Tehran and Washington have exchanged mutual warnings and mistrust ahead of crucial negotiations in Islamabad
Iranian and US delegations are converging on Islamabad for what Pakistan’s prime minister has called a “make-or-break moment” in efforts to turn a fragile ceasefire into a broader agreement.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is leading the Iranian side, while US Vice President JD Vance is heading the American team.
Iran has arrived with a message of deep mistrust. Ghalibaf said Tehran had “goodwill,” despite Washington attacking Iran “twice within less than a year” in the middle of negotiations.
Vance struck a similar tone, saying earlier that he expected productive talks while warning Iran not to “play” the US.
President Donald Trump, for his part, has projected confidence and threat in equal measure, saying the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened “with or without” Tehran’s cooperation as he reportedly prepares military options in case the talks collapse.
“We don’t need a back-up plan ... we’ve hit them hard, our military is amazing,” Trump told journalists after wishing Vance “luck”.
Key developments:
Trump has summed up what a good deal with Iran looks like, saying: “No nuclear weapon. That’s 99% of it,” while adding that the Strait of Hormuz “will open automatically”.
Iran’s team reflects how broadly Tehran is framing the negotiations, reaching far beyond a narrow nuclear discussion. Alongside Ghalibaf are Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is heading the political track; Abdolnaser Hemmati, leading the economic side; Ali Akbar Ahmadian, overseeing the military file; and Esmaeil Baqaei, handling legal matters.
The US side appears narrower, with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also expected in Islamabad, although public reporting has offered few confirmed details about the delegation’s composition.
The Iranian delegation is due to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday morning. Indirect negotiations would reportedly begin later in the day if Israeli attacks on Lebanon stop.
Israeli strikes have reportedly killed at least 1,953 people in Lebanon since 2 March, including more than 300 killed in Wednesday’s bombardment after the fragile ceasefire was announced.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
Four astronauts return from humanity’s first voyage around the Moon in more than 50 years
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have safely returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California and closing out humanity’s first crewed journey around the Moon in more than half a century.
The mission marks NASA’s first crewed Artemis flight and the first time people had traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Aboard the Orion spacecraft are Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, the four-person crew spent about 10 days testing the spacecraft and its systems on a lunar flyby designed to help pave the way for future missions deeper into the Artemis program.
During the mission, Artemis II set a new distance record for human spaceflight, with NASA saying the crew surpassed the mark set by Apollo 13.
Orion's main parachute has deployed. The spacecraft has a system of 11 chutes that will slow it down from around 300 mph to 20 mph for splashdown.
The final descent was among the most critical phases of the flight. Orion hit Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed, endured extreme heating during reentry, then slowed under parachutes before splashing down.
The crew module on Orion has separated from its service module. After traveling around the Moon, seeing its far side, and experiencing a solar eclipse, the Artemis II astronauts are on the last leg of their trip home. pic.twitter.com/j9u5j1Noi9
NASA and US Navy recovery teams were positioned to retrieve the spacecraft and crew after landing.
After a journey of more than 690,000 miles, the crew is nearly home.
The Artemis II crew will splash down off the coast of San Diego later today and, though it won’t be visible from land, you can still wave in their general direction to welcome them back to Earth! 👋 pic.twitter.com/ZZX23QCTpb
Artemis II did not land on the Moon, but NASA has described it as a crucial test of the systems needed to send astronauts farther into deep space and eventually back to the lunar surface.
Like most test flights, Artemis II was not entirely trouble-free. Early in the mission, the crew and flight controllers had to troubleshoot Orion’s toilet after a fault light appeared, and later dealt with additional hygiene-system issues, including a urine-venting problem and an odd burning smell near the toilet bay. NASA said the glitches were manageable and did not threaten the mission.
The mission’s results are expected to shape the next steps in the Artemis campaign, including future crewed lunar operations.
Beijing will spare no effort to promote peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese president has said
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the head of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), on Friday and stressed that no global changes would stop “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” including its people across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan became a de facto self-governed territory after Chinese nationalist forces lost in the civil war against the communists and fled to the island in 1949. Beijing considers Taiwan an inalienable part of its territory under the One China principle, which the overwhelming majority of UN member states adhere to.
The opposition leader arrived on the mainland on Tuesday at Xi’s invitation. Taiwan’s ruling DPP condemned the visit, but Cheng Li-wun described it as a peace-building mission – the first event of the kind in a decade.
“Hopefully… the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a geopolitical flashpoint and will never be a chessboard for interference by external forces,” she said, as cited by the Taipei Times.
“We welcome any proposals conducive to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and will spare no effort to advance any endeavors that promote such development,” Xi said in a speech at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, adding that forces promoting “Taiwan independence” are the primary instigators of tensions in the region.
“No matter how the international landscape and the situation across the Taiwan Strait may evolve, the overarching trend toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will not change,” Xi said.
Cheng agreed that both the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party should uphold the 1992 Consensus under which Taipei and Beijing acknowledged that there is only one China. Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te’s DPP has opposed the consensus, viewing it as limiting the island’s autonomy.
Cheng’s rapprochement visit comes ahead of an expected summit between Xi and US President Donald Trump, which was earlier postponed due to the Iran war.
Illegal logging, huge decommissioning costs and even ecological damage plague the supposedly ‘green’ generators
They may appear to be innocuous – even elegant – on the landscape as they collect power from the currents, but wind turbines have their own set of problems that environmentalists wish to ignore due to their eco-virtue-signaling.
As environmentalists look at a sprawling field of wind turbines as ‘good for the environment’ – unlike giant smokestacks on the horizon emitting noxious greenhouse gases into the air – the dangers inherent to wind energy are mostly invisible from a distance. Take a closer look, however, and it becomes quickly apparent that wind farms come with their own high cost to the environment and our health.
In a new report, it has been estimated that close to a million balsa hardwood trees are being illegally logged in the Amazon rainforest every year to support the hefty demand for wind turbines around the world. Balsa is a lightweight but durable wood that is regularly used in the production of the massive turbine blades. Each set of three blades requires up to 40 trees to produce.
Balsa is a relatively rapid-growing tropical wood and until the mounting demand from turbines began, it was safely harvested in sustainable plantations. But since a few short decades ago, the harvest could no longer keep up with demand as the clear-cutting of this precious commodity surges. In a critical survey, the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) found that exports were increased by up to 50% following illegal logging in virgin rainforest.
In 2020, it was reported that over 20,000 balsa trees were illegally cut down between March and September in the Achuar indigenous territory along Ecuador’s Copataza River. Ecuador produces over 90% of the balsa in the world, with annual exports averaging 56,000 tons from 2013 to 2022. Other studies point to excessive illegal logging, with some estimates noting the removal of 75% of the trees in some areas.
