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Violence flared on Monday after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. Speaking after the meeting with Vucic, Osmani accused the Serbian leader of "whining and complaining and ... not telling the truth". But she said Kosovo could hold new elections in the north with Serb participation if they were triggered legally. Earlier in the day, neither leader had expressed any desire to meet with the other, before relenting under international pressure. Vucic said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally.

Persons: Vjosa, Aleksandar Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Vucic, Osmani, Macron, Scholz, Mimi, Vladislav Culiomza Macron, Albin Kurti, Jens Stoltenberg, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Sabine Siebold, Tassilo Hummel, Daria Sito, Edmund Blair, Daniel Wallis Organizations: EU, Kosovo, NATO, Political, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: BULBOACA, Moldova, Kosovo, Serbia, France, Germany, United States, Serbian, Belgrade, Paris, Berlin, Bulboaca, Oslo

☆ Macron says Ukraine needs clear, strong security guarantees at NATO summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BULBOACA, Moldova, June 1 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that Ukraine needed to be given clear and strong security guarantees at a NATO summit in Lithuania in July. I favour stronger, concrete very clear security guarantees," Macron told reporters after a European leaders summit in Moldova, adding he would hold talks on the issue with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Potsdam on June 7. President Volodymr Zelenskiy had earlier told reporters he wanted clear guarantees if Kyiv was not given NATO membership in the immediate term. He did not elaborate on what sort of guarantees, but said it needed to be somewhere between what security guarantees Israel receives and full NATO membership. Scholz told reporters that the guarantees should be designed in such a way that they give Ukraine the security it needs against the danger of being attacked.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Olaf Scholz, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Scholz, John Irish, Chris Reese Organizations: NATO, Kyiv, Israel, Thomson Locations: BULBOACA, Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania, Vilnius, Potsdam

[1/2] An Italian member of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) looks on while standing guard in Leposavic, Kosovo, June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen TeofilovskiBULBOACA, Moldova, June 1 (Reuters) - The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo insisted on Thursday they want to defuse a violent crisis in northern Kosovo but showed little sign of backing down from their opposing positions. Violence flared on Monday after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. But he said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally. Vucic said he did not even know who was coming to the summit from Kosovo.

Persons: Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, Vjosa Osmani, Osmani, Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Albin Kurti, Macron, Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Andrew Gray, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Sabine Siebold, John Irish, Daria Sito, Edmund Blair Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, REUTERS, Kosovo, European, Political, Thomson Locations: Italian, Leposavic, Kosovo, BULBOACA, Moldova, Serbia, Belgrade, Moldovan, European Union, United States, Oslo

☆ British PM Rishi Sunak says Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that Ukraine's "rightful place" is within the NATO military alliance. Sunak said he agreed with comments made earlier Thursday by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Ukraine is on the path toward NATO membership. "I agree with the NATO Secretary-General: Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO," Sunak told CNBC's Silvia Amaro. Britain's prime minister said that allied nations were sending a "strong signal" to Russian President Vladimir Putin that they would safeguard Ukraine's security arrangements for the long term. Sunak was speaking in Moldova, where heads of state from EU and non-EU countries are gathered for the second annual meeting of the European Political Community.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine's, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, Britain's, Vladimir Putin, we're Organizations: NATO, EU, Political Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moldova, EU

NATO Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) surveillance aircraft will watch the skies over the summit venue through Friday, the alliance said in a statement. Missile debris from the war in Ukraine has been found in Moldova several times since Russia invaded 15 months ago. "NATO AWACS can detect aircraft, missiles and drones hundreds of kilometres away, making them an important early warning capability," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. The summit will also touch on a range of strategic issues, ranging from energy to cybersecurity and migration. Reporting by John Irish, Andrew Gray and Alexander Tanas; writing by John Irish; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Nicu Popescu, Ana Revenco, Oana Lungescu, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, ” Borrell, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Alexander Tanas, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs, Moldova's, Russia, NATO, Kyiv, Control Systems, European, Kosovo, EU, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Ukraine, Kosovo, Moldovan, Romania, Russia, Ursula von der Leyen, KOSOVO, Slovakia, defusing, Serbian, Europe, Azerbaijan, Armenia

