European Union leaders arrived Thursday in Kyiv with a message of support for the Ukrainian people, while Ukraine’s president warned of a push by Russian forces ahead of the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

“We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever. And to deepen further our support and cooperation,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.

EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the delegation was in Kyiv to convey the EU’s “strongest message of support to all Ukrainians defending their country.” He added that the EU has stood with Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war and “will still stand with you to win and rebuild.”

EU and Ukrainian leaders are set to meet at a summit Friday to discuss the EU’s response to the conflict, reconstruction and relief efforts, global food security, and Ukraine’s application to join the EU.

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FLASHPOINT UKRAINE: The Talk Turns From Tanks To Jets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday that Russia is trying to achieve some battlefield gains to show on the first anniversary of the war on February 24.

“In such circumstances, we all need to be especially united, especially focused on the national interest, and, as a result, especially resilient,” Zelenskyy said. “I am confident that we will stay like that.”

He noted what he called an increase in Russia’s offensive actions in eastern Ukraine, saying the situation “is becoming even more severe.”

Russian forces have been trying to secure control of Bakhmut, in Donetsk province, for months.

In nearby Kramatorsk, rescuers searched for survivors after a Russian missile destroyed an apartment building. The attack killed at least three people and wounded 20 others.

US sanctions 

The United States on Wednesday blacklisted more business officials linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine, targeting an arms dealer, his son and a group of proxy companies across Asia, Europe and the Middle East for trying to help Moscow obtain more weapons for its nearly year-long fight.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled sanctions against Russian arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, his son Jonatan and companies connected to “the Zimenkov network” in Singapore, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Israel, among other countries.

“Russia’s desperate attempts to utilize proxies to circumvent U.S. sanctions demonstrate that sanctions have made it much harder and costlier for Russia’s military-industrial complex to resupply Putin’s war machine,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

SEE ALSO:

US Sanctions Russian Arms Dealer, Proxy Companies Linked to War in Ukraine

The Treasury named 22 people and organizations it said were linked to the sanctions evasion network supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex. Over the last year, Treasury said it had sanctioned more than 100 people and entities engaging in activities to circumvent international sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia.

The blacklisting blocks any U.S. accounts they may own and prohibits them from doing business in the United States and with Americans.

“Targeting proxies is one of many steps that Treasury and our coalition of partners have taken, and continue to take, to tighten sanctions enforcement against Russia’s defense sector, its benefactors, and its supporters,” Adeyemo said.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

Source: VOA

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The European Union proposed a new round of Russian sanctions on Wednesday, while NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels discussed bolstering defense spending and arms production as they pledge ongoing support for Ukrainian forces.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the sanctions package includes a ban on exports of industrial goods and tech products to Russia, saying the measures would deny Russian forces the components needed for their weapons systems.

The proposal also includes sanctions against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to its supply of Shahed drones that Russian forces have used to attack Ukrainian infrastructure sites.

Another piece targets Russian propagandists and military commanders.

Von der Leyen said Russian President Putin is “waging war in the public space with an army of propagandists and disinformation networks,” and that they are “spreading toxic lies to polarize our societies.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the start of the second of two days of defense ministerial talks that allies would examine ways to enhance defense industrial capacity.

Stoltenberg has stressed the need to provide Ukraine with more ammunition to keep up with its fight against Russian forces, and for allies to complete pledged deliveries of tanks and other heavy equipment.

Also Tuesday, the U.N. humanitarian affairs office and U.N. refugee agency launched a joint appeal for $5.6 billion to help those affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The agencies said the funds were needed to provide food, health care and other aid to those within Ukraine, as well as to help Ukrainian refugees and 10 host countries.

“Almost a year on, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement daily, and on a staggering scale,” U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

Source: VOA

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Josep Borrell, the EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Thursday in New York said that senior Taliban leadership does not agree with their Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada’s latest decisions restricting women and girls from education and work.  

In order to pressurize the Taliban regime, the existing difference among the Taliban leadership should be utilized, the civil society should be contacted, and the people of Afghanistan should be supported, Borrell said.  

The high-ranking European official believes that Hibatullah Akhundzada’s latest decrees restricting the rights of women and girls from work and education have caused differences among the Taliban leadership.

