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☆ Poland, Baltics will shut Belarus border if 'critical incident' occurs -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Poland and the Baltic states will close their borders with Belarus entirely if a "critical incident" involving Wagner mercenaries takes place, the Polish interior minister said on Monday, amid rising tensions on NATO's eastern flank. EU and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which share a border with Belarus, have been increasingly concerned about border security since hundreds of Russian battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. "If there is a critical incident, regardless of whether it is at the Polish or Lithuanian border, we will retaliate immediately. Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told media that there were two criteria that could lead to a border closure. Poland has closed all but one border crossing point with Belarus this year following the imprisonment of a journalist of Polish origin and expulsions of Polish diplomats.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mariusz Kaminski, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Agne Bilotaite, Bilotaite, Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz, Marek Strzelecki, Andrius, Conor Humphries, Nick Macfie Organizations: WARSAW, EU, NATO, Wagner Group, Lithuanian, Thomson Locations: Poland, Baltic, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Minsk, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belarusian, Russia, Europe, East, Africa, Warsaw, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius

☆ Poll indicates New Zealand heading toward change in government
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - New Zealand looks to be heading towards a change of government after an October election, according to a new poll showing the opposition National Party and likely coalition partner ACT holding 50% of the vote. The latest 1News Verian poll published late on Monday forecasts a centre-right bloc of the National Party and the ACT party winning 65 seats. Less than two months out from the election, the gap for preferred prime minister is also narrowing. The poll put minor party New Zealand First at 4%, still below the threshold of being able to get back into parliament without a candidate being elected.

Persons: Chris Hipkins, Ints, Christopher Luxon, Lucy Craymer, Stephen Coates Organizations: Zealand's, North Atlantic Council, NATO, REUTERS, Rights, National Party, ACT, National Party and, Labour Party, Greens, Labour, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Zealand, New

☆ Ukraine is closer to having F-16s, but don't expect them to suddenly start 'taking down' Russia's formidable air defenses, top US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Christopher Woody | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In addition to anti-radar missiles, Ukrainian jets have employed US-made guided bombs, which Russia has countered with electronic warfare. While F-16s would allow Ukraine to better employ those weapons, Hecker said Russia's military will continue to adapt and adjust. "It allows us to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots. Although the timeline has been somewhat unclear, Denmark — one of 11 countries in the coalition — announced on Friday that it would start training pilots later this month. But training and equipping Ukrainian airmen to operate F-16s and other sophisticated jets will be a long-term project, Hecker said Friday.

Persons: Ukraine's, James Hecker, " Hecker, JOHN THYS, Hecker, It's, you'll, Beata Zawrzel, Kajsa Ollongren, Wopke Hoekstra, Antony Blinken, Pat Ryder, Yasuo Osakabe, US Air Force Hecker, they're, that's, it's Organizations: Service, US Air Force, US Air Forces, Defense Writers, Siauliai, NATO, Getty Images, SA, NATO Summit, Defense, —, Pentagon, Air Force, Yokota Air Base, Alpha Jet Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Romanian, Lithuania, AFP, Russia, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Japan, France

☆ Lithuania closes two Belarus border crossings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The government did not spell out the circumstances nor threats in its reasoning for closing from Friday the two rural crossing points, which were not used by commercial vehicles. Over the previous few weeks Lithuanian officials have discouraged its citizens from travelling to Belarus, a close Russian ally, setting up signs at the borders saying: "Do not risk your safety – do not travel to Belarus. Neighbouring Poland has closed all but one border crossing point with Belarus this year following the imprisonment of a journalist of Polish origin and expulsions of Polish diplomats. Poland announced plans last week to move 10,000 additional troops to the Belarus border to support existing guards. In 2021, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania faced an immigration crisis when thousands of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, began crossing from Belarus.

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Terje Solsvik, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Lithuanian, Belarus, Russian, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, East, Africa

☆ Berlin ready to extend Patriot air defence deployment to Poland until end of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

German Patriot air defence system units are seen at the Vilnius airport, ahead of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File PhotoBERLIN, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Germany has offered to extend the deployment of three Patriot air defence units in Poland until the end of 2023, the defence ministry in Berlin said on Tuesday. Ground-based air defence systems such as Raytheon's (RTX.N) Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles. They are, however, in short supply across NATO since many allies scaled down the number of air defence units after the Cold War. Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent NATO allies scrambling to plug the gaps in their own inventories, while also supplying Kyiv with air defence systems to ward off Russian attacks.