☆ Moscow does not have a 'veto against NATO enlargement,' NATO's Stoltenberg says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference to present the next North Atlantic Council (NAC) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 3, 2023. Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP | Getty ImagesNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that all NATO allies agree that Russia cannot prevent Ukraine's eventual membership of the military alliance. Speaking to reporters ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said all allies agreed that "NATO's door is open for new members." "All allies also agree that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance, and all allies agree that it is for the NATO allies and Ukraine to decide when Ukraine becomes a member," he said. "It is not for Moscow to have a veto against NATO enlargement, but most importantly, all allies agree that the most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Kenzo Tribouillard, Stoltenberg, Vladimir, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: NATO, North Atlantic Council, NAC, Foreign Affairs, AFP, Getty, Political Locations: Brussels, Russia, Oslo, Ukraine, Moscow, Vilnius, Lithuania, EU, NATO, Moldova, Europe

[1/3] A man sits next to the body of his granddaughter who was killed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 1, 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions, shattered Ukrainian cities, and brought increasing attacks on Russian soil. Earlier, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, had said it was fighting inside Russia. 'NO ONE OPENED SHELTER'In Kyiv, Ukraine said it shot down 10 ballistic and Iskander cruise missiles in Russia's 18th attack on the capital since the start of May. Russia denies targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces have devastated Ukrainian cities and repeatedly hit residential areas since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Yaroslav Ryabchuk, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Olena Harmash, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moldova KYIV, Russia's, Russian Volunteer Corps, Belgorod region's, Soviet Union, NATO, Moldovan, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moldova, MOSCOW, Russia, Ukrainian, Shebekino, Moscow, Belgorod, Soviet, Western, EU, Scandinavia, Denmark, Lithuania, NATO

☆ Poland slams vote questioning Hungary holding EU presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, June 1 (Reuters) - Poland rebuked on Thursday the European Parliament backing a resolution that questions Hungary's ability to hold the European Union presidency next year due to concerns about judicial independence. According to a calendar agreed by all EU governments in 2016, Hungary is to hold the presidency of the bloc between July and December 2024. Hungary and Poland have long been at odds with the EU over multiple issues, such as the rule of law, media freedoms and LGBTQ rights. The EU has frozen billions of euros in funds for Budapest and Warsaw due to its concerns. Hungary has refused to provide any military equipment to its neighbour to help it fight off a Russian invasion, and Hungary has criticised EU sanctions against Moscow.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Viktor Orban's, Balazs Orban, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: WARSAW, Parliament, Union, EU, European Union, European Commission, . State Department, Twitter, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Brussels, Moldova, Budapest, Warsaw

☆ Without a hint of irony over Ukraine, Putin rages against countries that meddle in other states
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrive for a working breakfast of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow, Russia May 9, 2023. Vladimir Smirnov | Sputnik | ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin slammed countries that he said were trying to "impose their dominance" and rules on others, saying Wednesday that those that do were "completely ignoring the sovereignty" of other states. Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — in central Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022. Putin said Tuesday that Russia was going through "difficult times" as it continued its military campaign in Ukraine, but said national pride was growing. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov looks on, next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they wait for the US-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021.

☆ Pro-government rally in Moldovan capital draws tens of thousands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People wave flags of European Union and Moldova during a rally to support the European path of the country, in Chisinau, Moldova May 21, 2023. President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of seeking to sabotage its European integration by fuelling anti-government protests and propaganda. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, on a visit to Chisinau, also addressed the rally, saying Europe would welcome Moldova "with open arms and open hearts". "This is about the both of us: You will bring a piece of Moldova to Europe, and you will make Europe stronger," she said. "I believe in a European Moldova and want for my country a future with advanced economic and socio-political development," said 18-year-old attendee Alexandrina Miron.

☆ Leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan to meet May 14 in Brussels -EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Annegret HilseMay 8 (Reuters) - The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are to meet next week in Brussels, the European Union said on Monday, the latest attempt to secure a durable peace accord and resolve longstanding differences over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. An announcement on the EU Council's website said a three-corner meeting with Council President Charles Michel would take place at EU headquarters. Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet states, have fought two wars over 30 years focusing on Nagorno-Karabakh, recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by Armenians. In a six-week conflict in 2020, ended by a Russian-brokered truce, Azerbaijan recovered territory lost in the first war dating from the collapse of Soviet rule. "The leaders have also agreed to continue to meet trilaterally in Brussels as frequently as necessary to address ongoing developments on the ground and standing agenda items of the Brussels meetings," the EU statement said.

☆ A tech worker describes what it was like leaving Ukraine during the war — and making the decision to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kate Kondakova left Ukraine two weeks after Russia's unprovoked invasion, and lived in Moldova. She returned to Ukraine after months of working in other countries, because she felt it was safe. Kondakova talked to Insider about how the war in Ukraine has changed her and her colleague's lives. At the end of the summer, Kondakova decided to return home to Odesa because "it was quiet," she said. Kondakova and some other 3DLook employees still in Ukraine have volunteered to collect medicine for Ukrainian defenders during the war.

