Zelensky arrives in Albania for European Political Community summit
The sixth meeting of the European Political Community will focus on Europe's security, including Russia's ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine, among other topics.
The summit comes as Ukrainian and Russian delegations are expected to hold talks in Istanbul for the first time since 2022. Turkish and U.S. officials will also reportedly join the series of discussions.
Zelensky's visit follows his trip to Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Although a face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin was anticipated in Istanbul, Putin instead sent a delegation led by his aide, Vladimir Medinsky.
Kyiv and its partners have urged Moscow to adopt an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as the first step toward a broader peace deal, a move that Russia continues to reject.
Read also: 'It's a mess' — after all the hype, Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul descend into name-calling shambles
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Putin, Who Can Now Be Arrested In 125 Nations, Curtails Global Travel
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, have issued an arrest ... More warrant for Vladimir Putin for war crimes committed during his invasion of democratic Ukraine. (Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) As he blitzed Ukraine's cities, cathedrals and citizens with Moscow's missiles and kamikaze drones, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin pined to take a summertime jaunt to the seaside paradise Rio de Janeiro. Although Russia's commander-in-chief flies exclusively aboard his specially appointed Ilyushin Il-96 jet, usually with fighter escorts, he was apprehensive he might not catch the return flight from the Brazilian resort. Putin wanted to join a Rio summit with leaders of emerging BRICS economies, but there was a catch: he might be arrested and extradited to The Hague to stand trial for war crimes. The International Criminal Court has already issued a warrant for Putin's arrest and Brazil, as a member of the court, has an international obligation to detain anyone wanted by the ICC who steps onto Brazilian territory. Kremlin commissars pressured Brazil's president to guarantee Putin would not be detained, by command of the ICC, during the July gathering. But President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wavered, then ultimately declined to extend a shield of immunity, says Peter Dickinson, a pre-eminent scholar at the Atlantic Council, one of Washington's foremost internationalist think tanks. Putin wanted to join a July summit with leaders of emerging BRICS economies in Rio de Janeiro, ... More Brazil, but cancelled that trip for fear of being arrested at the behest of the International Criminal Court. (Photo by) The ICC has charged Putin with ordering the abduction of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, who have also been brainwashed with pro-Russia propaganda after being whisked away, across Ukraine's borders, Dickinson tells me in an interview. These mass kidnappings are likely to be ruled a form of genocide prohibited under the UN's Genocide Convention, says Dickinson, who oversees the Atlantic Council's publication UkraineAlert—chronicles of the Ukraine war and the global powers contending to protect or destroy the embattled democracy. Although Vladimir Putin projects the image of an all-powerful ruler who heads an expanding empire—at least to his captive audience inside Russia—his movements across the world stage have become increasingly shackled since he despatched his tanks and troops to take over liberal, pro-European Ukraine in 2022. As his cruise missiles began bombarding modern Ukrainian medical centers and ancient World Heritage cultural outposts, the European Union, Britain, Switzerland, Canada and the United States swiftly closed off their airspace to all Russian-registered aircraft. After Kremlin combat jets began striking cathedrals and hospitals across Ukraine, the EU, Britain, ... More Canada and the U.S. closed off their airspace to all Russian-registered aircraft (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images) These days, the ban on Putin's travel to ICC states stretches across 125 countries: 19 in the Asia-Pacific, 28 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 33 in Africa, and 45 in Europe. The Kremlin's fury at these exclusion zones erupted two years ago, on the eve of another BRICS summit, this time in South Africa, Dickinson says. Determined to crash the conclave, Putin's lieutenants threatened South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that any move to detain Putin during the gathering would be treated as an act of war, he adds. This bombshell revelation only came to light because President Ramaphosa sketched out the threats in what he believed would be permanently sealed testimony to the High Court in Pretoria. 'Russia has made it clear that arresting its sitting president would be a declaration of war,' the South African head of state declared in an affidavit. 'It would be inconsistent with our Constitution to risk engaging in war with Russia.' Despite Ramaphosa's protest, the court released his statement, allowing the world to catch a fleeting glimpse of Putin's weaponized diplomacy toward even friendly or neutral nations. As this intercontinental clash sent shock waves around the world, the Russian leadership abandoned Putin's quest to storm the summit. The Kremlin's courtiers likely de-escalated Putin's later demands to join the Brazilian BRICS bash, Dickinson tells me. 