“Taliban senior leadership do not agree with the Supreme leader’s ideas on key matters, because they know that the implementation of such decrees would further isolate the country and cause new problems for the ruling regime. We have to utilize the intergroup differences,” Borrell said.

In the recent past, Bloomberg news channel had reported that the Taliban’s verdicts against women have intensified the differences among the Taliban leadership, and each group is trying to mobilize its supporters. The source said that Mullah Yaqoob, Defense Minister, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister oppose the decisions of the group’s leader.

Whereas, some Taliban leadership, including Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy Foreign Minister has rejected the inter-group issues among the Taliban senior leaders, and has said that they willingly accept the Supreme leader’s orders.

Borrell criticized the Taliban leadership in a biting tone in front of reports. “The Taliban Supreme leader believes that girls do not deserve to live as human beings in the world. Girls love to attend school and learn,” he said.

He further added, “we cannot cut off the cash aid to Afghanistan, aimed at meeting the basic requirements, because we do not want to punish the ordinary people of Afghanistan. However, the point is how to punish Afghanistan’s ruling regime, which would not affect the Afghan populace. Maintaining a balance between the two is difficult.”

Source: KP

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Niklasson made the remarks at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday.

The European Union’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, said that the EU is “not supporting armed resistance, neither politically, nor in other ways.”

Niklasson made the remarks at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday.

“Afghanistan has seen too much violence over the last four decades and now there is a chance to break the cycle of violence, but for this to happen, all Afghans must get a chance to engage in dialogue, express their views freely and see chances for themselves to have a voice about the direction in which the country is going,” he said.

Niklasson also expressed concerns about human rights violation in Afghanistan.

“During our visit, we have focused our discussion on the human rights, primarily on the rights of women and girls, notably the right to education, the right to work and participate in social and political life,” he said.

The deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi, said that the Islamic Emirate is organizing all affairs based on national interest and Islamic values.

“This is the wish of the majority of Afghans, so the foreigners should not have any concern in this regard,” Karimi said.

“To recognize the Islamic Emirate and to enhance the economic situation in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate should show flexibility and the world should also engage with the Islamic Emirate for the sake of the people of Afghanistan,” said Janat Fahim Chakari, a political analyst.

Niklasson said that he hopes a dialogue can take place inside Afghanistan, and he does not think “there is a need to exclude Afghans from outside.” 

Source:ToloNews

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European Union foreign ministers gathered Wednesday in Stockholm with a push to provide more ammunition to Ukrainian forces high on their agenda. 

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur advocated for EU countries to provide money to jointly procure ammunition for Ukraine, arguing that effort will boost the capacity of the industry and help EU security in the future. 

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US Ambassador to Estonia on Russian Threats, NATO Expansion

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that in addition to a joint effort to expand defense industry capacity, EU members should also in the short term provide ammunition quickly to Ukraine from their existing stocks. Borrell said sending what is available now could be accomplished in a matter of weeks. 

“The issue is how to provide the ammunition Ukraine needs to continue defending,” Borrell said. 

Ukraine has asked in particular for allies to provide more 155-millimeter artillery rounds. 

Bakhmut fighting 

The head of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries, Yevgeni Prighozin, said Wednesday its units had taken control of the eastern part of the city of Bakhmut. 

SEE ALSO:

US Attorney General Says He Would Not Object to Designating Wagner a Foreign Terrorist Organization

Russia has been trying to seize the city in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine for months. 

Prighozin said Wagner forces controlled all districts east of the Bakhmutka River, which would represent about half of the city. 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that seizing Bakhmut was important for launching further offensive operations in the region. 

SEE ALSO:

Russian Defense Chief Says Capturing Bakhmut Important for Wider Donbas Offensive 

Ukrainian leaders have said in recent days they intend to keep fighting in Bakhmut. 

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

Source: VOA

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The Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday announced that the European Commission has removed Pakistan from its “High Risk Third Countries” list, which poses significant threats to the European Union’s financial system.

In a statement, the ministry stated that Pakistan was added to the EU’s list in October 2018, which imposed undue regulatory burdens on “Obligated Entities” within the Union and created obstacles in legal and financial transactions with individuals and entities based in Pakistan.

It further added that EU member states’ “Obligated Entities” will no longer be required to apply “Enhanced Customer Due Diligence” while conducting transactions with individuals and legal entities established in Pakistan.