Persons: Ints, Boris Pistorius, Sabine Siebold, Christoph Steitz, Chris Reese, Alex Richardson Organizations: Patriot, NATO, REUTERS, German, Law and Justice, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Berlin, Polish, Zamosc, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Przewodow, Warsaw

The German-made Leopards were at the centre of a public spat earlier this year after Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder said the government had explored buying back tanks to send to Ukraine but had been quoted unreasonable prices. Freddy Versluys, CEO of defence company OIP Land Systems, bought the tanks from the Belgian government more than five years ago. The German Defence Ministry had no immediate comment. Several of Kyiv's Western allies agreed earlier this year to send modern Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and also to send older Leopard 1 models. A spokesperson for the Belgian defence ministry declined to comment on the sale of the tanks.

Persons: Freddy Versluys, Read, Ludivine Dedonder, Germany's, Versluys, Krauss, Andrew Gray, Christoph Steitz, Sabine Siebold, Jonathan Oatis, Alex Richardson Organizations: OIP, Systems, Belgian, Leopards, Belgian Defence, Reuters, Rheinmetall, LinkedIn, NATO, German Defence Ministry, Maffei, Thomson Locations: Belgian, Ukraine, Wallonia, Germany, Tournais, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Vilnius

☆ How — and when — Ukraine's war with Russia could end
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Wojciech Grzedzinski | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesThe war between Russia and Ukraine entered a new phase this summer when Kyiv launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive, and there were hopes Ukraine would regain the upper hand. "By the end of this year, both sides will think they still have more to gain by fighting. "Literally, they're [the Ukrainian forces] just running into the first line of defenses now, but that's a 30 kilometer deep belt of minefields and trenches and counter attacks. Meanwhile, any prospect of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine look slim despite efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table. "One outcome is that this war is fought out because Ukraine gets the help to do it.

Persons: King Danylo, Wojciech Grzedzinski, It's, Richard Barrons, isn't, Barrons, Nick Reynolds, they've, you've, Jamie Shea, Shea, John Kirby Organizations: Mechanized Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kyiv, Russian, Military, Joint Forces Command, CNBC, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Battalion, Territorial Defense, Ukrainian Air Force, NATO, Ukraine, U.S . National Security Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Berdyansk, Azov, London, Russian, Crimea, United States, Vilnius, Lithuania, China, India, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Greece, Cyprus, North, South Korea

☆ Ukraine, US start talks on security guarantees, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav... Read moreAug 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine and the United States started talks on Thursday aimed at providing security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said, a follow-up to pledges by G7 countries at last month's NATO summit. Ukraine was told that the Group of Seven (G7) would draw up and honour security guarantees and help bolster its military in light of Russia's 17-month-old invasion of Ukraine. The Kyiv government sees the talks as an interim stage pending its accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military alliance. "It is symbolic that the United States - our biggest strategic partner - became the first country with which Ukraine has started this process," Yermak wrote. Yermak restated Ukraine's position that guarantees "will strengthen Ukraine along the path to future membership of the Euro-Atlantic community, including NATO and the European Union".

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Yermak, Ron Popeski, Grant McCool Organizations: International, REUTERS, NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Presidential, European, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ Sweden and Denmark consider ban on Quran-burning protests as security fears rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A spate of Quran-burning protests in Sweden and Denmark has caused angry demonstrations in Muslim-majority countries, heightened security fears at home and left both Scandinavian nations questioning whether they need to review their liberal laws on freedom of speech. But both countries signaled Sunday that they are exploring legal ways to prevent such protests, amid security and geopolitical concerns. While freedom of speech has long been a constitutional right in Sweden and Denmark, the scrapping of blasphemy laws was a more recent development. But neither country tightened their free speech laws in response to these attacks. “Sweden is right now the target of influence campaigns, supported by states and state-like actors, whose purpose is to harm Sweden and Swedish interests,” said Bohlin.

