WARSAW, POLAND — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday condemned what he called “the poison of antisemitism rising around the world” after a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former German Nazi concentration camp.

His visit came as many international delegations are expected to attend the Jan. 27 ceremony commemorating 80 years since the Soviet Red Army liberated the death camp built in occupied Poland.

King Charles III will be among those attending the ceremony, Buckingham Palace said Monday, in his first visit to the former camp.

“Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say, ‘never again,'” Starmer said in a statement following his visit.

“But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world” in the aftermath of October 7th, he said.

The Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas staged the deadliest attack in Israeli history.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has left 46,876 people dead, the majority civilians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations has described as reliable.

Last week, the Polish government said it would grant free access to Israeli officials wanting to attend the commemoration, despite a warrant issued in November by the International Criminal Court for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had information from the Israeli Embassy that the country would be represented by its education minister.

The International Criminal Court issued the warrant in November over the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, prompting outrage from Israel and its allies.

Auschwitz has become a symbol of Nazi Germany’s genocide of 6 million European Jews, 1 million of whom died at the site between 1940 and 1945, along with more than 100,000 non-Jews.
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For nearly three years, a combat medic from California named Jennifer Mullee has been saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines. Mullee decided to join the Ukrainian war effort following the death of a close friend. Anna Kosstutschenko has her story. Camera: Pavel Suhodolskiy  
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MOSCOW — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow on Friday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the signing of a strategic partnership treaty involving closer defense cooperation that is likely to worry the West.

Pezeshkian, on his first Kremlin visit since winning the presidency last July, will hold talks with Putin focusing on bilateral ties and international issues before signing the treaty.

Ahead of the talks, the Kremlin hailed its ever closer ties with Tehran.

“Iran is an important partner for us with which we are developing multifaceted co-operation,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Moscow has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the U.S., such as North Korea, since the start of the Ukraine war, and already has strategic pacts with Pyongyang and close ally Belarus, as well as a strategic partnership agreement with China.

The 20-year Russia-Iran agreement is not expected to include a mutual defense clause of the kind sealed with Minsk and Pyongyang, but is still likely to concern the West which sees both countries as malign influences on the world stage.

Moscow and Tehran say their increasingly close ties are not directed against other countries.

Russia has made extensive use of Iranian drones during the war in Ukraine and the United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. Tehran denies supplying drones or missiles.

The Kremlin has declined to confirm it has received Iranian missiles, but has acknowledged that its cooperation with Iran includes “the most sensitive areas.”

Pezeshkian visit to Moscow also comes at a time when Iranian influence across the Middle East is in retreat after Islamist rebels seized power in Syria, expelling ally Bashar al-Assad, and after Iran-backed Hamas has been pounded by Israel in Gaza.

Israel has also inflicted serious damage on the Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Russia too finds itself on the backfoot in Syria where it maintains two major military facilities crucial to its geopolitical and military influence in the Middle East and Africa but whose fate under Syria’s new rulers is now uncertain.

Putin met Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan in October and at a cultural forum in Turkmenistan the same month.

Pezeshkian, who is holding talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin before meeting Putin, is accompanied to Moscow by his oil minister, and Western sanctions on the sector and the subject of how to circumvent them are likely to be discussed.
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MOSCOW — A Russian court on Friday upheld the jail term of Robert Shonov, a former U.S. Consulate worker sentenced to almost five years for “secret collaboration with a foreign state.”

Shonov, a Russian citizen, worked for more than 25 years at the U.S. Consulate in the far eastern city of Vladivostok until 2021, when Moscow imposed restrictions on local staff working for foreign missions.

He was arrested in 2023 on suspicion of passing secret information about Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine to the United States in exchange for money and sentenced to four years and 10 months prison in November 2024.

“The judicial act was upheld,” a court in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk ruled, according to its website, rejecting an appeal Shonov had made against his sentencing.

The United States strongly condemned the conviction last year, calling it an “egregious injustice” based on “meritless allegations.”

In September 2023, Russia expelled two U.S. diplomats it accused of acting as liaison agents for Shonov.

In recent years, several U.S. citizens have been arrested and sentenced to long jail terms in Russia.

Others are being held pending trial.

Washington, which supports Ukraine militarily and financially against Russia’s military offensive, accuses Moscow of arresting Americans on baseless charges to use as bargaining chips in prisoner exchanges.

Even after a landmark prisoner swap in August, several U.S. nationals and dual nationals remain in detention in Russia.
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Britain and Ukraine signed a 100-year agreement Thursday, with Britain pledging to provide Ukraine with $3.6 billion in military aid this year.