The entities include credit institutions, financial institutions, auditors, external accountants, tax advisors, notaries, independent legal professionals (acting on behalf of and for their client in any financial or real estate transaction), estate agents and individuals trading in goods.

“In line with last year’s FATF decision, the EU has decided to remove Pakistan from its list of countries with high risk regarding money laundering and financing of terrorism,” it said on Twitter.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted that EU authorities have removed Pakistan from the List of High Risk Third Countries which have strategic deficiencies in their AML/CFT regime.

“Pakistani businesses and individuals would no longer be subjected to enhanced customer due diligence by European legal and economic operators,” he added.

Federal Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, credited Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the “achievement” of Pakistan’s removal from the EU’s list in her response to the news.

“The good news in the current scenario is that the European Union has removed Pakistan from the list of high-risk countries. After this important development, exporters and traders will not face hurdles. The credit for this diplomatic success goes to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.” she said.

Rehman said Pakistan was included in the EU list of high-risk countries in 2018, which caused damage to Pakistan’s economy, exporters, and traders.

What does it mean to be on the list?

According to the EU website, the placement of countries on the list is meant to identify jurisdictions which have strategic deficiencies in their national AML/CFT regimes which pose significant threats to the financial system of the Union and hence the proper functioning of the internal market.

When a country is added to the list, it means that the EU believes that there are significant weaknesses in that country’s legal and regulatory systems for preventing financial crime and terrorist financing.

Once a country is added to the EU high-risk third countries list, certain additional measures are applied to financial transactions involving that country. These measures are designed to mitigate the risks posed by the deficiencies in the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks.

The specific measures that are applied may include increased customer due diligence requirements, enhanced monitoring of transactions, and restrictions or prohibitions on certain types of financial transactions.

In November last year, the United Kingdom also removed Pakistan from its ‘high-risk third countries’ list through a statutory instrument, effectively meaning that the country recognised Pakistan’s efforts to improve money laundering and terror financing curbs.

Source: DAWN

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Brussels on Tuesday asked EU member states to provide 50 billion euros ($55 billion) more to support Ukraine over the next four years, as part of a boost to the bloc’s budget. 

World NewsAgence France-PresseUpdated: June 20, 2023 6:15 pm IST

Brussels: Brussels on Tuesday asked EU member states to provide 50 billion euros ($55 billion) more to support Ukraine over the next four years, as part of a boost to the bloc’s budget.

“This financial reserve will allow us really to calibrate our financial support according to the evolution of the situation on the ground,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

The proposal from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is aimed at helping prop up Kyiv’s finances and covering immediate reconstruction costs caused by Russia’s war.

The money, a combination of grants, loans, is part of the review to plug gaps in the EU’s budget for the period 2024-2027 left by the fallout of Covid pandemic and the conflict.

It represents less each year than the 18 billion euros the EU has committed towards Ukraine government expenditures in 2023.

Overall, the EU has already committed 30 billion euros from its budget to support the country since Russia’s all-out invasion in February 2022.

The money for Ukraine is expected to be dependent on reforms to strengthen its judiciary and tackle corruption that are intended to spur Kyiv along the path to joining the EU.

The proposal comes ahead of a major donor conference in London this week on paying for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

The World Bank in March estimated Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction costs at over 380 billion euros.

As part of its budget review, Brussels is also asking for 15 billion euros more to help deal with immigration and 10 billion euros to subsidise key industries.

But the demands for a fresh injection of money will face some serious headwinds from EU countries still grappling with the consequences of the pandemic and war.

All 27 member countries have to agree to increasing the budget.

“We are fully aware of the fact that member states were also hit by the crises and after years of large public support to their economies it is now time for them for consolidating,” von der Leyen said.

We come today with a very targeted and limited proposal for the absolute must.”

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Europe is one of the main sources of aid to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories 

ReutersOctober 10, 2023

The European Union backtracked in disarray on Monday on an announcement that aid to Palestinians had been suspended in response to the attack on Israel by Hamas after EU countries complained the bloc’s executive had overstepped the mark.

The confusion began after Oliver Varhelyi, the top official for relations with the EU’s neighbours, said the European Commission was putting all its development aid for Palestinians, worth 691 million euros ($729 million), under review.