Persons: “, Ulf Kristersson, Denmark “, Salwan Momika, Momika, Ahmad Al, ” Marten Schutlz, ” Sofie Blomback, ”, Bruno Jerup, Chris McGrath, Blomback, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Sweden’s Kristersson, Posten, Prophet Mohammed, Lars Vilks, Mohammed, ” Kristersson, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, ” Bohlin, ” Schulz Organizations: CNN, NATO, of Islamic Cooperation, ”, Danish, Protesters, Getty, Stockholm University, Sweden’s, Appeal, Mid Sweden University, Sweden’s Civil Defense Locations: Sweden, Denmark, Stockholm, Turkey, Danish, Copenhagen, ” Sweden, Iraqi, Sweden's, Baghdad, Iraq, AFP, Swedish, United States, Istanbul, Ukraine, Vilnius, Turkish, Russia

☆ Ukraine has tested its allies' patience with its military strategy and demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The phrase "whatever it takes" has become a mantra often repeated at public gatherings of allies assessing the war and the military needs of Ukraine. Most recently, tensions have emerged over Ukraine's military strategy and demands on NATO. And by threatening to boycott the summit, Zelenskyy had played a risky strategy, Shea noted, potentially setting the meeting up for failure. The key thing is to manage that [discrepancy] and prevent it doing lasting damage, and I think the Vilnius summit at least managed to prevent it doing lasting damage." Ukraine's military strategy — and the symbolic value it has put on fighting for every piece of Ukrainian territory — has sometimes collided with its allies' military perspective and pragmatism.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Gitanas Nauseda, Pedro Sanchez, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Joe Biden, Giorgia Meloni, Jens Stoltenberg, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ben Wallace, Ludovic Marin, didn't, Zelenskyy, Washington, Biden, Jamie Shea, Shea, Beata Zawrzel, wasn't, they're Organizations: Spain's, Joe Biden Italy's, NATO, NATO Summit, Getty, Ukraine's, Kyiv, Britain's, AFP, Washington Post, CNBC, White, Ukraine, Emerging, LITEXPO Lithuanian, Center, Nurphoto, Bakhmut, Libkos Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv, Russia, U.S, Washington, London, United States, Soviet, Donetsk

☆ Ukraine to start talks with US on security guarantees
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine is to start consultations with the United States this week on providing security guarantees for Kyiv pending the completion of the process of joining NATO, a senior Ukrainian official said on Sunday. The talks, announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, are a follow-up on pledges issued by the G7 group of advanced countries after this month's NATO summit in Lithuania to draw up and honour security guarantees. "Security guarantees for Ukraine will be concrete, long-term obligations ensuring Ukraine's capacity to defeat and restrain Russian aggression in the future. Yermak said the guarantees "will be in effect until Ukraine secures NATO membership." Members of the G7 agreed for each nation to negotiate agreements to provide security guarantees and help Ukraine bolster its military.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Ron Popeski, Chris Reese Organizations: NATO, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, United States, Ukrainian, Lithuania, Vilnius

☆ WSJ Opinion: Hunter Biden's Plea Deal Collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WSJ Opinion: Cluster Bombs, Vilnius, and the NATO Leadership Review and Outlook: As the U.S. announces cluster bombs will be included in its $800 million package of military aid to Ukraine, a revived NATO comes to Vilnius with uncertainty surrounding the future leadership. Images: AP/Zuma Press Composite: Mark Kelly

Persons: Mark Kelly Organizations: NATO, Zuma Locations: Vilnius, Ukraine, NATO

☆ WSJ Opinion: The Smearing of Ron DeSantis’s Covid Record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Mark Kelly Organizations: NATO, Zuma Locations: Vilnius, Ukraine, NATO

STOCKHOLM, July 27 (Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is "extremely worried" about the consequences if more demonstrations go ahead in which the Koran is desecrated, he said on Thursday, amid growing Muslim anger at a series of attacks on Islam's holy book. Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT that further requests had been filed with police for permission to hold protests where desecration of the Koran was again planned. Sweden's embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set ablaze on July 20 by protesters angered by a planned Koran burning. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson addresses the media ahead of a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 11, 2023. Members of Sweden Democrats, the biggest party on the right, have repeatedly warned about the "Islamization" of Swedish society and called for immigrants to adopt "Swedish" values.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Charlotte von Essen, Ints, Tobias Billstrom, Billstrom, Johan Ahlander, Simon Johnson, Terje Solsvik, William Maclean Organizations: Atlantic Treaty Organization, TT, Swedish, NATO, REUTERS, United Nations, of Islamic, Sweden Democrats, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine, Sweden's, Baghdad, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon

