BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg believes his continued ability to report from Moscow is largely due to Vladimir Putin’s
desire for Russia to be viewed as a global superpower—an image that, in
his view, requires tolerating the presence of international news
organizations.
Like correspondents from other Western outlets in countries such as France, Germany, and Italy, as well as networks like Sky News, Rosenberg knows he is constantly balancing on a knife-edge, aware that he could be expelled from the country at any moment.
His
position remains precarious. He holds only a three-month visa, and its
renewal is typically delayed until the final day, a recurring reminder
of how fragile his situation is.
“I don’t kid myself—this could end tomorrow,” Rosenberg said while accepting the 2025 Charles Wheeler Award for his outstanding contribution to broadcast journalism.
“Every
time I file a report, I feel like I’m walking a narrow line—a tightrope
stretched over a minefield of repressive laws designed to punish
criticism of the Russian state or so-called anti-Russian rhetoric in the
media.
“But
Russia considers itself a great power,” he added. “And as a center of
global influence, it hosts journalists from around the world.
Nato-øvelsen Cold Response skjer i en utenrikspolitisk opphetet verden, med krig både i Ukraina og Midtøsten.*1 Den skjer også i et forholdsvis varmt nordnorsk jordsmonn.
Tidlig snø i
nord har gjort at kalde værperioder ikke har kommet særlig langt ned i
jorda. Nå varsler Forsvaret om at kombinasjonen av lite tele og tungt
militært utstyr kan gi store skader på dyrket mark.
– Vi eravhengig
av tilstrekkelig tele og nok snø for å redusere skadeomfanget, men
dessverre er det ikke så mye tele i øvelsesområdet i år som i fjor, sier
miljøvernoffiser ved Forsvarets operative hovedkvarter (FOH), Marianne
Rygh Bø.
– Vi er
veldig klar over skadene kjøring på jorder kan medføre, så vi søker å
få avdelingene til ikke å kjøre der. Men må avdelingene likevel krysse
jorder, oppfordrer vi dem til å kjøre i ytterkant eller i færre spor,
sier Rygh Bø.
I et landmed bare tre prosent matjord må det være en høy terskel for å legge potensielt ødeleggende trafikk nettopp hit.
Om lag 25.000 norske og allierte soldater trener på forsvaret
av Norge. Ett av målene ved årets øvelse å øve på samspill mellom sivile
og militære. Det er en god anledning til å inkludere lokale
landbrukskontorer i øvelsen.
Kjøresporog
ødelagt grasdekke er lette å oppdage. Skader nede i matjorda, for
eksempel skadde eller tette dreneringsrør, viser seg først over tid. Det
gjelder å melde fra så tidlig som mulig når skade er oppdaget eller
mistenkt.
Også reindriften
påvirkes når soldater beveger seg i reinbeiteområder. Reineieren Ole
Nils Aslak Baal fikk et våpen rettet mot seg da han oppsøkte en norsk
avdeling ved Helligskogen forrige søndag. Baal ville informere om at en
reinflokk beitet like i nærheten.
– Det var en veldig ubehagelig opplevelse, sier Baal til avisa Nordlys.
Forsvaret sier at hendelsen skyldtes en misforståelse. Våpenet som ble rettet mot Baal, var ikke skarpladd.
– Hæren har
fredag hatt et konstruktivt møte med Helligskogen reinbeitedistrikt om
Cold Response 2026, og ønsker å bygge videre på det, sier oberstløytnant
Lars Strøm, som er kommunikasjonssjef i Hæren.
Dyrevelferdenmå
veie tungt når Forsvaret nærmer seg tamreindriften. Samtidig må alle
utmarksbrukere regne med å merke det når vi og våre allierte øver på å
forsvare landet.
Skader må
søkes unngått, og erstattes om de oppstår. Men den som tror at store,
motoriserte militærøvelser er det verste som kan skje arealbrukende
virksomheter, har ikke vært i en krigssone. Alle har interesse av at
Forsvaret øver på å forsvare fedrelandet.
*1Cold Response er
en Norskledet militær vinterøvelse som avholdes hvert annet år. På land
og i luften trenes det i Nord-Norge (Troms og nordre Nordland) og
Nord-Finland. På sjøen skal det øves i sjøområdene utenfor Norge.
