London — Stars including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong’o, Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the awards, known as BAFTAs.

The prizes are closely watched for clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards on March 3, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season.

They also have a distinctly British accent. The ceremony kicked off with its kilt-wearing host, Scottish actor David Tennant, leading the audience in a rousing singalong of The Proclaimers’ anthem “I’m Gonna be (500 Miles).”

The best film contenders are “Conclave,” “Emilia Perez,” Brady Corbet’s 215-minute architecture epic ” The Brutalist,” the James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and Sean Baker’s Brighton Beach tragicomedy “Anora.”

“Anora,” about an exotic dancer entangled with a Russian oligarch’s son, is emerging as a best picture favorite after winning the top prizes last week at the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards.

“The Brutalist” has nine BAFTA nominations, while “Anora,” the sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” and musical “Wicked” have seven each. “A Complete Unknown” and Irish-language hip-hop drama “Kneecap” received six nominations apiece.

Nominees in the category of outstanding British film include Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” and animated adventure “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” which won the award for best family and children’s film.

The leading actor favorite is “The Brutalist” star Adrien Brody, who faces stiff competition from Fiennes and Chalamet, who plays the young Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”

The other male actors nominated are Grant for his creepy role in the horror film “ Heretic,” Colman Domingo in real-life prison drama “ Sing Sing ” and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.”

Stan, who is also Oscar nominated, said it was “incredibly validating” to get recognition for the film, which initially struggled to find an American distributor. It’s an origins story that focuses on Trump’s relationship with ruthless power broker Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong.

“We were told this was going to be a thankless job that was never going to lead to anything,” Stan said, describing the movie as a “fair” depiction of the president.

Whoever takes the best actress award will be a first-time BAFTA winner.

Nominees are Gascon, Demi Moore for body-horror film “ The Substance,” Mikey Madison for “Anora,” Ronan for “The Outrun,” Erivo for “Wicked” and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for the Mike Leigh drama “Hard Truths.” Erivo or Jean-Baptiste would be the first non-white performer to win the leading actress BAFTA.

British stars on the red carpet had high praise for Jean-Baptiste’s blistering performance as a woman beset by depression, and for Moore, already a Golden Globe winner for “The Substance.”

“I’m very excited for Demi Moore tonight,” said “Game of Thrones” and “Severance” star Gwendoline Christie. She said Moore’s “visceral” performance “transcends so many different boundaries.”

What’s new and where to watch

Britain’s film academy introduced changes to increase the awards’ diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white.

Most winners are chosen by members of the 8,000-strong U.K. academy of industry professionals, with one — the Rising Star Award —- selected by public vote from a short list of nominees. This year’s contenders are performers Mikey Madison, Marisa Abela, Jharrel Jerome, David Jonsson and Nabhaan Rizwan.

“Willow” and “Return of the Jedi” actor Warwick Davis will receive the academy’s top honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, for his screen career and work to create a more inclusive film industry.

BAFTA chairwoman Sara Putt sent a message of strength to everyone hit by last month’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Jamie Lee Curtis, a supporting actress nominee for “The Last Showgirl,” was absent because the fires delayed filming on her current work. Co-star Pamela Anderson will accept the prize for Curtis if she wins.

The event was without a dash of royal glamour this year. Neither Prince William, who is honorary president of the British film academy, nor his wife Kate, is attending. The awards coincide with school holidays for their three children.

The show will include a performance by grown-up boyband Take That, whose 2008 hit “Greatest Day” features on the “Anora” soundtrack. “Wicked” wizard Jeff Goldblum will play piano during the ceremony’s tribute to people who have died in the past year.

The ceremony airs on BBC in the United Kingdom and BritBox in North America and started at 1900 GMT (2 p.m. EST).
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KYIV — Russian troops have sharply stepped up their attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said on Sunday, as a NATO official predicted Moscow would increase the pace and intensity of its assaults with talks to end the war approaching.

The main attacks were concentrated near the imperiled logistics hub of Pokrovsk, Kyiv said, with U.S. and Russian officials expected to hold talks in the coming days in Saudi Arabia and U.S President Donald Trump pushing for peace.

Kyiv’s military reported 261 combat engagements with Russia over a 24-hour period on Saturday, easily the largest number recorded this year and more than double the roughly 100 per day it reported in previous days.

“Today was the hardest day of 2025 at the front,” the Ukrainian DeepState military blog wrote late on Saturday.

Moscow’s troops advanced steadily in the east for much of the second half 2024, announcing the capture of village after village, though the intensity of the fighting dropped in January this year, according to Ukrainian military data.

Russian forces have seized a swathe of territory to the south of Pokrovsk and are now pushing upwards to its southwest, threatening a main supply route into the outpost, the capture of which could open up more lines of attack for Russia.

Despite being on the backfoot, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported a “good result” in the east on Thursday and a military spokesman said Kyiv’s forces had recaptured the village of Pishchane, about 5 km to Pokrovsk’s south.