Another grave problem stemming from the use of turbine-driven energy is the massive death of wildlife, particularly birds and bats. Turbine blades rotate at speeds that approach 200 miles per hour, and birds and bats that are caught in the rotor area are killed by impact or by sudden pressure changes near the spinning blades. Meanwhile, raptors like eagles and hawks are especially at risk because they hunt for their prey in open, wind-swept terrain, exactly in the places where turbines tend to be constructed. Bat deaths peak during late summer and fall migration, when various species travel long distances at exactly rotor height.
“These inefficient, unreliable, unsightly monsters require a large footprint on land and sea, kill millions of bats, decimate raptor populations, sweep the air of quadrillions of insects and alter local ecology on both land and sea,”writes Chris Morrison of The Daily Sceptic. “Nobody would install one in a free market, so they require vast financial subsidies to produce expensive electricity.”
Another problem derives from the waste derived from these monstrosities. Wind turbines have a life expectancy of just 20 to 30 years, at which point they must be disassembled and hauled away (compare that to the lengthy life span of a coal-burning plant). When they’re put out of commission, the towers and nacelles contain recyclable metals like steel, zinc and copper. For the massive blades, which are about the size of a Boeing 747 wing, it’s a different story. Most are constructed from fiberglass-reinforced composites that are difficult and expensive to recycle, and many end up in garbage dumps.
After taking into account the salvage value of recyclable materials, the average net cost of decommissioning a single turbine has been estimated at between $67,000 and $150,000. Estimates vary by source, but all are at least in the tens of thousands of dollars. The fear is whether developers have hoarded away enough funds to cover these future costs, or whether property owners and taxpayers will be left holding the bag if a turbine company suddenly goes bankrupt.
Others point to the disruption of scenic landscapes – “industrialization of the countryside” as it has been called - that comes with sprawling wind farms. Some wind farms are opposed for potentially spoiling protected scenic areas, archaeological landscapes and heritage sites. A 2017 report by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland concluded that wind farms harmed tourism in areas known for natural landscapes and panoramic views.
As the author pointed out, “our hills and wild places are small and finite. They deserve better than yet another short-term wave of degradation and exploitation … to produce profit for often-distant companies and shareholders.”
That sounds like an appropriate epitaph for this questionable energy source that falls far short of its myriad promises.
Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida, narrowly survived a missile strike last month while filming on the ground in southern Lebanon
American journalist Tucker Carlson has said an Israeli strike targeting RT correspondent Steve Sweeney in Lebanon was an “attempted assassination,” as he spoke with the reporter about the attack and his work in conflict zones.
Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida Sbeity, were injured last month when an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at their filming position near the Al-Qasmiya Bridge in southern Lebanon, close to a local army base. The crew, who were wearing clearly marked press gear, said the jet “deliberately attacked” them, with Rida’s camera capturing the moment the blast struck less than ten meters behind Sweeney as he ducked for cover.
In the interview, released by Carlson on Friday, he told viewers that the strike was “an attempted assassination,” while Sweeney said they “were incredibly lucky to come out of that situation alive.”
Sweeney said the munition, which he identified as a GBU-38 bomb fired from an F-16 fighter jet, passed through a hole in the already destroyed bridge, arguing there had been “no military objective” in striking it again. He also described the attack as “an assassination attempt by Israel to silence the voices on the ground, to silence the truth.”
Carlson also asked why a British citizen and former reporter for the Morning Star chose to work for RT. Sweeney quipped that MI5 “would never clear” him to work for the BBC, while arguing that the space for challenging official narratives in Western media, particularly over the Ukraine conflict, had “completely disappeared.”
“I have complete freedom to report exactly what I want, and nobody tells me what to say,” he said of his work at RT. Sweeney also noted that the channel is banned in the US and EU, while Western broadcasters are still allowed to operate and question officials inside Russia.
UK counter-terror police detained and interrogated Sweeney at Heathrow Airport last July over his work for RT and his reporting from Donbass and Lebanon, and he told Carlson that he is currently being investigated for potential terrorist activity “based on my journalism” alone.
Sweeney told Carlson that despite the near-fatal strike in Lebanon, he has “no intention of leaving” the country or stopping his work.
By returning to Russia now, foreign companies can regain lost ground ahead of competitors – time for Truth and Reconciliation 2.0
There is a time for goodbye – and a time for reunion.
When foreign companies beat a hasty retreat from Russia in 2022 amid the Ukraine conflict, they framed their departures as a moral necessity.
In truth, for many, it was a costly act of panic: abrupt, politically driven, and strategically short-sighted.
Now, as the global business climate is tempered by a more sober reality, the moment has come for foreign multinationals to reconsider – true to the old wisdom that illness is best treated early, before it turns chronic.
Returning to Russia is not merely an opportunity for commercial redemption; it is a strategic imperative for those seeking long-term relevance in one of the world’s most critical markets – and an exceptional opportunity for first-time entrants far-sighted and bold enough to seize it.
The Great Exodus: Wandering into the commercial desert
In the aftermath of Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, hundreds of multinational corporations suspended or terminated their operations in Russia, while the smarter ones chose to stay.
Household names in consumer goods, automotive, retail, and food service exited with dramatic announcements, citing reputational concerns, stakeholder pressure, or political uncertainty.
Yet the consequences were severe.
For a host of companies, departure meant surrendering years – sometimes decades – of investment in market development, infrastructure, local partnerships, and customer loyalty.
Businesses sold assets at steep discounts, abandoned supply chains and sales networks painstakingly built over extended periods, and ceded market share to domestic competitors or foreign rivals eager to fill the vacuum. In doing so, they consigned themselves to navigating a diminished global business landscape of their own making. McDonald’s offers a vivid example.
In 1990, the iconic burger chain became the first US fast-food chain to establish a presence in the Soviet Union. It soon grew into one of Russia’s most prestigious employers, while its restaurants became landmark venues for family celebrations and even wedding “feasts”.
Building its business system across the country – restaurants, personnel, supplier ecosystems, logistics hubs, and structurally embedded brand trust – took decades.
When McDonald’s precipitously concluded that operating in Russia no longer aligned with its values, it left behind 850 restaurants and 62,000 jobs across the country. The withdrawal meant abandoning a market that, together with Ukraine, had generated about 9% of its global revenues and cost McDonald’s an estimated $1.2–$1.4 billion in earnings charges. Yet the greater loss was strategic.
Business systems cannot simply be reassembled by flipping a switch. Once forfeited, rebuilding market position is path-dependent: With capabilities dismantled, local replacements rooted, and habits transformed, the business must be reconstituted from scratch.
Russia, too, had to absorb costs. Consumers were deprived of familiar brands, workers lost jobs, and sectors dependent on foreign expertise faced disruption. But the market void proved short-lived.
Russian firms swiftly adapted and claimed the ground multinationals had abandoned, giving rise to a new generation of domestic incumbents – stronger, more confident, and politically ascendant.
