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- By Reuters
France Probes 'Malaise' Of Prominent Russian Journalist Who Staged Anti-War Protest
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into why an exiled Russian television journalist who staged a high-profile protest against the war in Ukraine was suddenly taken ill, a spokesperson for the Paris tribunal prosecutor's office said on October 12. Christophe Deloire, director-general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said Marina Ovsyannikova suffered what was described as a “malaise” outside her Paris apartment. Deloire said the possibility that Ovsyannikova had been poisoned had not been ruled out. Ovsyannikova gained international recognition last year when she interrupted a live Russian television news broadcast to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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European Military Chiefs Discuss Blueprint For Peacekeeping Force In Ukraine
The military chiefs of 30 European and NATO countries are meeting in Paris to discuss a blueprint for a potential peacekeeping mission to Ukraine after any negotiated cease-fire with Russia.
The closed-door meeting on March 11-13 comes as US and Ukrainian officials meet in Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at ending Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The Paris meeting brings together the chiefs of staff of all 30 of NATO’s European members as well as Ukrainian officials. But there is one notable absence: the United States.
European officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that US officials were not invited. Europe, the officials said, needs to show that it can take responsibility for the post-war security of the continent and Ukraine.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu suggested the Paris meeting will focus on how Europe could defend NATO’s eastern flank “if tomorrow the contributions of certain countries -- or one country in particular -- were to decrease.”
His comments at the start of the Paris meeting on March 11 were a reference to US President Donald Trump’s embrace of Moscow and his suggestions that the European continent, which has been under the US security umbrella for decades, should fend for itself.
France and Britain are working to form a “coalition of the willing” made up of European countries that would defend and guarantee peace in Ukraine after a deal with Russia is reached.
The meeting of military chiefs in Paris is aimed at seeing what other allies can contribute to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine -- in terms of boots on the ground and military hardware.
French President Emmanuel Macron told European leaders during a special summit in Brussels on March 6 that 500,000-800,000 soldiers would be needed to safeguard a potential cease-fire in Ukraine, several European officials told RFE/RL.
The bulk of such a force would be Ukrainian. But it would need to be bolstered by troops from European NATO members, experts said.
Who's Willing To Contribute?
Paris and London have both indicated that they are ready to provide troops. Germany is also likely to follow suit, although Italy and Poland appear more reluctant.
Many European countries are grappling with military as well as political considerations.
The defense ministers of France, Britain, Italy, and Poland are set to meet in Paris on March 12 to discuss a European peacekeeping force.
Even as European military chiefs draw up plans, the deployment of forces would have to be green-lighted by parliaments in various countries -- something that is far from assured.
Beyond internal European politics, there are also two other substantial obstacles for any future European force in Ukraine -- one Russian and one American.
So far, the Kremlin has flatly rejected the presence of any European military personnel in Ukraine. Even if Moscow would agree, many European countries have indicated that they would only send troops to Ukraine if there was an “American backstop.”
What exactly such a backstop would entail is still up for negotiations. But European officials have told RFE/RL that the United States is crucial for air defense, intelligence, and transportation.
“Europe alone cannot carry out large-scale military operations without American aid,” a European ambassador, speaking under condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL.
Top Romanian Court Upholds Ban On Nationalist Calin Georgescu Running For President
BUCHAREST -- Romania’s Constitutional Court has upheld the decision to bar populist Calin Georgescu from running in the May presidential election.
Georgescu is appealing the March 11 decision of the Central Election Board (BEC), which barred Georgescu from competing in the presidential election because his candidacy "does not meet the conditions provided by law."
The verdict was unanimous with nine judges out of nine rejecting the appeal.
Since earlier today, about 500 supporters of Georgescu have gathered outside Romania's parliament building, where the Constitutional Court is headquartered, as it met to consider its verdict.
The protesters were chanting slogans such as "Georgescu, President," "Down with dictatorship," and "We dont want to be led by thieves."
The BEC said it based its decision on a Constitutional Court ruling from December 2024 that cancelled the second round of the presidential election, where Georgescu was the frontrunner.
Georgescu, a nationalist who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, was a surprise winner of the first round of the presidential election in November 2024.
However, after the vote, Romanian intelligence said that foreign actors, most likely Russia, had manipulated social-media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit Georgescu.
Protests Outside Parliament
Georgescu’s appeal, filed with the Constitutional Court on March 10, argued that the BEC's decision is “manifestly illegal."
While protests in support of Georgescu on March 10 were quiet, the night before they turned violent, with more than a dozen police officers injured in scuffles with protesters.
Romania's nationalist and far-right forces are scrambling to find a replacement for Georgescu. Far-right parties made significant gains in the December parliamentary elections.
One of the proposed replacements is leader of the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, although he has said he is not planning to run.
AUR leader and Georgescu ally George Simion, who ranked fourth in the first round of the voided presidential election is one of the proposed replacements although he has said he does not want to run.
Romanian Society Split
Romanian society is deeply split over the annulling of the last presidential election and now the decision to bar Georgescu from running.
The decision of the Constitutional Court is final and cannot be appealed.
Laura Stefan, an expert at the ExpertForum think tank, said that the BEC had enough grounds to annul Georgescu's candidacy.
"In his particular case, I really think there are these legitimate concerns about both the way he built his campaign and the question marks regarding the funding or involvement of certain groups in his campaign," Stefan said.
Other experts have disagreed. "Law and legal reasoning are being manipulated based solely on political criteria," said Bogdan Dima, a public law professor at the University of Bucharest.
Russia, which was accused of backing Georgescu in the first round of the vote last year, said that Romania was disregarding democracy.
"They accuse our country of having some kind of involvement with Georgescu, but this is total nonsense. This is an absolutely baseless accusation," said Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Militants Attack Train, Take Many Passengers Hostage In Pakistan
Militants have attacked a train in southwestern Pakistan, injuring a driver and taking a large group of passengers hostage, Pakistani officials said on March 11, as a separatist group claimed responsibility for the ongoing siege.
The Jaffar Express, with more than 400 passengers on board, was on its way from Quetta, the capital of the restive Balochistan Province to Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, when it came under “intense gunfire,” Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind said in a statement.
Rind said security forces were deployed to the scene in the Bolan district, and an emergency situation had been declared in local hospitals.
A passenger on board the train told RFE/RL via telephone that the security forces had launched ground and air operations against the armed group, while the militants were using weapons and rockets in response.
Muhammad Kashif, a spokesman for Balochistan regional railways department told RFE/RL that the train had a total of nine cars and was attacked as it passed through a tunnel in the remote, mountainous area.
The train came to a stop after the attack and remains inside the tunnel, Kashif said.
The fate of the passengers and the condition of the wounded driver were not immediately known.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it has taken control of the train and taken more than 100 passengers hostage with an unknown number of Pakistani security and intelligence officers among them.
It added that civilian passengers such as women, children, seniors and Baloch citizens had been released.
Eight military personnel who resisted have been killed, the U.S.-designated terrorist group claimed. The claim cannot be independently verified.
Balochistan, a vast, resource-rich but impoverished region, has been plagued by insurgency for many years.
In November, the BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a Quetta train station, killing 26 people, including military personnel, railway workers, and passengers.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
'Constructive' US-Ukraine Talks On Russia's War Continue Into The Night
Senior US and Ukrainian officials met for more than eight hours behind closed doors in Saudi Arabia, discussing how to end Russia's war against Ukraine as Kyiv looks to mend its relationship with Washington and restore US weapons deliveries and intelligence-sharing.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The one-day talks that began at midday in Jeddah on March 11 followed a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack that struck the Moscow region and other Russian provinces overnight, killing three people.
They came 10 days after a contentious White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
That meeting inflamed relations between the two countries following Trump’s refusal to include any security guarantees in a potential deal for the joint development of Ukrainian mineral and energy resources. In the aftermath, Washington paused military aid to Ukraine and restricted intelligence-sharing on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation, called the talks a "work in progress" during a pause after more than four hours of discussions. US national-security adviser Mike Waltz said "we're getting there" when a reporter asked him how the negotiations were going as he left the meeting room.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha described what he called a "constructive atmosphere" at the talks.
Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne cited an unnamed official as saying the discussions before the break focused on the potential minerals deal and Ukraine's proposal for a cease-fire at sea and in the skies. The talks resumed and continued into the evening following the break.
As the US and Ukrainian teams began the talks, an op-ed published in the Guardian newspaper by Yermak proclaimed that "a cease-fire in the three-year war the Russian Federation has waged on my country has never seemed closer."
He added that "a cease-fire in Ukraine will not come through diplomatic gestures alone," and that "this includes putting political and financial pressure on Russia to raise the cost of renewed conflict."
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told RFE/RL that the meeting should be seen as a "first step toward improving relations between the new Trump administration and Ukraine" and a "direct meeting" between Zelenskyy and Trump.
"I expect that we will hear from our American friends whether there is any strategy from Trump regarding Ukraine, regarding how to stop Russian aggression," he said. "Because the latest statements of President Trump, they raise a lot of questions."
Whether the United States is prepared to restore aid and intelligence sharing following the talks remains to be seen. Ahead of the meeting, Trump said that his administration had “just about” ended its suspension of sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, said that restoring intelligence cooperation should be seen as a positive result for Kyiv.
“If it's lifted after the talks, that’s a good thing,” Herbst told RFE/RL. “If it's not lifted, that's a sign that the Trump policy of pressuring Ukraine will continue.”
