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France 24
39 minutes ago
- France 24
Zelensky meets US envoy on sidelines of Rome summit on rebuilding Ukraine
Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defence, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the US commitment to Kyiv's defence. Premier Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were opening the meeting Thursday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine, firing a record number of drones across 10 regions this week. Italian organisers said 100 official delegations were attending and 40 international organisations and development banks. But there are also 2,000 businesses, civil society and local Ukrainian governments sending representatives to participate in a trade fair, complete with booths, on the grounds of the ministerial-level meeting at Rome's funky new 'Cloud' conference center in the Fascist-era EUR neighborhood. The aim of the conference is to pair international investors with Ukrainian counterparts to meet, talk and hammer out joint partnerships in hopes of not just rebuilding Ukraine but modernising it and helping it achieve the necessary reforms for admission into the European Union. Already on the eve of the meeting, Italy announced several initiatives: The justice ministry said it would be signing a memorandum of understanding on penitentiary co-operation with Kyiv on Thursday, while the foreign ministry announced a deal to build a new pavilion for the Odesa children's hospital and provide medical equipment for it, via 30 million euros of credit. 'It could feel a bit counterintuitive to start speaking about reconstruction when there is a war raging and nearly daily attacks on civilians, but it's not. It's actually an urgent priority,' said Eleonora Tafuro Ambrosetti, senior research fellow at the Rome-based Institute for Studies of International Politics, or ISPI. It's the fourth such recovery conference on Ukraine's recovery, with earlier editions in Lugano, Switzerland in 2022, London in 2023 and Berlin last year. The Berlin conference elaborated four main pillars that are continuing in Rome to focus on business, human capital, local and regional issues, and the necessary reforms for EU admission. 'It's basically a platform where a lot of businesses, European businesses and Ukrainian businesses, meet up and network, where you can actually see this public-private partnership in action, because obviously public money is not enough to undertake this gigantic effort of restructuring a country,' said Ambrosetti. The World Bank Group, European Commission and the United Nations have estimated that Ukraine's recovery after more than three years of war will cost $524 billion (€506 billion) over the next decade. 02:34 Alexander Temerko, a Ukrainian-British businessman and former defence minister under Boris Yeltsin, said the Rome conference was different from its predecessors because it is focused on specific industries and issues, not just vague talk about the need to rebuild. The programme includes practical workshops on such topics as 'de-risking' investment, and panel discussions on investing in Ukraine's rare earth minerals, pharmaceutical and domestic defence industries. 'This is the first conference which is considering particularly projects in the energy sector, the mining sector, the metallurgical sector, the infrastructure sector, the transport sector, which need to be restored in Ukraine and during the war especially,' he said. 'That is the special particularity of this conference.' The former US special representative for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker, said Meloni could make the conference a success if she endorses a co-ordinating agency to provide follow-up that would give 'focused political leadership" behind Ukraine's recovery. 'If there is a sustainable ceasefire, Ukraine can be expected to experience double-digit economic growth. And yet a high-level focus on economic development is still lacking,' Volker wrote for the Center for European Policy Analysis. In addition to Meloni and Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, as well as economy and or foreign ministers from other European countries are coming. French President Emmanuel Macron remained in Britain with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but they and several of the participants of the Rome conference will participate in a videoconference call Thursday of the 'coalition of the willing", those countries willing to deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, was in Rome and met with Zelensky on Thursday. The success of the coalition's operation hinges on US backup with airpower or other military assistance, but the Trump administration has made no public commitment to provide support. And even current US military support to Ukraine is in question. Trump said Monday that the US would have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after Washington paused critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv amid uncertainty over the US administration's commitment to Ukraine's defence. Trump's announcement came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week – a move that he felt wasn't properly co-ordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
EU delegation ejected from Libya after diplomatic 'trap', source says
Military leader Khalifa Haftar — who holds de facto power in large parts of eastern Libya — orchestrated a meeting on Tuesday as a means of "trapping" an EU delegation into recognising the legitimacy of the Benghazi-led Libyan administration, a source familiar with the issue told Euronews. The delegation was declared "personae non gratae" and asked to depart Libyan territory upon arrival at the airport of Benghazi. The mission travelled to eastern Libya after meeting in Tripoli with representatives of the Government of National Unity (GNU) — the internationally recognised executive led by Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, which controls Tripoli and western Libya. The parties had reportedly discussed joint patrols and repatriation strategies to counter illegal migration. The delegation then journeyed to Benghazi to meet with the Government of National Stability (GNS), which controls the city of Benghazi and eastern Libya. In reality, however, real power lies with the military rule of Khalifa Haftar. The group — which included European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner — intended to meet with Benghazi authorities to discuss strategies to stop the departure of migrants to European shores. Their journey, however, was limited to Benghazi airport, where Prime Minister Osama Saad Hammad and two GNS ministers were waiting for the EU mission, with photographers and cameras in tow. The seemingly routine reception carried the risk of portraying EU officials alongside representatives of an officially unrecognised government — effectively, at least in the media, a de facto recognition of the GNS. The EU delegation's objections led first to negotiations, but ultimately to the expulsion of the officials, who were declared personae non gratae. The Libyan government then issued a communiqué accusing them of carrying out an "unauthorised" mission and of "disrespecting Libyan national sovereignty." The Italian government described the situation as a misunderstanding of protocol. In an interview with Italian broadcaster RAI, Interior Minister Piantedosi attributed the cancellation of the meeting "at the last minute' to 'resentment on the Libyan side over the overzealousness of some European delegation officials.' He downplayed the incident, calling it a 'serious episode' but insisting it did not undermine cooperation with Benghazi authorities. Brunner and EU ministers proposed a condition for the meeting A source familiar with the incident told Euronews however that it had been clearly agreed by the delegation that "only Haftar's people — meaning the military — would be present" at the meeting. The idea of other political personnel attending 'had been discussed only hypothetically and was to be addressed later, if necessary', according to the source. As previously reported by Italian and international media, Italy's Special Envoy to Libya Nicola Orlando was instructed to disembark first and politely asked that no photos be taken, due to the potential diplomatic implications. Once clearance was given, the EU delegation disembarked and was escorted to a waiting room — though apparently, unpublished photos and video footage were already being taken. When pressed for an explanation, the Libyan organiser of the visit reportedly replied by phone: 'This is the Benghazi government, you have to accept it.' According to the Brussels source, the Libyan side made clear that 'in the meeting with Haftar, the government and the prime minister will also be present.' Commissioner Brunner and the EU ministers attempted to resolve the situation, according to the source, by proposing a meeting with GNS representatives, on the condition that the talks be officially framed as involving only Haftar and his military associates. Despite repeated efforts by the European side, the Libyans refused, insisting: 'We are the government.' The source concluded: 'It was obviously a trap.' Who is General Haftar and what are his plans for Libya? After the Libyan civil war and the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Haftar gradually expanded his influence through his Libyan National Army (LNA), eventually controlling much of Cyrenaica and Fezzan. After more than a decade of military clashes for control of Libya, the Benghazi-based government and the 81-year-old LNA leader have gained the upper hand over the Tripoli administration. The Tripoli government enjoys international backing, but it remains weakened by internal conflicts among allied militias. 'In recent weeks, there have been significant developments, and the eastern government has become emboldened. Now they have Russian weapons, so they are very powerful — and have a lot of money,' said another source familiar with the issue. 'This government is trying to assert itself and is using all forms of pressure,' the source added, citing migrant departures to Europe as an example. Their aim is to 'to push Tripoli aside and be the only government."
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Washington targets UN envoy on Palestinian territories
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