CNN —Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says that Ukraine will continue carrying out attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea and the Kerch Bridge that connects it to the Russian mainland, while also admitting that Ukraine’s plan for its sluggish counteroffensive is behind schedule. As Russia has pummeled the southern port city of Odesa and the surrounding region over the past week, Ukraine has continued to carry out strikes inside Crimea. On Tuesday, Ukrainian drones hit an ammunition depot, just a week after seaborne drones struck the Kerch bridge. If Ukrainian forces can successfully puncture Moscow’s sizeable defense lines along Ukraine Sea of Azov coastline that links Crimea to Donbas, Reznikov said it would be “a good result” for Kyiv. Ukraine has gained “real combat experience – how to deter Russians, to defeat them, to beat them with using NATO standard weaponry,” he added.

Persons: CNN —, Oleksii Reznikov, ” Reznikov, Reznikov, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, “, ”, ‘, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ ” Organizations: CNN, CNN — Ukraine’s, Senior, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Reuters, Western, Kyiv, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Kerch, Russian, Russia, Odesa, Moscow, “, Ukrainain, Reuters Moscow, Kyiv, Reuters Ukrainian, Donbas, Kherson, Kharkiv, United States, France, Germany, Europe, Lithuanian, Vilnius, NATO, Washington

☆ Why are far-right parties on the march across Europe?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Far-right parties are propping up coalitions in Finland and Sweden. Afraid of losing voters to UKIP (and other far-right parties), the governing Conservatives ended up adopting many of its positions. Chesnot/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesConversely, far-right parties have attempted to sanitize some of their rhetoric, hoping to appear a more credible electoral prospect. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesA different type of populismAnd so the recent successes of far-right parties cannot be explained by dramatic shifts in public opinion. A lot depends on the ability of mainstream parties – particularly on the left – to build tents big enough to accommodate their differences, rather than compromising with far-right parties to prop up their coalitions.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel’s, Mario Draghi, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Viktor Orban, Andrej Babis, Czech Michael Bloomberg, Czech Donald Trump, Meloni, Mussolini, Nigel Farage, Jack Taylor, Farage, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Marine, Lionel Jospin, Jacques Chirac, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Vilhelm Junnila, Ulif Kristersson, Mark Rutte’s, Pen, Chesnot, Philippe Marlier, ” Le, Matteo Salvini, Vladimir Putin, Tino Chrupalla, Alice Weidel, Thomas Lohnes, Omer Messinger, Larry Bartels, Boris Johnson, Leon Neal, Giorgia Meloni, Odd Andersen, Orban, Kaczynski, Rutte’s, Pedro Sanchez Organizations: CNN, White, Channel, European Central Bank, Italy’s, Vox, UK Independence Party, UKIP, European Union, EU, Conservatives, National, Socialist, Socialists, Finns Party, Swedish, Sweden Democrats, Rassemblement National, University College London, Lega, Ukraine, Russia, Former British, Italy's, NATO, Getty, Spain’s Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Brussels, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Czech, France, Finland, Sweden, Austria, European, Netherlands, Russian, Oxfordshire, Vilnius

☆ WSJ Opinion: Justice and The Hunter Biden Whistleblowers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Mark Kelly Organizations: NATO, Zuma Locations: Vilnius, Ukraine, NATO

☆ Fact Check-Zelenskiy's 'I don't know' response to journalist unrelated to Crimea Bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi responding “I don’t know” to a journalist’s question is being falsely associated with the July 17 Crimean Bridge explosion. It shows Zelenskiy standing at a podium at a press conference, seemingly taking a long pause, before smiling and saying: “I don’t know” in Ukrainian. The journalist’s question before Zelenskiy’s response is not included in the clip, though superimposed text suggests he was asked: “Who hit the Crimea Bridge?”. However, the clip of Zelenskiy was filmed during the NATO summit in Vilnius, held on July 11-12, thus predating the Crimea Bridge explosion. Versions of the clip that include the journalist’s preceding question show she asked, in Ukrainian: “When will we get ATACMS?” (here and here ).