Hoveddelen skjer 9.–19. mars 2026. Rundt 25 000 soldater deltar i
øvelsen. Av disse øver rundt 11 800 på norsk jord. Resten deltar på
sjøen, i luften og i Finland. Deltakerne kommer fra Norge, USA,
Storbritannia, Tyskland, Nederland, Frankrike, Italia, Canada, Spania,
Tyrkia, Sverige, Finland, Danmark og Belgia.
Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, 86, who has ruled Iran since 1989, is dead, according to a
report from Reuters. Israeli officials told the news agency earlier
today (28 February) that Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed following
Israeli strikes.
Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Mehr reported that the Supreme Leader was “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald
Trump earlier speculated that Khamenei was dead. On a call with NBC news
Trump said: I have spoken to a lot of people, we feel that is a correct
story.”
“This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei,” Netanyahu said in a brief video statement this evening.
“There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer. This morning we
eliminated senior officials in the ayatollahs’ regime, Revolutionary
Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear program… In the next
few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime.”
On another call with ABC news tonight Trump said: “I don’t want to
say anything definitively until I see things but we believe he is. And
much of their leaders are gone.”
Source: The New Statesman
The Guardian, Sun 1 Mar 2026 07.48 CET:
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed, Iranian state media has confirmed, in the opening salvo of a war the US and Israel launched with the aim of regime change.
Khamenei
had not been heard from since the strikes began, and satellite imagery
showed that his secure compound was heavily damaged in the initial
barrage on Saturday.
The confirmation came early on Sunday, hours after Donald Trump announced the death of the ayatollah, who has ruled Iran as supreme leader since 1989, in a post on Truth Social.
Q&A
Will this military operation fundamentally change things in Iran? Will the country become a truly democratic, gender-equal, and open society? Is Donald Trump’s main objective in this war really regime change? Or is it merely about regime alteration and oil, as we saw two months ago in Venezuela?
Rusland beweerde gisteren dat Frankrijk en het Verenigd Koninkrijk werken aan het leveren van 'een superwapen' aan Oekraïne. Gedoeld werd op een kernwapen of een 'vuile bom', een explosief dat radioactief materiaal verspreidt. De media die het nieuws naar buiten brachten beroepen zich op informatie van de Russische buitenlandse inlichtingendienst (SVR). Dmitri Medvedev, de oud-president en huidige vice-voorzitter van de Russische Veiligheidsraad, greep het bericht aan om opnieuw te dreigen met een nucleaire aanval op Oekraïne en sloot bovendien een dergelijke aanval op Frankrijk en het VK ook niet uit. Waarschijnlijk was de boodschap vooral als afleidingsmanoeuvre voor Vladimir Putins annexatie van Oekraïne bedoeld, die tot op heden weinig succesvolle 'speciale militaire operatie' begon gisteren namelijk exact vier jaar geleden.
Ondertussen hebben de enorme defensie-uitgaven, tezamen met het geheel aan westerse sancties, de Russische economie zwaar onder druk gezet. Sommige Russen kunnen zich enkel nog pap veroorloven en inmiddels zijn zelfs alledaagse spullen voor veel mensen te duur. Dit blijkt ook uit de Borsjtsj-index, een index die meet hoeveel het kost om een pan borsjtsj, bietensoep, te maken.*1 Door de prijzen van ingrediënten als bieten, aardappelen, kool en vlees te volgen, laat de index zien hoe hard inflatie Russische huishoudens treft. Deze is sinds het begin van de oorlog van 393 naar boven de 500 roebel gestegen.
De Borsjtsj-index wordt in Rusland beschouwd als een betrouwbare indicator voor de levenskwaliteit van de armste dertig procent van de bevolking. Waar officiële inflatiecijfers van de Centrale Bank van Rusland rond de 4,5% - 5,5% voor 2026 worden voorspeld, laat de Borsjtsj-index zien dat de kosten voor de bereiding van het nationale gerecht inmiddels al veel harder zijn gestegen. Inmiddels besteden Russische huishoudens gemiddeld 40 procent van het inkomen aan voeding, in april 2025 was dat nog ongeveer 34 procent.
