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☆ Fearing for Ukraine if Trump Returns, Some in Europe Try Outreach Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | Tomas Dapkus | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As many in Europe worry about the possibility of a second presidency for Donald J. Trump that they fear could bring an end to U.S. support for Ukraine, some of Russia’s most fervent foes are taking a different tack: making nice with the Trump camp. Also attending were members of pro-Trump groups like the Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative group skeptical about helping Ukraine. Leading the participants from Ukraine was Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee and an ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Reaching out to the Trump camp, he said, was simply a recognition of Ukraine’s perilous vulnerability to the shifting sands of American politics. “When we are fighting for our survival, we can’t afford to antagonize either Biden or Trump,” Mr. Merezhko said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Oleksandr Merezhko, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Mr, Merezhko, ” Organizations: Trump, Heritage Foundation, Biden Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Lithuania, Baltic, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ Far Right’s Ties to Russia Sow Rising Alarm in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To enter a secret session of Germany’s Parliament, lawmakers must lock their phones and leave them outside. Because seated alongside them in those classified meetings are members of the Alternative for Germany, the far-right party known by its German abbreviation, AfD. In the past few months alone, a leading AfD politician was accused of taking money from pro-Kremlin strategists. And some of its state lawmakers flew to Moscow to observe Russia’s stage-managed elections. It worries me,” said Erhard Grundl, a Green party member of the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

Persons: “, ”, Erhard Grundl Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Germany, Moscow

☆ UK government under growing pressure to stop selling arms to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Pressure is mounting on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to suspend the sale of arms to Israel following the deadly attack on a convoy of aid workers in Gaza. Calls for Sunak to stop supplying Israel with weapons grew after an Israeli airstrike on Monday killed seven members of staff from World Central Kitchen, three of whom were British citizens. The government is still waiting for legal advice from its lawyers on whether or not selling arms to Israel is in breach of international law. However, parliamentary estimates show that the UK has still licensed arms worth over $725m. The family of one of the aid workers killed former Royal Marine James Henderson, have criticized the UK sale of arms to Israel.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Alicia Kearns, Kearns, ”, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Grant Shapps, Marine James Henderson Organizations: London CNN, British, Parliament’s, Conservative Party, UNRWA, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, Israeli, ” Defense, ”, UN Security Council, Marine, Times Locations: Israel, Gaza, British, Germany, Times of London

☆ Pouria Zeraati: ‘Brutal stabbing’ of exiled Iranian journalist prompts counterterrorism investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A prominent exiled Iranian journalist was stabbed outside his home in London on Friday, prompting British police to launch a counterterrorism investigation. Pouria Zeraati, a television anchor at the UK-based channel Iran International, was reportedly attacked by a group of men outside his home in south-western Wimbledon. Iran has designated the television station a “terrorist entity.” Iranian state media has repeatedly accused the channel of fomenting unrest. Zeraati’s stabbing comes after an investigation by Britain’s ITV last year revealed that Iranian spies had attempted to pay a people smuggler $200,000 to assassinate two Iran International journalists. Kearns noted on Twitter that Iran International had only recently returned to the air from London after having to shut down in the UK.

Persons: Pouria, Dominic Murphy, Britain’s, Alicia Kearns, Michelle Stanistreet, ” Stanistreet, Kearns, ”, CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Atay Alam Organizations: CNN, British, Iran, London Metropolitan Police, Britain’s ITV, Iran International, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Foreign Affairs Committee, British National Union of Journalists, BBC Persian Service, UN, Twitter Locations: Iranian, London, Wimbledon, Tehran, Iran

CNN —The Turkish parliament voted Tuesday to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid. Of the 346 members of parliament who voted, 287 were in favor of Sweden’s accession and 55 voted to reject it. However, on Tuesday, Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban said he had invited his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, to visit Hungary to negotiate the terms of Sweden’s accession. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. Erdogan initially objected to Sweden’s membership bid, accusing Swedish officials of being too lenient on military groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Victor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Erdogan, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, Turkish, NATO, Foreign Affairs Commission, Hungary’s, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Foreign Locations: Turkish, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, United States

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, inviting him to Budapest to discuss Sweden's accession into the NATO military alliance, Orbán wrote Tuesday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The invitation comes as Hungary and Turkey remain the only NATO members not to have ratified Sweden's bid to join the alliance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his opposition to Sweden's membership last year in response to efforts by Stockholm to tackle supporters of Kurdish militants and other groups in Sweden that Ankara views as security threats. Erdogan has also openly linked Sweden’s NATO membership to Ankara’s efforts to purchase U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, and has called on Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes on Turkey. Sweden and Finland abandoned their decades-long neutrality and sought membership in NATO amid heightened security concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Ulf Kristersson, Orbán, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan Organizations: NATO, Twitter, Sweden's, Nordic, Fidesz Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Hungarian, Budapest, Turkey, Ankara, Ukraine, Orbán, Turkish, Stockholm, Sweden, Canada, Finland

☆ Tunisia Rejects EU Financial Aid, Casting Doubt on an Immigration Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tarek AmaraTUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday rejected financial support announced by the European Union in September, saying the amount is small and goes against a deal signed three months ago. The European Commission last month said it would disburse 127 million euros ($133 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of the deal to fight illegal immigration from Africa to Europe. “Tunisia rejects what the EU announced, not because of the small amount ... but because the proposal conflicts with the memorandum of understanding signed in July," Saied said. The July deal included a pledge of 1 billion euros in aid to Tunisia to help its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with the migration crisis. Tunisia last week postponed a visit by a delegation from the European Commission to discuss the details of the migration agreement.

Persons: Tarek Amara TUNIS, Kais Saied, Saied, Tarek Amara Organizations: European Union, European Commission, “, EU Locations: Europe, Tunisia, Africa, “ Tunisia, North Africa, Lampedusa, Germany

London CNN —The United Kingdom government has been heavily criticized by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee for underestimating the growth of Russia’s Wagner private mercenary group, despite it posing a major threat to the country’s interests. Wagner “essentially operate like a criminal mafia,” Kearns said in an interview with Sky News Wednesday. Barbara Debout/AFP/Getty Images/FILEIt also criticized the UK government for only beginning to seriously monitor the group after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. “It is deeply regrettable that it was not until early 2022 that the Government began to invest greater resource in understanding the Wagner Network, despite Wagner fighters having already conducted military operations in at least seven countries for almost a decade,” read the report. “The Government has not told us anything specific that it is doing to challenge the network’s influence and impunity outside of Ukraine,” the report said.

Persons: Russia’s Wagner, Wagner, ”, Alicia Kearns, Wagner “, ” Kearns, “, Barbara Debout Organizations: London CNN, United, Parliament’s Foreign, “, CNN, Sky News, Getty, Government, Wagner Network, European Union Locations: Africa, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Central African Republic, Libya, Mozambique, Mali, Bangui, AFP, “, United States

☆ China claims right to protect consulate as Britain decries assault
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Britain’s foreign secretary summoned China’s second-most senior diplomat in the U.K. on Tuesday to express the U.K.’s “deep concern” about the assault allegations and to demand an explanation for the actions of the Chinese consulate staff. The protesters had gathered at the consulate as the Chinese Communist Party opened its weeklong congress in Beijing on Sunday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin rejected the accounts of the protester and Manchester police. Video on the BBC website showed a scuffle breaking out in front of the consulate after masked men tore down the protesters’ placards. The Chinese Consulate in Manchester did not respond to a request for comment.

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