As U.S. President Donald Trump sped up efforts to end the war in Ukraine, VOA Russian spoke to experts who believe Washington is keen to redraw all layers of bilateral ties with Moscow.

While experts agree that the Kremlin is not inclined to make major concessions at this point, Russia will need to find compromises to reset relations with the United States.

Click here for the full story in Russian.
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a deal giving the United States substantial rights to Kyiv’s lucrative rare earth minerals and to compensate Washington for weapons sent to Ukraine to fight Russia’s three-year war of aggression.  

Trump, at the first Cabinet meeting of his new presidential term, said that Zelenskyy will be at the White House on Friday to sign the pact and for discussions about the state of the war. 

Trump said the deal “brings us great wealth,” but said his first goal is to end the war, which has killed or wounded several hundred thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainian civilians. 

“My No. 2 thing is to get paid back,” Trump said of the more than $100 billion in munitions Washington has shipped to Kyiv to support its fighters. “Without our equipment, that [war] would have been over very quickly,” with Russia overrunning Ukraine.  

As it is, Russia now controls about a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory and has vowed to not give any of it back in a would-be peace settlement. 

Trump said he expects to eventually reach a deal with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the fighting. Trump initiated talks with Putin about ending the conflict but the first discussions last week between the top U.S. and Russian diplomats, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, excluded Ukrainian and European officials.   

“Because I got elected, this war is going to come to an end,” Trump declared. He said Putin “had no intention of settling this. We’re going to have a deal.”   

But he said Ukraine “could forget about” joining NATO, the West’s main military alliance, as part of a peace settlement.  

In Kyiv, Zelenskyy said at a news conference that the framework for the rare earth mineral deal was complete, but that U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine that the Kyiv government views as vital have yet to be settled. 

Trump has long expressed skepticism about continued U.S. military support for Ukraine. Last year, he refused to say he wants Ukraine to win the war.  

Trump has called Zelenskyy a dictator, without blaming Putin for the invasion.   

The U.S. leader has said he is particularly peeved that his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, agreed to the Ukraine military assistance without any provision that Ukraine would pay back the cost. Biden led the coalition of Western allies in providing the military aid as a way to fight Russian aggression without sending their own troops to fight alongside Ukrainian forces. 

 Zelenskyy says the U.S. military aid was a grant and not a loan that needed to be repaid but now has agreed to the deal for the rare earth minerals needed for manufacturing technology products.  

Zelenskyy said he expects to have wide-ranging substantive discussions with Trump.  

“I want to coordinate with the U.S.,” Zelenskyy said.  

The Ukrainian leader said he wants to know whether the U.S. plans to halt military aid and, if so, whether Ukraine would be able to purchase weapons directly from the U.S. He also wants to know whether Ukraine can use frozen Russian assets for weapons investments and whether Washington plans to lift its economic sanctions on Russian entities and high-level associates and friends of Putin.  

Elements of the deal

Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the country’s public television channel that the agreement sets out the terms and conditions of an investment fund for the rebuilding of Ukraine.

Under terms of the deal, the plan would include investing 50% of proceeds from Ukraine’s minerals, oil and gas to create a “stable and economically prosperous Ukraine” if the war is ended, and half to a U.S.-controlled fund.  

The New York Times reported the economic agreement includes a line that says the U.S. “supports Ukraine’s effort to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace,” but does not spell out details on what that might entail.  

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting with Trump on Wednesday in Washington to spell out a European initiative for a 30,000-person peacekeeping force to enforce a Russian ceasefire with Ukraine if such a truce can be reached, although no peace talks have been scheduled.  

European leaders have said a peacekeeping force would require an American “backstop” of military assistance, such as American satellite surveillance, air defense or air force support. Trump has not committed the U.S. to such a plan but on Wednesday called the peacekeeping force “a good thing.”  

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. 

 
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The U.S. and Belarus are reportedly negotiating a deal for the release of a significant number of political prisoners in Belarus. In return the U.S. is considering easing some sanctions on the country that is closely tied to Russia. Maxim Adams has the story. Video editor: Aleksandr Bergan, Anna Rice   
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NEW DELHI — The European Union plans to urge India to lower its high tariffs on cars and wine to boost trade, as it seeks to reduce its reliance on China, a senior official from the bloc said, ahead of a visit by the European Commission president to New Delhi.

Echoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of reciprocal tariffs, the official said the EU would press India to cut tariffs on some goods and broaden market access for its products, while offering flexibility on agriculture issues to expedite free trade agreement talks.

