Germany becomes Ukraine's last major backer to allow use of long-range missiles against Russia

Germany becomes Ukraine's last major backer to allow use of long-range missiles against Russia

Germany's chancellorsaid Monday thathis governmentwill lift all range restrictions onweapons it sends to Ukraine, meaning that all of Kyiv'smajor western allieshave now relaxed red lines on the use of their weapons inside Russia to fightMoscow's offensive. The decision fromChancellor Friedrich Merzcomes as Europe seeks to bolsterKyiv's war effortsamiduncertainty over U.S. security guaranteeseven as President Donald Trumpappears to be losing patiencewith Russian President Vladimir Putin, for stalling peace talks and his bombardment of Ukraine's cities. "There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine, neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans," Merz said Monday during a news conference in Berlin. "This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia ... With very few exceptions, it did not do so until recently," he added. Merz's decision may contradict that of his predecessor,former-Chancellor Olof Scholz, who stopped short of allowing Ukraine to use long-range Taurus missiles, whose range of more than 500km (310 miles) exceeds that of the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) or the materiel provided by Britain or France. Washingtonlifted its own restrictionsallowing Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep inside Russia in November, with Germany the only major holdout left. Berlin is thesecond-biggest supplier of military aidto Ukraine after the U.S., but does not disclose which weapons systems it supplies to Ukraine due to what it calls "strategic ambiguity." As a result, Merz did not specifically discuss Taurus missiles in his comments, which came after the Kremlin on Sunday launched the largest air raid since beginning its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyysaid late Monday that the Russian army had launched over 900 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles across Ukraine over the past three days. The bombardment continued Tuesday, with Russian strikes killing two civilians and injured dozens others, according to Ukrainian officials. "Russian strikes are becoming increasingly brazen and large-scale every night," Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. The combination of anunpredictable administrationin the White House andMoscow's intensifying attackshas promptedEuropean leaders to redouble effortsto reassure Ukraine, with the recently-elected Merz saying ina post Monday on Xthat Germany would "do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine." Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Tuesday accused Zelenskyy of "trying to blame Russia for prolonging the conflict." "Those who want peace do not ask for more weapons," she added. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoed those sentiments Tuesday, saying Europe was "indirectly participating" in the war against Russia by supplying arms to Ukraine. "Such behavior by Europeans in no way contributes to a peaceful settlement," he added. Peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv have remained in limbo since Trump and Putin exchangeda friendly, if fruitless, phone calllast week, withthe president announcing shortly afterwardthat Russia and Ukraine would "immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire." The Kremlin has since said it was working on a memorandum which outlines Moscow's demands for peace. Any demands that cleave toRussia's previous peace plans, which have been repeatedly refused by Kyiv, would essentially amount to Kyiv's surrender. Last week, Russia and Ukraine began thelargest prisoner swap of the three-year war, with nearly 800 captives expected to be released from both sides. A2024 United Nations reportfound that 95% of released Ukrainian prisoners of war faced systematic torture inside Russian jails. That swap appeared to have no bearing on Russia's persistent bombardment of its eastern neighbor or efforts by the White House to end a war which President Trump previously said he could end in one day. Trump appeared to belosing patience with Putinafter Russia's latest bombardment, calling the Russian leader "crazy" in an X post Sunday. In response, the Kremlin dismissed the comments Monday as "emotional overload."

byDan Dunne

in

May 27, 2025

Germany becomes Ukraine's last major backer to allow use of long-range missiles against Russia

Germany becomes Ukraine's last major backer to allow use of long-range missiles against Russia Germany's chancellorsaid Monday thath...

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Overseas schools are eager to take international students affected by Trump's Harvard ban

Overseas schools are eager to take international students affected by Trump's Harvard ban