What Does The US Want To Achieve At The Talks With Ukraine?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is chairing the US negotiating team, said the talks would be focused on understanding what Ukraine would be prepared to concede in a peace deal and reiterated that Ukraine would have to make concessions over territory that Russia currently occupies as part of any agreement to end the war.
“The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things to end this conflict or at least pause it in some way, shape or form,” Rubio told reporters on March 10 as he flew to Jeddah.
Beyond those broad aims, few details about the meeting have been made public. Rubio declined to offer what an outline for a potential agreement would look like, and the State Department declined to comment on whether signing the minerals deal and restoring intelligence sharing would be discussed in Jeddah.
“The only way this war ends is if both Russia and Ukraine come to a negotiating table, and both Russia and Ukraine will have to make tough decisions,” a State Department spokesperson told RFE/RL. “Participation in negotiations will quickly make it apparent if both parties are serious about peace.”
Rubio stated that concessions by Kyiv and Moscow would be central to diplomacy and that future talks with Russia will be required to determine what the Kremlin is willing to concede. Trump has also said that Russia would have to make concessions, but US officials have said little about what those might be.
“We don’t know how far apart they truly are,” Rubio said.
What Is On The Negotiating Table In Saudi Arabia?
In the meantime, the immediate US focus is on Ukraine and what Kyiv would be willing to accept as part of a peace deal.
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian negotiators said they are prepared to accept a partial cease-fire in which Ukraine and Russia would refrain from long-range drone and missile strikes, attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure, and military activities in the Black Sea. Fighting on the battlefield, however, could still continue.
The overnight Ukrainian drone attack served as a display of Kyiv's capabilities in the air.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said that it had no doubt the "barbaric attack" was planned in connection with the US-Ukraine talks, and that the blame lies on countries that continue to "pump Kyiv's ruling clique with lethal weapons."
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, did not attend the talks but is involved in the White House's push to end the war.
Last week, he said that he hoped discussions would include a “framework” for a potential cease-fire and peace deal during the talks. Witkoff will also reportedly travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.
Other issues that have been floated include territorial concessions by Ukraine, reaching a cease-fire, and potentially holding elections in Ukraine.
Ukrainian opposition leaders recently said they were against the possibility of wartime elections in the country after media reports suggested US officials had approached them about the idea amid pressure from the Trump administration for Ukraine to hold elections in the event of a cease-fire or peace deal, or possibly earlier.
Zelenskyy also has repeatedly talked about the importance of exchanging hostages, and of his demand for Russia to return abducted Ukrainian children.
Herbst said sequencing in future negotiations will be crucial. While an early cease-fire can be key part of a future peace process, he stresses that it's important that it be followed by further steps toward a lasting peace deal, such as continued military shipments to Ukraine, a potential demilitarized zone, and a greater role for European countries, including their forces deployed as peacekeepers.
“These are all serious ideas that have been floated,” Herbst said. “That might not be a just peace, because a just peace wouldn’t see Ukraine have to concede territory, but it could still be a durable one that makes it very hard for Russia to renew aggression.”
Speaking to reporters in Kosovo on March 11, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he did not want to discuss details of a potential cease-fire or peace deal.
"I'm very positive about the fact that President Trump broke the deadlock, that the discussion is now ongoing, of course, and I know that President Zelenskyy is very much willing both to sign the rare earth deal as well as to positively engage in the peace talks," Rutte said.
What Role Will Russia And Europe Play In Peace Talks?
As Ukrainian and US officials gauge each other on what is possible for future peace talks, attention is also shifting to the other two players that will decide how the war ends: Russia and Kyiv’s European allies.
With the meeting in Jeddah under way, top military officials from more than 30 nations met in Paris on March 11 for talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine.
The force is being envisaged by Britain and France. Its aim is to reassure Ukraine and deter another large-scale Russian offensive after any cease-fire. The force might include heavy weaponry and weapons stockpiles that could be rushed within hours or days to aid in Ukraine’s defense.
Russia has so far said it is against accepting European troops in Ukraine as part of a deal.
The Kremlin has also spoken about getting Western sanctions lifted on its economy as part of a peace process, including in Saudi Arabia where US and Russian officials held talks nearly a month ago.
Marie Dumoulin, a former French diplomat and an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, says that this gives European governments some leverage when the dust settles from the talks in Jeddah.
She said that doubts remain in European capitals about whether Russia is willing to make any concessions of its own and that Europe can use both its own offer of security guarantees to Ukraine and the possibility of lifting European Union sanctions on Russia as a way to shape discussions in both Moscow and Washington.
“This gives Ukraine a few more cards to hold at the table,” Dumoulin told RFE/RL. “These can give Ukraine some room to say whether the deal being offered to them is good enough yet or not.”
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and RFE/RL's Kosovo Service contributed to this report
- By RFE/RL
Philippine Ex-President Duterte 'Headed To Hague' After Arrest Over Deadly Antidrug Campaign
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte boarded a Europe-bound plane on March 11, local media reported, hours after he was arrested on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant linked to his decades-long campaign against drugs that killed thousands of people in the South East Asian nation.
Citing a senior police official, the Philippine Star newspaper reported that Duterte, 79, was aboard a plane bound for The Hague in the Netherlands. There was no immediate official confirmation that the former leader was sent to The Hague, where the ICC is based.
Duterte’s daughter wrote on Instagram that her father had been put on a plane, but the family had not been informed about its destination.
Duterte, who faces a charge of "the crime against humanity of murder,” according to the ICC, was taken into police custody upon his arrival at Manila airport early on March 11, following a brief trip to Hong Kong.
In a video posted on his daughter's social media account, Duterte questioned the “legal basis” for his detention.
The ICC has been investigating Duterte since 2018 over his “war on drugs,” which saw thousands of people killed when he was president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 and longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao before that. Many of the victims were impoverished young men.
The Associated Press quoted a former Davao police officer as saying that up to 10,000 suspects were killed by police and civilian hit squads under Duterte during the brutal campaign.
The families of the victims and human rights groups welcomed Duterte’s arrest as a historic moment, with Human Rights Watch saying the arrest was a "critical step for accountability in the Philippines.”
The right watchdog also called on the government to "swiftly surrender [Duterte] to the ICC.”
Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, but the ICC says it has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed before the country quit as a member.
Duterte served as mayor of Davao for 22 years, before sweeping to the presidency in 2016 with the promise of a war against illegal drugs that had plagued the nation.
He has also been known for his populist rhetoric and outbursts against elites and the West, and has called Russian President Vladimir Putin his “idol.”
During his presidency, Duterte pivoted the country’s foreign policy toward China, moving away from longstanding ally the United States.
Dubbed the “Donald Trump of the East” Duterte still remains popular in the Philippines.
Despite his ill health, Duterte registered to run for mayor of Davao in October, while his daughter and political heir, Sara Duterte, currently serves as the Philippines' vice-president and is seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and the BBC
Kyiv Launches Deadly Drone Attack On Moscow As US, Ukrainian Diplomats Meet
At least three people are dead after Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack that struck the Moscow region overnight, causing damage to residential buildings and infrastructure just hours before diplomats from Washington and Kyiv began a high-level meeting in Saudi Arabia seeking find a path to ending the war.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The attacks early on March 11 were Ukraine's biggest-ever drone assault on the capital region, Russian Health Ministry official Aleksei Kuznetsov saying 20 people, including three children, were injured.
Two workers were killed at a meat warehouse, while Yevgenia Khrustalyova, mayor of Domodedovo, just south of Moscow, said on Telegram that a third person injured in the attack died later in hospital.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said a total of 337 drones launched by Ukraine -- 91 of which targeted Moscow -- were shot down across the country. It's not known how drones in total were involved in the attack, the first large-scale attack on Russian territory in recent weeks.
The massive strike came as senior US and Ukrainian officials were preparing to meet in Saudi Arabia for talks over how to end the war in Ukraine. In recent days, Russia has stepped up its own attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets as diplomacy around the war has intensified.
Unverified images and videos posted from Moscow and the surrounding area by residents showed drone strikes on residential buildings.
Ukraine has not claimed credit for the attack.
But in an interview with Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, Maksym Yali, a lecturer at the National Aviation University of Ukraine, said the overnight strikes could be understood as a "clear signal" from Kyiv ahead of the talks in Saudi Arabia.
"As is known, the Ukrainian side has put forward its plan -- a ceasefire in the air and at sea. In this way, we have shown our capabilities in the air, so that Russia also has an incentive to agree to a ceasefire in that format [while showing] that Ukraine also has the potential to launch mass strikes with drones, including at the capital of the Russian Federation, which is of course very sensitive for the residents of Moscow," Yali said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the strikes had come ahead of the visit of OSCE Secretary-General Feridun H. Sinirlioglu to Moscow. Zakharova said Sinirlioglu would be taken to a site in the capital where a drone had been shot down.
In Ramenskoye, more than 40 kilometers southeast of the Russian capital, a drone struck a high-rise building on Severnoye Highway, touching off a fire on the upper floors. Elsewhere in the town, a two-story house caught fire after a drone attack. Reports also indicate damaged high-rise buildings in Vidnoye, a suburb of the capital.
Ukrainian Telegram channels have also circulated unverified footage of explosions across the Moscow region.