McDonald’s former Russian business now operates successfully under the domestic brand Vkusno i Tochka (Simply Tasty, Period), created by Alexander Govor, a Siberian entrepreneur who took over its assets in 2022. He stands as a powerful new incumbent with whom McDonald’s must first come to terms before being able to return to Russia.
The Great Return: Reentering the land of commercial promise
For multinational corporations, the strategic rationale for return is compelling.
Companies owe their duties not to political fashion, but to their stakeholders at home and abroad: shareholders seeking profit, employees seeking security, customers seeking choice, and host countries that enabled their growth.
Russia remains a major, geoeconomically pivotal economy with vast natural resources, abundant human capital, solid industrial capacity, and substantial consumer demand.
Those who return now can still gain an early mover advantage.
The first wave of returners will enjoy the best chance to reclaim valuable lost ground before markets become permanently reorganized and definitively occupied by domestic and foreign rivals alike. Delay carries a heavy price: Every quarter spent waiting strengthens competitors and weakens the returning company’s negotiating leverage.
Business history offers countless examples of late returners paying more for re-entry than they saved by leaving. In commerce, as in life, reconciliation is easiest before distance hardens into permanence.
The rallying cry, then, is unmistakenly clear: Better late than never, but earlier is always better – for in medicine no less than in business, the sooner the diagnosis and intervention, the surer the cure.
Truth and Reconciliation: A pragmatic model for business redemption
After apartheid ended, South Africa chose reconciliation over retribution through its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established in 1995 under the leadership of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and backed by prisoner-turned-president Nelson Mandela.
Rather than pursuing blanket punishment, the TRC created a structured process through which perpetrators of politically motivated abuses could receive amnesty if they fully disclosed their actions and accepted responsibility.
Its success rested on several factors: differentiation between degrees of responsibility, public acknowledgment of harm, conditional forgiveness, and a forward-looking commitment to national rebuilding.
The benefits proved significant: The strife-torn country created a moral basis for coexistence, enabled peaceful reintegration, and avoided cycles of revenge. Inevitably, however, the undertaking also had drawbacks, including perceptions that some offenders escaped full justice and that material reparations were uneven.
Russia, which can prosper without foreign companies yet stands to gain from their presence, can draw on South Africa’s example by pioneering a Commercial Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CTRC).
Rules for Russia: Reconciliation, not retribution
Russia should manage the return of foreign companies with pragmatism, not resentment, applying in business what South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation model achieved in politics: distinguish degrees of responsibility, document harm honestly, and favor constructive reintegration over vengeance.
First, Russia should craft and institute an innovative, differentiated integration approach.
Not all departing firms acted alike. Some, administered by technocrats, withdrew reluctantly under pressure from governments, media, financiers, or activist shareholders. Others, driven by ideologues, embraced overt, dogmatic hostility toward Russia. They harmed Russian stakeholders by failing to honor financial obligations, such as employee payments, and product commitments, such as spare-parts supply. These cases should not be treated identically.
Companies that exited without inflammatory rhetoric and preserved respectful relations with Russian partners – the “benign penitents” – should qualify for fast-track reintegration: broad amnesty, formal “homecomer” status (a symbolic recognition for constructive re-engagement) and expedited approvals. A dedicated one-stop “Corporate Welcome Center” (CWC) could seamlessly oversee and streamline the entire reintegration process.
For more hostile, Russia-phobic actors, forgiveness should still prevail – but clemency must be conditional upon acceptance of responsibility. Firms that inflicted deliberate political and economic damage should remain eligible for rehabilitation and return under the auspices of the CWC.
Such reentry, however, should only be permitted after documented review of the harm occasioned and appropriate compensation or restitution whenever warranted. As in South Africa, the goal should be not punishment for its own sake, but the careful balancing of accountability with pragmatic reintegration under a stable framework.
Second, Russia must also involve domestic buyers who acquired foreign assets. These companies helped stabilize the economy during disruption and deserve a decisive role in shaping future win-win arrangements, whether through licensing deals, reciprocal market-access agreements, or joint ventures.
Third, Russia should consolidate and deepen the economic and technological gains achieved since 2022. In particular, efforts aimed at building critical domestic capacity to bolster strategic resilience must continue. Reentry should strengthen the system, not recreate past dependencies, especially in vital sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and aviation.
Rules for multinationals: Reentry with respect, not rapacity
The leaders of returning companies, for their part, must recognize that reentry requires a fundamentally different bearing. They must embrace a novel business philosophy and radically rethink how they engage with Russia. Early intervention yields the best outcomes.
First: discard ideology. Markets are built on commercial logic, not political hysteria. Russia is too important to be treated as a temporary moral theater.
Second: return with humility. Companies that departed – especially abruptly, and in a time of crisis – have damaged trust. Rebuilding credibility requires genuine contrition, candid acknowledgment of fault, patient long-term commitment, and sincere respect toward Russian workers, consumers, and institutions.
Third: create mutual benefit. The homecoming should neither be motivated by self-centered, profit-driven opportunism nor be cloaked in self-congratulatory gestures of corporate charity, but embody an authentic partnership centered on reciprocal gain.
Foreign firms that invest in technology transfer, local production, workforce training, and export collaboration will garner a warmer reception than those seeking only quick proceeds.
Truth and Reconciliation 2.0: Reunion, not reversal
The Romans put it plainly: A certain friend is discerned in uncertain times.
After the initial rupture of friendship, the story of foreign business in Russia is no longer one of departure. It is now a test of whether companies from abroad possess the strategic maturity to recognize their mistakes and appreciate the new realities – at a moment when truth and reconciliation are wiser than self-deluding, ruinously stubborn absence and estrangement.
The way back to Russia’s commercial promised land is invitingly open, and those who enter first will reap the richest harvest. By contrast, as every physician knows, delay is rarely the ally of recovery and only narrows the path to cure.
There is a time for goodbye. And there is a time for reunion.
For foreign multinationals seeking moral redemption and corporate rebirth, that time is now.
Dobro pozhalovat to the pascal land of milk, honey – and market share.
A recently analyzed fossil of a Lystrosaurus hatchling has helped solve a decades-old mystery
A recently analyzed 250 million-year-old fossil has shown that early mammals laid eggs, according to a paper published in the PLOS One journal on Thursday.
While some examples of egg-laying mammals exist today, such as the platypus and the echidnas, scientists have spent decades looking for proof of this in earlier ancestors.
According to South African Professor Jennifer Botha, one of the scientists behind the breakthrough research, the fossil was discovered in 2008, but could not be analyzed for years without cutting-edge and delicate scanning methods.
“It became clear that it was a perfectly curled-up Lystrosaurus hatchling. I suspected even then that it had died within the egg, but at the time, we simply didn’t have the technology to confirm it,” she said in a statement cited by phys.org.