HONG KONG — If PresidentDonald Trumpdoesn't wantinternational students at Harvard, there are plenty of foreign governments and universities happy to take them — along with their talents that have helped make the United States a global tech and scientific leader. The future of international students at the oldest, richest and most renowned university in the U.S. is uncertain after the Trump administration announced a ban on their enrollment starting in the 2025-26 academic year. After Harvard refused to turn over extensive data about its international students, Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noemsaid the school was being held accountable for "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus." Harvard has sued over the move, calling it unlawful, and on Friday a federal judge in Boston put it on hold for two weeks. If the Trump administration prevails, new international students would be barred from enrolling at Harvard while current ones would be forced to either transfer elsewhere or lose their legal status. U.S. universities including Harvard rely heavily on international students, who often pay far more in tuition than their American classmates. Many of them end up staying in the U.S., where they have been responsible for major breakthroughs in strategically important fields such as artificial intelligence where the U.S.,Chinaand other nations are locked in intense competition. Trump's campaign against Harvard is a "terrible policy error" that could undermine the world-leading role the U.S. has played in research and development sinceWorld War II, Simon Marginson, a professor of higher education at the University of Oxford, told NBC News in an email Monday. A downturn in international students would affect American universities' "talent pipeline" and income, while benefiting U.S. competitors, he said. "China will become significantly more attractive than before to students and researchers from the Global South," he said, adding that "Western Europe will also gain significantly." There was already growing unease among international students at U.S. universities amidanti-immigrant rhetoricby Trump, in addition todeep funding cutsand efforts to intervene in universities' internal operations.Hundreds of students' visashave been revoked, while the Trump administration hasdetained and sought to deport othersover pro-Palestinian and other activism. At Harvard, more than a quarter of the student body of about 25,000 comes from overseas and the looming ban has caught up students from more than 140 countries, including thefuture queen of Belgium. Harvard's biggest group of overseas students, about 20%, come from China, which was long the top source of international students in the U.S. beforebeing overtaken by Indialast year. The number of Chinese students in the U.S. has been dropping —to about 277,000 during the 2023-24 school year, compared with more than 372,000 in 2019-20 — due to disruptions from theCovid-19 pandemicas well asgrowing U.S.-China tensions. Chinese academics were also driven away by theChina Initiative, a national security program from Trump's first term that drew accusations of racial profiling. Many of them have moved their research to Chinese universities. Responding to the Harvard ban, Beijing said U.S.-China educational cooperation is "mutually beneficial" and that it would "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars overseas." "China has consistently opposed the politicization of educational exchanges," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Friday. "Such actions by the U.S. will only damage its own image and international credibility." Izzy Shen, 23, an incoming Harvard student from Beijing, said her visa application was refused hours after Trump's Harvard ban. "I didn't expect it to be so fast," said Shen, whose application had already been marked "approved." Shen, who was admitted to Harvard's Master in Design Engineering program, said she remained "relatively optimistic" and that the situation would "get clearer" after the injunction hearing Thursday. Duo Yi, who was admitted to the PhD Public Policy program at Harvard Kenny School, said she is now exploring other options amid growing uncertainty about her enrolment. Trump is "simply too unpredictable," she said. "I have no way of knowing what direction his future policies will take." Foreign governments and universities are not waiting to woo the Harvard students spurned by Trump. In the Chinese territory ofHong Kong, officials have urged universities to take proactive action "to attract top talent." Hong Kong's "doors are wide open" to "any students who face discrimination and unfair treatment in the U.S.,"John Lee, the city's top leader, said Tuesday. Hong Kong has four universities in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report'sBest Global Universities Rankings, which is topped by Harvard, though experts say academic freedom in the former British colony of 7.5 million people has eroded since Beijing imposed anational security lawin 2020. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said Friday that Harvard undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as students with confirmed offers of admission, were welcome to study there instead. Europe has also sought to lure scientists worried about funding cuts and freedom of research under Trump, launching a $570 million initiative this month called"Choose Europe." Though she did not mention Trump by name, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized "free and open research" in a speech promoting the initiative at Sorbonne University in Paris. "As threats rise across the world, Europe will not compromise on its principles," she said. "Europe must remain the home of academic and scientific freedom." Despite concerns about the Harvard ban, Alex Zeng, an overseas education consultant based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, said American universities remained the top choice for many Chinese students. "The rich still want to go to the U.S. for education," Zeng said.

byDan Dunne

in

May 27, 2025

Overseas schools are eager to take international students affected by Trump's Harvard ban

Overseas schools are eager to take international students affected by Trump's Harvard ban HONG KONG — If PresidentDonald Trumpdoesn'...