“It isn’t so much the result of something collapsing for the Russians or some kind of magical weapon being delivered to Ukraine, no. Certain organizational actions were taken to help Ukrainians act more effectively,” Viktor Trehubov, a military spokesman, told Reuters.

Ukraine has been using drones for deep strikes on Russia in an effort to inflict pain and strengthen its overall position. Russia has continued to conduct regular drone and missile strikes, while making advances on the ground in the east.

“I would expect a much stronger push. I would expect that we would see … a lot of Russian efforts to advance,” a NATO official who requested anonymity told Reuters.

Though Ukrainian officials are careful to praise Trump, his push to engage directly with the Russians without first consulting with Kyiv and to leave out the Europeans entirely is a cause for alarm in Ukraine and Europe.

Kyiv has said it was not invited to take part in the talks in Saudi Arabia and that in any case it wants to devise a joint strategy with its U.S. and European allies before meeting Russian officials.

France said on Sunday it would host a summit of European leaders on Monday to discuss the Ukraine war and European security as the continent scrambles to respond concretely to Trump’s unilateral approach to the conflict.

Zelenskiy gave figures for Russian strikes with aerial bombs and missiles that appeared to suggest they had increased in size in the last week.

He said Russia had fired about 1,220 aerial bombs, more than 850 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine, compared with 1,206, bombs, 750 drones and 10 missiles the week before.
…

VIENNA — Austrian authorities said the man accused of stabbing six passersby in broad daylight, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding five others, was motivated by “Islamic terrorism.” 

The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian man, was arrested after the attack in the southern city of Villach on Saturday. 

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said Sunday he felt “anger about an Islamist attacker who indiscriminately stabbed innocent people here in this city.” 

Karner told reporters in Villach that the attacker had ties to the Islamic State group and radicalized himself online within a very short time. 

State governor Peter Kaiser thanked a 42-year-old man, also a Syrian working for a food delivery company, who drove toward the suspect and helped prevent the situation from getting worse. “This shows how closely terrorist evil but also human good can be united in one and the same nationality.” 

This marks the second deadly jihadi attack in Austria in recent years. In November 2020, a man who had previously attempted to join the Islamic State group carried out a rampage in Vienna, armed with an automatic rifle and a fake explosive vest, killing four people before being fatally shot by police. 

Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen called the attack “horrific.” 

“No words can undo the suffering, the horror, the fear. My thoughts are with the family of the deceased victim and the injured,” he posted on X. 

The Free Syrian Community of Austria issued a statement on Facebook distancing itself from the attack and expressing its deepest condolences to the victims’ families. “We all had to flee Syria, our home country, because we were no longer safe there — no one left their country voluntarily. We are grateful to have found asylum and protection in Austria,” the association said. 

“Finally, we would like to emphasize: Anyone who causes strife and disturbs the peace of society does not represent the Syrians who have sought and received protection here,” the statement concluded. 

Carnival procession canceled as police gather evidence 

Villach, a popular tourist destination near the borders of Italy and Slovenia, is known for its laid-back atmosphere, which blends Mediterranean and Alpine traditions. The city hosts annual carnival processions in March and an event on Saturday was canceled in the wake of the attack. 

The Austrian Ministry of Interior activated a platform for witnesses to upload videos or photos related to the attack. Local authorities said a crisis response team will be available to support pupils when schools open on Monday. 

Calls to strengthen migration rules 

Far-right leader Herbert Kickl wrote on X that he is “appalled by the horrific act in Villach” and called for a rigorous crackdown on asylum. 

“At the same time, I am angry — angry at those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars and other capital crimes to become the order of the day in Austria. This is a first-class failure of the system, for which a young man in Villach has now had to pay with his life,” Kickl said. 

“From Austria to the EU — the wrong rules are in force everywhere. Nobody is allowed to challenge them, everything is declared sacrosanct,” he said, adding that his party had outlined what he viewed as necessary changes to immigration laws in its election platform. 

Conservative party leader Christian Stocker said on X that the attacker “must be brought to justice and be punished with the full force of the law.” 

“We all want to live in a safe Austria, adding that this means political measures need to be taken to avoid such acts of horror in the future,” he said. 

The leader of the Social Democrats, Andreas Babler, said, “Crimes like this one simply should not happen in our society.” 
…

ROME — An Italian nun is taking over a top management job in the Vatican: Sister Raffaella Petrini was named Saturday as president of the Vatican City State, making her essentially the governor of the 44-hectare (108-acre) territory in Rome that is home to the Catholic Church. 

Petrini, 56, had previously been the secretary general of the Vatican administration, which among other things is responsible for the city state’s infrastructure and the Vatican Museums, a major source of revenue for the Holy See. She moves into the top job on March 1, following the retirement of Cardinal Fernando Vergez Alzaga, who turns 80 that day. 

Pope Francis had previously announced Petrini’s promotion, part of his effort to place women in decision-making roles in the Vatican to serve as models for the rest of the church. The Vatican officially published the appointment Saturday while the pope was hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection. 