With the use of advanced synchrotron X-ray CT scanning, which uses a particle accelerator to create extremely high-resolution non-destructive 3D images, the delicate fossil could be studied in depth.
Lystrosaurus was a herbivorous mammal ancestor which survived and then thrived in the tumultuous period after the End-Permian Mass Extinction around 252 million years ago, which is believed to have wiped out up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of land vertebrates on Earth. The catastrophe is theorized to have been caused by massive volcanic eruptions and resulting coal burning, which caused rapid global warming, and left a world of extreme heat and environmental instability.
According to the research, Lystrosaurus eggs were likely soft and leathery. Compared to hard-shelled eggs, softer variants rarely preserve, making fossils extremely rare.
Judging by the development and properties of the hatchling, the Lystrosaurus likely did not produce milk but laid large eggs, which are more resistant to drying out in a hot, arid environment, according to Botha’s Witwatersrand University.
Its young likely hatched at an advanced stage of development, ready to feed themselves and thrive in the hostile world following the worst extinction event in history.
The bloc is facing an energy crisis due to the Strait of Hormuz disruption, with soaring diesel prices triggering protests
The EU is sliding into a fuel crisis driven by a global supply shock caused by the US-Israeli attack on Iran. It has already triggered protests, early signs of shortages, and warnings of the wider economic impact.
This has resulted from the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments. Oil prices surged above $120 per barrel during the escalation, and while crude fell below the $100 mark after a two-week US-Iran ceasefire was announced on April 7, it remains well above the $70 level before the war. Prices have remained volatile amid uncertainty over the truce and continued disruption to shipping through the strait.
Diesel and kerosene have emerged as the central pressure points in the crisis. Europe’s benchmark diesel and jet fuel prices have risen above $200 per barrel equivalent from below $100 in January, according to Bloomberg. Jet fuel prices have also surged since the start of the conflict in late February, according to industry data cited by multiple outlets.
Why has diesel become more expensive than gasoline?
The European market has shifted toward higher diesel consumption following decades of tax policies that lowered diesel taxes compared to gasoline.
The EU’s refining system produces a different mix of fuels than the market consumes. A barrel of crude oil typically yields about 40-50% gasoline, but only around 30–40% diesel and jet fuel combined, with the rest made up of heavier products.
This mismatch has left the bloc structurally short of diesel. The region is a major net exporter of gasoline but relies on imports for a significant share of its diesel and jet fuel.
Diesel has traded above gasoline prices at the pump in several EU countries.
Rising wholesale costs have fed through to consumers. Diesel prices at the pump have exceeded €2 per liter in multiple countries, according to national data and media reports — equivalent to roughly $8.80–$10.50 per US gallon, compared with about $5.60 per gallon in the US. Governments in Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Hungary, Spain, Poland, and Ireland have introduced tax cuts and other measures to limit the impact of rising fuel costs.
Why are farmers and truckers protesting?
Rising diesel prices are hitting sectors most dependent on the fuel, particularly agriculture and road freight. The EU’s transport sector is facing a “fast-moving diesel shock,” according to logistics platform Logifie.
Ireland has become the most visible flashpoint of the crisis. Fuel protests have spread nationwide since this past Tuesday, led by farmers, truckers and transport workers, disrupting supply chains and transport networks, according to local media.
Blockades have strained fuel distribution, with queues forming at petrol stations with some running dry amid panic buying. On Thursday, the government called in the army to clear the blockades.
During a protest march in Dublin on Friday, demonstrators carried a coffin with “RIP Ireland” written on it.
Fuel protesters now leaving O’Connell Street for Kildare Street, carrying a coffin pic.twitter.com/5tbT6wkMNL
What do jet fuel shortages mean for summer travel?
Airports across Europe could face “systemic” jet fuel shortages within three weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, according to a letter sent by an airport industry group to the European Commission, as cited by the Independent.
According to Corriere della Sera, “some airports on the continent have been experiencing shortages in jet fuel quantities for days without officially reporting it.” The outlet cited its sources on Friday as saying that “it’s such a sensitive issue that official talk remains tight-lipped,” adding that Brussels is hoping the truce between the US and Iran will hold.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, has started reducing flights to popular destinations, with chief executive, Michael O’Leary warning that the airline will not be able to run its full summer schedule if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
Disruptions to oil and gas supplies will leave lasting “scars” on the world economy, managing director Kristalina Georgieva has said
The war in the Middle East has delivered a major global energy supply “shock” that will push up prices further and leave the world economy facing weaker growth, the IMF has warned.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes across the region, including on energy infrastructure, have stressed global markets, driving oil prices higher and raising fuel costs. The conflict has effectively choked flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that accounts for a significant part of global oil and gas supply.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday that the turmoil amounts to a negative supply shock that is “large, global and asymmetric,” hitting countries differently depending on their reliance on imported fuel.
Global daily oil flows have fallen by about 13% and LNG shipments by some 20%, she said, warning that even the IMF’s “most hopeful scenario” now involves a “downgrade” to world growth.
“Had it not been for this shock, we would have been upgrading,” Georgieva said, adding that infrastructure damage, supply disruptions and loss of confidence will leave lasting “scars” on the global economy.
The conflict-related shock is already rippling through refineries, transport and food markets, the IMF said, citing shortages of diesel and jet fuel that have disrupted trade and tourism, and new bottlenecks in moving fertilizer and grain.
A further 45 million people have been pushed into food insecurity as a result of the escalation, taking the total number facing hunger to more than 360 million worldwide, according to the IMF.
The grim outlook comes as Washington and Tehran are expected to hold high-stake peace talks in Pakistan this weekend, after they agreed a two-week ceasefire late on Tuesday. Iran says any ceasefire must include Lebanon, which has been heavily bombarded by Israel this week. The scaled-up attacks, which killed hundreds and wounded more than 1,100, have raised concerns that the Iran ceasefire could be derailed.
The upcoming vote is a standoff between historical memory and the promise of comfortable life in the Western European fold
Viktor Orban will most likely win the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary on April 12; however, for the ruling party, this will be an extremely difficult and hard-fought victory.
The issue is not the loss of charisma by the bright and skillful long-standing leader of Fidesz, nor even the 25% inflation the country experienced in 2023, but rather a shift in the focus of Hungarians’ historical memory. A new generation has grown up within a different historical paradigm and wants a change in political reality, even if this entails foreign-policy and reputational risks for the country.
Walking through the streets of Budapest these days, one gets the sense of two political realities coexisting. In one, there are blue billboards of the ruling Fidesz party with slogans like “Stop war!”, featuring the faces of opponents and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky labeled as a “danger.” In the other, there are rallies of the Tisza party, without party bureaucratic elites but featuring young people in Hungarian national dress carrying EU flags, with photos of the party’s young leader displayed on the hills of Buda. Budapest, like other Hungarian cities, is preparing for the parliamentary elections this Sunday, drawing the attention of political elites from around the world.