Volgens
The Economist, BBC News Russia en het onafhankelijke medium Mediazona,
was 2025 verreweg het meest bloedige jaar voor de Russische
strijdkrachten sinds het begin van de invasie in Oekraïne. De laagste schatting voor
het aantal Russische militaire doden in 2025 ligt op 100.000 en zal
onvermijdelijk stijgen naarmate er meer informatie beschikbaar komt en
er meer overlijdensberichten worden gepubliceerd. Het totale aantal
Russische slachtoffers sinds 24 februari 2022, vandaag exact vier jaar geleden, wordt geschat op tussen de 190.000 en 480.000.
De
bandbreedte is echter fors, het Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) schat bijvoorbeeld het aantal
Russische slachtoffers sinds 2022 op 1,2 miljoen, waarvan zeker 325.000
doden. Voor 2025 houdt het CSIS het op 415.000 Russische slachtoffers,
dat is een verbijsterend maandgemiddelde van een 35.000 dode, gewonde en
vermiste Russische mannen. Volgens het CSIS heeft geen enkele grootmacht
in een gewapend conflict sinds de Tweede Wereldoorlog dergelijke
verliescijfers laten zien.
Saillant detail:
het tempo van de rekrutering in Rusland bleef vorig jaar steken op
ongeveer 30.000 tot 35.000 mensen per maand, net genoeg om de verliezen
in de gehaktmolen te compenseren, maar volstrekt onvoldoende om nieuwe
eenheden te vormen, laat staan om strategische reserves op te bouwen.
En
het ziet er niet naar uit dat deze Russische modus operandi in 2026 zal
veranderen. De oorlog in Oekraïne blijft een
uitputtingsoorlog, met een slagveld dat gedomineerd wordt door
precisiewapens en drones die grootschalige manoeuvres vrijwel onmogelijk
maken. Diepe doorbraken, omsingelingen of instortingen van het front
zullen als gevolg daarvan uitblijven, waardoor een beslissende nederlaag
van de Oekraïense strijdkrachten onwaarschijnlijk is. Of zoals de
Britse denktank Royal United Services Institute het formuleert: Oekraïne
verliest niet en Rusland wint niet.
Kan samene fra Norge, Sverige og Finland forstå hverandre?
Rolf Theil, tidligere professor i lingvistikk, Universitetet i Oslo (1966–2016):
Det
finst 9~10 levande samiske språk i Noreg, Sverige, Finland og Russland,
og grensene mellom desse språka følgjer ikkje statsgrensene, fordi dei
utvikla seg før nordmenn, svenskar, finnar og russarar la ulike delar av
dei samiskspråklege delane av Fennoskandia under seg.*1
(Eg skriv «9~10 levande samiske språk» fordi statusen til akkalasamisk er uklar.)
(Dei
samiske språka stammar frå ursamisk, som blei snakka om lag på same tid
som urnordisk, dvs rundt dei fem første hundreåra etter Kristi fødsel.
Det er vandringsrutene til reindriftsamane – mellom sommarbeite og
vinterbeite – som har bestemt grensene mellom språka. Vandringa skjer på
tvers av den skandinaviske halvøya.)
Sørsamar
i Sverige og Noreg snakkar same språket og skjønar med andre ord
kvarande, men di lenger nordover og austover du kjem i Fennoskandia, di
vanskelegare er det for ein sørsamisktalande å forstå andre samiske
språk. Ein sørsame kan truleg forstå ein god del ume- og pitesamisk, men
så er det slutt. Nordsamar og sørsamar snakkar saman på norsk og
svensk.
Dei
som snakkar nordsamisk, forstår lulesamisk relativt greitt, men ume- og
pitesamisk er det nok verre med. Dei samiske språka lenger aust, frå
enare- og skoltesamisk og vidare bortover på Kola, er vanskelege å
forstå for nordsamisktalande. For over 50 år sidan – da eg studerte
nordsamisk – følgde eg eit kurs i enaresamisk ved Universitetet i Oslo,
og dei nordsamisktalande studiekameratane mine hadde ikkje noko lettare
for å forstå tekstane enn eg. Men dei nordsamisktalande i Noreg forstår
utan vidare nordsamisk i Sverige og Finland. Eg har møtt
nordsamisktalande samar frå Finland som har jobba i Karasjok. Dei brukar
nordsamisk i jobben. Dei kan finsk (og engelsk) i tillegg til
nordsamisk, men norsk kan dei ikkje.
Skoltesamar i Noreg, Finland og Russland forstår kvarandre.