“The Indian market is relatively closed, especially to key products of commercial interest to the European Union and our member states’ industries, including cars, wines and spirits,” said the official, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions.

EC President Ursula von der Leyen’s two-day visit from Thursday, accompanied by leaders of EU member nations, coincides with escalating geopolitical tensions, with Brussels and New Delhi set to outline key areas for deeper cooperation under their strategic partnership.

Leyen will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, followed by discussions with trade minister Piyush Goyal.

The next trade negotiations round is scheduled for March 10-14 in Brussels.

The EU’s call for lower tariffs comes amid Trump’s threats to impose reciprocal tariffs from early April, which has caused anxiety for India’s exporters. Analysts from Citi Research estimate potential losses of about $7 billion annually.

The EU is India’s largest trading partner in goods, with trade nearing $126 billion in 2024, marking an increase of about 90% over the past decade.

Reducing reliance on China

As part of its “de-risking” strategy, the EU aims to strengthen economic and security ties with India, diversify supply chains, and reduce reliance on key products from China.

The EU also views India as a vital ally in addressing security challenges, the official said, including cyber threats and tensions in the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific.

Leyen is also expected to seek India’s support for a “peaceful and just deal” for Ukraine’s security, the official said.

The EU and India could sign an agreement to share classified security information to tackle common threats such as cyber attacks and terrorism, while exploring defense equipment trade.

Despite these potential benefits, trade analysts said the visit may not yield tangible results.

For substantial cooperation, the EU should acknowledge India as a data-secure country, said Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Delhi-based think-tank Global Trade Initiative, and India’s former negotiator on trade talks with the EU.

“While both parties have concerns about China, neither sees it as a top priority,” Srivastava said, adding India is focused on border tensions with China, while the EU is more concerned with the Ukraine-Russia conflict and NATO matters.
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PARIS — France’s foreign minister said Wednesday that he wanted “all” European countries to cooperate and start cutting back visas available to nationals of countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants expelled by Paris.

Jean-Noel Barrot spoke after an Algerian-born man went on a stabbing rampage in the eastern French city of Mulhouse at the weekend, killing one person and wounding several others in what President Emmanuel Macron called an “Islamist terrorist act.”

The 37-year-old suspect was on a terrorism watch list and subject to a deportation order.

France had attempted to expel him multiple times, but Algeria refused to cooperate, French authorities say.

“If a country does not cooperate with the French authorities, I will propose that all European countries restrict the issuing of visas at the same time,” Barrot told broadcaster France 2.

“When we do it on a national level, it doesn’t work unfortunately,” he added.

But if foreign governments cooperate, the European Union also could consider reducing customs tariffs for such countries, Barrot proposed.

“It is a particularly powerful lever,” he said.

French authorities are seeking to tighten immigration policies and border controls, in a move emblematic of the right-ward shift in French politics.

“If we want our migration policy to be as effective as possible, there are many things that will be much more effective if we do it at a European level,” he said.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was set later Wednesday to chair a meeting on immigration controls.

Bayrou has called for a national debate on immigration and what it means to be French, suggesting that immigrants were “flooding” France.
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On Feb. 20, Ivory Coast became the latest African nation to expel French troops, taking control of the last remaining French military base in the country.

This followed the departure of French forces from Chad, which had hosted them for nearly 70 years.

These moves marked the end of France’s military presence in the Sahel region, after the expulsions from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, all ruled by military juntas.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby called the French withdrawal a “new dawn for a fully sovereign Chad.”

Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani, with 3.3 million followers on X, claimed, “The French forces are of no use,” contradicting the statistical data. Since France began withdrawing in 2022, conflict-related fatalities in the Sahel have risen by 65%, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

Analysts point to Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns as key drivers of the shift away from France in the Sahel.

Bakary Sambe of the Timbuktu Institute told VOA that Russia has exploited anti-imperialist sentiment and historical colonial grievances to turn public opinion in Africa against France.

The military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, after expelling French forces, have increasingly aligned with Russia, which has deployed Wagner mercenaries across the region.

Human rights groups have accused Russian troops in Africa of committing abuses against civilians.

As French forces departed Chad, identical pro-Russian messages circulated on social media, often from influencers known for pushing anti-Western narratives.

X content creators including African Hub, Typical African and RT News India echoed the sentiment, framing the French withdrawal as the end of colonial exploitation, dating back to the French invasion in 1900.