'I doubt they'd have been quite as blunt as they were with the South Africans in 2023.' 'They learned that making blood-curdling threats tends to result in negative publicity while making Russia look weak.' When unveiling the demand for Putin's arrest for war crimes, the leaders of the International Criminal Court stated they initially considered keeping the international warrant 'secret in order to protect victims and witnesses and also to safeguard the investigation.' But 'mindful that the conduct addressed in the present situation is allegedly ongoing, and that the public awareness of the warrants may contribute to the prevention of the further commission of crimes,' they explained, it was in 'the interests of justice … to publicly disclose the existence of the warrants, the name of the suspects, the crimes for which the warrants are issued.' Activists from U.S.-based NGO avaaz light candles beside teddy bears in Brussels to shine a ... More spotlight on Ukrainian children - ranging from 4 months to 17 years old that have been kidnapped, with many placed in Russian re-education camps. Putin faces war crimes charges for leading these abductions. (Photo by) Since then, the Netherlands-based court has also sketched out war crimes accusations against former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, along with air force and navy commanders, who have co-led mass attacks on civilians across Ukraine. The ICC warrant for Putin, who aims to recreate the Russian Soviet Union—just as Adolf Hitler sought to regenerate and expand imperial Germany, Dickinson says, 'is a constant reminder that he faces war crimes charges for the invasion of Ukraine.' And just as Hitler razed synagogues and chapels—and opened fire on clergy and congregants—across Europe, Putin has stepped up his missile strikes on houses of worship, their acolytes and their followers throughout Ukraine, despite the war crimes charges hanging over his head like a colossal Sword of Damocles. On Palm Sunday—one of the most venerated days in the Christian calendar—the Kremlin targeted church-goers across the Ukrainian city Sumy with ballistic missiles and cluster bombs that blew up the holiday. Three weeks ago, Moscow struck again, this time with squadrons of armed drones that hit the thousand-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a World Heritage wonder with golden domes and irreplaceable icons. In another likely war crime, Moscow recently despatched squadrons of armed drones that hit the ... More thousand-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a World Heritage wonder with golden domes. AFP PHOTO/ SERGEI SUPINSKY (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images) UNESCO scholars say the Saint Sophia site 'represents a masterpiece of human creative genius in both its architectural conception and its remarkable decoration.' The cathedral 'is a unique monument of architecture and monumental art of the early 11th century,' they add, 'having the biggest preserved collection of mosaics and frescoes of that period.' Father Ihor Makar, a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, told Vatican News—the pope's official news platform—that Russia has launched lethal drone attacks in Ukraine across the holiest days of the year. Father Makar said while he was driving to a mass to celebrate the Epiphany this year, with a group of seminary students, his car was specifically targeted by Russian drone pilots, with a blast that ripped through the vehicle. 'The explosion caused by the strike shattered the car windows, piercing the doors and wheels,' Vatican News reported. The priest survived, but had to be rushed to the hospital to have shrapnel from the bomb removed from his body. "Living here is really dangerous,' Father Makar said, but added his supreme goal as a priest remains protecting his embattled parishioners. There is little doubt that all these assaults on treasured religious sanctuaries and their worshippers will spark more war crimes charges against Moscow's military and political rulers. Yet so far, Putin remains defiant, escalating his aerial bombardments of Ukrainian cultural and spiritual havens despite the recriminations of the International Criminal Court. Yet in a sense, Putin is already imprisoned. Between the bans on Russian flights through European and North American airspace and his susceptibility to being handcuffed and extradited by more than half the world's nations—those that have joined the ICC— Putin's world, and his freedom of movement, are shrinking. 'Putin is very careful where he goes these days,' says scholar Peter Dickinson, who was initially stationed in Ukraine two decades ago as an officer of the British Council. Unless they provide iron-clad shields of immunity from arrest, Dickinson says, the Kremlin commander 'does not travel to countries that are members of the ICC.' 