Vladimir Putin sent a stern warning to the West after NATO allies agreed to aid Ukraine with armoured tanks. The Russian leader warned he will "respond" to the decision with means other than tanks, hinting at an escalation of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Network data from NetBlocks shows internet across Italy has mostly been restored after more than five hours of outages.
A handful of top European Union officials gathered in Kiev with Ukraine's leadership on Friday under the sound of air raid sirens for a risky summit at a moment Ukraine is pushing to be fast-tracked for entry into the bloc. Though far from the front line fighting in the east and south, the capital has seen sporadic airstrikes over the past months, but none have been recorded thus far Friday while the summit is being held.
British soldiers are facing temperatures as low as -12 as they take part in Nato war games just 80 miles from Russia.
Flying in Chinook helicopters and charging round the snow-covered forests with tanks, the squaddies are ready for anything in the icy conditions of eastern Estonia.
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On the vast military base, about the size of 15,000 football pitches, Brit troops along with other Nato forces, including the native Estonian army, have been building up for huge war games featuring heavy armour, helicopters, and rocket launchers.
The Russian government has claimed that NATO’s entire network of satellites, and more broadly the alliance’s entire military infrastructure, is working to support Ukraine’s war effort. "We see how NATO’s entire military infrastructure is working against Russia, and we see how NATO’s entire intelligence infrastructure, including reconnaissance aviation, and satellite groupings are working in the interests of Ukraine in a 24/7 mode," an official statement from the Kremlin alleged on February 1.
Participants in the Ukraine-EU summit, held in Kiev on February 3, will be frustrated, as the goals of Russia’s special military operation will be achieved, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Saturday.
Serbia’s populist president warned during a chaotic parliamentary session on Thursday that the Balkan nation could become a European “pariah” state if it rejects a Western plan for normalizing relations with Kosovo.
President Aleksandar Vucic faced a hostile reception from the right-wing opposition, which urged parliament to reject the plan and accused him of betraying Serbia.
European Union officials are expected to warn Ukraine that its hopes of a fast track to membership will not be met at a key summit in Kyiv today.
The bloc's leaders granted candidate status to Ukraine in June last year, just months after Russia sent troops into the pro-Western country. But the path to full membership remains long, and could take years.
The Qatargate corruption scandal that has sent shockwaves through Brussels has also revealed that the key suspect, a “socialist” politician, enjoyed the “lifestyle of a movie star,” according to Hungarian newspaper Origo.
In this photo provided by the European Parliament, Greek politician and European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili, right, speaks during the European Book Prize award ceremony in Brussels, Dec. 7, 2022. (European Parliament via AP)