Last month, Francis named the first woman to head a major Holy See office, appointing another Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church’s religious orders. 

While women have been named to No. 2 spots in some Vatican offices, never before have women been named to the top jobs of the Holy See Curia or Vatican City State administration. 

Catholic women have long complained of second-class status in an institution that reserves the priesthood for men. Francis has upheld the ban on female priests and tamped down hopes that women could be ordained as deacons. 

But there has been a marked increase in the percentage of women working in the Vatican during his papacy, including in leadership positions, from 19.3% in 2013 to 23.4% today, according to statistics reported by Vatican News. In the Curia alone, the percentage of women is 26%. 

Critics complain that making women managers of the church doesn’t compensate for the continued ban on ordaining them as ministers. 

In addition to her job running the Vatican City State administration, Petrini also serves as one of three women who are members of the Vatican office that vets bishop nominations. When they were named in 2022 it marked the first time women had had a formal role in the Vatican process of selecting bishops. 

A member of the Meriden, Connecticut-based Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist religious order, Petrini otherwise keeps a relatively low public profile. 

But during a 2023 Women’s Day speech at Rome’s Pontifical Holy Cross university, she acknowledged that her nomination as secretary general of the Vatican City State had raised eyebrows, “more than I expected in my ingenuity.” 

“Even in non-ecclesial organizations, resistance is part of the process of change,” said Petrini, who has also been a professor of welfare economics at Rome’s Pontifical Angelicum University. 
…

MUNICH/WASHINGTON — U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in coming days to start talks aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a U.S. lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, said Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners.  

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who they would meet from Russia.  

Rubio spoke by phone on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and agreed on regular contacts to prepare for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.   

The phone call was held at the initiative of the U.S. side, it added.   

“The two sides expressed their mutual willingness to interact on pressing international issues, including the settlement around Ukraine, the situation around Palestine and in general in the Middle East and other regional directions,” the ministry said in a statement. 

On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, McCaul said the aim of the talks was to arrange a meeting that included Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin “to finally bring peace and end this conflict.”  

A source with knowledge of the plans confirmed the talks in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  

Zelenskyy said on Saturday Ukraine would never accept any peace deals reached behind its back or without Kyiv’s involvement. Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants to come together with the United States and Europe to devise a joint strategy before any Trump-Putin meeting. 

Trump, who took office on January 20, has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war. He made separate phone calls to Putin and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, leaving Washington’s European allies alarmed that they will be cut out of any peace process.  

Those fears were largely confirmed on Saturday when Trump’s Ukraine envoy said Europe won’t have a seat at the table, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv. 

Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, told the Munich conference that the U.S. would act as an intermediary in the talks, with Ukraine and Russia as the two protagonists. 

Asked about the prospects of the Europeans being at the table, Kellogg said: “I’m (from) a school of realism. I think that’s not gonna happen.” 

At a later event at the conference, Kellogg sought to reassure Europeans by declaring this did not mean “their interests are not considered, used or developed.” 

But European leaders said they would not accept being shut out of the talks. 

Zelenskyy said on Friday he would visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but did not say when. However, the Ukrainian leader said he had no plans to meet with U.S. or Russian officials during those visits. 

Moscow controls a fifth of Ukraine and has been slowly advancing in the east for months, while Kyiv’s smaller army grapples with manpower shortages and tries to hold a chunk of territory in western Russia.  

Russia has demanded Kyiv cede territory and become permanently neutral under any peace deal. Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured land and wants NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent attack by Moscow. 

The United States and Europe have given Ukraine tens of billions of dollars in military aid since the war started. Trump has said he backs Ukraine but is seeking security for U.S. funding for Kyiv.  

The U.S. and Ukraine are negotiating a deal that could open up Ukraine’s vast natural wealth to U.S. investment. Three sources said the U.S. proposed taking ownership of 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the draft deal did not contain the security provisions Kyiv needed.  

Also on Saturday, France discussed with its allies holding an informal summit of European leaders to discuss Ukraine, a French presidency official said on Saturday, and four European diplomats said the meeting was likely to go ahead on Monday.  

Speaking on a panel at the Munich conference on Saturday, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also said that French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a summit of European leaders in Paris.  

“President Trump has a method of operating, which the Russians call reconnaissance through battle. You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position, legitimate tactics. And we need to respond,” Sikorski said.   

The Dutch news agency reported that Prime Minister Dick Schoof would go to Paris on Monday for the summit.  

It was unclear whether Zelenskyy would be invited.  
…

VIENNA — A 23-year-old man stabbed five passersby in southern Austria on Saturday in what police said was a random attack that left a 14-year-old dead, and four others injured. 

The suspect was detained in the city of Villach, where the attack took place, police said. He is a Syrian national with legal residence in Austria, they said. 

Two victims were seriously injured and two victims sustained minor injuries, police said. 

Police spokesperson Rainer Dionisio said a motive was not immediately known. He added that police were investigating the attacker’s personal background. “We have to wait until we get secure information,” he said. 