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Ukraine revamps minerals sector, eyes billions in investment from US deal

Ukraine revamps minerals sector, eyes billions in investment from US deal

By Olena Harmash KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine is overhauling its minerals sector, which has been pounded by three years of war, in the hope of unlocking potential and attracting billions of dollars of investment from a minerals deal with the U.S., its ecology minister said. The country has deposits of 22 of 34 minerals deemed as critical by the European Union for industries such as defence, high-tech appliances and green energy, as well as ferro alloy, precious and non-ferrous metals used in construction, and some rare earth elements. However, much of the sector is underdeveloped, weighed down by Soviet-era bureaucracy and lack of investment. After months of fraught negotiations, Kyiv and the United States agreed a minerals deal in April that was heavily promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump. It created a fund, which became active on May 23, that will receive money from new mining licences in Ukraine and invest in minerals projects. Ecology Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk told Reuters in an interview that Ukraine hoped the fund would significantly increase the mineral industry's potential, noting extraction was a capital-intensive and long-term task. "Currently, our natural resources sector's share of gross domestic product is 4%, but the potential is much greater," she said late on Monday, without giving projections. "We really hope the agreement will draw more attention to this sector and make foreign investment more understandable and more attractive." With the conflict still ongoing, about half of the country's mineral wealth and a fifth of its territory are now under Russian occupation. Ukraine has lost most of its coal deposits, as well as some lithium and manganese deposits and other minerals. Hrynchuk estimated that the sector had suffered losses of about 70 trillion hryvnias ($1.7 trillion) due to the occupation of Ukrainian territory and combat action along a more than 1,000 km (621 miles) frontline. Ukraine updated its strategy for its resources sector at the end of last year and was now focusing on improving access to information and data on geological exploration, reducing bureaucracy and finalising the lists of critical and strategic minerals crucial for the economy, she said. The work is also part of Ukraine's push to move closer to the European Union, which Kyiv hopes to join in 2030. UNDERDEVELOPED AND UNEXPLORED Hrynchuk said the government was working with the European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on a multi-year project to digitise up to 80% of Soviet-era geological data. That task is about 40% complete, she said. The government was also working to review an existing 3,000 mining licenses. Hrynchuk estimated that about 10% of them could be dormant. "We are not interested in taking away assets if there is a potential for them to work," she said. "We are interested for those assets which are... valuable for the state and have not been working for 10 years or more, to make appropriate managerial decisions about them. And to launch them back into circulation." The licence review will be done this year and next, she said. Despite wartime challenges, the government continued to auction mining licenses and last year raised 2.4 billion hryvnias from auctioning 120 mining licenses. It hopes to get a similar amount into the state coffers this year and has already awarded 32 licenses, with the majority for building sector materials, including clay, sand, marble, granite, but also amber. Investors, who at present are predominantly domestic, were mostly interested in licenses for oil and gas exploration, as well as minerals such as titanium, graphite and manganese, she said. The U.S. minerals deal was agreed despite a clash between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Trump during their meeting in the White House in February. Final documents to enable the joint investment fund to operate were exchanged last week, but projects will take time to materialise, Ukrainian officials said. The minerals deal, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent termed as a full economic partnership, hands the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals accords and will help to fund Ukraine's reconstruction. (Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

byDan Dunne

in

May 27, 2025

Ukraine revamps minerals sector, eyes billions in investment from US deal

Ukraine revamps minerals sector, eyes billions in investment from US deal By Olena Harmash KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine is overhauling its miner...

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A look at the candidates running in Poland's presidential runoff election