In a post on social media site X, Varhelyi – a Hungarian who is European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement – also said all payments were “immediately suspended”.

Varhelyi was nominated for his post by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a staunch ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The announcement prompted consternation among multiple governments, who had warned against cutting off aid to the detriment of Palestinian civilians and questioned whether the Commission had the authority to take such a decision.

The move also came as a surprise as officials had said earlier in the day that aid to Palestinians would be discussed at an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday.

Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland publicly voiced alarm while other countries did so behind the scenes, diplomats said.

“Our understanding is that there is no legal basis for a unilateral decision of this kind by an individual Commissioner and we do not support a suspension of aid,” a spokesperson for Ireland’s foreign ministry said.

More than five hours after Varhelyi’s social media post, the Commission issued a statement confirming it had started an urgent aid review but also declaring that “as there were no payments foreseen, there will be no suspension of payments”.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell then sowed further confusion when he said the EU would not suspend “due payments” – right after the Commission had said no payments were foreseen.

The Commission declined to explain the discrepancy. But it clarified that humanitarian aid – which is separate to funds for development – would continue.

It said it was carrying out the review to “ensure that no EU funding indirectly enables any terrorist organization to carry out attacks against Israel”.

Hamas militants killed some 900 Israelis and abducted dozens in the deadliest such incursion since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago, prompting Israel to retaliate with its heaviest ever bombardment of Gaza, which has killed more than 680 people.

LONGSTANDING DIVISIONS

The EU’s disarray reflected longstanding divisions within the 27-strong bloc over the Israel-Palestinian conflict, even as its members united to condemn Saturday’s attack.

Germany and Austria said earlier on Monday they were suspending their development aid to Palestinians, while others such as Italy said suspending their aid was not up for discussion.

Europe is one of the main sources of aid to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories where the United Nations estimates that around 2.1 million people need humanitarian assistance, among them 1 million children.

Total EU assistance earmarked for the Palestinian people under the 2022 budget allocation was 296 million euros.

Neither the EU Commission, Germany or Austria differentiated between Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, and the much larger West Bank run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement is a rival to Hamas.

In Germany, Development Minister Svenja Schulze of the Social Democrats said no payments were currently being made for bilateral aid projects as Berlin re-examined its engagement with the Palestinian territories.

“This is also an expression of our unbreakable solidarity with Israel,” she told a news conference.

Germany’s development ministry has earmarked 250 million euros in development funds for bilateral projects in the Palestinian territories for this and next year. It did not say how much of that it had already disbursed this year.

German politicians have in recent days emphasised their country’s duty towards Israel and its security given the historic responsibility for the Holocaust. The Israeli flag was projected on Saturday night onto Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate.

Still, some politicians have pushed back against the decision to suspend aid, saying Hamas but not all Palestinians were responsible for the attack.

Moreover a spokesperson for the Greens-run foreign ministry said it would continue to disburse the 73 million euros it had earmarked for Palestinians – which were separate to the development ministry funds, and most of which had already been spent.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the country was suspending development aid totalling around 19 million euros ($20 million) for a handful of projects.

Neutral Austria’s ruling conservatives have adopted one of the most pro-Israel stances in the European Union in recent years. The Israeli flag has been hoisted above the chancellor’s office and the Foreign Ministry after the shock Hamas assault.

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LONDON — French President Emmanuel Macron said he would help to build a “humanitarian coalition” to offer support to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, following a two-day summit of European Union leaders in Brussels that wrapped up Friday.

“We are going to build a humanitarian coalition with several European countries, particularly Cyprus, which will serve as a base for the humanitarian sea corridor,” Macron told reporters.

Helicopter carrier

France announced on Thursday it was deploying a helicopter carrier to support hospitals in Gaza.

Macron reiterated calls for Israel to protect civilian lives as it targets Hamas fighters in Gaza after the militant group staged a cross-border attack October 7, killing more than 1,400 Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Palestinian health officials said more than 7,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the latest fighting began, including thousands of children. More than 600,000 people have been made homeless.

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“We consider that in the case of a total blockade or indiscriminate shelling — or worse, a massive ground operation — it is not possible to offer the required protection to the civilian population,” Macron said. “We think that a humanitarian pause would now be useful in order to protect people on the ground who have been victims of shelling.”