Vorobyov said debris from downed drones also fell on an apartment building in Ramenskoye, damaging at least seven apartments.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported on his Telegram channel that air defense forces destroyed more than 70 Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow. He also confirmed that debris from a downed drone damaged the roof of a residential building on Domodedovskaya Street.
The attack also impacted air travel at Moscow's main airports. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency reported that Sheremetevo, Zhukovsky, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo airports temporarily halted operations due to the drone strikes.
The Moscow Railway Authority also confirmed damage to railway infrastructure at Domodedovo Station at the airport. Meanwhile, reports from Ryazan indicate that the Dyagilevo military airfield was targeted.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov stated that air defense forces intercepted the attack swiftly and effectively, without reported casualties or damage to residential buildings and social infrastructure in area, which he said demonstrated the country's strong defense capabilities.
The situation remains tense as authorities assess the full extent of the damage and continue monitoring potential threats.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defense forces said on March 11 that they successfully intercepted a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile and 79 attack drones overnight.
According to the statement, 35 additional Russian drones lost radar contact, suggesting further disruptions. The interceptions covered multiple regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv, they said.
Ahead of the talks between Kyiv and Washington in Saudi Arabia, Moscow has been claiming major advances against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region where Ukraine seized 1,300 square kilometers of Russian territory last year.
Ukraine's government characterized the surprise incursion as an attempt to gain a bargaining chip for future negotiations and draw Russian troops away from the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on 11 March that Russian forces had liberated 12 settlements and more than 100 square kilometers of territory in Moscow's latest offensive there -- a claim that could not immediately be verified.
Bucharest On Edge As Romanian Far-Right Candidate Georgescu Appeals Election Ban
BUCHAREST -- Several hundred supporters of Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu gathered peacefully outside the Constitutional Court in Bucharest late on March 10 ahead of a consequential ruling that will determine whether the former engineer can run in May's presidential election.
The night of calm contrasted with the mayhem that unfolded on the evening of March 9 following the Central Election Board's (CEB) ruling rejecting Georgescu's inclusion in a presidential election rerun. More than a dozen police officers were injured during the scuffle with protesters.
Georgescu promptly filed an appeal on the morning of March 10 with the Constitutional Court expected to make a decision on the following day.
The protesters waved the tri-color Romanian flag as they chanted "freedom" and called for the arrest of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who has backed the Constitutional Court during the unprecedented election upheaval.
Georgescu has urged his supporters to remain peaceful as he continues his fight to participate in the rerun election.
"We are going together to the end for the same values, peace, democracy, freedom," Georgescu said.
The CEB ruling disqualified his application based on a Constitutional Court ruling that halted the original election in November following his first-round win.
"We must not give rise to violence or other forms of this kind compared to what happened yesterday evening," Georgescu said, referring to the violence that saw cars burned, store windows smashed, and cobblestones thrown at police, who responded with volleys of tear gas and by detaining protesters.
"The right to free expression is a fundamental right of every citizen, but it must be exercised within the limits of the law and with respect for public order and safety," Major Ana Burchi, a spokeswoman for the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Gendarmerie, told reporters.
Georgescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, filed his candidacy for the rerun, to be held on May 4, on March 7.
The CEB had 48 hours to accept or reject the application. Late on March 9, it said Georgescu's candidacy "does not meet the conditions provided by law, as established by the Constitutional Court in December 2024," a reference to the ruling canceling the presidential election.
"Consequently, at the resumption of the electoral process, the members of the BEC consider that it is inadmissible to consider that the same person meets the conditions to accede to the presidency of Romania," it said.
Georgescu and his supporters have claimed Romanian authorities are trying to block his candidacy in the rerun. He reacted angrily to the rejection, calling it "a direct blow to the heart of democracy."
"I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple!...Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!" he added in a social media post.
The first round of the presidential election was canceled by the Constitutional Court on December 6 after Romanian intelligence reports said foreign actors had manipulated social media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate.
The annulment of the vote has exacerbated deep divisions in Romanian politics and sparked international concern over the course of democracy in the European Union and NATO member.
Last month, US Vice-President JD Vance delivered a thinly veiled criticism of the country's moves against Georgescu, telling delegates at the Munich Security Conference that "if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country then it wasn't very strong to begin with."
The 62-year-old Georgescu was a little-known figure in Romania until he unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential election on November 24 with about 22 percent of the vote.
He was to face pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi, 52, in a runoff, which had been seen as a referendum on the future course of Romania.
Ciolacu, who supported the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the election, said the authorities have the right to present the public with extremely solid evidence in the investigation, "which involves a potential candidate in the May elections."
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on February 10 that he was resigning from his post amid an effort by the opposition to have him impeached after he stayed in power following the Constitutional Court's election annulment.
Just days before the vote, Georgescu launched a TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine, apparently striking a chord with voters. He has also sounded a skeptical note on Romania's NATO membership.
His anti-Western messaging is routinely amplified on Russian, state-run media and Kremlin-friendly social media.
His other stances included supporting Romanian farmers, reducing dependency on imports, and ramping up energy and food production.
- By RFE/RL
Iran Will Not Negotiate Under US 'Intimidation' As Trump Intensifies Pressure
Iran said it will not enter negotiations with the United States over its disputed nuclear program under what it said is “pressure and intimidation” from Washington.
The stance comes as US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Tehran by ending a sanctions waiver that had allowed Iraq to buy electricity from its neighbor.
"We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X on March 10.
Araqchi’s comments came a day after Iran's mission to the United Nations struck a more conciliatory tone, saying Tehran could be open to talks aimed at addressing concerns about the potential militarization of its nuclear program.
"If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-a-vis any potential militarization of Iran's nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration," said a March 9 statement from the mission.
But Araqchi appeared to close the door on such talks, saying Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful and there was "no such thing as its 'potential militarization.'"
During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under its terms. Trump said the terms of that deal were not strong enough to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" campaign that was the cornerstone of his Iran policy in his first term, with the aim of slashing Tehran's oil exports to "zero." Experts say the United States is unlikely to be able to stop Iran's oil sales entirely, but will be able to substantially reduce it.
The US State Department said on March 9 that the decision not to renew Iraq's sanctions waiver was made to "ensure we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief."
Iran supplies one-third of Iraq's gas and electricity, providing Tehran with significant revenue.
The White House on March 9 warned Tehran that it will deal with its nuclear program either through military means or by reaching a deal, remarks that came hours after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected a US proposal for negotiations between the two bitter rivals.
"We hope the Iran Regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement on March 9.
In an interview with Fox Business recorded on March 6, Trump said, "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal" to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Khamenei, speaking on March 8 to a group of Iranian officials, said the US offer of talks “are not aimed at solving problems” but to "impose" their demands on Tehran.
- By RFE/RL
Ukraine Will Need To Make Land Concessions In Any Peace Deal, Rubio Says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Ukraine would have to make concessions to Russia over land it has occupied since 2014 as part of any peace agreement.
Rubio spoke as he traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ahead of crunch talks between Ukrainian and US delegations aimed at ending Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine that will begin on March 11.
“The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014,” he told reporters.
Rubio has also added that it will be necessary to find out what Russia is willing to concede, saying that this would give the US a "pretty good assessment" of how far apart the conflicting parties are.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier in the day, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy praised the cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and said he hopes that the upcoming meeting with the US delegation in Jeddah will bring "practical outcomes".
"Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive," he added.
As Kyiv is likely to propose a peace plan outlined by Zelenskyy that includes an air and sea truce as the first step, Rubio said he sees potential in Ukraine's proposal.
"I’m not saying that alone is enough, but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end this conflict."
The US, Ukraine’s main military supporter, is pushing for a quick conclusion to the conflict by engaging in direct talks with Moscow while halting military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
The US-Ukrainian talks on March 11 will be the first formal meeting since an Oval Office argument between Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance on February 28 that saw the Ukrainian president publicly berated and asked to leave the White House.
Zelenskyy said he will not be part of the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah. Kyiv’s delegation will include Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
They will meet with a US delegation that is expected to include Rubio, Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and national-security adviser Mike Waltz.
"Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively," Zelenskyy said in a March 9 post on X.
Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News before leaving the United States that he had high hopes going into the talks, which would touch on territorial claims and security protocols.
"I think that we're going over there with an expectation that we're going to make substantial progress," he said, adding that he's "really hopeful."
"All the signs are very, very positive."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a key mediator between Washington and Kyiv, said he spoke with Trump on March 10 about the upcoming talks in Jeddah. Starmer said he hoped the outcome would persuade Trump to restart intelligence sharing and weapons shipments to Ukraine.
The White House last week announced it was halting weapons shipments and intelligence sharing, claiming Ukraine wasn't committed to peace.
During the blow up at the White House, Trump accused Zelenskyy of acting like a "tough guy" because he had the backing of the US.
Witkoff told Fox News that the US had not cut off defensive intelligence sharing while Trump said late on March 9 that the US "just about" restored intelligence sharing.
Zelenskyy is under intense pressure from Washington to quickly agree a cease-fire with Russia, despite no pledge of a US security guarantee. But so far, Moscow has not shown interest in a cessation of hostilities.
Russia has stepped up attacks on its neighbor and reported battlefield gains in recent days.
On March 9, Trump suggested that Ukraine may not be able to withstand the war against Russia even with US support.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump defended his decision to reduce support to Ukraine, saying: “Well, it may not survive anyway.”
