Latest news with #territorialintegrity


Russia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Western European leaders dragging continent toward war with Russia
Western European leaders have forgotten the lessons of history and are once again steering the continent toward direct military confrontation with Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned. During a press conference following ASEAN events on Friday, he pointed to recent actions and rhetoric coming from Berlin, Paris, and London as evidence that European leaders are taking an increasingly aggressive stance toward Moscow. Lavrov pointed to a public exchange in which French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was asked why Paris continues to support the Nazi regime in Kiev. The Russian diplomat questioned the sincerity of Barrot's 'hysterical' response, in which he insisted France was defending 'the territorial integrity of Ukraine.' 'They have forgotten the conclusions that all of humanity once drew from those lessons. And, essentially, they are once again trying to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia,' Lavrov stated. Kiev's push for territorial control serves only to 'suppress the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population and to physically eliminate those who oppose' the post-coup regime, according to Russia's top that territorial integrity is the sole motive amount to 'self-incrimination,' he added. Moscow has sounded the alarm over the resurgence of Nazi ideology and suppression of Russian culture in Ukraine for years, listing 'denazification' as one of the key goals in the conflict. Lavrov also addressed remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Germany must once again become Europe's leading military power. 'He didn't even choke on the word 'again,'' Lavrov noted. If Merz now believes peaceful solutions are exhausted, he has effectively dedicated himself to the militarization of Germany at the expense of its own people, Lavrov argued, calling such a stance 'complete nonsense.' Moscow has warned that Berlin's stance could lead to a new armed conflict with Moscow decades after the end of World War II. The Kremlin maintains that Russia prefers a peaceful solution to the conflict but warned that conditions on the ground are rapidly evolving while Kiev balks at a third round of direct negotiations. Moscow has condemned the EU's growing militarization, which has stirred divisions within the bloc, while describing its weapons deliveries to Kiev as part of a NATO-led proxy war. Lavrov said Moscow will take Europe's militarization 'into account in all areas of our strategic planning.'


Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Philippines' Marcos Set to Visit US in a ‘Few Days,' Rubio Says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is scheduled to visit Washington soon as he underlined the strong ties between the two nations along with Japan. 'We have a great relationship with Japan and the Philippines, and work very closely with them on the economic corridor, on maritime security and territorial integrity,' Rubio told reporters on Thursday after meeting representatives from the two countries at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' summit in Malaysia.


NHK
11-06-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Polls: 82% of Ukrainians 'categorically against' Russian peace plan
Recent public opinion polls show most Ukrainians are strongly opposed to accepting Russia's peace plan. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology has published the results of surveys conducted in May and June. One survey conducted from May 2 to 12 asked about the Russian peace plan putting some of Ukraine's eastern and southern regions under Russian control. Some 82 percent of respondents said they are "categorically against" the plan. Only 10 percent said they are "ready to accept" it. Another survey conducted from May 15 to June 3 found that 52 percent agreed with the statement, "Under no circumstances should Ukraine give up any of its territories" to Russia. A total of 38 percent chose the statement, "In order to achieve peace as soon as possible and preserve independence, Ukraine may give up some of its territories." The institute said, "Ukrainians want peace." It added that they "are ready for difficult discussions and compromises," but "reject demands for surrender." Editorial Note: An earlier version of this story said the two surveys were conducted from May 15 to June 3. But they were conducted in different periods. One of the surveys asked about the Russian peace plan, not the memorandum presented by Russia on June 2.


Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Venezuela stages elections for a disputed part of neighboring Guyana
Venezuela's autocratic president, Nicolás Maduro, on Sunday staged regional elections across the country — and, controversially, to elect a governor and legislators to represent a disputed oil-rich region internationally recognized as a part of neighboring Guyana. The U.S. State Department called Maduro's bid to elect regional representatives for El Esequibo — a 61,000-square-mile region that makes up almost three-quarters of Guyana's territory — a 'sham.' In a social media post Sunday, the department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said it was an attempt to 'undermine Guyana's territorial integrity.'


Russia Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky reaffirms stance on new Russian borders
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has ruled out making any territorial concessions to Russia, following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday. Moscow has previously said that returning the new Russian regions of Kherson, Zaporozhye and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics is not up for discussion. 'The Crimean peninsula is Ukrainian, and it always will be,' Zelensky said, adding that the same applies to other territories claimed by Ukraine. 'We cannot discuss territorial issues – that would violate our Constitution.' Crimea, which is populated predominantly by ethnic Russians, voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia shortly after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. The largely Russian-speaking Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, along with the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, did the same after holding referendums in September 2022. US President Donald Trump told Time magazine last month that 'Crimea will stay with Russia,' claiming that Zelensky understood this as well. According to reports, Trump's proposed peace plan includes freezing the conflict along the current front line and recognizing Russian sovereignty over the peninsula. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron, who took part in talks with Zelensky in Kiev on May 10, said, 'Even Ukrainians themselves have the lucidity to acknowledge… that they will not have the capacity to reclaim everything that has been taken [by Russia] since 2014.' At the end of April, Zelensky confirmed that 'Ukraine does not have enough weapons to regain control of the Crimean peninsula by force.' He expressed hope that continued sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Russia could create conditions for future discussions on 'territorial issues.' Moscow and Kiev have both sent delegations to Türkiye after Russian President Vladimir Putin last week offered to resume direct dialogue to find a lasting settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Zelensky initially rejected talks unless Moscow agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. However, he shifted his stance after US President Donald Trump publicly urged Kiev to engage. The Kremlin has repeatedly argued that any long pause would be used by Ukraine to regroup its battered forces and continue its mobilization campaign.