Peter Magyar: Not just a boy
The main intrigue and driving force of the current political campaign is the young energy of the Tisza party, particularly its leader with the resonant name Peter Magyar (literally “Peter Hungarian”). Notably, Magyar, who presents himself as a conservative liberal, comes from the very heart of the Fidesz system and Hungary’s highly closed elite. He is the former husband of Judit Varga, who served as the country’s minister of justice in 2019-2023, a great-nephew of Ferenc Madl, Hungary’s president from 2000 to 2005, and the grandson of a former Supreme Court member; his parents also held high-ranking positions in national legal institutions. He speaks the language of Fidesz about national interests, family, a “new homeland,” and a “modern European country” where one can live well and raise children. At the same time, his main criticism of the current ruling system focuses on corruption within the governing party and the need to overcome the entrenched division between right and left that has existed since the early 2000s.
Elections 2026
It can be stated that the real gap between the parties is around 2–3%. Orban draws support from villages and rural areas, while Magyar holds the more progressive Budapest (both halves: the elite Buda and the more relaxed Pest) and other large Hungarian cities where younger populations live and work. Polling data varies depending on the research institute. According to the Hungarian pollster Median, which predicted Orban’s victory in 2022, Tisza leads with 58% against Fidesz’s 35%. The opposition Research Center 21 shows 56% for Tisza and 37% for Fidesz, while the pro-government Nezopont Institute suggests 46% for Fidesz versus 40% for Tisza.
In reality, the gap between candidates is likely minimal and will largely depend on voters in the so-called ‘gray zone,’ which includes statistical margin of error and those influenced by the ‘spiral of silence’ – a phenomenon where people are afraid to admit their views. About 20% remain undecided, meaning that the final days of the campaign are focused on winning over roughly 1.5 million voters. This is the context in which events such as US Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Budapest or Magyar’s campaign tour through villages by truck and canoe should be understood.
The intensity of the race is also influenced by Hungary’s complex electoral system, where districts are drawn to include both a liberal urban area and several conservative villages. The voting system is mixed, but under its rules, a candidate can win a mandate even with a one-vote advantage, and there is also a ‘winner compensation’ mechanism, where surplus votes for the winner are added to the party list. While this system has previously helped Orbán and Fidesz secure victories, in the current tight race it could work against them. Thus, the question of who will win remains open until the final vote count.
Economy
At first glance, Hungary’s main problems lie in the economic sphere. In 2023, the country experienced the highest inflation in the EU, peaking at 25%, with food prices rising by about 50% in what is de facto a wealthy agricultural country. The situation is worsened by Orban’s conflict with the European Commission, which has frozen more than €19 billion in EU funds owed to Hungary – which amounts to nearly 10% of the country’s GDP.
Magyar claims he could unlock the frozen funds within a month, which would help stabilize the economy and ease social tensions.
Trianon and ‘Deep Hungary’
It is important to understand that Hungarian society is entering a new phase of development. Throughout the 20th century, it was shaped by a sense of deep historical injustice stemming from the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the humiliating Treaty of Trianon (1920), which stripped Hungary of two-thirds of its territory.
Even being in the Soviet orbit was not as painful for this formerly imperial society as the loss of territories inhabited by ethnic Hungarians to neighboring states. This does not mean Hungarians have forgotten the suppressed 1956 uprising, but the trauma of Trianon still evokes sentiment and, among some – primarily older rural populations – a desire to ‘take back’ regions like Transcarpathia or parts of Transylvania, which they believe belonged to Hungary for a thousand years.
The euphoria of “returning to Europe” and joining the EU in 2004 has been tempered by difficult and unfavorable economic and agricultural conditions within the EU, as well as challenges integrating into negotiation structures that often disadvantage newer member states. This has fueled feelings of injustice and disappointment, tied to the perception that major political decisions are now made not in Budapest, but in Berlin, Paris, and Brussels. Big politics is inaccessible to small states.
This is precisely what Orban has emphasized in his speeches, while simultaneously achieving what seemed impossible – ensuring that a small state could play a role in key global political decisions. Balancing on the edge of conflict with EU elites, he has positioned himself at the forefront of right-wing conservative values globally, becoming an Eastern European leader quoted and listened to by figures such as US President Donald Trump, respected by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and acknowledged by China’s Xi Jinping.
However, historical memory has its limits. A new generation of Hungarians, raised during the country’s integration into the EU and accustomed to free movement across Europe and the world, seeks a more pragmatic and comfortable approach to life and development. They are more cynical about life and family and do not relate to the ‘phantom pains’ of Trianon. Young Hungary increasingly operates with the mindset of a small country navigating within the orbit of major global powers.
This is the core drama of the current elections: two competing visions of how to live in the modern world and within an emerging global order. Which path conservative Hungary will choose will soon become clear. In conclusion, the current difficulties faced by Fidesz signal to Hungary’s ruling elites the impossibility of rewriting history or reversing the course of events already set in motion.
The son of the former US president said he is “100% in” for a potential fight with Eric and Don Jr.
Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, has challenged President Donald Trump’s two eldest sons to a “cage match,” in an Instagram video published by content creator Andrew Callahan.
Biden, 56, called out Donald Trump Jr., 48, and Eric Trump, 42, with the president’s sons yet to publicly respond.
“I just got a call from Andrew Callahan… He’s trying to organize a cage match, me versus Eric and Don Jr. I told him I’d do it, 100% in,” Biden said in the video.
The popular YouTuber told USA Today that the ex-president’s son had likely made the suggestion “in jest.” However, he is willing to facilitate the fight if Trump’s two eldest sons are “willing to engage Hunter in mutual combat.”
Bad blood between the Biden and Trump families has persisted for years.
Last year, Melania Trump threatened to sue Hunter over his claim that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to her husband.
The cover-up of a major scandal involving Hunter Biden’s laptop, which he forgot in a Delaware repair shop in 2019, contributed to his father winning in the 2020 election, according to President Trump. The leaked contents of the laptop potentially implicated the Biden family in several foreign corruption schemes.
Major social media and tech companies suppressed the laptop story in the lead-up to the election, which Trump claimed was rigged, a House Judiciary Committee found in 2024.
As one of his last and more controversial decisions as president, Joe Biden granted a sweeping pardon to Hunter, who was convicted in 2024 of breaching federal gun and tax laws.
The pardon covered any offenses Hunter “has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” It covers the time period of Hunter’s crimes and his tenure on the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, when his father was in charge of US policy in Kiev during the Obama administration.
Approval rates for asylum have reportedly dropped from around 90% in previous years to 5%
Germany has rejected 95% of all new asylum applications from Syrian migrants following a policy reassessment of the Middle Eastern country, according to media reports, citing an official document.
