Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said a deeply unpopular new law that raises the retirement age was necessary and would enter into force by the end of the year. “Do you think I enjoy doing this reform? No,” Macron said in a rare TV interview. “But there are not …

Members “need to deliver more in a more dangerous world,” the secretary general of the US-led military bloc says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged member states to boost their defense spending, saying the US-led alliance expected more countries to meet the 2% of GDP target in 2022. Stoltenberg …

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a surprise visit to Ukraine early Tuesday, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in neighboring Russia for a three-day visit. The dueling summits come as the longtime rivals are on diplomatic offensives. Kishida will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital. He …

Russia has opened a criminal case against chief prosecutor and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to an arrest warrant they issued for President Vladimir Putin on war crime charges. The Hague-based Court announced on Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for Putin and another key Russian official …

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says US drone flights over the Black Sea are a sign of direct US involvement in the Ukraine war. “It is quite obvious what these drones are doing, and their mission is not at all a peaceful mission to ensure the safety of shipping in …

Moscow and Beijing have a lot of common goals and tasks, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on Monday. “We have a lot of joint tasks, goals,” Putin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated his Chinese counterpart on re-election, Sputnik reported. “Dear chairman, …

The Chinese leader’s visit comes at a time when bilateral relations are at an all-time high, according to Russian officials Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day state visit to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. During the summit, the two sides will discuss …

French lawmakers have prepared two no-confidence motions against President Emmanuel Macron Monday after he pushed through legislation to increase the retirement age without a legislative vote against massive protests around the country. The challenges, one brought by a coalition of small parties and another by the far-right National Rally, are …

Russia’s investigative committee says the ICC prosecutor and judges acted “illegally” The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor and judges who issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin have become the targets of a criminal case, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Monday. In a Telegram post, the committee said …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol, a day after he visited Crimea, following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Russian leader on “war crime accusations”. Putin flew by helicopter to Mariupol early on Sunday in …

Slovakia’s government has approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets. Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced the unanimous decision of his government on Friday. Slovakia no longer uses the jets. The decision makes Slovakia the second NATO member country to agree to fulfill the Ukrainian …

The Cooperation Council between the European Union (EU) and Iraq will hold its third meeting in Brussels on Sunday, an EU statement said. According to the statement released today, the meeting will be chaired by EU High Representative Josep Borrell. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, …

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Russia next week at the invitation of his Russian counterpart in a move that will demonstrate growing cooperation between the two all-weather allies in the face of Western pressures. The high-stakes three-day visit beginning on Monday comes as Beijing has offered to …

Hot on the heels of the crashing of a US spy drone near the Russian territory in the Black Sea, Russia warns the United States that it will retaliate “proportionately” to all future American provocations. “Flights of American strategic unmanned aerial vehicles off the coast of Crimea are provocative in …

The diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States have plunged into a “lamentable state” amid a row between the two countries over a drone incident, Moscow says. The Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday the bilateral relations were in dire straits after the US accused Russia of …

The situation for Russian forces trying to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is “difficult,” because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine’s Donetsk region said on Thursday. Russian forces – led by the private Wagner militia – …

Paris favors the wellbeing of its own industries to supporting Kyiv, a European diplomat told the paper. France is slowing down EU plans to help Ukraine replenish its dwindling stocks of shells amid its conflict with Russia, European sources told The Telegraph. Paris is looking to secure guarantees that a …

Russian President Vladimir Putin says last year’s blasts targeting the Nord Stream gas pipelines were carried out on a state level, not by a pro-Ukraine group. Putin on Tuesday rejected as “complete nonsense” the idea that an autonomous pro-Ukraine group was behind the attacks. He said no amateur group could …

Russia’s ambassador to the United States says the US military’s “unacceptable actions” close to Russian territory are “a cause for concern,” urging Washington to stop “hostile” flights near the country’s borders. According to Press TV, Anatoly Antonov made the remarks in a post on his Telegram channel on Wednesday, a …

France is facing a fresh round of strikes over the highly contested pension reform planned by President Emmanuel Macron. Garbage piled up in the French capital, Paris, liquefied natural gas operations were suspended, and rail services were cancelled on Wednesday as union leaders urged laborers to walk out. It was …