The deal was announced during a joint news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, at the presidential palace where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Starmer is on his first trip to Ukraine since he took office.

Starmer called the agreement historic and said the new partnership “reflects the huge affection that exists between our two nations.” The partnership will include cooperation in the areas of culture, education, science and technology.

Regarding military assistance for Kyiv’s war against Russia, Starmer said Britain plans to provide Ukraine with a loan of more than $2.6 billion. He said the loan “will be paid back not by Ukraine, but from the interest on frozen Russian assets.” Starmer also announced that Britain was providing Ukraine with 150 artillery gun barrels and a new mobile air defense system.

In his comments, Starmer credited Ukraine’s allies, particularly the United States, for contributing to the success Ukraine has had against “aggression from Russia.” He said he wanted to pay tribute to the U.S. for “the work that the U.S. has done here, the support that they have put in, because it’s been a vital component of what has been quite an incredible achievement by Ukraine.”

The comments came just days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, a critic of U.S. support for Ukraine, takes office and a day after the new president’s pick to be the U.S. secretary of state, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, told a Senate panel the war must end.

Speaking at his confirmation hearing, Rubio called the conflict a “war of attrition” and a “stalemate” that must be ended. He said the first step should be a ceasefire that halts ground fighting, which has for more than a year mostly occurred in eastern Ukraine.

Rubio called the destruction in Ukraine “extraordinary,” saying it will “take a generation to rebuild.”

“The truth of the matter is that in this conflict, there is no way Russia takes all of Ukraine,” Rubio said. “It’s also unrealistic to believe that somehow, a nation the size of Ukraine … is also going to push these people all the way back to where they were on the eve of the invasion.”

Even as he argued for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting that started with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Rubio said it was unlikely that there would be much change in the current battle lines. Russia currently holds about a fifth of the internationally recognized Ukrainian land mass.

Democrats, and some Republicans on the committee, continued to voice their support for more military aid to Ukraine, saying it was important to give Kyiv leverage in any eventual peace talks with Moscow.

But Rubio said that one of Ukraine’s key problems was not a shortage of ammunition or money but its inability to train and recruit enough troops.

At Thursday’s news conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy refused to speculate on what U.S. support for Ukraine will look like under a Trump administration.

“It is too early to talk about the details, because we have not yet had a detailed conversation with the new U.S. administration about security guarantees,” he said.

Trump has voiced skepticism about continued U.S. military support for Kyiv and repeatedly vowed that he would end the war when he assumed the presidency on Monday.

In recent days, his aides have said the new timeline is ending the war in the first 100 days of his administration, which would be by the end of April.

Ken Bredemeier and Chris Hannas contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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With Donald Trump returning to the White House, analysts say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees an opportunity to rekindle what he calls his close working relationship with the president-elect. However, as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the incoming Trump presidency poses risks as well as opportunities.
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As Russia’s war with Ukraine approaches the three-year mark in February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is emphasizing his country’s hope for continued U.S. support under the incoming Trump administration. 

“We are waiting for the inauguration of the U.S. president. I think the whole world is waiting because the United States is a strategic partner in global stability,” Zelenskyy said this week during a joint press conference in Warsaw with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 

Zelenskyy described the U.S. as “the largest donor supporting Ukraine in its war for survival against Russian aggression” and expressed optimism for deepened cooperation under the principle of “peace through strength.”  

He also said his administration is already coordinating with Washington regarding possible meetings with President-elect Donald Trump, who assumes office on Monday. 

“Our teams are working on the details of this crucial discussion. We want to end this war, but on the terms of a just peace,” he said.  

The key focus for Ukraine in future peace negotiations will be securing robust and comprehensive security guarantees to prevent any future Russian aggression. 

Trump has voiced skepticism of continued U.S. military support for Kyiv, repeatedly vowing that he would end the war before assuming the presidency on Jan. 20. In recent days, however, his aides have said the new timeline for ending the war is in the first 100 days of his administration, which would be by the end of April. 

Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday: “Even if the conflict ends, Ukraine must have the ability to defend itself.” He added that this is a matter of long-term security and stability for Ukraine. 

Tusk, standing alongside Zelenskyy in Warsaw, said Ukraine’s best security guarantee would be membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions. But, he pointed out, the thought of Ukraine joining NATO remains “controversial among some states,” making it vital for the Western alliance to provide Ukraine with a tangible solution to secure peace in Europe. 