Trump also repeated his claim that Zelenskyy was not “grateful” for US support but did describe the Ukrainian president as “smart” and “tough.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the recapture of several villages and towns on March 9 in its Kursk region -- -- as well as new settlements in eastern Ukraine -- with unconfirmed reports that thousands of Ukrainian troops risks being encircled by Russian forces.
Russia has been making territorial gains in eastern Ukraine since early 2024. However, military analysts say that Russia -- which now occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine -- can not continue the scale of its current offensive much longer due to significant losses of troops and equipment.
Romanian Authorities Reject Far-Right Calin Georgescu's Presidential Candidacy, Sparking Violence In Bucharest
BUCHAREST -- Romania's Central Electoral Board (CEB) has rejected the candidacy of far-right politician Calin Georgescu in a rerun of a presidential election, sparking clashes between his supporters, angry at the move, and police.
The CEB said on March 9 that it disqualified Georgescu's application based on the Constitutional Court ruling, which halted the original election in November following his first-round win.
"His candidacy does not meet the conditions provided by law, as established by the Constitutional Court in December 2024," the CEB said.
"Consequently, at the resumption of the electoral process, the members of the BEC consider that it is inadmissible to consider that the same person meets the conditions to accede to the presidency of Romania."
Georgescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, filed his candidacy for the rerun, to be held on May 4, on March 7.
The CEB had 48 hours to accept or reject the application. Georgescu has 24 hours to appeal the CEB move, which prompted hundreds of his supporters who clashed with security forces in front of the board's headquarters in central Bucharest.
Pro-Georgescu demonstrators set fire to street furniture and threw heavy objects at police, who responded with tear gas, law enforcement officials said.
Georgescu and his supporters have claimed Romanian authorities are trying to block his candidacy in the rerun. He reacted angrily to the rejection, calling it "a direct blow to the heart of democracy."
"I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple!...Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!" he added in a social media post.
The first round of the presidential election was canceled by the Constitutional Court on December 6 after Romanian intelligence reports said foreign actors had manipulated social media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate.
The annulment of the vote has exacerbated deep divisions in Romanian politics and sparked international concern over the course of democracy in the European Union and NATO member.
Last month, US Vice-President JD Vance delivered a thinly veiled criticism of the country's moves against Georgescu, telling delegates at the Munich Security Conference that "if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country then it wasn't very strong to begin with."
Georgescu was a little-known figure in Romania until he unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential election on November 24 with about 22 percent of the vote.
The 62-year-old was to face pro-European centrist candidate Elena Lasconi in a runoff, which had been seen as a referendum on the future course of Romania.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who supported the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the election, said the authorities have the right to present the public with extremely solid evidence in the investigation, "which involves a potential candidate in the May elections."
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on February 10 that he was resigning from his post amid an effort by the opposition to have him impeached after he stayed in power following the Constitutional Court's election annulment.
Just days before the vote, Georgescu launched a TikTok campaign calling for an end to aid for Ukraine, apparently striking a chord with voters. He has also sounded a skeptical note on Romania's NATO membership.
His anti-Western messaging is routinely amplified on Russian, state-run media and Kremlin-friendly social media.
His other stances included supporting Romanian farmers, reducing dependency on imports, and ramping up energy and food production.
- By RFE/RL
China, Russia, and Iran Set To Hold Naval Exercises Amid Deepening Cooperation
Warships from China, Russia, and Iran will hold exercises in a key Middle Eastern waterway as the three partners highlight their deepening cooperation and showcase their growing capabilities, according to reports in state-run media.
The joint naval drills will start on March 10, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency, while the Chinese Defense Ministry said the Security Belt 2025 exercise would be held near the Iranian port of Chabahar on the coast of the Gulf of Oman with the aim of deepening "military trust and pragmatic cooperation."
The drills are part of an annual exercise between the three countries and comes as both China and Iran are navigating tensions with the United States.
All three countries are also increasing their cooperation. The Chinese and Russian navies have been hosting more frequent drills together in recent years, including in the Pacific and further away location like off the coast of South Africa.
Russia and Iran also signed an agreement in January to boost cooperation in areas such as trade and defense issues.
This year's naval exercises will include simulated attacks on maritime targets, joint search, rescue drills, spot checks, and arrests.
China also said it will send its Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, a new type of advanced warship that is at the center of Beijing's push to build up its navy.
Russia and Iran have not yet confirmed which of their fleets will be involved, but they gathered in March 2024 along with other countries for live-fire exercises focused on anti-piracy.
During those exercises, China's 45th naval escort task participated, along with Russia's Pacific fleet and more than 10 Iranian vessels. Representatives from Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Oman, India and South Africa acted as observers.
The drills come after a series of moves in recent months where China has been looking to showcase its power at sea.
China now possesses the world's largest maritime fighting force, operating 234 warships to the U.S. Navy's 219, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The United States maintains a technological advantage in its fleet, but Beijing is investing heavily to catch up.
In February, China conducted live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea near Australia. Australian and New Zealand ships and aircraft monitored three Chinese military vessels for several days and the Australian government complained that the Chinese drills forced airlines to adjust flight routes due to safety concerns.
In December 2024, Taiwan also said China had conducted one of its largest military exercises ever around the self-governing island, as Chinese ships encircled the island and jets entered Taiwanese air space.
Tensions over Taiwan, which Beijing regards as its own and has long threatened to invade and annex if the island refuses to peacefully accept unification, is at the heart of ongoing tensions between China and the United States.
The United States is Taiwan's largest military backer and its support is considered vital for its survival.
Beijing has been intensifying its rhetoric around the island, with China's military saying on March 9 that it would tighten a "noose" around Taiwan if Taipei pursues a path of formal independence, which Beijing views as separatism.
- By RFE/RL
Russia Steps Up Attacks, Battlefield Gains As Trump Questions Ukraine's Survival
Russian forces have carried out more than 2,100 aerial strikes on Ukraine over the past week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 9, as Russia has stepped up attacks on its neighbor and reported battlefield gains ahead of Kyiv's high-stakes talks with US representatives in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
It comes as US President Donald Trump questioned the long-term viability of Ukraine itself. When asked in a Fox Business TV interview whether he was worried that decreased US support for Ukraine could endanger that country's survival, he responded: "Well, it may not survive anyway."
"But, you know, we have some weaknesses with Russia -- you know, it takes two," Trump added.
Zelenskyy said in a social media post that Russian forces this week deployed 1,200 guided aerial bombs, nearly 870 attack drones, and more than 80 missiles of various types.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, announced the recapture of several villages and towns on March 9 in its Kursk region -- as well as new settlements in eastern Ukraine -- with unconfirmed reports that thousands of Ukrainian troops risk being encircled by Russian forces.
It comes a day after Russian air strikes killed at least 50 people in the eastern Donetsk region, according to local officials, with at least 11 deaths reported in the city of Dobropillya.
"Such strikes show that Russia's goals are unchanged," Zelenskyy wrote on social media late on March 8. "Therefore, it is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defense, and increase sanctions against Russia.”
The series of strikes and battlefield pressure represent another setback for Kyiv ahead of crucial talks with the United States next week in Saudi Arabia, where Ukrainian officials will meet with their US counterparts for negotiations around how to end the three-year war.
The Institute For The Study of War, a Washington-based think tank that tracks battlefield developments, said Russian forces have "intensified their multidirectional campaign to eliminate the remaining Ukrainian salient in Kursk" in the last two days.
According to DeepState, an open-source military tracker linked to the Ukrainian Army, the Russian moves followed a "breach" in Ukrainian defense lines near the town of Sudzha, which remains under Kyiv's control but is facing growing pressure from Russian units.
Pro-Russian war bloggers who closely track frontline developments in the war also reported that Russian special forces walked inside a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in Kursk late on March 8 to gain a foothold outside of Sudzha.
According to the reports, the pipeline was used to surprise Ukrainian units and cut off their supply lines as the Kremlin pours more manpower into kicking Kyiv out of Russian territory.
RFE/RL was not able to independently verify the accounts, but Ukrainian officials confirmed that Russian "sabotage and assault groups" used the pipeline to get access to Sudzha.
"At present, Russian special forces are being detected, blocked, and destroyed. The enemy's losses in Sudzha are very high," Ukraine's General Staff said in a Telegram post on March 8.
Ukraine aimed to hit back by launching a drone overnight at an industrial facility in the Russian region of Chuvashia, some 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The strike is one of the deepest yet into Russian territory by a Ukrainian drone, and it hit its target but caused no casualties, according to Russian authorities.
Ousting Ukrainian forces from Kursk with the talks in Saudi Arabia approaching looks to be part of Moscow's strategy. In August 2024, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers seized roughly 1,300 square kilometers of Russia's western Kursk region, a move which Kyiv later characterized as an attempt to gain a bargaining chip for future negotiations and draw Russian troops away from the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces have managed to claw back large chunks of territory in Kursk, but Ukraine has retained a foothold that now risks being shrunk down further leading into the key talks.
Ukraine 'Fully Committed' To US Talks
With his attention fixed on the upcoming talks, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is "fully committed" to having a constructive dialogue with US representatives in Saudi Arabia next week over a potential peace settlement.
"Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively," he posted on X.
The Ukrainian president said he will travel to Saudi Arabia and meet with Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Salman on March 10. Afterward, a delegation of Ukrainian diplomatic and military representatives will stay for a March 11 meeting with a US negotiating team.
