The retreat comes after days of shelling between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed rebel factions in the eastern parts of the country against the backdrop of the threat of invasion A Russian Iskander-K missile launching during a training launch ( Image: Russian Defense Ministry/AFP via) Ukrainian military officials have been forced to retreat during a … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Western leaders on Saturday appealed to Vladimir Putin to not give up on diplomacy amid warnings that the Russian president has already decided to invade Ukraine. Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, European, US and NATO leaders insisted that a standoff over the Russian troops threatening Ukraine … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Whether or not Moscow launches an attack on Ukraine in the coming days, the West must gear up for years of heightened Russian pressure on the country and on Europe as a whole, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said Friday. In an interview with POLITICO, Kariņš said Russian … Read more
France and military allies said on Thursday they would leave Mali after almost a decade based there fighting Islamist insurgents around West Africa, moving instead to Niger despite public disenchantment with Paris’ role in the region. Coups in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso have weakened France’s alliances in its former colonies, emboldened jihadists who control … Read more
Press play to listen to this article KYIV — Russia started its intimidation of Ukraine not with the ongoing buildup of troops, but eight years ago with the invasion and annexation of Crimea. The peninsula remains at an intractable point of antagonism between Russia, Ukraine and the West. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made that clear … Read more
Robert Zaretsky is a professor of French history at the University of Houston. His latest book is “The Subversive Simone Weil: A Life in Five Ideas.” Rarely in recent history has so much been said by so many about one man. Listen to the media, and you’ll come away convinced that the current march toward … Read more
KYIV — Facing Western warnings of an “imminent” Russian invasion and a hasty official call for a day of national unity, many Ukrainians Wednesday simply shrugged their shoulders and went about their usual business. A US intelligence warning that Wednesday could be the day Russia invades its neighbor prompted multiple Western governments to tell their … Read more
Press play to listen to this article It is not easy to pinpoint the nadir of the EU’s great pivot to Africa. The shift in Europe’s focus was trumped with great fanfare by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel at the start of their mandates in December 2019. But the … Read more
NATO said Tuesday it has not seen “any de-escalation on the ground” from Russian forces near Ukraine, despite earlier claims from Moscow that some troops taking part in military exercises were pulling back. “So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground, not any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders … Read more
MOSCOW — In ordinary times, not being able to influence your country’s politics can feel frustrating. When that country is on the brink of war, it can feel like torture. “It is utterly horrible to find yourself helpless, a person on whom nothing depends,” said Andrei Makarevich, a veteran Russian rock star. His is one … Read more