Macron earlier suggested that the international coalition of nations that came together to fight the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria could help Israel tackle Hamas militants.

EU statement

In a statement issued following the summit, EU leaders called for humanitarian “corridors and pauses” to help bring in relief for the population of Gaza.

“Hamas has provoked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. For the Commission, it is very important that we continue to intensify our efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The aid needs to reach Gaza unhindered and quickly,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference Thursday.

EU divisions

Europe has backed Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law, but analysts say the conflict has exposed internal divisions in the bloc.

“We’ve got some sort of agreement. It does paper over the cracks,” said Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Center for European Reform.

“It took them some time to agree on the eventual formula. They seem to have spent a long time arguing about whether there should be a ‘pause’ for humanitarian purposes, or ‘pauses.’ A lot of people apparently thought that the former sounded a bit too close to a ceasefire, which they didn’t want to call for,” Bond said.

Peace conference

The EU called for renewed focus on a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. The bloc also proposed that an international peace conference should take place as soon as possible.

Israel shows little willingness to pause its bombardment of Hamas targets, and the EU’s statement is unlikely to have a big impact, Bond said.

“The reality in any case is that the EU’s influence over Israel in particular has been quite limited for quite a long time, particularly under the [Israeli] Netanyahu government. He is clearly not a fan of the EU, and so I’m not sure that he will have been all that interested in whether they called for ‘a pause’ or ‘pauses,’ ” Bond said.

Ukraine aid

The European Union also discussed a further four-year, $53 billion support package for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion, although final agreement on the details is not expected until December.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a longtime critic of Western assistance to Ukraine, said he was seeking stronger justification for the aid proposal before he could agree to it. Orban met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week in Moscow, prompting widespread criticism from Western allies. Meanwhile, the newly elected Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico cited corruption concerns in Ukraine.

Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar criticized both their positions. “If we don’t stop Putin in Ukraine, he won’t stop there. So, it is a threat to all of us,” he said.

Most EU states strongly support the continuation of military and financial assistance to Kyiv, Bond said. “I wouldn’t exaggerate the divisions in the EU. Orban says a lot publicly, but he tends not to block consensus in the European Council on assistance to Ukraine.

“Most member states are still firmly behind Ukraine, firmly behind aid for Ukraine and supportive of Ukraine’s ambitions to become a member of the European Union and to start accession negotiations, probably in the new year,” Bond told VOA.

Gaza distraction

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU would not be distracted in its support for Ukraine by the conflict in the Middle East.

“In my last contact with [Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy], a telephone conversation I had with him, I assured that our support for Ukraine will not diminish and will not be affected by the fact that we now have this bitter new problem created by the terrible, brutal attack by Hamas on Israel and many citizens there,” Scholz said at a press conference Friday.

Source: VOA

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Some women’s rights activists asked the international community to take action to remove restrictions against women in Afghanistan.

In a meeting in Brussels, Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, spoke about the existence of gender discrimination after the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.

Borrell Fontelles said that discrimination in Afghanistan is not based on skin color but based on gender.

“Who remembers what is happening in Kabul? Afghanistan has disappeared from the media, in Afghanistan you have gender apartheid, I think it is a good way to call what is happening there gender apartheid, not by the color of the skin but by gender, women and girls are deprived from going to going to schools and an awful dictatorship is ruling the country,” said Josep Borrell Fontelles.

However, the Islamic Emirate has previously denied the existence of gender discrimination in the country and said that the rights of all citizens, especially women, are protected within the framework of Islamic Sharia.

Some women’s rights activists asked the international community to take action to remove restrictions against women in Afghanistan.

“If we look at the situation of Afghan women in the last forty years, Afghan women have become victims as a result of wars and failed policies,” said Dewa Patang, a women’s rights activist.

“Work and education are the rights of every human being. Taliban should give Afghan women and girls the right to work and study like in other Islamic countries. The restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls are not even included in the Islam Law,” said Lemia Sherzai, a women’s rights activist.

Meanwhile, there have been many concerns about the situation of women in the country during the two years since the takeover of the Islamic Emirate, but in response to these concerns, the Islamic Emirate said that the rights of all citizens, especially women, have been given to them within the framework of Islamic Sharia.

source: ToloNews

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