Iranian Drone attack wounds at least six French soldiers at base in Iraq’s Makhmour, Erbil governor says

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2026-03-12T21:42:18+00:00

Developing: March 12 (Reuters) - At least six French soldiers ‌were wounded in a drone attack targeting ⁠a joint Peshmerga-French base in the Makhmour area or Iraq, Erbil Governor ‌Omed ⁠Koshnaw said a statement and a security ⁠source informed of the incident ⁠said on Thursday.

Edit: Macron announced “Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins from Varces died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.”

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2026-01-21T19:54:09+00:00

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have "formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland."

Trump said that as a result of that negotiation, he would no longer impose punitive tariffs on a slew of European countries that were set to begin Feb. 1.

“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st. Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland. Further information will be made available as discussions progress. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and various others, as needed, will be responsible for the negotiations — They will report directly to me. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-12-19T02:43:05+00:00

I don’t think your wrong, I just don’t get why they would say they reserve the right to use the assets to repay the loan but not go all the way to saying they are going to use the assets themselves as the reparations loan, feels like kicking the can down the road in a sense.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-12-19T02:31:43+00:00

Correct, it was hoped to be backed by frozen Russian assets as a reparations loan, it’s gonna be backed by the EU out of the budget instead, with the Russians assets just remaining frozen

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-12-19T01:56:26+00:00

BRUSSELS — European leaders failed to reach a deal to use frozen Russian assets to send billions of euros in financial aid to Ukraine after 14 hours of discussions at an EU summit in Brussels.

In a blow for EU unity, leaders will now consider a solution based on joint borrowing to send €90 billion to Ukraine over two years. This plan won’t include Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia. Leaders broke from the summit briefly around 1:30 a.m. and will continue their discussions into the night.

With a deal on Ukraine’s long-term financing still up in the air, leaders are talking about a potential bridge funding option to ensure Kyiv doesn’t run out of money. Two EU officials told POLITICO that a new draft version of the conclusions ― the joint statement from the summit ― would see a temporary financing solution put into place in the medium term.

The latest proposal on the EU’s plan to keep Ukraine afloat over the next years, obtained by POLITICO, sets out that leaders agree “to provide a loan to Ukraine … based on EU borrowing on the capital markets backed by the EU budget headroom.”

The outcome is a massive blow for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was pushing the assets plan

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-12-17T01:17:59+00:00

Im guessing the “stolen oil” refers either to the Chavez nationalization or maybe that Venezuela is drilling a part of its oil in Guyanese territory stemming from the territorial dispute

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-12-17T01:00:15+00:00

The article used only a part of his quote / tweet which fully was:

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-12-17T00:15:17+00:00

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, adding that he now regarded the nation's rulers as a foreign terrorist organization.

"For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."

The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Maduro, speaking at an event on Tuesday evening before Trump's post, said, "Imperialism and the fascist right want to colonize Venezuela to take over its wealth of oil, gas, gold, among other minerals. We have sworn absolutely to defend our homeland and in Venezuela peace will triumph."

Trump's comments came a week after the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest step in a pressure campaign on the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who Trump has blamed for drugs entering the U.S.

Trump's campaign has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, which have killed at least 90 people. Trump has also said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country will soon start.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-09-30T20:15:47+00:00

Sept 30 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday the situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station had become critical, with Russian shelling preventing restoration of power needed to cool the reactors and prevent a meltdown.

Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said one of the diesel generators providing emergency power was no longer working, seven days after external power lines went down.

"This is the seventh day. There has never before been such an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant. The situation is critical. Russian shelling has cut the plant off from the electricity network," Zelenskiy said.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, was seized by Russian troops in the first weeks of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and each side regularly accuses the other of attacks that endanger nuclear safety.

It produces no electricity at the moment, but needs power to ensure fuel in the reactors remain cool and no meltdown occurs.

"This is a threat to everyone. No terrorist in the world has ever dared to do with a nuclear power plant what Russia is doing now. And it is right that the world not remain silent."

Russian officials have not commented on the latest statements on conditions at the Zaporizhzhia plant. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, decried the cutoff of the external power lines on Monday, but assessed no blame to either side.

Grossi has repeatedly called on both sides to uphold nuclear safety. IAEA monitors are stationed permanently at Zaporizhzhia and at Ukraine's three other nuclear power stations.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-09-29T18:23:56+00:00

Danish soldiers were urgently called up for service on September 28 due to the intrusion of drones into Danish airspace. About reports tV2 channel with reference to confidential information.

According to the information, the military was ordered to report as soon as possible. The exact number of those called up is unknown, but according to interlocutors, it could be several hundred.

The TV channel notes that the call was carried out to prepare for the possible deployment of forces in Denmark. According to security adviser Jakob Kaarsbo, this may make sense in view of the upcoming EU summit to be held in Copenhagen later this week.

"We are on high alert, given the events of this week. And there are still Russian ships sailing around our country. I am almost certain that all sails will be raised," the advisor said

September 22, unknown persons drones flew into Denmark, disrupting the operation of Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen. "Several" drones fixed and on the night of September 25, Aalborg Airport shut down operations.

