreditare reprezintă un pas simbolic către recunoașterea legală a societății civile belaruse și a efortului ei pentru realizarea unor schimbări democratice în propria țară, a mai spus șeful diplomației lituaniene. UE nu-l mai recunoaște pe Lukașenko șef al statului și a impus sancțiuni împotriva lui și a susținătorilor săi în urma reprimării mișcării de opoziție. Tihanovskaia a mulțumit Lituaniei pentru ''pasul important de a delegitima regimul Lukașenko'' prin acceptarea unei reprezentanțe a opoziției belaruse. ''Acest statut presupune că poporul belarus este acum reprezentat într-o țară a UE'', consideră ea.

Persons: Svetlana Tihanovskaia, Aleksandr Lukașenko, Lukașenko, Tihanovskaia, Duma de Stat Locations: Lituania, lituanian, Lituaniei, Belarusului, Duma de, Rusiei

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