The change represents a stark reversal from the peak of the influx in 2014-2015, when recognition rates for Syrians frequently exceeded 90%. Germany emerged as a primary destination for Syrians fleeing war, driven by the open-door policy of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The country has since become home to one of the largest Syrian diasporas in Europe, with estimates putting the population at close to 1 million.
The figures come from a German government reply to a parliamentary inquiry by Left party lawmaker Clara Bunger, reported by multiple media outlets on Thursday.
According to the document, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is now applying stricter case-by-case assessments. In October 2025, the BAMF ruled on 3,134 Syrian asylum applications, granting protection to just 26 applicants across all categories. Recognition rates reportedly remain higher for some minorities, including Yazidis, Christians, and Alawites.
The policy shift came after former jihadist commander Ahmed al-Sharaa seized power in 2024, toppling Syria’s longtime leader, Bashar Assad. The German authorities argue that broad protection is no longer justified, with decisions increasingly based on individual risk rather than general insecurity.
After meeting al-Sharaa in Berlin in late March, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said up to 80% of Syrians living in Germany could return home over the next three years, describing it as part of a joint effort to support reconstruction.
Merz later backtracked, saying the figure was proposed by the Syrian side – a claim that al-Sharaa said was exaggerated and did not reflect his position.
The government’s shift in migration policy comes amid pressure from right-wing parties, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which portrays migrants, particularly from outside Europe, as a burden on public services and a driver of crime and social strife.
It also follows a series of violent crimes involving asylum seekers, including a 2024 knife attack in Solingen in which a Syrian national fatally stabbed three people and injured eight others.
RT’s Steve Sweeney reports on destroyed homes, children’s belongings buried in rubble, and a city living in fear of the next attack
Israel has carried out multiple strikes across Lebanon over the past 24 hours, fueling fears that the escalating violence could unravel a fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
The expanded offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 1,888 people and wounded 6,092 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. It says the April 8 bombardment alone involved “over 100 strikes within minutes,” leaving more than 300 dead and in excess of 1,100 injured.
RT’s Steve Sweeney, who, along with his cameraman Ali Rida, was caught up in this week’s Israeli strikes on central Beirut, reports from the Lebanese capital on the aftermath, where shattered residential buildings, children’s school bags and household belongings lie scattered in the rubble, and the seafront is filled with displaced families sheltering in makeshift tents.
Residents live with an “overwhelming sense of anxiety,” fearing that “every sound” could signal another strike, he says.
It comes just after the bloc’s energy commissioner ruled out lifting restrictions aimed at ending energy imports from Moscow by the Autumn 2027
The EU has sharply increased its purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the first quarter of 2026 even as it insists it will phase out Russian energy by the end of next year, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
According to Kpler data cited by the outlet, the EU’s imports from Russia’s Yamal LNG project in Siberia rose 17% year-on-year to 5 million tons in Q1, with the bloc spending an estimated €2.9 billion ($3.1 billion). The EU took 69 of 71 shipments – or 97% – including 25 in March alone, compared to 59 of 68 shipments (87%) in the same period of 2025.
The surge shows there is “no appetite from European buyers to stop buying Russian LNG,” Sebastian Roetters of environmental NGO Urgewald told FT.
The report comes days after EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen reaffirmed Brussels will not revise its planned ban on Russian gas imports, with LNG supplies slated to finish by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by autumn 2027. In an FT interview last week, he said there would be no change to the legislation, while acknowledging the bloc is “preparing for the worst-case scenarios,” including potential fuel rationing amid disruptions from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The conflict has severely disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz – a key chokepoint handling about 20% of global seaborne oil and LNG – and hit Gulf energy infrastructure, driving a surge in LNG prices. Asian spot rates and European TTF nearly doubled before easing after the April 8 ceasefire, but both remain well above pre-conflict levels.
Brussels’ stance on Russian energy has triggered warnings from some EU officials. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that “Europe is heading toward one of the most severe economic crises in its history,” insisting “the only way out is to lift the sanctions imposed on Russian energy.” Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-chair Alice Weidel urged a “return to an affordable and reliable energy supply” and purchasing energy “where it is cheapest, which is Russia” to stay competitive.
Moscow has echoed the warnings. According to Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, “Europe and Britain will beg for Russian energy” as the crisis deepens, arguing that the bloc is unprepared for a “long-lasting energy shock” due to its failure to diversify supplies – a shortfall he blamed on “Russophobic, Green, and woke ideology.” Reacting to an FT report on X, he added: “As predicted, Europe needs Russia to survive.”
Mass production, long-range strikes, and evolving tactics are reshaping the battlefield – and forcing a rethink of air defense strategies
In late March and early April, Ukraine launched a series of drone strikes against the Baltic ports in Ust-Luga and Primorsk, as well as oil terminals on the south of the country in the city of Novorossiysk. This was clearly an attempt to disrupt Russia’s ability to export petroleum products. Additionally, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have targeted other Russian regions to inflict further damage to the oil and gas industry and strain Russia’s air defense network tasked with protecting critical infrastructure.
Given the current global situation, increasing exports of petroleum products would provide Russia with much-needed revenue. This income could help offset losses from Western sanctions and stabilize economic growth. Of course, these additional revenues would also benefit Russia’s military-industrial complex, a fact that Kiev is undoubtedly aware of.
Ukraine’s intensified strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, particularly export terminals, aim to reduce Russia’s export capacity. A secondary goal may be to influence the media narrative by demonstrating the AFU’s enhanced strike capabilities. The third objective involves depleting the missile stockpiles of Russia’s missile defense systems through massive drone attacks.
But how exactly are these drones reaching targets deep inside Russia – and what does this mean for the future of air defense?
Routes, tactics, and technological edge
In March 2026, the AFU set a record for long-range drone usage. According to Western sources, Ukraine deployed over 7,000 drones. This has been possible due to the mass production of relatively inexpensive drones of various types, with a range of up to 1,500km. Notably, the cost of these drones is quite low, and Ukraine faces no shortage of components, as sanctions and other restrictions do not hinder this supply chain. Drone manufacturing can be decentralized, with some production potentially taking place outside Ukraine. Final assembly likely occurs in several facilities in various locations, disguised as ordinary manufacturing or logistics centers. Clearly, the mass production of drones is a major state industrial effort that also involves commercial companies.
While the flight paths of drones from Ukraine to Novorossiysk raise no questions, the routes by which the drones reached locations as remote from Ukraine as Ust-Luga in Russia's northern Leningrad Region remain less clear.
Several hypotheses exist regarding the flight paths of Ukrainian drones. One hypothetical route extends from northern Ukraine, over Russian territory along the eastern border of Belarus to Leningrad Region, and then onward to the Baltic ports. This route is supported by data on air-raid alerts in western Russia and various accounts. The use of Belarusian airspace is theoretically possible, yet Belarus possesses a robust air defense and detection system. If drones were to infringe upon its airspace, it seems likely that such incidents would be reported.