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyi, “, Zelenskiy, Read Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, NATO, Army Tactical Missile Systems Locations: Crimea, Moscow, Ukraine, Vilnius

BRUSSELS, July 19 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers are expected to discuss a proposal on Thursday to spend up to 20 billion euros ($22.4 billion) on weapons, ammunition and other military aid for Ukraine over four years. The fund has already allocated more than 5 billion euros in support for Ukraine since February last year. An EU official said the aim was to provide more military aid to Ukraine "on a more predictable and sustainable basis". The Peace Facility is used to reimburse EU countries for at least part of the cost of weapons, ammunition and other military aid they give to nations outside the bloc. Diplomats said they expect EU governments to consider the plan alongside a proposal from the European Commission, the bloc's executive, to provide 50 billion euros in economic aid to Ukraine over the same four-year period.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Borrell, Andrew Gray, Jan Strupczewski, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Union, Kyiv, NATO, Peace, Ukraine, EU, Ukraine Defence Fund, Diplomats, European Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Vilnius, EU, Kyiv, Spain

The US began ramping up ammunition production last year when it became clear that the war would drag on far longer than anticipated. But the ammunition will still take “years” to mass produce to acceptable levels, National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN Sunday. Ukrainian troops now typically fire between 2,000 and 3,000 artillery shells per day at Russian forces, a US defense official told CNN. It was necessary, though, because of how low US stockpiles are, Sullivan told CNN Sunday. “All of us have had to struggle stimulating our supply chains, some of which went to sleep,” he told CNN.

Persons: Ben Wallace, that’s, Jake Sullivan, haven’t, –, Defense Lloyd Austin, John Kirchhofer, Mark Milley, Joe Biden, Sullivan, Biden, “, ”, ” Sullivan, ” Nebraska Republican Sen, Deb Fischer, Lockheed Martin, Fischer, ” Fischer, I’m, ‘, Ellen Lovett, ” Lovett, ” Wallace, ” Said, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rishi Sunak, Murat Kula, Charles Q, Brown, Jr Organizations: Washington CNN, NATO, CNN, US, National, CNN Sunday, Pentagon, The Defense Department, EyePress, Reuters, Defense, Defense Intelligence Agency’s, Joint Chiefs, Staff, National Press Club, ” Nebraska Republican, Senate’s Armed Services, Lockheed, “, Britain's, Anadolu Agency, Getty, European Union, EU, DoD, US Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Industrial Base Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Berlin, Swiss, Germany, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Kreminna, Luhansk, “, United States, Vilnius

☆ WSJ Opinion: Joe Biden’s Carteresque Crisis of Confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Mark Kelly Organizations: NATO, Zuma Locations: Vilnius, Ukraine, NATO

☆ Paris celebrates Bastille Day on the Champs-Elysees
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jillian Kumagai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, is taking place as Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive, which began last month, proceeds more slowly than Kyiv had hoped against the heavily dug-in Russian positions.

Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv

☆ Fact Check-Handelsblatt cover of cartoon Volodymyr Zelenskiy reaching toward NATO door is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated German newspaper cover featuring a cartoon of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reaching toward a door that is out of his reach and marked with a NATO emblem is circulating online. The door is attached to a stick which, in turn, is attached to a band around Zelenskiy’s head, making the door out of reach. Sebastian Matthes, editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt, told Reuters that the image shows a fake cover. The front cover circulating online cannot be seen when conducting a search via the newspaper’s social media channels (www.facebook.com/handelsblatt), (twitter.com/handelsblatt/), (here). The fabricated cover began circulating as Zelenskiy attended a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week (here).

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, “, Sebastian Matthes, Handelsblatt, Zelenskiy, Read Organizations: NATO, Reuters Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania

NATO leaders wrapped up two days of meetings in Lithuania on Wednesday having reaffirmed political pledges to Ukraine, but failing to agree to a timeline for its admission to the alliance. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty ImagesThe U.S. and allies across Europe and the Asia-Pacific are holding together in confronting what they see as an increasingly entwined challenge from Russia and China, with a bout of diplomacy this past week showing the resilience as well as the limits of allied unity.

Persons: Ludovic Marin Organizations: Wednesday, Getty Locations: Lithuania, Ukraine, AFP, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Russia, China

Persons: Ludovic Marin Organizations: Wednesday, Getty Locations: Lithuania, Ukraine, AFP, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Russia, China

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