Europe

Will Finland and Sweden join NATO? Five things to know

After decades of staying out of military alliances, Finland and Sweden are about to decide whether to apply to join NATO, as a deterrent against aggression from Eastern neighbour Russia. The Nordic neighbours are expected to act in unison, with both expressing a desire for their applications to be submitted simultaneously if they decide to go that route.   – Historic U-turns –   For decades, a majority of Swedes and Finns were in favour […]

Russia warns of response to Finland NATO entry

Russia warned Thursday it would have to take “military-technical” steps in response to neighbouring Finland joining NATO, after leaders in Helsinki backed entering the US-led alliance. “The expansion of NATO and the approach of the alliance to our borders does not make the world and our continent more stable and secure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. When asked whether Finland’s membership would be a threat, Peskov answered: “definitely”. “Everything will depend on how this […]

Finland poised for NATO membership as Ukraine war crimps Russian gas

by David STOUT, with Elias HUUHTANEN in Helsinki Finland took a step Thursday towards fast-track NATO membership, triggering a blunt warning from the Kremlin, as the war in Ukraine throttled supplies of Russian gas to Europe and the number of people who fled the country passed six million. In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council decided to probe alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, in a vote overwhelmingly approved by its members but snubbed by Russia. […]

1 dead, 3 wounded in Russia after Ukraine attack: Belgorod governor

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — One person died and three more were injured in southwestern Russia as a result of an attack from Ukraine, the governor of Belgorod said on Wednesday. “As of now, one person lost his life, he died in an ambulance, and there are three wounded,” the governor of the southwestern region of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on messaging app Telegram. He said it was the “most difficult situation” in his region […]

Finnish president, PM in favour of joining NATO ‘without delay’

by Elias HUUHTANEN Finland’s president and prime minister said on Thursday they were in favour of joining NATO and a formal decision would be taken this weekend, after Russia’s war in Ukraine sparked a swift u-turn in opinion. “Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay,” President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement. Niinisto has often served as a mediator between Russia and the West. “NATO membership would strengthen […]

Ukraine to hold first war crimes trial as Moscow says Kyiv shelled Russian city

  by David Stout, with Dmitry Zaks in Kramatorsk Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine announced it will hold its first war crimes trial over the Russian invasion, as Moscow accused Kyiv of shelling a Russian city in the war’s latest flashpoint. The conflict has devastated cities and displaced millions, with fears also growing of its broader international impact as gas supplies to Europe were disrupted by a halt in Russian flows through […]

URGENT: EU lifts mask mandate for flights, airports from Monday: agency

    The EU will lift its mask requirement for flights and airports from next week, its aviation safety agency said on Wednesday, as the pandemic eases in Europe. “The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued an update to the health safety measures for air travel, dropping the recommendation for mandatory wearing of medical masks in airports and on board a flight, while noting that […]

France to lift Covid mask rule for public transport May 16

Facemasks will no longer be needed on trains, planes and metros in France starting May 16, the health minister said Wednesday, lifting one of the last remaining sanitary measures imposed since the pandemic began in 2020. “From Monday, May 16, masks will no longer be mandatory for all public transport,” Olivier Veran said after a weekly cabinet meeting. “Wearing a mask remains recommended,” he added, but the rule is “no longer appropriate” given the large […]

Russians ‘pushed away’ from Kharkiv as Washington boosts aid

by David Stout with Dmitry Zaks in Kramatorsk Agence France Presse Ukraine said Wednesday it was pushing Russian troops away from the country’s second city Kharkiv but facing stiff resistance, as Washington predicted that Vladimir Putin was ready for a long war. With President Joe Biden warning that Ukraine would within days likely run out of funds to keep fighting, the US House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to send a $40 billion aid package […]

Russians ‘pushed away from Kharkiv’ as Washington warns of long war

by David Stout with Dmitry Zaks in Kramatorsk Russian troops are being pushed away from Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, but sounded a note of caution as Washington said Vladimir Putin won’t stop with the east and is ready for a long war. Following that bleak prediction, and after President Joe Biden warned that Ukraine would likely run out of funds to keep fighting within days, the US House of Representatives voted […]

60 dead in bombed east Ukraine school: Zelensky

Sixty civilians died in the bombing of a school in eastern Ukraine‘s Lugansk region this weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. “Just yesterday in the village of Bilogorivka, Lugansk region, a Russian bomb killed 60 people. Civilians,” Zelensky said during an address to the G7 summit by video conference. “They were hiding from shelling in the building of a regular school, which was attacked by a Russian air strike.” Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday told Russian-language television station […]

Putin vows ‘as in 1945, victory will be ours’

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed that “as in 1945, victory will be ours” as he congratulated former Soviet nations on the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. “Today, our soldiers, as their ancestors, are fighting side by side to liberate their native land from the Nazi filth with the confidence that, as in 1945, victory will be ours,” said Putin, who sent Russian troops into Ukraine in February. “Today, […]