☆ Moldova outdoor assembly to confirm pro-European orientation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries wedged between Ukraine and Romania, has been buffeted by Russia's war in Ukraine which President Maia Sandu has repeatedly denounced. Moldova and its population of 2.5 million, Sandu said, stood at a crossroads, with collective action needed for its future. Big decisions are taken by people during Great National Assemblies," she said. ... We are Europeans and at the Great National Assembly on 21st May, we will show that this is the path we have chosen." Moldova, like Ukraine, has formally sought to become a member of the European Union, a process which normally takes several years.

☆ No risk of war in Moldova while Ukraine holds out - President Sandu
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHISINAU, March 17 (Reuters) - President Maia Sandu said on Friday she saw no danger of war in Moldova while Russia is fighting in Ukraine, despite what she said were Russian efforts to destabilise her country. "There is no danger of war coming to Moldova while Ukraine is fighting," Sandu told parliament. "I want to reassure our citizens that Moldova is not now in any danger of war. Sandu repeated accusations, denied by Moscow, that Russia wants to destabilise Moldova. "As long as I am president, Moldova will hold out," said Sandu, who became president in 2020.

☆ Police limit anti-government protest in Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Moldovan law enforcement officers stand guard during an anti-government protest against the recent countrywide increase of power rates and prices, which is organised by opposition political movements including the Russia-friendly party Shor, in Chisinau, Moldova, March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Vladislav CuliomzaCHISINAU, March 12 (Reuters) - Police in Moldova kept several thousand demonstrators away from government buildings on Sunday after officials warned of possible organised disorder at the protest, the latest of a series denouncing pro-European President Maia Sandu. Moldova accused Russia last month of plotting to overthrow Sandu, while the United States pledged to support her government against destabilisation. Andrei Spinu, head of Sandu's administration, denounced Sunday's rally as "not a protest. This was yet another attempt by Russia to destabilise the situation in Moldova."

[1/5] An employee works at the Chisinau-1 gas distribution plant of Moldovatransgaz energy company in Chisinau, Moldova March 4, 2023. REUTERS/Vladislav CuliomzaCHISINAU, March 10 (Reuters) - A coup attempt, bomb hoaxes, internet hacks, fake conscription call-ups, mass protests: Moldova says it's had them all in the past year. Moldova hosts the breakaway statelet of Transnistria - a sliver of land running along its eastern border with Ukraine that's controlled by pro-Russian separatists and garrisoned by Russian troops. FAKE CONSCRIPTION NOTICESMounting tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine have raised the temperature in Moldova. RUSSIAN TROOPS IN TRANSNISTRIAAn estimated 1,500 Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria, most of them recruited locally from Transnistrians with Russian passports.

☆ Wizz Air to suspend Moldova flights, citing security
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wizz Air said in a statement it would lay on extra flights from the Romanian city of Iasi as replacements, including a new service to Berlin, and more flights to Barcelona, Milan Bergamo, Bologna, Rome Ciampino, Rome Fuimicino, Dortumand, Larnaca, London Luton and Treviso. Flights to Budapest and Prague will not be replaced and those inbound to Chisinau will be reallocated to other destinations in the Wizz Air network, it said. Tensions between Russia and Moldova have grown in recent months as Russian missiles aimed at Ukraine have entered Moldovan airspace and authorities have blamed the Kremlin for fuelling anti-government protests, something it denies. It said the civil aviation authority and the ministry of infrastructure and regional development had been in "constant cooperation" with Wizz Air representatives and informed them of the procedures in place to ensure aviation security. The aviation authority would take "all necessary actions" to return Wizz Air to Chisinau airport as soon as possible, and to attract other low-cost airlines.

☆ Kremlin says it is concerned by situation in breakaway Moldovan region
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flags of Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria and Russia flutter in central Tiraspol, in Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Vladislav Bachev/File PhotoMOSCOW, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday it was worried about the state of affairs in Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, where it said Ukraine and other European countries were stirring up the situation. Moldova's pro-European president, Maia Sandu, this month accused Moscow of plotting a coup, something Russia denied. "Naturally, the situation in Transdniestria is the subject of our closest attention and a reason for our concern," Peskov told reporters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed Moscow's assertion that Ukraine wants to take over the region, while Moldova sad there was no truth to the allegations.