A 42-year-old man who works for a food delivery company witnessed the incident from his car, police said. He drove toward the suspect and helped to prevent things from getting worse, Dionisio told Austria’s public broadcaster ORF. 

Peter Kaiser, the governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, expressed his condolences to the family of the 14-year-old victim. 

“This outrageous atrocity must be met with harsh consequences. I have always said with clarity and unambiguously: Those who live in Carinthia, in Austria, have to respect the law and adjust to our rules and values.” 

Erwin Angerer, a lawmaker for the far-right Freedom Party, said his party had been warning about the situation in Austria as a result of the country’s “disastrous asylum policy.” 

Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner was expected in Villach on Sunday morning. 

Police said it wasn’t clear whether the suspect acted on his own and continued to search for potential additional suspects. 
…

WASHINGTON — James Carafano, senior counselor to the president and national security expert at The Heritage Foundation, responsible for its defense and foreign policy team, spoke with VOA’s Ukraine Service about the Trump administration’s goals and considerations in the negotiation process to achieve peace in Ukraine.

He explained that while not a vital interest, a free and independent Ukraine that can defend itself is in America’s best interests, and he outlined how to achieve this goal.    

Voice of America: How do you and The Heritage Foundation see ending the war in Ukraine, and what is the strategy behind it? 

James Carafano, The Heritage Foundation: It is in America’s best interest that there be a free and independent Ukraine that can defend itself. And the reason for that is the United States. The United States is a global power with global interests and global responsibilities. 

A peaceful Europe, whole, free and at peace, that is a vital American interest. The transit Atlantic community is important to us. And the number one threat, physical threat to that is the destabilizing actions of Russia. And the most concerning and destabilizing action is the security of the Eastern front of NATO and Ukraine, that is free and independent, that can defend itself is an obstacle to the Russians, whether it’s in NATO or not. 

Now, to be honest, it’s not a vital interest in the United States. For the practical matter is, the United Europe can defend itself and the United States can defend Europe if Ukraine’s occupied by Russia. Now having said that, are we way better off? I mean, way, way better off with the Russians on the other side of Ukraine? And the answer is “absolutely.” 

At this point, what is in America’s interest is that the war stops and that there is a ceasefire that is both from a strategic perspective to preserve Ukraine, and that we have to be realistic about Ukraine’s capacity to recover territory that’s been occupied. But also from a humanitarian perspective, and I think this is very deeply reflected in our president. More Ukrainians dying is never going to reconquer all of Ukrainian territory. A war of attrition is never going to create a stronger Ukraine. 

I think everybody is focused on what the deal looks like. I think the deals are relevant. Stopping the war is the objective. The real question is, what do we do the day after the war to ensure there’s a free and independent Ukraine in the future?

VOA: The defense secretary said we don’t want Minsk 3.0. Are we falling into the trap of Munich 2.0, where we appease the dictator, give away territories, embolden the aggressor, and end up in a world war? 

Carafano: I don’t think that’s the peace that the U.S. envisions. So, I’ll tell you what appeasement would be. Appeasement would be giving the Russians something at the negotiating table that they didn’t win on the battlefield. That’s appeasement. 

Recognizing that the Russians have territory they have and the inability of the Ukraine [forces] to retake that territory — maybe they trade territory, I don’t know — that’s called being realistic. 

VOA: If Russia is allowed to keep its spoils of war, what message would it send to other would-be aggressors?    

Carafano: That Russia has failed. Russia’s goal was to conquer and destroy Ukraine. It failed. Russia’s goal was to have NATO fall apart. It failed. If Russia is stopped in Ukraine, and look what they have achieved, they’ve achieved some marginal territorial gains at the cost of destroying the Russian army, crippling the Russian economy, and making themselves a global pariah. If that’s a victory, it’s a kind of really weird Pyrrhic victory. 

VOA: Then, why would [Defense Secretary] Pete Hegseth articulate these concessions?  

Carafano: They’re not concessions. They are statements of reality. We all know it’s true. If you give Putin something at the negotiation table that he wasn’t able to take on the battlefield, that is a concession. So, if for example you said, Ukraine has to give up the sovereignty of its territory even its occupied territory, I would say that’s a really bad deal. That’s a concession. We have never ever forced any country to actually give up the sovereignty of its territory.”

VOA:  What about [Ukraine`s membership] in NATO? Here is a counterargument: Why Russia should have a veto power over NATO? 

Carafano: First of all, Hegseth has never said Russia should have a veto power over the entry of Ukraine into NATO. Hegseth has said, “This is not going to be part of the negotiation and Ukraine is not going to get into NATO now.” That’s no different from the Biden policy and that’s actually just a reflection of reality. NATO is a consensus organization. Every member has to agree. Every member does not agree. So, we all know, the Russians know, we know, everybody in NATO knows, Ukraine is not going to get NATO membership now.”

VOA: What about the future?  

Carafano: He didn’t say that Ukraine shouldn’t join NATO in the future. He just said that NATO membership is not going to be part of the negotiation. 