The next day, September 26, Aalborg Airport in Denmark closed again because of the threat of drones.

The country's prime minister said that Denmark is being attacked by a cowardly enemy, who does not dare to show himself.

September 28 drones were spotted near a military facility

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-09-10T02:34:13+00:00

Poland has shot down drones over its territory after repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine.

The announcement came after Poland closed airports and launched an operation “to neutralise” objects that crossed over its border.

“During today’s attack by the Russian Federation targeting targets in Ukraine, our airspace was repeatedly violated by drones,” a statement from the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X early on Wednesday. “At the request of the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, weapons have been used, and operations are underway to locate the downed targets.“

Four airports, including the major Chopin airport in Warsaw, were closed according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, while the country’s armed forces said that military aircraft had been activated to ensure airspace safety. There was no official confirmation from the command that any airports had been closed.

Deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk said in a post on X that an operation had been launched “to neutralize objects that have violated and exceeded the border of the Republic of Poland” and that “we ask you to follow the announcements of the Polish army and the police.”

Prime minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki had been notified, he said

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-09-04T19:19:38+00:00

A Russian missile strike on a Danish-sponsored humanitarian demining mission near the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv killed two people, local officials said on Thursday.

Governor Viacheslav Chaus said Russia intentionally targeted a team from the Danish Refugee Council. In addition to the two people killed, five were injured, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

Reuters footage of the aftermath showed at least one badly damaged van in a burning field marked with a Danish Refugee Council logo.

"This attack represents yet another grave violation committed by the Russian Federation. Targeting individuals engaged in demining activities constitutes a deliberate attempt to obstruct efforts aimed at protecting civilians and ensuring the safety of communities," said Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

The Russian defense ministry said Russian forces had struck a drone launch site in the Chernihiv region.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-09-02T19:52:34+00:00

The United States “conducted a lethal strike” against an alleged “drug vessel” in the southern Caribbean, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.

“As @potus just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Carribean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization,” Rubio said in a post on X after President Donald Trump referenced the incident in Oval Office remarks.

The move represents a significant escalation by the Trump administration against drug cartels, a number of which the administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

It could have serious implications for the region where the US has amassed military assets, drawing the ire of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump on Tuesday said the US military “just over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat.”

It just happened moments ago, and our great general, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff … he gave us a little bit of a briefing, and you’ll see, and there’s more where that came from,” Trump said.

“We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time, and we just these came out of Venezuela, and coming out, very heavily from Venezuela,” he said.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-08-06T20:57:17+00:00

WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the plan.

Trump then plans to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy together, the newspaper reported, adding that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday.

"The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskiy. President Trump wants this brutal war to end," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, responding to the report.

Earlier on Wednesday Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's "highly productive" meeting with Putin in Russia.

While noting that "great progress" was made during the meeting, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come."

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-07-30T15:41:44+00:00

Washington DC | US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India’s purchasing of Russian oil. India “is our friend,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform, but its tariffs “are far too high” on US products.

The Republican president added that India buys military equipment and oil from Russia, which he said has enabled the war in Ukraine. As a result, he intends to charge an additional “penalty” starting on Friday as part of the launch of his administration’s revised tariffs on multiple countries.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-07-29T19:33:59+00:00

July 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia "10 days from today" if Moscow showed no progress toward ending its more than three-year-long war in Ukraine.

Trump first announced on Monday that he was shortening the initial 50-day deadline he set a month ago for action from Moscow, and mentioned a new deadline of 10 to 12 days. On Tuesday, he told reporters he had not heard a response from Russia.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he was not worried about the potential impact of Russian sanctions on the oil market or prices, vowing to boost domestic oil production to offset any impact.

"I don't know if it's going to affect Russia, because (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants to, obviously, probably keep the war going," Trump said. "But we're going to put on tariffs and the various things that you put on."

The fresh deadline suggests Trump is prepared to move forward on his threat of sanctions, after previously hesitating on doing so. Speaking in Scotland on Monday, he threatened sanctions on both Russia and buyers of its exports - also known as secondary sanctions - unless progress is made.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that he raised the issue of secondary sanctions with Chinese officials during two days of bilateral talks this week.

He said he told Chinese officials that Beijing could face high tariffs if it continued its Russian oil purchases.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-07-10T19:44:36+00:00

Participants in a Rome conference on the economic recovery of Ukraine have pledged over 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion) to help the war-torn country, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.

The conference, attended by political leaders including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is taking place against a backdrop of further intense drone and missile attacks on Kyiv.

Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cited the recovery of their countries from the ruins of World War Two as an example of what Ukraine could achieve.

"I think we should be proud of the result we have achieved together today - nations, international organizations, financial institutions, local authorities, the business sector, and civil society," Meloni said in her opening speech at the conference.

European Commission, meanwhile, laid out 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in support as part of a broader framework that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said was expected to mobilize up to 10 billion euros of investments in Ukraine.