There is also another interesting hypothesis: the drones may be taking a roundabout route through Poland and the Baltic states, then flying over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea to approach the ports from the sea. The absence of surface-to-air missile defense systems over the sea lends some credence to this theory, especially considering the reports of drones crashing in the Baltic states and in Finland. It’s also quite possible that NATO countries may allow drones to be routed through their territory. However, this theory lacks ample supporting evidence, and the Russian Foreign Ministry’s response came only several days later and included no substantial details.
Considering the current advancements in autonomous navigation systems, it seems more likely that the drones were routed through Russian territory, using the natural characteristics of the terrain to approach targets from unexpected angles. Drones routed over the sea may be easier to detect – though that’s not always the case. For example, it wasn’t easy for air defense systems to detect drones traveling over the Black Sea.
As a conspiracy theory, one could speculate about the installation of radio beacons in Russia or neighboring countries to enhance the navigation of attacking drones under conditions of electronic countermeasures against existing navigation systems. This is technically possible and does not necessarily violate airspace, although it would require an intelligence network. I believe the military has already figured out how the drones reached their targets.
Rethinking air defense: detection, coordination, and cost
So, what steps should be taken to defend against such attacks? What scenarios and methods need to be implemented for effective protection?
The main priority is timely detection. Lightweight drones with piston engines are notoriously difficult to track with traditional airspace radar. However, they can be spotted visually and detected by the sound of their engines. Given that these drones have been in widespread use for some time, appropriate detection measures should be deployed. I hope this issue is being addressed at a level beyond volunteer initiatives, as part of the country’s air defense.
The second task involves informing all relevant parties about threats. All the structural elements of the army’s missile defense forces must have real-time access to information on detected drones, their flight paths, and potential targets. This will enable swift countermeasures – deploying mobile units, preparing weapons, providing targeting data, and organizing layered defense. This should be the responsibility of a unified governmental structure within the armed forces; departmental or regional units aren’t efficient enough for this mission. Ultimately, the devices used to communicate this information to end users should be simple and user-friendly tablets, not multi-ton trucks. I believe this work is already underway and in the testing phase.
Finally, the third task is the destruction of the drones. On the one hand, any means necessary can be employed; on the other hand, using traditional surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs) isn’t always justified. Firstly, conventional SAMs may not be effective against small, lightweight drones. Secondly, the cost of a missile is many times higher than that of the drone itself.
This is one of the most pressing modern challenges: cheap drone attacks can financially devastate advanced missile defense systems. This is a global issue that affects all technologically advanced nations.
So, what’s the solution?
There are several options, each with its pros and cons. The most cost-effective solution in terms of firing costs is laser weaponry. The expense per shot can be measured in mere dollars. However, the systems themselves can cost millions of dollars. Moreover, lasers have limitations regarding range; as the distance to the target increases, the beam’s power significantly diminishes. These large, energy-intensive systems are stationary and primarily serve as a last line of defense. Nonetheless, they can effectively neutralize drones, cruise missiles, guided bombs, and other types of munitions.
Specialized interceptor drones are another promising and already deployed solution. Almost every nation focusing on drone defense is currently developing and implementing such interceptors. They are relatively low-cost, but they do come with a significant drawback: due to their design, they carry very small payloads or rely on kinetic interception – i.e., engage the target through high-speed physical impact. When deployed en masse, however, interceptor drones can prove effective in certain areas and situations.
Lightweight, short-range surface-to-air missiles are another option. These missiles can utilize both radar and laser guidance; target illumination can originate from the launch platform or a separate carrier. They can be fired from specialized systems like the Pantsir missile system, as well as from aircraft, similar to American APKWS missiles. Their costs are comparable to those of long-range drones.
Of course, rapid-fire artillery systems can also be used against lightweight drones. Modern systems equipped with programmable fuses that can detonate shells at specific altitudes can be quite effective. Thanks to advanced targeting and fire control systems, this defensive measure can be both efficient and relatively inexpensive. Moreover, these systems can serve multiple roles, providing fire support for ground troops when necessary. Many European manufacturers have started producing not just specialized missile defense systems with such armaments but also versatile combat vehicles capable of engaging aerial targets.
Additionally, we must consider the tactical construction of air defense. Ideally, we wouldn’t know exactly how this is organized – when it comes to missile defense, all armies protect their tactical secrets. However, it’s reasonable to assume that an effective air defense strategy combines layered stationary defense with mobile air defense units that establish operational lines in directions that are deemed a threat. In this regard, having a comprehensive and accurate picture of the air situation in the region would be invaluable – without such information, mobile units might prove entirely ineffective.
***
The massive waves of Ukrainian drone attacks have become a real test for Russia’s air defense system. Steps have already been taken to enhance both detection and response capabilities against such attacks. Efforts are continuously underway to modernize existing systems and develop new weapons designed to target lightweight drones. Tactics for countering large-scale drone swarms are being refined, and the production of ammunition for these systems is ramping up. Intelligence operations aimed at locating and destroying the production, storage, and launch sites of drones are also likely a priority for the military. Such a comprehensive approach is essential for effectively addressing the threat posed by drone attacks.
Washington isn’t interested in ending the conflict with Tehran as it benefits from turmoil in the Middle East, Moussa Ibrahim has told RT
Iran should not repeat the mistakes of Libya, which paid a heavy price for trusting the West, the North African country’s former information minister, Moussa Ibrahim, has warned ahead of the talks between delegations from Washington and Tehran.
The first direct meeting between the sides since the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 is expected to take place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Saturday, according to the White House.
The American team will be headed by Vice President J.D. Vance, and will also include special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Tehran hasn’t announced the lineup of its delegation yet, but reports claim that it could be led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
In an interview with RT on Friday, Ibrahim – a former cabinet member under longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was deposed and murdered in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 – said that “both parties come to these negotiations with different ideas about peace and conflict.”
“I believe the Iranians are genuine in their attempt to find a solution… For the Americans, it is not a diplomacy of peace or conflict-resolution, but rather escalation control,” he said.
For Washington, it is “actually very beneficial to continue to wreak havoc in the region to make sure that any rising regional powers are under control... that the region is never united,” the ex-minister, who now serves as executive secretary of the African Legacy Foundation, insisted.
”The Americans come to these negotiations hoping to find a way to keep the conflict going, but not as escalated as it was in the last few weeks, so they would keep their face and find other ways – economic, political, diplomatic – to punish the Iranians and their friends in the region,” he added.
Ibrahim advised the authorities in Tehran “to be very careful, not to believe the American plans for peace and never to give up sovereignty and deterrence” during the talks.