VOA: So, the main issue here is security guarantees. 

Carafano: That’s also wrong. Somehow that we’re going to say something that’s going deter Putin in the future. That’s nonsense and ridiculous. What’s going to deter Putin in the future is, does Ukraine have the capacity to defend itself? 

VOA: So how do we deter the Russians? 

Carafano: We have a Ukraine as a country that can defend itself and that is free, and its economy grows, and it builds a defense industrial base. And we strengthen NATO because that will equally deter the Russians. 

And we do the other things, which by the way Donald Trump is going to do already, whether there’s a peace deal or not. Donald Trump is going to put a lot of pressure on the Russians. He’s going to lower the price of oil. He’s going to increase sanctions. He’s going to [do] a lot of things that are going to hamstring the Russian economy. Russia is going to be weaker. He’s going to do a lot of things to go after the Iranians. So, the Iranians are going to have a lot less capacity to support the Russians. He’s going to do a lot of things to put a lot of pressure on the Chinese. 

The Chinese are going to be less able to support the Russians. Donald Trump can do a lot to North Korea. 

Regardless of what happens in the actual peace deal in Ukraine, Trump is going to do a lot to the Russians, the Chinese, the North Koreans and the Iranians that really diminishes their capacity to sustain this war. 
…

MOSCOW — A Moscow court has ordered a U.S. citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in pre-trial detention for 30 days, the Moscow courts press service said Saturday, days after a Moscow-Washington prisoner swap that the White House called a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the fighting in Ukraine. 

The U.S. citizen, whom Saturday’s statement named as Kalob Wayne Byers, was detained after airport customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. 

Russian police said the 28-year-old American had attempted to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country, the Interfax agency reported, citing Russia’s Federal Customs Service. The agency said the American was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after flying in from Istanbul on February 7. 

Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said the U.S. citizen faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. 

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department. 

The Washington-Moscow prisoner exchange this month saw Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia in exchange for American Marc Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania who was detained in 2021 when traveling to Russia to work at a school. 

Fogel had been serving a 14-year sentence for having what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana. President Joe Biden’s administration designated Fogel as wrongfully detained in December. 

President Donald Trump on Wednesday upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine, saying he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the conflict following a lengthy direct phone call. 
…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the creation of a unified European military force, saying the continent must be self-reliant amid a persistent threat from Russia and uncertainty about U.S. support — a situation he described as “this new reality.”

“We must build the Armed Forces of Europe so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe,” Zelenskyy said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15.

Amid concerns in Kyiv and Brussels that they could be sidelined in efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a deal favoring Moscow, he repeated that Ukraine and Europe must be involved in any negotiations.

“Ukraine will never accept deals behind our backs without our involvement,” Zelenskyy said. “The same rule should apply to all of Europe. No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine — no decisions about Europe without Europe.”

“We must act as Europe, not as some separate people,” Zelenskyy said.

Speaking almost three years after Russia launched the full-scale invasion, he said he would “not take NATO membership for Ukraine off the table” and said Kyiv would not agree to any ceasefire without real security guarantees.

“If not NATO membership, then conditions to build another NATO in Ukraine,” he said.

He questioned the U.S. commitment to Europe, saying: “Does America need Europe? As a market, yes, as an ally — I don’t know.”

Zelenskyy’s address came a day after meeting with top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, who stressed the need for a “durable, lasting peace” in Ukraine in his speech to the conference on Feb. 14.

Zelenskyy told Vance that Ukraine wants “security guarantees” from Washington before any negotiations with Russia on ending almost three years of war.

The United States has sent mixed signals on its strategy, sparking worry in Kyiv that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves Putin emboldened.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO defense ministers earlier this week that it’s “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to return to their pre-2014 positions and said NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict.

Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured territory and says it must receive NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent Moscow from attacking again.

Speaking in Warsaw on Feb. 14, he again warned that America’s European NATO partners would have to do far more for their own defense and to secure a future Ukraine peace.

Hegseth also argued that you “don’t have to trust” President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Russia.

Two days earlier U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Putin and said they agreed that their teams should begin negotiations immediately.

Zelenskyy responded by saying he wouldn’t accept any deals made without Ukraine’s involvement.

Asked in an interview with NBC on Feb. 14 if he believed that Ukraine would be vulnerable in another few years if a ceasefire were reached, Zelenskyy said: “Yes, I think this can be.”

He said Putin wanted to come to the negotiating table not to end the war but to get a cease-fire deal to lift some sanctions on Russia and allow Moscow’s military to regroup.

“This is really what he wants. He wants pause, prepare, train, take off some sanctions, because of ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said.

Vance, who is representing Trump at the high-profile gathering of world leaders and foreign policy experts, said the United States wants “the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple years down the road.”

There have been a number of “good conversations” with Ukraine, and more would follow “in the days, weeks and months to come,” Vance said.

Zelenskyy agreed, calling the meeting with Vance “a good conversation” and said Kyiv wants to work toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, but added that “we need real security guarantees.”

