EU’s von der Leyen: no limits on Ukraine's military in future peace deal
Speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen outlined Europe’s position ahead of Mon...
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Belarus as a true friend of China as he met Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of the sanctions-hit European nation, on Wednesday and urged the Russian ally to join Beijing in opposing "hegemony and bullying".
Lukashenko's visit to Beijing was his first since he was declared a winner of January's presidential election that extended his 31-year rule of the former Soviet republic. Western governments had rejected his victory as a sham.
The Belarusian economy has been bruised by Western sanctions and trade tariffs due to its backing of Russia's war in Ukraine. Severed from Western markets, Minsk, which had allowed Russian forces to use its territory to stage its invasion of Ukraine, has increasingly pivoted to the East.
Xi, greeting Lukashenko in Zhongnanhai, the seat of power in Beijing, congratulated him on his re-election, Xinhua reported, adding that China and Belarus were "true friends and good partners".
"The traditional friendship between the two countries has endured for a long time, political mutual trust is unbreakable", Xi said.
Both countries should also oppose "hegemony and bullying, and defend international fairness and justice", Xi told Lukashenko.
"You have very accurately pointed out the main feature of our time - the unprecedented pressure from the West on us, primarily on the People's Republic of China", Belarus' state news agency BelTA cited Lukashenko as saying.
"And today, the eyes of many countries, including Belarus, are turned toward you - to Beijing", Lukashenko said.
Last month, Xi visited Vladimir Putin in Russia and vowed to stay as "friends of steel" in a new world order that should no longer by dominated by the United States.
Russia and China have come under renewed pressure from Washington since Donald Trump returned to the White House, with Moscow urged to quickly end the war in Ukraine and Beijing subject to new trade tariffs.
Lukashenko, who has visited China 15 times over the years, has counted on Beijing as a provider of credit and investment, even as Belarus is considered to lie within Moscow's traditional sphere of influence.
Minsk is also turning to Beijing for help transform and upgrade its industries, officially becoming a BRICS partner-nation and member-state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) last year.
However, economic imbalances remain even as China pledges to deepen bilateral cooperation.
China's trade surplus with Belarus widened by 47.6% to $4.77 billion in 2024 from a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data, with China's export of cars, digital television receivers and washing machines far exceeding its purchases of Belarusian products including farm fertilisers.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
A deadly heatwave has claimed 1,180 lives in Spain since May, with elderly people most at risk, prompting calls for urgent social support.
Media accreditation is now open for COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, set to take place in Belém, Brazil in 2025.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen outlined Europe’s position ahead of Monday’s summit at The White House, where EU leaders will join U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy to discuss the path to a possible peace agreement.
The Bermuda Triangle, known for mysterious disappearances, has long sparked intrigue. But is it really a place of danger, or just a myth? In this explainer, we uncover the truth behind the legend.
Wildfires raging across Spain have scorched more than 115,000 hectares (about 284,000 acres), killed at least three people and forced thousands to evacuate, as emergency teams struggle to contain dozens of blazes.
Top European leaders will travel to Washington on Monday to join U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in critical talks aimed at ending the war with Russia.
France, Germany and Britain will meet on Sunday to help shape Ukraine’s position before President Zelenskyy holds high-stakes talks with Donald Trump in Washington.
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