☆ Russia warns West over threatening its troops in Moldovan region
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russia told the West on Friday that it would view as an attack on itself any actions that threatened Russian peacekeepers in Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, one day after Moscow accused Ukraine of deploying troops near the region's border. The warning comes amid increased concerns in Moldova, a small ex-Soviet republic bordering Ukraine, of a possible Russian threat to its own independence. On Thursday, Russia accused Kyiv of planning to invade Transdniestria, which borders Ukraine. "We warn the United States, NATO member states and their Ukrainian wards against taking yet another reckless step," Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday. If possible threats to the security of the country are identified, the ministry will immediately inform the public," the Moldovan ministry said.

☆ Meta allowed a Kremlin-linked oligarch to run Facebook ads calling for uprisings against pro-Western government in Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta allowed a Moldovan oligarch, sanctioned by the US, to run paid Facebook ads, per AP. Meta removed the ads, but only after they reached an audience of millions. The paid Facebook ads featured oligarch Ilan Shor, who now lives in Israel after being convicted of massive financial fraud. In one ad, Shor, who heads the pro-Russia Shor Party, can be heard accusing Sandu's government of corruption. Moldova was rocked by mass protests late last year, which were organized by the Shor Party, the largest of which took place shortly after the ads were placed.

☆ What is happening in Moldova, Ukraine's tiny European neighbor with a pro-Russian movement?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Maia Sandu on Monday accused Russia of plotting a coup to overthrow her pro-European Union government using "foreign saboteurs." Until now, Ukraine's defense forces and Western allies have estimated that Russia's renewed offensive would be concentrated in the east of the country. "President Sandu has been warning about these risks for months now," said Orr. Moldova, a landlocked European country on Ukraine's western border, has been battling political and economic instability following Russia's invasion of its neighbor. The attack came days before Moldova temporarily closed its airspace on Tuesday over what authorities say was a suspected Russian drone.

Of at least 36 missiles that Russia fired about 16 were shot down, the air force said, a lower rate than normal. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference. As Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Western leaders in Munich urged President Vladimir Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did. Russian leaders will be notable by their absence at the conference, which runs until Sunday, but senior Ukrainian officials are expected to address it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address his priority was to hold off Russian attacks and get ready for an eventual Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Following a pattern of heavy bombardments after Ukrainian battlefield or diplomatic gains, Russia launched 36 missiles in the early hours, Ukraine's Air Force said. The Russian missiles triggered air-raid sirens and landed across Ukraine, including at the Kremenchuk refinery, where the extent of damage was unclear. Ukraine said the barrage included three KH-31 missiles and one Oniks anti-ship cruise missile, which its air defences cannot shoot down. [1/6] Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Air Assault Brigade fire M119 Howitzer artillery weapon towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bahmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 16, 2023. Its capture would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger Donetsk cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

☆ Moldovan parliament approves new pro-Western government
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Dorin Recean attends a session of a parliamentary commission in Chisinau, Moldova, February 16, 2023 before his confirmation as prime minister. REUTERS/Vladislav CuliomzaSummary President nominated Dorin Recean as prime ministerRecean says he will pursue EU membershipEconomy in turmoil, relations with Russia are tenseCHISINAU, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Moldova's parliament approved a pro-Western government led by new Prime Minister Dorin Recean on Thursday after he pledged to revive the economy and chart a course towards the European Union. Recean, a former interior minister and presidential aide, secured the approval of 62 lawmakers in the 101-seat parliament after outlining his policy plans in a programme entitled "Prosperous, Secure, European Moldova." Its economy is highly dependent on Russian gas flows and has been hit by the spillover effects of the war in Ukraine. Tensions have at times been exacerbated by missile debris landing on Moldovan territory after Russian attacks on Ukraine.

☆ Moldovan president warns of Russian plot to topple leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Moldova's president accused Russia on Monday of planning to use foreign saboteurs to bring down her tiny country's leadership, stop it joining the European Union and use it in the war against Ukraine. President Maia Sandu made her comments after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week his country had uncovered a Russian intelligence plan "for the destruction of Moldova", and days after the country's government resigned. Sandu, whose country borders Ukraine, has repeatedly expressed concern about Moscow's intentions towards the former Soviet republic and about the presence of Russian troops in the breakaway Transdniestria region. Our goal is peace and public order in the country," Sandu told a news briefing. Russia denied last year wanting to intervene in Moldova after authorities in Transdniestria said they had been targeted by a series of attacks.

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