Some information for this report came from NBC News. 
…

Ukraine would have a “very, very difficult” time surviving without U.S. military support to fend off Russia’s invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a interview broadcast the night before he is scheduled to address the Munich Security Conference.

“Probably it will be very, very, very difficult. And of course, you know in all the difficult situations, you have a chance,” he told NBC News. “But we will have low chance — low chance to survive without support of the United States.”

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine has increased its war production but not enough to make up for what it would lose if it did not have U.S. backing.

Zelenskyy on Feb. 14 took part in a day of meetings and news briefings at the Munich Security Conference as efforts to seek a resolution to the war ramp up. The Ukrainian president is scheduled to deliver a speech on diplomacy and prospects for Ukraine’s future at the conference on Feb. 15.

He will take the spotlight after meeting with top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, who stressed the need for a “durable, lasting peace” in Ukraine in his speech to the conference on Feb. 14. Zelenskyy told Vance that Ukraine wants “security guarantees” from Washington before any negotiations with Russia on ending almost three years of war.

Zelenskyy said in the interview that he doesn’t want to think about Ukraine not being a strategic partner of the United States because it would damage Ukrainian morale, but added, “We have to think about it.”

The United States has sent mixed signals on its strategy, sparking worry in Kyiv that Ukraine could be forced into a bad deal that leaves Putin emboldened.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO defense ministers earlier this week that it’s “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine’s borders to return to their pre-2014 positions and said NATO membership is not seen by the White House as part of the solution to the conflict.

Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured territory and says it must receive NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent Moscow from attacking again.

Speaking in Warsaw on Feb. 14, he again warned that America’s European NATO partners would have to do far more for their own defense and to secure a future Ukraine peace.

Hegseth also argued that you “don’t have to trust” President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Russia.

Two days earlier U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Putin and said they agreed that their teams should begin negotiations immediately.

Zelenskyy responded by saying he wouldn’t accept any deals made without Ukraine’s involvement.

Asked in the interview if he believed that Ukraine would be vulnerable in another few years if a cease-fire were reached, Zelenskyy said: “Yes, I think this can be.”

He said Putin wanted to come to the negotiating table not to end the war but to get a cease-fire deal to lift some sanctions on Russia and allow Moscow’s military to regroup.

“This is really what he wants. He wants pause, prepare, train, take off some sanctions, because of ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said.

Vance, who is representing Trump at the high-profile gathering of world leaders and foreign policy experts, said the United States wants “the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple years down the road.”

There have been a number of “good conversations” with Ukraine, and more would follow “in the days, weeks and months to come,” Vance said.

Zelenskyy agreed, calling the meeting with Vance “a good conversation” and said Kyiv wants to work toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, but added that “we need real security guarantees.”

Some information for this report came from NBC News. 
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Ukraine’s vast reserves of critical minerals give it the potential to be a strategic supplier for the West. President Donald Trump is considering a deal that would continue U.S. support for Ukraine in the war against Russia in exchange for access to its minerals. That proposed agreement is set for discussion at the Munich Security Conference. Myroslava Gongadze has the story from Warsaw, with reporting from Anna Chernikova in Kyiv.
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LONDON — At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: Sniff the essence of an ancient corpse. 

But researchers who indulged their curiosity in the name of science found that well-preserved Egyptian mummies actually smell pretty good. 

“In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, director of research at University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Heritage. “We were surprised at the pleasantness of them.” 

“Woody,” “spicy” and “sweet” were the leading descriptions from what sounded more like a wine tasting than a mummy-sniffing exercise. Floral notes were also detected, which could be from pine and juniper resins used in embalming. 

The study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Chemical Society used both chemical analysis and a panel of human sniffers to evaluate the odors from nine mummies as old as 5,000 years that had been either in storage or on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 

The researchers wanted to systematically study the smell of mummies because it has long been a subject of fascination for the public and researchers alike, said Bembibre, one of the report’s authors. Archaeologists, historians, conservators and even fiction writers have devoted pages of their work to the subject — for good reason. 

Scent was an important consideration in the mummification process that used oils, waxes and balms to preserve the body and its spirit for the afterlife. The practice was largely reserved for pharaohs and nobility, and pleasant smells were associated with purity and deities, while bad odors were signs of corruption and decay. 

Without sampling the mummies themselves, which would be invasive, researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia were able to measure whether aromas were coming from the archaeological item, pesticides or other products used to conserve the remains, or from deterioration due to mold, bacteria or microorganisms. 

“We were quite worried that we might find notes or hints of decaying bodies, which wasn’t the case,” said Matija Strlic, a chemistry professor at the University of Ljubljana. “We were specifically worried that there might be indications of microbial degradation, but that was not the case, which means that the environment in this museum is actually quite good in terms of preservation.” 

Using technical instruments to measure and quantify air molecules emitted from sarcophagi to determine the state of preservation without touching the mummies “tells us potentially what social class a mummy was from and and therefore reveals a lot of information about the mummified body that is relevant not just to conservators, but to curators and archeologists as well,” Strlic said. “We believe that this approach is potentially of huge interest to other types of museum collections.” 