"On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy will not be part of the US-Ukraine talks, which will instead be done by a delegation including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
They will meet with a US delegation that will reportedly include Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and national-security adviser Mike Waltz. Rubio departed for Saudi Arabia late on March 9, the State Department said.
In remarks late on March 9, Trump told reporters he expects results from the Saudi talks.
"We're going to make a lot of progress, I believe, this week," Trump said.
The upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia are the culmination of weeks of tough diplomacy and negotiations spearheaded by Washington since it met with a Russian delegation in Riyadh in February.
US-Ukraine ties have since frayed, with tensions culminating in an Oval Office argument in late February between Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance that saw the Ukrainian president leave the White House without signing a crucial minerals deal with Washington.
Since then, the Trump administration has paused military shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The full extent of the intelligence cutoff is unclear, but it has sparked fears that it could lead to Ukrainian setbacks on the front lines as Russia looks to press for the advantage.
In his March 9 remarks to reporters, Trump said he believed Ukraine would eventually sign a minerals deal with the United States. But -- amid reports he would want even more actions out of Kyiv -- Trump added that "I want them to want peace. They haven't shown it to the extent they should."
European countries like Britain and France have stepped up to provide more intelligence sharing with Ukraine but are reportedly still not able to replace the full scope of US capabilities.
Waltz suggested on March 5 that Trump may lift the pause on military aid once peace negotiations are arranged and confidence-building measures take place.
When asked on March 9 whether he would end the suspension of intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, Trump said, without elaborating, that "we just about have. We just about have."
In the days leading up to the talks, Trump offered criticism of Moscow's increased attacks on Ukraine in the lead up to talks and mentioned potential sanctions against the Kremlin.
But he also said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “doing what anybody would do" and he told reporters in the Oval Office on March 7 that he finds it "easier" to work with Russia than Ukraine and that Putin "wants to end the war."
US Threatens Possible Military Response After Tehran Rejects Nuclear Outreach
The White House again warned Tehran that it can be dealt with either through military means or by reaching a deal over its nuclear program, remarks that came hours after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected a US proposal for negotiations between the two bitter rivals.
"We hope the Iran Regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement on March 9 while reiterating remarks by President Donald Trump that "if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing."
In an interview with Fox Business recorded on March 6, Trump said, "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal" to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"I've written them a letter saying, 'I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing,'" Trump said.
"I would rather negotiate a deal. I'm not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily," Trump added.
"But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something's going to happen one way or the other."
Snippets of the interview were aired on March 7, but the full sit-down will be broadcast on March 9, Fox said.
In separate comments to reporters, Trump said: "We have a situation with Iran that, something's going to happen very soon. Very, very soon."
Ali Khamenei, speaking on March 8 to a group of Iranian officials -- without specifically mentioning Trump or the United States -- said, "Their talks are not aimed at solving problems."
"It is for...'Let’s talk to impose what we want on the other party that is sitting on the opposite side of the table.'"
"The insistence of some bullying governments on negotiations is not to resolve issues.... Talks for them is a pathway to have new demands; it is not only about Iran's nuclear issue.... Iran will definitely not accept their expectations," Khamenei was quoted by state media as saying.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on March 8 said Tehran had not yet received a letter from Trump.
"We have heard of it [Trump’s letter], but we haven't received anything," Araghchi said on state TV.
The United States and Israel have long stated they will never allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons, even as Iran continues to enrich uranium at near weapons-grade levels.
Tehran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes.
During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under its terms.
Trump said the terms of that deal were not strong enough to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and he also accused Tehran of fomenting extremist violence in the region -- which Iran has denied despite widespread evidence of such activity.
Khamenei last month said he opposed direct talks with Trump, charging that he cannot be trusted since he left the nuclear deal.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" campaign that was the cornerstone of his Iran policy in his first term, with the aim of slashing Iran's oil exports to "zero." Experts say the United States is unlikely to be able to entirely stop Iran's oil sales but will be able to substantially reduce it.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
'Russia's Goals Unchanged' After Deadly Air Strikes On Ukraine, Says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia's latest deadly air strikes show Moscow's war objectives remained "unchanged" and called for new sanctions.
"Such strikes show that Russia's goals are unchanged," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on March 8. "Therefore, it is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defense, and increase sanctions against Russia."
Russian air strikes overnight in eastern Ukraine killed at least 20 people in the Donetsk region, according to local officials, with at least 11 deaths reported in the city of Dobropillya.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy called the Dobropillya attack one of the most "brutal" of the war and that it was "was deliberately calculated to cause maximum damage."
Russia also claimed that it had retaken three villages earlier captured by Ukraine in its Kursk region, which would represent another setback for Kyiv ahead of any talks.
The attacks came a day after Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack targeting energy and gas infrastructure across multiple regions of Ukraine.
Following the attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, US President Donald Trump on March 7 threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine is now in its fourth year.
The massive attack -- the 30th such strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 -- is part of a broader Russian strategy targeting Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure. In the past two weeks, Russian strikes have repeatedly hit energy facilities in the Odesa region.
Despite Moscow's repeated denials that it has targeted civilian infrastructure, Ukraine and international organizations have called the attacks war crimes, citing deliberate targeting of hospitals, schools, energy facilities, and water supply systems across the country.
Zelenskyy has been calling on his country's allies to press Russia to end the war, with an air and sea truce as the first step.
In an evening address on March 7 before Russia's latest strikes, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants peace "as soon as possible" and "is determined to be very constructive."
"The theme is clear: peace as soon as possible, security as reliable as possible," he said.
Trump did not go into detail about potential measures. He had spoken a few days after his January 20 inauguration of potentially using "taxes, tariffs, and sanctions" to get Russia to the negotiating table, but no new measures have been announced.
The new comment was one of only a few from Trump in recent weeks about what might be done to bring Russia to the table. It followed tense exchanges between the United States and Ukraine, including a vocal February 28 argument in the White House after which Trump said Zelenskyy was not ready for peace.
Speaking at the White House later on March 7, Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants peace, but suggested he wanted stronger assurances from Kyiv.
"I think both parties want it settled," he said, but "I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine, and they don't have the cards."
"In terms of the final settlement it may be easier to deal with Russia, which is surprising," Trump said. He repeated that Russia has been "pounding" Ukraine recently, but said he thinks he understands why.
"I actually think he's doing what anybody in that position would be doing right now," Trump said, adding: "I've always had a good relationship with Putin. And you know, he wants to end the war."
"I think he's going to be more generous than he has to be, and that's pretty good," he said. "That means a lot of good things."
Trump defended his decision this week to suspend military aid to Kyiv and restrict intelligence sharing with Ukraine, saying: "I have to know that they want to settle. If they don't want to settle, we're out of there."
"Ukraine has to get on the ball and get the job done," he said.
A major source of the recent US-Ukraine tension has been Trump's resistance to Zelenskyy's repeated requests for concrete security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a cease-fire or peace deal. Asked about it in his White House appearance, Trump said, "Before I even think about [security guarantees] I want to settle the war."
Despite the tensions, there is a diplomatic push for peace talks that will see a delegation from Ukraine travel to Saudi Arabia next week to meet with US officials with the aim of working out a framework for a peace agreement.
At the White House event with Trump on March 7, national-security adviser Mike Waltz said he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia.
Waltz said he thinks the United States is "going to get things back on track with Ukraine."
In his post on X on March 8, Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine's determination to do everything to end the war with a "just and lasting peace" as soon as possible.
He also added the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia will include Ukrainian president's office head Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and deputy Ukrainian president's office head Pavlo Palisa.
Palisa is a former commander of Ukraine's 93rd Brigade Kholodny Yar, the actions of which he was in charge of during the defense of Bakhmut.
On March 7, Sybiha said he had a "constructive call" with Rubio to discuss the upcoming meeting.
"Ukraine wants the war to end, and US leadership is essential for achieving lasting peace. We also discussed ways to advance our bilateral cooperation," Sybiha said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported the United States had vetoed a Canadian proposal to create a task force that would tackle Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers in the Baltic Sea. The report cited people familiar with the matter ahead of the G7 foreign ministers meeting on March 11-13 that Canada is hosting in Quebec.
US, EU Condemn Bosnian Serb Leader's Separatist Policies
SARAJEVO -- Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik's intensified push for secessionist policies has drawn international criticism after the Republika Srpska president called on ethnic Serbs to quit the federal police force and judiciary.
The call came after the Bosnia-Herzegovina Constitutional Court on March 7 suspended legislation proposed by Dodik that rejected the authority of the federal police and judiciary within the country's Serb-controlled part.
On February 27, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska voted on the laws just a day after the State Court in Sarajevo issued a nonfinal verdict sentencing Dodik to one year in prison and barring him from politics for six years for defying an international peace envoy's order.
Dodik, who denied the charges, was accused of refusing to enforce the decisions of the high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, in July 2023.
In response to the ruling, Dodik warned he would "radicalize the situation" in the country.
Leaders in Sarajevo and Bosnia's Western backers have accused the entity's ethnic-Serb leaders of seeking eventual separation from Bosnia, although the leaders have denied the charges.
The United States was quick to respond, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning Dodik's actions as "dangerous and destabilizing" and urging regional partners to resist such provocations.