MILAN,
Feb 16 (Reuters) - Figure skater Ryuichi Kihara said he could not stop
crying since the early setback he and partner Riku Miura suffered on
Sunday, but on Monday the duo climbed back to win Japan's first Olympic
pairs gold with a powerful, Gladiator-themed free skate.
The
two‑time world champions had been devastated after finishing fifth in
the short programme due to a lift error, but returned with a performance their coach, Bruno Marcotte, said was built on heart, belief and seven years of
resilience.
Kihara, 33, said he struggled to shake off the previous day's mistake and arrived at practice still shaken.
Riku Miura said seeing her partner in tears pushed her to take the lead.
"Ryuichi
has been crying since this morning, and so I felt like I needed to be
strong and support him and help him focus," the 24-year-old said.
Their free skate reflected their struggles — a programme built around combat, survival and triumph.
Skating
to music from the "Gladiator" soundtrack performed by Italian tenor
Andrea Bocelli, they attacked every element with the steadiness that had
deserted them a day earlier, their choreography echoing the resilience
that has defined their partnership.
In an article published January 21, journalists at The Times argue that US forces are poorly
prepared for military operations in the Arctic. Citing a source
in military circles, the paper reports that the US armed forces lack
both the resources and the practical experience needed to operate
effectively in this region.
According to the article, American troops are outperformed even by their European NATO partners when it comes to Arctic readiness. The best prepared for harsh
northern conditions, The Times notes, are the forces of the
Scandinavian countries, Finland and the United Kingdom.
A military source told the paper that during last year’s Joint Viking
exercises in northern Norway, US units ran into serious difficulties.*1 The source said the exercise command had to ask Finnish reservists, who
were playing the role of the simulated enemy, to ease up on the American
troops because their performance was becoming, in his words, "humiliating and demoralising" for the US side.*2
The report also states that the United States still depends
on Finnish technology for building icebreakers, while European countries
have far more substantial hands-on experience operating in Arctic
conditions. Against this backdrop, The Times concludes that
if US President Donald Trump truly wants to "protect" the region,
continuing to antagonise America’s Arctic allies is the wrong approach.
The newspaper adds that Joint Viking is not the only exercise taking place in the High North: NATO also conducts drills such as Cold Response. According to The Times, the
alliance is now discussing the creation of an "Arctic Sentry" mission,
intended to counter what it describes as "Russian threats" in the
region.
Source: Military Affairs/John Baker
Finnish reservists.
*1Joint Viking is a Norwegian winter exercise held
every other year. Around 10,000 Norwegian and allied soldiers took part
in the exercise, held in Northern Norway from 3 to 14 March
2025. The aim of the exercise was to enhance allied interoperability, train
on protecting NATO's northern flank and to test Norway's ability to
recieve allied reinforcements. Joint Viking 2025 gathered participants from nine
nations: Norway, Canada, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the
Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
*2Finland, which has the longest border with Russia of any NATO or EU country, is well known for its decades of focus on a possible attack from its eastern neighbour, leading to a level of preparedness perhaps unequalled in the western world. It has fought many conflicts with Russia, most infamously the winter war of 1939/40 in which the Nordic country inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties on the invading Soviet army.Almost a third of Finland's adult population are reservists, giving the
country of just 5.6 million people one of the largest militaries in Europe and
its joint largest amount of artillery. While conscription is mandatory for Finnish men, it is voluntary for women aged 18–29. After completing their service, women are placed in the reserve just
like their male counterparts, with similar duties and opportunities for
further training.Since its initiation in 1995, up to more than 14,000 women in
total have completed the voluntary military service for women.
The free Western world is urgently searching for new leadership as its former leader, the United States of America, sinks ever deeper into a quagmire of fascism.A few days ago, Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, delivered an impressive speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in which he outlined the path that the remaining democratic nations must follow in order to preserve their political and economic autonomy, as well as their moral dignity and freedom.