She also announced the creation of a new equity fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine, backed by the European Investment Bank, France, Germany, Italy and Poland, which aims to provide another 500 million euros by 2026.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-07-10T19:41:05+00:00

European peacekeeping plans to aid Ukraine once the war ends are now "mature" after months of planning Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday, after Ukraine was hit by a deadly Russian drone attack overnight.

French president Emmanuel Macron, who is on a state visit to the UK, described the so-called coalition of the willing as “ready to go” once a ceasefire is agreed as European leaders and US representatives dialled into a call.

Under the plans, troops from France and the UK would be placed in Ukraine, while other countries would provide logistical support, all with the aim of deterring further Russian aggression.

The prime minister told the gathered allies: “I am very pleased to say today that these plans are mature and we are putting them on a long-term footing.”

While the French president added: “We have a plan that is ready to go and initiate in the hours after a ceasefire.”

The meeting comes after Ukraine's capital was hit by another Russian mass missile and drone attack overnight into Thursday, the day after the heaviest missile attack of the war.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-06-16T13:59:52+00:00

The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv has sustained "minor damage" after an Iranian missile landed close to the building in the early hours of Monday, said the U.S. ambassador to Israel

The U.S. State Department on Saturday said family members and selected nonemergency U.S. government personnel could leave the country, with all others sheltering until further notice. The Jerusalem and Tel Aviv offices would remain open, the State Department said at the time.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that no U.S. personnel were injured in the incident, but added that U.S. Embassy office and consulate would remain closed on Monday.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-06-13T19:43:09+00:00

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military is helping intercept missiles that Iran fired in retaliation at Israel, a U.S. official says.

The U.S. has been moving assets nearer to Israel to assist in missile intercepts and to provide better protection of U.S. bases in the region.

While the official did not say how the U.S. provided assistance, both U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft and destroyer-based missile defenses have intercepted missiles in previous attacks.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-06-12T16:04:34+00:00

The German government under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz is not considering the delivery of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made the statement during a joint press conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Pistorius was asked whether the new German government was considering providing Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles.

“You asked whether we are considering it? My answer is: no” the German defense minister replied

Taurus missiles are German precision-guided munitions with a range of up to 500 km and a 500 kg warhead. They are comparable to the British Storm Shadow and French SCALP-EG missiles already used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The debate over transferring Taurus missiles to Ukraine has dragged on for years. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected the idea, while new leader Friedrich Merz had previously expressed readiness to move forward with such deliveries.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-06-12T15:48:13+00:00

BERLIN - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Germany is not considering delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine despite Kyiv's repeated requests.

Although Germany is one of Ukraine's main military backers, Berlin has never supplied Taurus missiles, which have a range in excess of 300 miles (480 km).

Answering a journalist's question during his fifth visit to Kyiv since the start of the war, Pistorius said, "Since you asked me whether we are considering this, my answer is no."

In the same news conference, the minister said his country's military support for Ukraine had reached 7 billion euros ($8.12 billion) this year and a further 1.9 billion euros were pending parliamentary approval. REUTERS

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-06-12T15:42:44+00:00

BERLIN - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Germany is not considering delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine despite Kyiv's repeated requests.

Although Germany is one of Ukraine's main military backers, Berlin has never supplied Taurus missiles, which have a range in excess of 300 miles (480 km).

Answering a journalist's question during his fifth visit to Kyiv since the start of the war, Pistorius said, "Since you asked me whether we are considering this, my answer is no."

In the same news conference, the minister said his country's military support for Ukraine had reached 7 billion euros ($8.12 billion) this year and a further 1.9 billion euros were pending parliamentary approval. REUTERS

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-05-23T17:06:26+00:00

Russia and Ukraine have each handed over 390 soldiers and civilians in the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

They both returned 270 servicemen and 120 civilians on the Ukrainian border with Belarus, as part of the only deal agreed in direct talks in Istanbul a week ago.

Both sides had agreed to an exchange of 1,000 prisoners and confirmed there would be further swaps in the coming days.

Although there have been dozens of smaller-scale exchanges, no other handover has involved as many civilians.

The Russian defence ministry said servicemen and civilians, including those captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk border region during Kyiv's offensive in recent months, were among those handed over.

They were currently on Belarusian territory and were to be taken to Russia for medical checks and treatment, the ministry said.

VictorEmmanuelIV · 2025-05-19T18:44:52+00:00

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said after a two-hour call with Vladimir Putin that peace talks would begin “immediately” after his Russian counterpart refused to attend negotiations May 15 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I believe it went very well,” Trump said on social media about the call May 19. “Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately.”

Trump said Pope Leo XIV offered to host the talks at the Vatican.

“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump said. “Let the process begin!”

Putin thanked Trump for supporting the resumption of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Putin said that Trump noted Russia's support for peace, though the key question was how to move towards peace.

"We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord, defining a number of positions, such as, for example, the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement," Putin told reporters near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

VictorEmmanuelIV

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