"Our nation encourages political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to engage in constructive and responsible dialogue," Rubio wrote on X on March 8.
Washington has already sanctioned Dodik, citing corrupt practices and attempts to undermine the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended Bosnia's war and shaped its current political structure. More recently, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on individuals and companies linked to Dodik, accusing him of using his position for personal gain.
The European Union said it will send additional peacekeeping forces to Bosnia-Herzegovina as tensions continue to rise between the central government and leaders of the Balkan nation's ethnic-Serb entity.
The European Union Force (EUFOR) on March 7 said it would "temporarily increase the size" of its peacekeeping force in the Western Balkan nation, although it did not disclose specific numbers.
"This is a proactive measure aimed at assisting Bosnia-Herzegovina in the interest of all citizens," EUFOR said in a statement, adding that it remains an "impartial" force in the country.
EUFOR has about 1,500 troops as part of the Multinational Battalion based in Sarajevo and involves troops from Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, and Turkey.
Dodik's supporters, however, have come out in his defense in the past week.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has taken a cautious stance, calling for "wise decisions" to avoid escalating tensions further. Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has openly defended Dodik, arguing that international sanctions against him are unjustified and that his prison sentence is a "political witch hunt."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also backed Dodik, telling Vucic during a phone call on March 7 that Moscow "expresses solidarity" with the Bosnian Serb leader, according to a Kremlin statement.
The system of government in Bosnia-Herzegovina -- a country of some 3.1 million people -- is among the most complex in the world.
Since the Dayton peace agreement, which was signed in 1995 and ended the war in Bosnia, the country has consisted of the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska under a weak central government.
While Republika Srpska can pass laws on internal matters, state-level laws and institutions remain supreme according to the constitution.
Pakistan Sets April 1 Deadline For 'Afghan Card' Holders, 'Illegal Foreigners' To Leave
Pakistan ordered Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and “all illegal foreigners" to leave the country, either voluntarily or through deportation starting on April 1, raising fears among the Afghan community of repression should they return to their homeland.
“The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program has been implemented since November 1, 2023. In continuation to government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders,” the Pakistani Interior Ministry said in a statement on March 7.
“All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before March 31, 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence on April 1,” it added.
The ministry said that “sufficient time” has been given for the “dignified” departure of those affected and it pledged that “no one will be maltreated during the repatriation process.”
The Pakistani government has often blamed militant violence and criminal activity on Afghan citizens, allegations rejected by the extremist Taliban-led government in Kabul.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of providing a safe haven for extremists linked to Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TPP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, inside Afghanistan, charges the government in Kabul also rejects.
In late January, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government approved a plan to repatriate ACC holders but did not specify a date.
An Afghan woman in Pakistan told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal on condition of anonymity that she had fled to Pakistan because the Taliban had violated basic human rights in Afghanistan.
"We call on the government of Pakistan to retract what it has said regarding us at this difficult time," she said.
Qaiser Khan Afridi, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad, told Radio Mashaal on March 7 that he is continuing to discuss the fate of Afghans with officials of the Pakistani government.
Pakistan's government in late 2023 launched the effort to repatriate foreign citizens -- the majority of whom are Afghans -- first focusing on foreigners with no legal documentation but now including those with the ACC, a document that had allowed Afghan asylum-seekers to temporarily remain in Pakistan.
When the repatriation program was announced, Abbas Khan, Pakistan's commissioner of Afghan refugees, told RFE/RL that refugees were given ACC documentation in 2016 in an agreement among the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and the UNHCR.
"They agreed that those citizens would be gradually returned to Afghanistan. But that did not happen," Khan said.
Pakistan has been a popular refuge for Afghans for decades, beginning during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Others fled fighting during the ensuing Afghan civil war and the Taliban's first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
Millions of Afghans returned to their homeland following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban from power.
But after the Taliban seized power again in 2021 amid the withdrawal of international forces, an estimated 700,000 more Afghans left for Pakistan to escape a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis and possible retribution by the Taliban.
According to UN data, more than 800,000 Afghans hold ACC status in Pakistan. Another 1.3 million are formally registered with the Pakistan government and hold a separate Proof of Residence (PoR) card. The statement did not mention the effect on those with PoR status.
The UN has estimated that at the peak, some 3.8 million Afghan refugees were in Pakistan, although Islamabad put the number at above 4.4 million.
Some 15,000 Afghans in Pakistan are awaiting to be approved for resettlement in the United States, although their status remains unclear after President Donald Trump's administration announced that the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) would be suspended for at least three months starting on January 27.
With reporting by Reuters
Srebrenica Genocide Center Closes Citing Security Fears As Dodik Defies Government
Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Srebrenica Memorial Center said it was closing for the first time ever because of security concerns amid rising tensions after a state court sentenced Milorad Dodik, the Serb Republic's president and a pro-Russian nationalist, to a year in prison and banned him from politics for six years.
In a statement posted on social media on March 7, the center -- which marks the site of genocide committed by ethnic Serb troops against Muslim Bosniaks in 1995 -- said that it had locked its doors "until further notice and in accordance with the current security situation."
The move comes after Bosnian officials challenged a set of laws barring the state judiciary and police from operating in Republika Srpska, the Serb-controlled part of the country. The contentious legislation has fueled tensions in the ethnically-divided Balkan country.
On February 27, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska voted on the laws a day after the State Court in Sarajevo delivered a non-final judgment sentencing Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to one year in prison and banning him from politics for six years for defying the orders of an international peace envoy.
Dodik, who rejected the charges, was accused of failing to implement the decisions of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, in July 2023.
In response to the ruling, Dodik warned that he "would radicalize the situation" in the country.
On March 7, he went a step further, calling on ethnic Serbs to quit the federal police force and courts.
Dodik added afterward that he was not planning for a violent escalation of the situation, but he quickly noted that Republika Srpska had "the ability to defend itself, and we will do that."
On March 7, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped up pressure on Republika Srpska's leaders, saying in a social media post that "we call on our partners in the region to join us in pushing back against this dangerous and destabilizing behavior."
The system of government in Bosnia-Herzegovina is among the most complex in the world.
Since the Dayton peace agreement, which was signed in 1995 and ended the war in Bosnia, the country has consisted of the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska under a weak central government.
While Republika Srpska can pass laws on internal matters, state-level laws and institutions remain supreme according to the constitution.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR), a position held since 2021 by Schmidt, oversees the implementation of civilian aspects of Dayton.
Dodik is currently under US and U.K. sanctions for actions that Western governments say are aimed at the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia.
He has denied that the Serb entity of Bosnia has ever pursued a policy of secession, while at the same time pursuing legislation to wrest back powers for Republika Srpska at the expense of the state of Bosnia.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Says He Offered Nuclear Talks With Iran's Khamenei
US President Donald Trump has said he sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing talks to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program.
In an interview with Fox News recorded on March 6, Trump said he had sent the letter "yesterday."
"I've written them a letter saying, 'I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing,'" Trump said.
Snippets of the interview were aired on March 7, but the full sit-down will be broadcast on March 9, Fox News said.
"I would rather negotiate a deal. I'm not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily," Trump added. "But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something's going to happen one way or the other."
In comments at the White House later on March 7, Trump again voiced hope for a deal in the near future.
"We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon," he said, adding that "something is going to happen very soon."
"Hopefully we will have a peace deal," he said, apparently meaning a peaceful resolution of tension over Tehran's nuclear program. "I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal then the other. But the other will solve the problem.”
During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under its terms.
Khamenei last month said he opposed direct talks with Trump, charging that he cannot be trusted since he left the nuclear deal.
After abrogating the accord in 2018, Trump welcomed an offer by Japan's then-prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to mediate and in 2019 asked the Japanese premier to deliver a letter to Khamenei. The Iranian leader rejected the letter, saying it was "not worthy" of a response.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" campaign that was the cornerstone of his Iran policy in his first term, with the aim of slashing Iran's oil exports to "zero." Experts say the United States is unlikely to be able to entirely stop Iran's oil sales but will be able to substantially reduce it.
In comments to AFP, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi insisted Iran's nuclear program "cannot be destroyed" through military action and dismissed the prospect of talks with Trump as long as the "maximum pressure" campaign was in force.
Iran significantly accelerated its nuclear program after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent purity. Experts say Iran is a short technical step from enriching uranium to 90 percent, which is considered weapons-grade level.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and has no plans to weaponize it. But the International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed "serious concern" over the speed with which Iran is accumulating highly enriched uranium.
On March 6, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign aims to shut down Iran's oil industry and "collapse its already buckling economy."
He added that "making Iran broke again" will mark the beginning of the government's sanctions policy toward the Islamic republic.
- By RFE/RL
Russia Says It's Open To Broad Nuclear Talks With Trump
Amid the frantic pace of ongoing diplomatic outreach between Russia and the United States over ending the war in Ukraine, the two powers also have arms control high on their agendas.
The Kremlin told reporters on March 7 that it was open to dialogue and broad discussions with the United States about their nuclear arsenals after US President Donald Trump issued a broad call for other nuclear powers to draw down their stockpiles.
"Dialogue between Russia and the US on arms control is necessary, especially concerning strategic stability," Peskov said.
That came in response to comments the previous day by Trump, who pledged to make denuclearization a goal in his second term as his administration looks to realign the US-Russia relationship and craft a peace settlement that ends the three-year war in Ukraine.