"The middle powers must act together," Carney said, referring to Canada, the EU and countries like Japan, Brazil, Australia and South Korea, "because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu." Donald Trump was not mentioned by name in the speech, but it was clear to everyone that these remarks referred to him. Mark Carney is a man of action, not merely a talker like many of his European counterparts, and he was therefore met with considerable acclaim from his audience. He is clearly the kind of political leader that intelligent, freedom-minded people all over the globe are longing for in a rapidly changing world order.*1
Another form of leadership – this time in the historical and philosophical-ethical realm – is embodied by the American historian Timothy Snyder. He was among the first political refugees when Donald Trump came to power a year ago. From 2017 to 2025, he served as the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University, today he teaches at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.*2
¡Principio del fin! Será muerto el Hombre Orquesta de Norte América. Benjamin Solari Parravicini, 1938.*3
On January 16, during a sold-out evening at BOZAR in Brussels, Timothy Snyder spoke with historian Pieter Lagrou about freedom, democracy, and resistance in an age of growing authoritarian pressure.
Drawing on his work on history, from the Holocaust to contemporary Ukraine, Snyder emphasized that freedom is more than the absence of constraints. It requires active engagement, moral choice, and care for one another. In dialogue with Lagrou, he reflected on historical lessons and present-day threats such as authoritarianism and digital manipulation. He warned against the abuse of free speech in the digital age, arguing that it should serve to challenge power rather than monopolize the information space.
Snyder stressed the vital role of history in defending democracy, as it helps societies resist propaganda, simplistic narratives, and the illusion of an inevitable future. The evening concluded with a powerful conclusion: freedom is not an individual possession, but a collective practice – one that must be continuously upheld by citizens, institutions, and generations alike.
*2I’ve published a number of posts on Timothy Snyder, use the search bar beneath this post to explore them.
*3Translation from Spanish: Beginning of the end! The one-man orchestra of North America will be killed. Known as "the Nostradamus of the Americas," Benjamin Solari Parravicini (1898–1974) was an Argentine artist who made extraordinary prophecies about the world’s future. What made his clairvoyance especially compelling was that it was expressed artistically through hundreds of drawings, known as "psychographs," each accompanied by short, handwritten messages. The drawing in this post was made by him in 1938.
Europe must heed Mark Carney – and embrace a painful emancipation from the US
EU leaders would do well to meditate on the seminal lesson that the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, delivered at this year’s World Economic Forum.
In an incisive analysis of the new age of predatory great powers, where might is increasingly asserted as right, Carney not only accurately defined the coarsening of international relations as “a rupture, not a transition”. He also outlined how liberal democratic “middle powers” such as Canada – but also European countries – must build coalitions to counter coercion and defend as much as possible of the principles of territorial integrity, the rule of law, free trade, climate action and human rights. He spelled out a hedging strategy that Canada is already pursuing, diversifying its trade and supply chains and even opening its market to Chinese electric vehicles to counter Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian-made automobiles.
Carney’s clear-eyed recognition that the age of the western-led “rules-based international order” – with all its flaws and inconsistencies – is not coming back contrasts with dithering among European leaders, many of whom still seem to believe they can flatter, bribe and appease Trump into taking their interests into account. Fear of Trump storming out of Nato or abandoning Ukraine to Russian dismemberment has so far prevented them from taking a strong stance against his bullying of allies.
Nuuk, Greenland.
The US president’s insistence on taking possession of Greenland, and his threat of punitive tariffs against European allies who sent a small reconnaissance force to Greenland last week in support of Denmark, should be the red line that finally triggers a united and firm European response. Yet nothing is less certain, with EU leaders still torn between de-escalation and bargaining on the one hand, and escalation to create a balance of power before any negotiation, on the other.
Trump muddied the waters after giving a belligerent speech in Davos, by announcing he had “formed the framework of a future deal” on Greenland in talks with Nato’s Mark Rutte and would not, after all, be imposing those threatened additional tariffs. But Europeans should not be lulled into dropping their guard.
Carney’s lesson in Davos could not have been clearer and more timely. “When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what’s offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating,” he warned. “This is not sovereignty. It’s the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination. In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice – compete with each other for favour, or combine to create a third path with impact.”
In other words, Europe can only hope to stop Trump’s abuse of US power if it acts with unity and strength, and joins forces with like-minded countries such as Canada, but also Japan, Australia, Brazil and India, to build new trade pacts and rules.*
Paul Taylor/The Guardian
* Visit this post on the site of the World Economic Forum to read the full transcript of the speech by
Mark Carney in Davos. The post also contains a video of Carney's complete performance on January 20, 2026.
Europe
vowed a united response after President Donald Trump said he would
impose tariffs on eight of its allies for sending troops to Greenland,
an autonomous territory of Denmark that the president has repeatedly threatened to annex.