Ukrainian military troop strength 

Ukraine cannot engage in “games” by reducing the size of its military, Zelenskyy also said, rejecting any proposals to do so. 

He said a strong defense force is “the only security guarantee” ahead of potential peace negotiations with Russia. His remarks referred to Bloomberg News reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to push for Ukraine to sever ties with NATO and adopt a “neutral state” status with a limited military during any discussions with Trump. 

Highlighting the current strength of Ukraine’s military, Zelenskyy said that it now comprises 880,000 soldiers tasked with countering an estimated 600,000 Russian troops concentrated in specific regions. According to the president, Ukraine produces more than 30% of its military equipment, mainly drones. He has called for allies and partners to invest in military production in Ukraine. 

Russia and Ukraine target each other daily with aerial strikes. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the Russian attacks, alongside vast casualties among both Ukrainian and Russian troops since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.  

European security initiatives 

Part of the proposed option for security guarantees involves French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea of deploying European forces to Ukraine. 

During his visit to Warsaw, Zelenskyy confirmed that he had discussed the proposal. Answering questions from VOA, the Ukrainian president said that even though the idea remains in early stages, the initiative, in his view, could be part of Ukraine’s broader security guarantees. 

“We support the idea of a contingent involving our allies and strategic partners as part of the security guarantees. However, this alone will not suffice,” Zelenskyy said. As a first step, the Ukrainian president said it would be effective to send Western instructors to Ukraine with a comprehensive training plan to strengthen forces on the ground. 

Zelenskyy also said he plans to discuss the idea with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who arrived in Kyiv on Thursday with a pledge to help guarantee Ukraine’s security. Britain and Ukraine agreed on a “100-Year Partnership” treaty covering defense, science, energy and trade. 

The other security guarantees Zelenskyy noted involve additional sanctions, continued weapons shipments, and investments in its military production. He called for urgent international action, including utilizing frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defense. “The strongest support for the Ukrainian army would be to allocate $250 billion from frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons Ukraine urgently needs,” he said.  

EU aspirations 

Polish and Ukrainian leaders embraced Ukraine’s European Union aspirations as part of the peace process. Poland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Ukraine’s European integration. Tusk described the EU presidency as an opportunity to break the impasse and expedite Ukraine’s accession. 

“We will work unconditionally with Ukraine and our European partners to speed up this big and essential task,” he said. 

Tusk noted that Ukraine’s EU membership will add to European security, and he promised to make the issue a priority. “We will break the standstill we have in this issue,” he said during the joint press conference. “We will accelerate the accession process.”
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In California, qualifying inmates volunteer as firefighters to assist in combating wildfires in Los Angeles. China uses forced labor involving arbitrarily detained Muslims in Xinjiang.
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NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus on Thursday hailed a U.S. memorandum allowing military sales, including arms, to the island as a milestone affirming recognition of the island as a pillar of stability in the east Mediterranean region which has been fraught with conflict.

U.S. President Joe Biden boosted security ties with Cyprus on Wednesday by issuing a memorandum that makes the island eligible to receive American defense articles, military sales and training.

Cyprus has over the years played a key role in evacuating people out of conflict zones and established a maritime corridor for aid to war-ravaged Gaza last year.

“This (memorandum) is a clear recognition of the Republic of Cyprus as a pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the potential to further contribute to peace and the management of humanitarian challenges,” the Cypriot presidency said in a statement.

The foreign ministry of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot administration in northern Cyprus said the U.S. decision showed Cyprus’ internationally recognized Greek government would “continue its arms race as if it were preparing for war.”

“We call on the countries that support the warmongering of the Greek Cypriot side to act by calculating the consequences of these actions and to be sensible,” the statement said, adding it would keep taking steps with Turkey to protect the security of its citizens.

Cyprus was close to Russia for decades, but there has been a marked shift in allegiances in recent years.

Many in Cyprus have drawn parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and EU-member Cyprus has followed its peers in adopting sanctions on Moscow. It is now getting FBI expertise in countering illicit finance.

The U.S. embassy in Nicosia said access to U.S. programs would enable greater interoperability to respond to regional humanitarian crises, counter malign influence, and combat terrorism and transnational organized crime.

The deepening in ties between the U.S. and Cyprus has been closely followed by Turkey, which in September criticized the pair’s signing of a roadmap to boost defense co-operation.

The 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus followed a brief Greek-inspired coup after years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots that had led to the collapse of a power-sharing administration in 1963.
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