Barbara Huber, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany, who was not involved in the study, said the findings provide crucial data on compounds that could preserve or degrade mummified remains. The information could be used to better protect the ancient bodies for future generations. 

“However, the research also underscores a key challenge: The smells detected today are not necessarily those from the time of mummification,” Huber said. “Over thousands of years, evaporation, oxidation and even storage conditions have significantly altered the original scent profile.” 

Huber authored a study two years ago that analyzed residue from a jar that had contained mummified organs of a noblewoman to identify embalming ingredients, their origins and what they revealed about trade routes. She then worked with a perfumer to create an interpretation of the embalming scent, known as “Scent of Eternity,” for an exhibition at the Moesgaard Museum in Denmark. 

Researchers of the current study hope to do something similar, using their findings to develop “smellscapes” to artificially re-create the scents they detected and enhance the experience for future museumgoers. 

“Museums have been called white cubes, where you are prompted to read, to see, to approach everything from a distance with your eyes,” Bembibre said. “Observing the mummified bodies through a glass case reduces the experience because we don’t get to smell them. We don’t get to know about the mummification process in an experiential way, which is one of the ways that we understand and engage with the world.”
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned European leaders at the security conference in Munich, Germany, of the “threat from within,” arguing that their governments are censoring far-right speech and failing to control migration. His remarks came amid allies’ alarm over President Donald Trump’s decision to begin peace talks with Russia. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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ZAGREB, CROATIA — Thirteen people suspected of illegally importing and disposing of hazardous waste have been arrested in Croatia, the European Union’s law enforcement agency said Friday. 

The main suspects, two Croatian nationals, are considered high-value targets by Europol, said an agency statement. They are believed to have orchestrated the illegal hazardous waste imports from Italy, Slovenia and Germany to Croatia. 

Rather than being properly treated, the waste was simply dumped and buried, Europol said. The statement added that at least 35,000 metric tons (38,580 U.S. tons) of waste were illegally disposed of resulting in a profit of at least $4.2 million. 

The waste was declared as recyclable plastic waste but was “legally considered dangerous waste,” Europol said. Croatian authorities believe the criminal network also illegally buried and dumped medical waste from Croatian companies, it said. 

Croatian anti-corruption authorities said in a statement of their own Friday that they have launched an investigation into 10 people and four legal entities suspected of criminal conspiracy, crimes against the environment, tax evasion and money laundering. They said they will seek to keep seven people detained, the state-run HRT television said. 

The Croatian office tasked with fighting organized crime and corruption said illegal waste disposal has inflicted damage on the environment, including changes in the land configuration that affected plant and tree growth, release of toxic particles in the soil and air, and potential negative effect on people’s health. 

Croatia has suffered “considerable ecological damage” and still unspecified material damage, the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime said in a statement. 

Europol said the suspects abused the infrastructures of legal businesses. They would first offer lower prices for disposal and then falsify documentation to transport their cargo to Croatia, allegedly for recycling. 

Waste trafficking enables criminal networks to obtain huge profits while often causing irreparable damage to the environment, the agency said.
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The tragic deaths of Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov in a plane crash late last month in Washington have shone a spotlight on the role of Russian- or Soviet-born coaches in the world of competitive figure skating. Their influence has shaped a generation of American skaters, raising the question: Why have these coaches been so successful in the U.S.? Maxim Adams has the story. Video editor: Serge Sokolov, Anna Rice  
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MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday dismissed as a “provocation” accusations by Ukraine that a Russian drone had damaged the containment shelter at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant overnight.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that he did not have precise information on the alleged incident but that Russia does not attack nuclear infrastructure.

“The Russian military doesn’t do that. They don’t. This is most likely just another provocation,” Peskov said.

“That’s exactly what the Kyiv regime like to do and sometimes, in fact, does not shy away from doing.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.N.’s nuclear energy watchdog both said that radiation levels remained normal after the incident, which came as top U.S., Ukrainian and European officials gathered at the Munich Security Conference to discuss the war in Ukraine.
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ROME — Pope Francis was taken to the hospital on Friday morning for tests and to continue treatment of his ongoing bronchitis, the Vatican said.

“This morning, at the end of his audiences, Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli [hospital] for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis, which is still ongoing, in a hospital environment,” it said in a statement.

Francis, 88, has been pope since 2013 and has suffered from influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years.

Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims at a weekly audience that he was suffering from a “strong cold,” which the Vatican later described as bronchitis.

The pope has been keeping up his daily schedule of appointments despite his illness, taking meetings at the Vatican residence where he lives. Before going to hospital on Friday, the pope had an official meeting with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Francis suffered two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.

Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the largest in the city, has a special suite for treating popes. Francis spent nine days there in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron urged Syria’s interim government to cooperate with a U.S.-led coalition fighting against extremist groups in that region as he hosted a conference Thursday on the Mideast country’s future.