Trump
said Saturday he would introduce 10% tariffs on imports from Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and
Finland, all of which sent small numbers of military personnel to
Greenland in recent days to take part in military exercises.
The
move, which comes as Trump has stepped up his campaign to annex the
territory, prompted a wave of condemnation from the leaders of the
ostensible U.S. allies, which were already subject to tariffs of 10% and
15%. The row could call into question trade deals the U.S. struck with
the U.K. in May and the European Union in July.
On
Sunday, the eight countries issued a joint statement declaring that
they “stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the
people of Greenland.”
"As
members of Nato, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a
shared transatlantic interest. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise
Arctic Endurance conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It
poses no threat to anyone,” the statement said.
"Tariff
threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward
spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our
response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty," it added.
Upernavik in northwest Greenland, 19th century.
A
day earlier, Trump’s announcement set off a firestorm across European
capitals as he threatened tariffs in his latest effort to acquire the
territory of Greenland for the United States.
“Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands,
and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a
very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our
Planet,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday announcing the tariffs.
Trump
added that the tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1, and would
remain in effect “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete
and Total purchase of Greenland.”
His
comments came as thousands rallied on Saturday in the Danish cities of
Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense, as well as in Greenland’s
capital, Nuuk, to oppose Trump’s annexation plans. In Nuuk, hundreds
marched to the U.S. consulate, some holding signs that read “Greenland is not for sale,” and “Yankees go home!”
Richard Hall and Rebecca Schneid/Time (January 18)
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt met the US vice-president JD Vance for talks in Washington.
Following the meeting, Rasmussen told a news
conference: “I know very well that the future is not about the past, but
I think it is important to have the past in mind. We are eager to
fulfil our promises. Even though our view on the situation right now
around Greenland differs from public statements in the US, we want to
work closely with the US, but it must be of course a respectful kind of
cooperation.”
Rasmussen said the two ministers told their US
counterparts that “it is not easy to think innovative[ly] about
solutions when you wake up every morning to different threats.”
Rasmussen said it was a constructive meeting
with the US, but admitted “we didn’t manage to change the US position”
so far. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering
Greenland, and we made it very, very clear that this is not in the
interest of the Kingdom [of Denmark].”
Kullorsuaq, an Inuit village in northwest Greenland.
France is expected to join the new European military mission to Greenland, Agence France-Presse reported.
Germany said it would deploy a 13-strong
Bunderwehr reconnaissance team to “explore the framework conditions for
possible military contributions to support Denmark in ensuring security
in the region”, the German defence ministry said, quoted by AFP.
The European parliament leaders issued a
statement declaring their “firm” support for Denmark, Greenland and the
rules-based international as they “unequivocally” condemned the US
ambition to control the semi-autonomous territory. They stressed that
“any attempt to undermine the sovereignty and the territorial integrity
of Denmark and Greenland, violates international law and the United
Nations Charter.” They added that “the security of the Arctic is a
strategic priority for the European Union, and we are firmly committed
to safeguarding it,” calling for “reinforcing European defence
capabilities” to ensure security in the Arctic region.
Greenlandic deputy prime minister, Múte B. Egede, said that more soldiers were expected in the coming days, joined by “more military flights and ships” as part of hastily convened “Operation Arctic Endurance.”
The Guardian
A Courtship In Greenland by Carl Rasmussen, ca. 1880.
US president Donald Trump claims that the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores have been “captured and flown out of the country”.
In a Truth Social post shared only moments ago, Trump wrote:
"The
United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale
strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who
has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.
This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.
Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at
Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President
DONALD J. TRUMP."
The Guardian has been unable to independently verify this report.
Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
12.47 CET
Russia has condemned the US military action in Venezuela
on Saturday, saying there was no tenable justification for the attack
and that “ideological hostility” had prevailed over diplomacy, reports
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Venezuela is Russia’s most important ally in South America, though the Kremlin has stopped short of offering assistance to Caracas in the event of a conflict with the US.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement:
This
morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against
Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable.
The pretexts used to justify such actions are untenable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism.
The statement did not mention Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom US President Donald Trump claimed was captured during Saturday’s military action on the South American country.
“We
reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people,” Russia’s statement
said, adding there were no reports of Russian citizens injured in US
strikes.