The comments also come as Washington prepares to hold a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia next week about reaching a peace deal after holding similar talks with Russia in February.
"It would be great if everybody got rid of their nuclear weapons," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on March 6. "I know Russia and us have by far the most. China will have an equal amount within four to five years. It would be great if we could all denuclearize because the power of nuclear weapons is crazy."
While Trump specifically addressed the nuclear stockpiles held by China, Russia, and the United States -- who hold the world's largest nuclear-armed number of nuclear weapons -- Peskov said that discussion should also include European nuclear powers Britain and France, especially given recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron where he said in a televised address that Paris was willing to extend its nuclear umbrella to other European nations.
The Kremlin criticized Macron’s offer, saying it contained "notes of nuclear blackmail" and that France was staking a claim to "nuclear leadership in Europe."
Trump's comments on nuclear arms control build on previous statements in February where he said he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China as part of a process that could see all three countries agree to cut their massive defense budgets in half.
Russia and the United States are the world's largest nuclear powers with more than 5,000 nuclear warheads each, while China is believed to have around 500. France’s stockpile sits at 290 and Britain at 225.
Trump also tried to bring China into nuclear arms reduction talks when the United States and Russia were negotiating an extension of a pact known as New START. Russia suspended its participation in the treaty during the administration of former US President Joe Biden, as the United States and Russia continued their massive programs to extend the lifespans of or replace their cold war-era nuclear arsenals.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Tells NATO Allies To Hike Spending Or Don't Count On US Help
US President Donald Trump, who has long questioned the viability of NATO, cast doubt on his willingness to support the Western military alliance, saying he would not come to members aid if they didn’t pay enough for their own defense.
"It's common sense, right," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on March 6.
"If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them. No, I'm not going to defend them."
Trump said he shared this view with NATO allies during his first presidential term, 2017-21, prompting most to increase their military spending – but not by enough, he added.
"They should be paying more," he said.
During his first term, Trump insisted that NATO members raise their military spending to 2 percent of GDP, a level pledged in 2014 to be met over the next decade.
At least 24 have met that requirement, although Trump has since suggested the threshold may have to rise to 5 percent of GDP, a level many member nations said would not be economically viable.
Only Poland comes close to 5 percent, although Estonia and Lithuania have signaled they will raise spending to this level as well
Despite the latest comments, Trump in late February reaffirmed his commitment to NATO’s mutual defense clause, Article 5, in remarks alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
That stance was reiterated multiple times -- both publicly and privately -- by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels in February.
Roughly 100,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Europe, mainly in Germany, Italy, and Britain.
NATO was established by the United States and 11 other countries to counter Soviet aggression following World War II. It has grown to 32 members and now includes many nations formerly part of the Soviet Union or under its sphere of influence.
Trump claimed in his remarks that other countries would not come to the US’s defense, although the only time Article 5 has been invoked is when it was determined the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001.
“You know the biggest problem I have with NATO? I really, I mean, I know the guys very well. They’re friends of mine. But if the United States was in trouble, and we called them, we said, ‘We got a problem, France. We got a problem, couple of others I won’t mention.' Do you think they’re going to come and protect us? They’re supposed to. I’m not so sure.”
French President Emmanuel Macron responded to Trump’s remarks, saying, "We are loyal and faithful allies.”
“I think we’re entitled to expect the same,” said Macron, who cited historical incidents of Franco-American military cooperation stretching back to the US Revolutionary War.
France and the United States “have always been there for each other,” he said.
Macron on March 5 said he was open to discussing the extension of France's nuclear deterrence to Paris's allies on the Continent in the face of Russian aggression and worries about the U.S. view on helping to defend Europe.
Trump, meanwhile, also suggested using the U.S. commitment to NATO as leverage in his trade war in his effort to target what he has labeled as unfair trade policies by European nations.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
- By RFE/RL
Trump Again Delays Tariffs On Canada And Mexico, But Vows April 2 Global Measures
U.S. President Donald Trump has again postponed for one month his announced 25 percent tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some from Canada, as fears grow over the potential economic damages of a widespread trade war.
Despite the temporary exemptions for the two U.S. neighbors, Trump is still planning to press ahead with a global regime of reciprocal tariffs on all trading partners of the United States on April 2.
“Most of the tariffs go on April the second,” Trump said.
“These exemptions don’t do much to resolve the general air of uncertainty,” Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment officer at BMO Wealth Management, was quoted by AP as saying.
“Businesses will still be cautious in the current environment until a lot more of the tariff picture is clear."
The White House says its tariffs against Mexico and Canada -- the two largest U.S. trading partners -- are intended to force the countries to take stronger measures against illegal border crossing and the smuggling of drug, including deadly fentanyl.
The plans for U.S. tariffs have many countries looking to impose retaliatory duties on American products and have roiled global stock markets amid fears of a trade war, economic slowdown, and rising consumer prices.
Asked whether the recent stock market decline was due to his tariffs, Trump said: “A lot of them are globalist countries and companies that won’t be doing as well because we’re taking back things that have been taken from us many years ago.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had planned to announce retaliatory measures ahead of the temporary reprieve.
Trump earlier had hailed her for making progress on illegal immigration and drug smuggling as a reason for previously pausing tariffs that were initially set to go into effect in February.
“I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum," Trump said on Truth Social. "Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the border.”
Sheinbaum said she and Trump “had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results.”
Mexico has cracked down on cartels, sent troops to the U.S. border, and handed over to the Trump administration at least 29 top cartel bosses long sought by U.S. authorities.
She said the two countries will continue to work together on migration and security, and to cut back on fentanyl trafficking to the U.S.
Meanwhile, AP quoted two senior Canadian government officials as saying that country’s initial retaliatory tariffs will remain in place despite Trump’s postponement announcement.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, also said that, starting next week, the province will charge 25 percent more for electricity shipped to some 1.5 million Americans in response to Trump’s tariff plan. The province supplies electricity to the U.S. states of Minnesota, New York, and Michigan.
Ford said Ontario’s tariff would remain in place despite the one-month delay by Trump, arguing that as long as the threat of tariffs remains, Ontario’s position wouldn’t change.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will step down as the Canadian leader on March 9, said he does not expect the trade war that Trump has launched to ease any time soon.
"I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future," he told reporters on March 6.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
- By RFE/RL
Syrian Forces Battle With Assad-Linked Fighters In New Surge Of Violence
Syrian government forces clashed with “remnants” of the ousted regime Bashar al-Assad, thrusting the Middle East nation’s new leaders into the biggest crisis since seizing power in December.
The government said at least 13 members of the security forces were killed in the clashes in the Jableh region along the coast.
A regional official said many of the security forces had been attacked in what he called a well-planned ambush by "remnants of the Assad militias."
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an influential monitoring group, said the ambush in the town of Jableh, near the city of Latakia, killed at least 16 security personnel and four civilians.
The Observatory said dozens of fighters loyal to Assad were killed or wounded in the clashes, although the figures could not immediately be confirmed.
"More than 70 killed and dozens wounded and captured in bloody clashes and ambushes on the Syrian coast between members of the Ministry of Defense and Interior and militants from the defunct regime's army," the Observatory wrote on X.
Rami Abdurrahman, head of the monitoring group, said the gunmen who ambushed the police force are Alawites. He called the battles “the worst clashes since the fall of the regime.”
Assad-aligned militias have often targeted security patrols and checkpoints in the Jableh region, said Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kunaifati, the provincial chief of security.
Alawite activists, meanwhile, claim their community has been subjected to violence and attacks since the fall of the Assad government.
Tensions have risen between Iran-backed Assad’s minority Alawite sect and members of the new government, which seized power after an offensive of insurgent groups led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Syria's new authorities have labeled the attacks "isolated incidents" and vowed to arrest those responsible.
"Our forces in the city of Jableh managed to arrest the criminal General Ibrahim Huweija," state-run SANA news agency reported. Al Arabiya also reported the capture.
"He is accused of hundreds of assassinations during the era of the criminal Hafez al-Assad," the authoritarian leader who ruled the brutal Syrian regime before his son, Bashar al-Assad, took over upon his death.
Huweija was chief of Syria’s air force intelligence from 1987-2002 and was suspect of conducting the 1977 murder of Lebanese Druze leader Kamal Bek Jumblatt.
Jumblatt son and successor, Walid Jumblatt, reposted the news of his arrest on X, adding the comment: "Allahu Akbar [God is Greatest]."
The new Syrian government continues to struggle in efforts to stabilize the war-torn nation after a 13-year civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, many of whom fled to Turkey and on to some European countries.
Western nations have begun to consider lifting sanctions put in place to isolate the Assad regime, although they are moving cautiously as they await steps toward increased democracy and human rights by the new leaders.
On March 6, Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities -- including banks, oil companies, and other “entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people," the Foreign Office said.
Last month, the European Union eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank while keeping in place sanctions. Washington has kept sanctions on the central bank in place.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
Ukraine's Opposition Leaders Reject Holding Wartime Elections
Ukrainian opposition leaders Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko have dismissed the possibility of elections in the country during Russia's full-scale invasion after media reports suggested US officials had approached them about the idea.
Poroshenko, a former president, and Tymoshenko, a former prime minister -- the country's most influential opposition figures -- said on March 6 that elections should take place only after peace has been established.
Poroshenko admitted in a written statement published on social media that his team has had contact with US "partners" but that "the essence of our conversations with representatives of the American side has always been reduced to two principles -- security first and peace through strength."