All three accounts posted a video of French troops’ departure from Chad with identical wording that described it as France’s “final humiliation.”

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, affiliated with the U.S. Defense Department, notes that Russia is the primary source of disinformation in Africa, with over 80 documented campaigns targeting more than 20 countries. These campaigns leverage paid African influencers, digital avatars and manipulated media to fuel anti-Western sentiment.

The ”Russian embassies appear to have helped set up a network of ostensibly African grassroots front organizations,” the Africa Center said.

These disinformation campaigns “employ paid African influencers, digital avatars, and the circulation of fake and out-of-context videos and photographs. These messages copy-and-paste from and are amplified through multiple channels of Russian state-controlled media, radio, and official communications, creating the repetitive echo chambers in which disinformation narratives become rote,” the Africa Center reported.

The Africa Digital Democracy Observatory (ADDO) tracks how digital tools shape public opinion in Africa, noting the influence of prominent pan-Africanist figures such as Kemi Seba and Nathalie Yamb.

The U.S. State Department said Seba was closely working with Russian political operatives linked to the now deceased oligarch and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, seeking to influence elections in Madagascar.

Yamb has been involved in Russian-backed activities, including attending the 2019 Russia-Africa summit.

During the 2023 Niger coup, Russian content creators falsely claimed that ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) was planning an invasion of Niger, a narrative debunked by ECOWAS leaders.

Russia has also expanded its cultural influence in the Sahel, establishing “Russian Houses” across the region. In N’djamena, Chad’s capital, VOA’s Henry Wilkins visited one such “Russian House” last month.

Unlike Western cultural institutes, these Russian centers are involved in propaganda efforts, with some training journalists to spread anti-Western disinformation, Wilkins reported.

The Russian Embassy in Chad and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to VOA requests for comment.

Russia’s goal, according to Constantin Gouvy of the Clingendael Institute, is to replace Western powers such as France as the primary partner for the Sahel states using disinformation to destabilize the region.

Sambe of the Timbuktu Institute suggests that Russia’s actions in Africa are a form of retaliation against NATO, particularly France, for its role in European geopolitics.
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London — Germany’s likely next chancellor has warned that the United States cares little about Europe’s fate and has called for the continent to urgently organize its own defense capabilities, marking a profound shift in approach from Europe’s biggest economy.

“I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this in a TV show. But after Donald Trump’s remarks last week, it is clear that the Americans — or in any case, the Americans in this administration — do not care much about the fate of Europe,” Friedrich Merz said in a post-election televised debate after his Christian Democrats, or CDU Party, won 28.5% of the vote in Sunday’s election, 8% ahead of the second place Alternative for Germany Party, or AfD.

“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,” added Merz.

He said the NATO summit in June could be a defining moment, adding that it’s unknown whether allies “would still be talking about NATO in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defense capability much more quickly.”

Ukraine support

Until now, Germany has been the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States. Merz may seek to boost that support, according to Liana Fix of the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations.

“Friedrich Merz has spoken in favor of Ukraine’s victory. In general, he has adopted a more hawkish position than [outgoing Chancellor] Olaf Scholz had. He advocated for German long-range missile deliveries to Ukraine, the Taurus. He made clear that support for Ukraine will have to continue, even if a ceasefire deal is reached,” Fix told VOA.

Merz’s election victory came on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Brandenburg Gate, once the frontier between east and west Berlin during the Cold War, was lit up Monday in the Ukrainian national colors to mark the anniversary.

The potential threat from Moscow loomed heavy over the German election. Berlin resident Juergen Harke, who was among those attending a pro-Ukrainian demonstration outside the Russian Embassy, said it was vital that Merz remains true to his word.

“I hope that the new government will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine, that it will work together with the European states to develop a major counterweight to Russia — and now also to Trump,” Harke told Reuters.

Shifts in US policy

Trump has engineered a dramatic change in U.S. policy toward Ukraine and its defense against the Russian invasion. Last week, he falsely blamed Kyiv for starting the war and labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator.”

On Monday, the U.S. joined Russia in voting against a European-backed resolution at the United Nations Security Council which blamed Moscow for the war and called for an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Monday on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump congratulated Merz on his victory.

“Looks like the conservative party in Germany has won the very big and highly anticipated election. Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration that has prevailed for so many years,” Trump wrote, using all capital letters.

Russia, meanwhile, said it would wait to see how relations with the new German chancellor play out.