”Libya was indeed a very strong African country, very stable, but because we believed for once that maybe we could have some friendly relations with the West… we paid a very heavy price,” he said, urging Iran to learn a lesson from this.
Moscow announced the truce as a humanitarian gesture, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, noting the significance of the holiday for both Russians and Ukrainians
The Kremlin has clarified that Russia’s Easter ceasefire is a humanitarian gesture, not a substitute for a lasting peace with Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has ordered a halt to hostilities from Saturday afternoon through Sunday.
“We want not a ceasefire, but a lasting, sustainable peace,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. “And this peace could come today, if [Ukrainian leader Vladimir] Zelensky takes responsibility and makes the appropriate decision,” Peskov added, referring to Moscow’s repeated demands that Kiev withdraw its forces from Russia’s Donbass region.
Putin announced the unilateral Easter truce on Thursday, ordering Russian troops to pause offensive operations from 16:00 Moscow time on April 11 until the end of April 12. The Defense Ministry has been instructed to maintain readiness to repel any Ukrainian provocations.
“We expect the Ukrainian side to follow Russia’s lead,” the Kremlin said.
Zelensky responded by stating that Ukraine is “ready for mirror steps” and will observe the ceasefirе, going on to call for a prolonged truce extending past Easter.
Moscow has previously declared unilateral ceasefires for Orthodox religious holidays. In 2023, Russia observed truces both during the Orthodox Christmas holiday in January and on Easter weekend in April at the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2025, an Easter truce was declared again, but was only partially successful as Kiev violated the pause more than 3,900 times, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Trilateral peace talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US have been on hold for weeks due to the Iran war, with no new date set. Moscow has consistently said it remains open to negotiations but insists that any lasting settlement must address the root causes of the conflict, including Ukrainian neutrality and recognition of the Donbass republics as part of Russia.
New Delhi has expressed concern over the civilian casualties caused by West Jerusalem’s attacks on Beirut and other places
India has described the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon after the announcement of the ceasefire in the Middle East as “disturbing.”
On Wednesday, Israel’s attacks on Beirut claimed more than 300 lives, as the Jewish state refused to halt its offensive in Lebanon despite a truce being called in the Middle East.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of a large number of civilian casualties in Lebanon,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. “As a troop contributing country to the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) that is invested in Lebanon’s peace and security, the direction of events is very disturbing.”
❗️India Voices Deep Concern Over Civilian Casualties in Lebanon
‘As a troop-contributing country to UNIFIL that is invested in Lebanon’s peace and security, the direction of events is very disturbing,’ MEA spox Randhir Jaiswal said pic.twitter.com/XBkvBrGa7v
New Delhi has always emphasized the protection of civilians as the foremost priority, he said.
Observing international law and respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states is essential, Jaiswal added.
“Our embassy in Lebanon remains in close touch with the Indian community for its safety and security,” the spokesman said.
Israel stepped up air strikes across Lebanon, pounding central Beirut, just hours after the US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire.
The escalation comes in an apparent violation of the truce, which mediators said was meant to include Lebanon, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistance that it does not apply.
India has not condemned the US and Israel for their strikes on civilian targets or the assassination of top Iranian leaders. New Delhi has instead chosen to express concern and offer condolences. The South Asian nation, which has strong ties with the US, Israel, and Iran has also ruled out the possibility of mediating in the conflict, but has encouraged dialogue between the warring parties.
Serbia could face financial penalties as Brussels prioritizes its confrontation with Moscow
The European Commission could suspend up to €1.5 billion ($1.78 billion) in funding earmarked for EU candidate Serbia, Politico reported on Friday.
Serbia received €586 million ($685 million) in grants from 2021 to 2024 as part of financial assistance tied to its EU accession process, while a further €1.5 billion made available conditional on reforms could be pulled, Politico said, citing four Brussels-based sources.
The Eurobureaucrats have cited concerns over perceived democratic backsliding in Serbia as the main reason for the potential move. The EU has also long pressured Belgrade to align its foreign policy with the bloc, including adopting sanctions on Russia, a longstanding Serbian partner.
The EU’s enlargement policy has increasingly taken on geopolitical significance, with critics arguing that progress toward membership can depend as much on alignment with Brussels’ strategic priorities as on institutional reforms.
Expansion shaped by opposing Russia
Serbia is among several Western Balkan countries granted EU candidate status in the early 2010s, around the time Croatia joined the bloc.
In 2023, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia were also granted candidate status. The move was widely seen as a signal of the EU’s intent to counter Russian influence, rather than purely a reflection of the readiness of these countries to meet accession standards.
Ukraine has argued that fighting a war with Russia on the West’s behalf strengthens its bid for membership, a position broadly supported by EU leadership, although no clear accession timeline has been set.
Even Poland, a staunch supporter of Kiev, opposes swift accession for Ukraine, citing various concerns, such as the disruption of common EU agricultural markets if Ukrainian farmers gain full access.
‘Nice’ and ‘naughty’ candidates
The EU’s reactions to political developments in candidate countries appear to depend on their governments’ foreign policies. In Georgia and Moldova – which held parliamentary elections in October 2024 and September 2024 respectively – opposition groups alleged irregularities, including the silencing of critical media and misuse of state powers for electoral gain.
Brussels treated the claims in Georgia as credible and indicative of democratic decline. Before the election, Georgia was accused of becoming ‘more like Russia’ by passing laws promoting social conservatism and forcing transparency of foreign political funding. Like Belgrade, Tbilisi declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict. Georgia’s EU accession process is now effectively frozen.
In contrast, similar accusations in Moldova were largely dismissed by EU officials, who suggested they were part of Russian efforts to undermine the country’s pro-EU leadership. Some Moldovan officials support absorption of their nation by EU member Romania as a path to joining the bloc.
EU ‘worse threat’ than NATO
Russia has traditionally viewed the EU as a mostly economic project posing no military threat, unlike NATO. Russian officials have stated that Moscow does not oppose Ukraine’s EU candidacy, as long as the country remains militarily neutral.
However Brussels’ recent plans for a multi-billion-euro military buildup and hostile rhetoric have prompted debate over the bloc’s role.
“The EU is no longer just an economic union. It can transform, and rather quickly, into a full-blown military alliance, one overtly hostile to Russia, and in some ways worse than NATO,” Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned last week.
Uncertain outlook for enlargement
EU leaders are also considering changes to the enlargement rules, potentially simplifying accession in various ways. There were even discussions of a “reverse” expansion, allowing Ukraine and others to become partial members with limited rights before meeting all requirements.
In February, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama advocated in an op-ed a two-tier integration model, which would give Balkan non-members access to the EU’s market and free trade arrangement. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos rebuffed the idea.
Given the EU’s challenging economic situation, near-certainty of long-term tensions with Russia, and increasingly heavy-handed suppression of internal descent, the benefits of accession may not be as attractive as Brussels imagines.
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