A look at the candidates running in Poland's presidential runoff election

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election on Sunday, with a right-wing nationalist and a pro-European liberal running neck-and-neck in a race that could shape the future of one of NATO's and the European Union's most strategically important member states. The vote comes amid heightened regional tensions driven by Russia's war in neighboring Ukraine, security concerns across Europe and internal debates about the rule of law. The winner will replace conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose second term expires this summer. Most political power in Poland lies with a government led by a prime minister and parliament, but the president holds the power to veto laws and influences foreign policy. Sunday's vote follows a first round on May 18, in which Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski won 31.36% of the vote and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian, earned 29.54%. Eleven other candidates were eliminated. Karol Nawrocki, conservative histo rian Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian with no political experience who is not even a party member, was tapped by Law and Justice as part of a push for a fresh start. Law and Justice governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, when it lost power to a centrist coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Nawrocki currently heads the Institute of National Remembrance, which embraces nationalist historical narratives. He led efforts totopple monuments to the Soviet Red Armyin Poland. Russia responded by putting him on a wanted list, according to Polish media reports. U.S. PresidentDonald Trump, who met Nawrocki this month at the White House, released photos of the meeting. Nawrocki said Trump predicted his victory. Nawrocki's supporters describe him as the embodiment of traditional, patriotic values. Many oppose abortion and LGBTQ+ visibility and say Nawrocki reflects the traditional values they grew up with. A common refrain from his supporters is that Nawrocki will restore "normality," as they believe Trump has done. U.S. flags appear at his rallies. Nawrocki performed better in the first round than expected, an indication he was underestimated in the polling. But his quick political rise has not been without controversy, with reports of links to underworld figures whom he met while boxing or working as a hotel security guard in the past. Nawrocki has also been linked to a scandal involving the acquisition of a Gdansk apartment from an elderly pensioner named Jerzy. Allegations suggest Nawrocki promised to care for Jerzy in return but failed to fulfill the commitment, leading the man to end up in a publicly funded retirement home. His shifting explanations have raised questions about his transparency and credibility. After the scandal erupted he donated the apartment to a charity. It recently emerged Nawrocki took part in a 2009 Gdansk hooligan brawl involving about 140 rival football fans, some later convicted of crimes. Nawrocki described the fight as a form of "noble" combat. His behavior during a presidential debate on Friday also generated a lot of discussion. At one point during the debate, while Trzaskowski spoke about plans for senior care, Nawrocki covered his mouth with one hand and put something in his mouth. He first said it was gum, but later said it was a nicotine pouch. His critics say all of these things make him unfit to represent Poland as the head of state. His supporters dismiss the allegations as politically motivated, and it is not clear if any of the allegations will hurt him. Rafał Trzaskowski, liberal Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski, 53, is Warsaw's mayor and a close ally of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. A deputy leader of the pro-EU Civic Platform, he has been prominent in national politics for years. This is his second presidential bid after narrowly losing to Duda in 2020. Supporters credit him with modernizing Warsaw through infrastructure, public transit expansion andcultural investments. He is widely seen as pro-European, pragmatic and focused on aligning Poland more closely with EU norms, especially on democratic governance and judicial independence. Fluent in several foreign languages including English and French, he is praised by supporters but mocked by opponents, who see those skills as a sign of elitism and taunt him with the nickname "Bonjour" at right-wing rallies. His right-wing critics accusing him of being willing to sell out Poland's sovereignty to the EU and embracing green economic policies, which they believe are harmful to Poland's traditional reliance on coal as an energy source. His open support for LGBTQ+ rights, including appearances at Pride parades, has made him a polarizing figure in conservative and rural areas. His conservative critics feel he is out of touch with traditional Polish values and say his administration has mismanaged aspects of Warsaw's real estate and budget. Voter fatigue is another challenge. Some centrist and progressive voters have expressed disappointment with the Tusk government's failure to deliver on key promises, particularly on easing Poland's near-total abortion ban. Trzaskowski has sought to reinvigorate that base, leading a majorWarsaw rallyon Sunday that aimed to mobilize voters. He has framed the election as a choice between a European future and authoritarian nationalism. His campaign stresses democratic institutions, EU cooperation and women's rights, messages that resonate more in cities than in rural areas.

byDan Dunne

in

May 27, 2025

A look at the candidates running in Poland's presidential runoff election

A look at the candidates running in Poland's presidential runoff election WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is set to hold a presidential run...

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Russia says U.S. Golden Dome project undermines strategic stability

Russia says U.S. Golden Dome project undermines strategic stability

MOSCOW (Reuters) -The United States' Golden Dome project undermines the foundations of strategic stability as it involves the creation of a global missile defence system, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday. The $175-billion project, proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, is aimed at blocking threats from China and Russia. (Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Editing by Alexander Marrow)

byDan Dunne

in

May 27, 2025

Russia says U.S. Golden Dome project undermines strategic stability

Russia says U.S. Golden Dome project undermines strategic stability MOSCOW (Reuters) -The United States' Golden Dome project undermines ...

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