"Our team has always been and is categorically against elections during the war," he added.
Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, a former Ukrainian diplomat and close associate of Poroshenko's, told RFE/RL that the former president and his team are "important and interesting interlocutors" and that they "keep contact with many people from around the globe" despite alleged efforts he says from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to push them away from "the political landscape of Ukraine."
"Our goal is to keep Ukraine in the agenda of both parties," he said, adding that Poroshenko's team maintains contacts with both the Democratic and Republican parties in Washington.
"We do not push for early elections as our main goal is to ensure that any such elections can be free and fair and in accordance with European electoral standards."
Tymoshenko, meanwhile, said her team is "talking with all our allies who can help in securing a just peace as soon as possible," and added that "there can be no talk" about elections before peace is achieved.
The latest comments come after Politico reported that four senior members of US President Donald Trump's "entourage" met with Poroshenko and Tymoshenko for "secret discussions" about holding elections.
The discussions focused on whether Ukraine could have quick presidential elections, according to the report.
In February, Trump called Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" for not holding a vote since Russia launched its full-scale war in 2022.
White House officials also have mentioned holding elections in Ukraine as part of a potential sequencing for a peace process amid ongoing talks between Moscow and Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has widely claimed there can't be peace talks with Ukraine because Zelenskyy is not the country's legitimate leader because his term was originally supposed to end in May 2024.
However, under the Ukrainian constitution, Zelenskyy is bound to remain in office as the country is under martial law because of Russia's full-scale invasion, a point Ukrainian lawmakers underlined in approving a resolution supporting him on February 25.
Martial law was imposed by Kyiv just a day after the Kremlin launched its all-out war in February 2022. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly noted that practical considerations, along with security and legal ones, make it impossible to hold elections.
Pavlo Klimkin, a former Ukrainian foreign minister, told RFE/RL that he doesn’t "see anything sensational" in the idea of US officials meeting Ukrainian political leaders to gauge the possibility of holding elections in the future and that such discussions had been under way even before Trump took office.
"This is actually a conversation that has been going on for a long time in the United States," he said.
Klimkin added that holding elections appears to be on the table as peace talks advance, but the issue will be first establishing a sustainable cease-fire.
"They say it should be as fast as possible," he said. "This is an image issue for Trump and an issue of political respect for his administration. But after the cease-fire, I think they will want to hold elections."
Iranian Singer Mehdi Yarrahi Flogged Over Song Against Mandatory Hijab
Pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi has been given 74 lashes for a song criticizing Iran's mandatory dress code for women, ending a criminal case against him that also included a prison term.
His lawyer, Zahra Minuei, wrote on X on March 5 that Yarrahi's flogging sentence had been carried out.
Yarrahi became a household name in August 2023 after releasing a song titled Roosarito -- which translates as Your Head Scarf in Persian -- ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly nationwide protests that gave rise to the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
In January 2024, Yarrahi was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison and 74 lashes over the song. He was sentenced by the court on multiple charges and the sentences ran concurrently, meaning the singer would serve one year in prison.
In a video message days ahead of the flogging, Yarrahi said his prison sentence had been changed to house arrest with an ankle monitor due to his health problems, but insisted he had not requested the flogging sentence be dropped.
Messages of support have poured in for Yarrahi on social media.
Imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi in a statement said the flogging was "retaliation" for his support for Iranian women.
"Mehdi Yarrahi stood against the suppression of women's voices -- let us be his voice," she wrote.
Political activist and former prisoner Arash Sadeqi hailed Yarrahi for "becoming the voice of the people and amplifying their grievances."
He praised the singer for "not bowing to force" and added, "People will never forget who stood by them in their toughest days."
Your Head Scarf urges women to remove their mandatory head scarves. It was released as officials clamped down on dissent ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2023.
Amini died in police custody for an alleged hijab violation. Her death sparked the Women, Life, Freedom movement and nationwide unrest over the government's restrictions on women and their daily lives.
Russian Attacks Target Ukrainian Civilians As Zelenskyy Attends EU Defense Summit
Ukraine was hit by a series of deadly Russian drone and missile attacks targeting civilian infrastructure following Washington's decision to pause military shipments and intelligence sharing with Kyiv as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels for a summit with EU leaders.
How to bridge the gap brought by newly cutback US support is set to factor into the gathering in Brussels, where the Ukrainian president and European leaders are set to discuss an 800 billion euro ($844 billion) plan to bolster Europe's defense industry, ramp up military capability, and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine.
Recent moves out of Washington and the latest developments on the battlefield -- which include a missile attack on Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryviy Rih late on March 5 and Russian claims that its forces captured a new village in eastern Ukraine -- loom over the summit.
Zelenskyy said in a social media post that at least four people were killed in the attack on the central city where he was born, adding Russia's actions showed there can be no pause in putting pressure on the Kremlin "to stop this war and terror against life."
Officials will be looking at how to recalibrate both the high-stakes diplomacy over ending the war in Ukraine and the grinding combat on the battlefield to the Trump administration's decisions to pause military supplies and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv.
"I want to believe that the United States will stand by us. But we have to be ready if that is not the case," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address to on the eve of the summit where he warned that Moscow would not top at Ukraine and said that Paris was willing to extend its nuclear umbrella to other European nations.
In response to the halt in US intelligence-sharing, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu also said on March 6 that Paris will be offering its intelligence capabilities to Ukraine.
The series of moves highlights the frantic pace of developments around the war as Washington, Moscow, Kyiv, and European capitals move quickly to adjust plans and proposals that could help set the stage for a lasting agreement on the three-year war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Macron's comments, telling reporters on March 6 that the French president's speech was "extremely confrontational" and claimed that France wants the war to continue.
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Macron's comments on expanding the protection of France's nuclear arsenal to other European countries posed a threat to Russia. He added that that any deployment of peacekeepers from a NATO country, even if they were not part a deployment through the alliance, such as a recently floated proposal for a British- and French-led force, would be treated by Moscow as a NATO presence in Ukraine.
"We do not see space for compromise here," Lavrov said, reiterating Moscow's position against any NATO footprint in Ukraine.
As they meet in Brussels, Europeans leaders will look come together to carve out their own positions on how to best support Ukraine at the negotiating table and on the battlefield.
According to a draft outlining the goals of the summit seen by RFE/RL, the summit aims to release up enough funds for EU member states to spend on defense as part of a plan outlined by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called REARM Europe meant to see Europe play a greater role in supporting Kyiv militarily and helping to strike a peace deal that won't sideline Ukraine.
Camille Grand, a former high-ranking NATO official who also held several positions at the French foreign and defense ministries, says it will be crucial for European governments to provide defense backing that offers some form of security guarantees to Kyiv if they are to bridge the current gap in talks aimed at finding a settlement.
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"Security guarantees have become the key to the negotiation. In the absence of such guarantees, Ukraine will be extremely reluctant to sign up to any peace deal," Grand, who is now a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told RFE/RL. "As likely principal providers of such guarantees, the Europeans have regained some leverage in the process."
As leaders look to make progress in Brussels, they will also need to mov quickly to bolster Ukraine's defenses and its forces in the short term.
The Russian strike on Kryviy Rih killed at least four people and injured more than 30 people, and marked the first long-range attack on civilian infrastructure since the United States paused sending military supplies and sharing intelligence.
The precise significance of US intelligence to Ukraine's war effort has never been fully laid out in public, but Ukrainian officials have said it could affect the country's ability to protect itself against Russian missile strikes. It could also hinder Ukraine's ability to carry out effective long-range drone strikes on Russia and in using advanced US weapons to launch and repel attacks, such as Patriot and NASAMS air-defense systems, as well as HIMARS long-range rocket launchers and Stormshadow missiles supplied by Britain and France.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, ahead of the summit that Poland will continue to logistically support Ukraine and that it has already started delivering a new aid package worth up to 200 million euros ($215 million).
"We continue to support Ukraine as we have from the first day of the war. It is incredibly important for us," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Trump administration officials have suggested the pause in military aid and intelligence-sharing could be relatively short-lived if Zelenskyy is willing to return to the negotiating table, something the Ukrainian president has indicated he is willing to do.
US national-security adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News on March 5 that the White House would consider restoring aid to Ukraine if peace talks were arranged and confidence-building measures taken. Discussions were ongoing with Ukraine over a date and place for talks, he said.
Relations between Kyiv and Washington have been rocky since an Oval Office argument between Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance on February 28 that saw the Ukrainian president publicly berated and asked to leave the White House without signing a strategically important minerals deal.
Zelenskyy has since been willing to sign the deal and taken steps to try to repair his relationship with Washington.
On the battlefield in Ukraine and parts of Russia, fighting is ongoing with high casualties but it remains largely stalemated in terms of either Kyiv or Moscow taking new territory.
It remains to be seen what effect, if any, the pause in military shipments and intelligence-sharing will have on the battlefield, but several high-ranking Democrats criticized the White House's decision on March 5.
Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, called the decision to stop sharing intelligence an "ill-advised decision."
"Let me be clear: Cutting off intelligence support to our Ukrainian partners will cost [Ukrainian] lives," the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
As European leaders gather in Brussels, they will be looking to move quickly to prevent that from happening. Most estimates forecast Ukraine could continue fighting through the summer without additional American aid or a surge of European assistance.
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