'He also does not appear keen to embark on long journeys that could put him at risk of any unscheduled stops in ICC member countries,' he adds. Any aircraft emergency that forced Putin's Ilyushin Il-96 to land in Brussels or London, Rome or Paris, Stockholm, Tokyo or Sydney, could see him bundled off to a connecting flight to The Hague - a one-way trip that could see him forever estranged from Moscow and the halls of power in the Kremlin. And once in the dock at the International Criminal Court, its prosecutors could swiftly add a new roll of war crimes charges against Putin stemming from Russia's systematic attacks on Ukraine's centuries-old cathedrals and their painted and sculpted icons. Ukraine's Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary lies in ruins after being shelled by ... More Russian forces. The ICC regards religious outposts as "specially protected buildings" whose destruction is investigated as a war crime (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images) 'The Rome Statute [establishing the ICC] confers upon the Court jurisdiction over crimes against or affecting cultural heritage, complementing international law governing the protection of cultural heritage and associated human rights,' say ICC jurists. Like the judges of the pathbreaking International Military Tribunals at Nuremberg, they add, their modern-day counterparts at the ICC regard religious sites as 'specially protected buildings' whose intentional destruction amounts to a war crime.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine says it struck a Russian air base as Moscow sent hundreds of drones into Kyiv
Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Ukraine's military General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the home base of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets. Writing on Facebook, the General Staff said it hit a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft.' Russian officials did not immediately comment on the attack. Such attacks on Russian air bases aim to dent Russia's military capability and demonstrate Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets in Russia. Last month, Ukraine said it destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several airfields deep in Russia's territory in a surprise drone attack. Russia fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said. Of these, 157 were shot down and 135 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. According to the air force, Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi region was the main target of the attack. Regional Gov. Serhii Tyurin said Saturday that no damage, injuries or deaths had been reported. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukraine. Waves of drones and missiles targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. On Saturday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the number of people killed in the assault had increased to two. A further 31 people were wounded. The fresh wave of attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he had a 'very important and productive' phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders discussed how Ukrainian air defenses might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader US-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelensky. Asked Friday night by reporters about the call, Trump said, 'We had a very good call, I think.' When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, Trump said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelensky says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, along with 45 further drones Saturday morning and early afternoon. No casualties were reported, but local officials in the Saratov region said 25 apartments were damaged by Ukrainian drones in the city of Engels. Four Ukrainian drones were shot down while approaching Moscow on Saturday, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Air traffic was briefly halted as a precaution at one of Moscow's airports, Sheremetyevo, Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zelensky: Ukraine agrees deals for 'hundreds of thousands' of drones
Ukraine has concluded deals with European partners and a US defence company to step up the production of drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday. Zelensky said Kiev has "reached an agreement with one of the leading American companies to significantly increase our joint efforts" on drones, which have become central to Ukrainian defence efforts against Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. In his video message, posted on X, Zelensky said the cooperation will ensure Ukraine receives "hundreds of thousands of additional drones" this year, with many more in the following year. In addition, Kiev has signed an agreement with Denmark to co-produce weapons in the Scandinavian country. "Joint work on the territory of Denmark, and soon in other key partner countries, is allowing us to scale up even more," said Zelensky. "This applies to drones and many other types of urgently needed weapons." The Ukrainian leader promised to carry out further attacks on military sites deep inside Russian territory, listing a number of recent successes hitting targets such as defence companies, airbases and oil refineries. Russian authorities reported numerous Ukrainian drone attacks across the country on Saturday, including on the city of Voronezh, causing a massive disruption to passenger air traffic in the middle of the Russian summer holidays. Meanwhile, Zelensky offered further details on his conversation with US President Donald Trump on Friday. "It was probably the best conversation I've had in a long time, the most productive," Zelensky said in the video. Ukraine is also "actively working with Germany to speed up decisions on air defence," he added.