Macron’s comments come amid uncertainty over the United States’ commitment to the region. Thursday’s conference in Paris among European and Arab nations was the third on Syria since the repressive government of Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December and was attended by Syria’s interim foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani.

“Syria must very clearly continue to fight against all the terrorist organizations that are spreading chaos,” Macron said. “If Syria decides to offer cooperation” with the international coalition, France would support the move, he added.

The Paris conference of foreign ministers and other officials from participating countries was meant to coordinate efforts to support a peaceful transition, as the new government in Damascus underlines its desire to improve relations with the West.

 

Integration of Kurdish-led forces

Macron also called on the Syrian interim government to “fully integrate” the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian transition, calling them “precious allies.”

“I think your responsibility today is to integrate them and also to allow these forces to join in,” he said.

On Thursday, Syrian organizers of a conference in Damascus to chart the country’s political future said those talks will include all segments of Syrian society except for the Kurdish-led administration in the northeast and Assad loyalists.

Most of the country’s former insurgent factions have agreed to dissolve and join the new Syrian army and security services, but the Kurdish-led SDF so far has refused to do the same. SDF forces have been clashing with Turkish-backed groups in northern Syria, and the Kurds are concerned about losing political and cultural gains they have made since carving out their own enclave in the northeast during the country’s civil war.

Discussions are ongoing between the SDF and the government in Damascus.

Billions in aid needed

More aid is crucial to achieve a peaceful reconstruction during the post-Assad transition. The country needs to rebuild housing, electricity, water and transportation infrastructure after nearly 14 years of war. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least $250 billion, while some experts now say the number could reach at least $400 billion.

With few productive sectors and government employees making wages equivalent to about $20 per month, Syria has grown increasingly dependent on remittances and humanitarian aid. But the flow of aid was throttled after the Trump administration halted U.S. foreign assistance last month.

The effects were particularly dire in the country’s northwest, a formerly rebel-held enclave that hosts millions of people displaced from other areas by the country’s civil war. Many of them live in sprawling tent camps.

The freeze on USAID funding forced clinics serving many of those camps to shut down, and nonprofits laid off local staff.

A workshop bringing together key donors from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, the United Nations and key agencies from Arab countries will be held alongside the conference to coordinate international aid to Syria.

Doubts about US military support

Uncertainty also surrounds the future of U.S. military support in the region.

In 2019 during his first term, Trump decided on a partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from the northeast of Syria before he halted the plans. And in December last year, when rebels were on their way to topple Assad, Trump said the United States should not “dive into the middle of a Syrian civil war.”

Now that Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is trying to consolidate his power, the U.S. intentions in the region remain unclear. A U.S. official attended Thursday’s conference in Paris.
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German voters head to the polls this month for an election that will determine who the country’s new chancellor will be. The Feb. 23 poll is a snap election, following the collapse of center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government last year.

The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, founded in 2013, appears to be gathering strength and support across the country and has emerged as a factor in the election.

The party’s popularity has been fueled by dissatisfaction with the large numbers of immigrants in the country. While AfD has evolved to focus its attention on other issues, including the immediate lifting of sanctions against Russia, immigration remains its central theme.

Alice Weidel, AfD’s first candidate for chancellor, is a staunch supporter of so-called “remigration,” a term used to describe the mass deportation of immigrants.

Political analysts say Weidel has little chance of becoming chancellor, but as AfD’s popularity has risen, it has forced politicians to rethink their conversations and debates about immigration.

AfD won its first parliamentary seats in 2017, with 12.6% of the votes.  In 2021, the party had only 10.3% of the votes.  It has supporters across the country and its politicians have been elected to 14 of Germany’s 16 state legislatures.

Its emergence as a political force occurs at the same time that other far-right parties are rising in Europe, including Austria’s Freedom Party and the National Rally in France.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press. 
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China and that eventually he hopes all three countries could agree to cut their massive defense budgets in half.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump lamented the hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in rebuilding the nation’s nuclear deterrent and said he hopes to gain commitments from the U.S. adversaries to cut their own spending.

“There’s no reason for us to be building brand-new nuclear weapons. We already have so many,” Trump said. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.”

“We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive,” Trump said.

While the U.S. and Russia have held massive stockpiles of weapons since the Cold War, Trump predicted that China would catch up in its capability to exact nuclear devastation “within five or six years.”

He said if the weapons were ever called to use, “that’s going to be probably oblivion.” 

Trump said he would look to engage in nuclear talks with the two countries once “we straighten it all out” in the Middle East and Ukraine.

“One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi [Jinping] of China, President [Vladimir] Putin of Russia. And I want to say, ‘Let’s cut our military budget in half.’ And we can do that. And I think we’ll be able to.”

Trump in his first term tried and failed to bring China into nuclear arms reduction talks when the U.S. and Russia were negotiating an extension of a pact known as New START. Russia suspended its participation in the treaty during the Biden administration, as the U.S. and Russia continued on massive programs to extend the lifespans or replace their Cold War-era nuclear arsenals.
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