“Each time we want to hope for a more sober approach to reality, for a more sober approach to what could be issues of mutual interest [between Russia and Germany] and mutual benefits. But let’s see how it will be in reality,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

Europe defense

The sudden reversal in U.S. foreign policy has shocked Europe, said analyst Mattia Nelles, founder of the German-Ukrainian Bureau, a policy consultancy based in Dusseldorf.

“We are, as Germany, shocked and utterly unprepared for the end of the Pax Americana, the end of America providing security for Europe. And we now find ourselves in a difficult position to organize the transition away from U.S. being the leading provider of security to a more European-driven approach — not just to Ukraine, but to organizing our own self-defense,” Nelles told VOA.

“And that’s a huge effort. It’s going to require a lot of political will,” he said. “But Merz has said he’s willing to lead on that, and let’s see whether we are able to step up.”

Can Europe afford to pay for its own defense?

“Merz can agree to joint debt on the European level, which the conservatives always hated,” Fix of the Council on Foreign Relations said.

Europe is currently holding around $200 billion of Russian state assets, which were frozen following the invasion.

Merz “can agree to seizing Russian frozen assets, which has not been done so far but should be done soon before Hungary vetoes. He has talked about the U.K. and France having to extend the nuclear umbrella to Germany as a possible pathway,” Fix added.

German debt

In the election campaign, Merz supported maintaining Germany’s so-called “debt brake,” which limits annual government borrowing to only 0.35% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Germany’s budget deficit is among the lowest in the G7 group of nations, although critics say the policy blocks critical investment. Merz has hinted that the debt brake may be eased to boost defense spending.

“Given the challenges at hand, we’re looking at the reform of the so-called debt brake, and that requires constitutional amendments, for which there is not a majority of the centrist parties in parliament,” Nelles noted.

The Christian Democrats are well short of a majority, but Merz has ruled out forming a coalition with the far-right AfD.

Far-right firewall

The so-called “firewall” around the AfD, whereby German centrist parties have refused to rely on parliamentary votes or to enter any coalition with the far right, has been strongly criticized by Washington.

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, echoed those concerns.

“We consider this blockade to be undemocratic. You cannot exclude millions of voters per se,” she told supporters on Monday.

Instead, Merz plans to begin coalition talks with the Social Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“The conservatives now have to negotiate and change the tone and find constructive agreement with the Social Democrats on the difficult issues ranging from migration to debt reform in Germany, public financing, rebooting the German economic model and of course, on Ukraine,” Nelles said.

Merz said Monday that he hoped a coalition government would be formed by Easter at the latest.

“There’s optimism that there is a reenergized focus now — with Germany soon having a functioning government again and a majority in parliament — reenergizing and joining this coalition of the willing, to rally more support for Ukraine and more support for European defense,” Nelles added.
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ISLAMABAD — When Amir Ali left the narrow alleys of his village in Pakistan’s Punjab province last summer for the plazas of Spain, he thought his dream of a better life was finally coming true. The 21-year-old had failed seven times before to get a visa for countries in Europe and the Middle East.

Six months later, in mid-January, Ali was one of 22 Pakistani men whom Moroccan authorities rescued from a stranded migrant boat in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

At least 43 Pakistanis were among 50 men who perished from hunger, dehydration and physical torture at the hands of human smugglers.

Limping with an injured foot in his home in Gujranwala district, Ali said he felt lucky to be alive.

“It’s not as if we survived because of some food or water,” he said. “Not at all. It’s just that God wanted to save us, so we survived.”

Since December 2024, dozens of Pakistanis have died as boats carrying migrants to Europe have run into accidents.

While Pakistan does not rank among the top 10 countries from which migrants attempting irregular entry into Europe come, thousands of its nationals risk their lives every year to reach the continent.

Human smugglers are becoming savvy too, officials say, as kingpins move abroad to evade an ongoing crackdown, and rely on digital currencies to transfer the proceeds of their crime.

A harrowing journey

Ali’s trip began more than 1,200 kilometers south of Gujranwala in Karachi, where he boarded a plane to Senegal on a visa that smugglers had arranged.

“I didn’t even know that a country with that name existed,” Ali told VOA.

From Senegal he obtained a visa to enter Mauritania, where he stayed in a safe house with dozens of other migrants for almost five months.

The dream journey was turning into a nightmare.

“There were so many boys in one room, there was no room to sit,” Ali said. “It was mentally very tough.”

In the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 2, he was stuffed with more than 80 others on a boat headed from Nouakchott, Mauritania, to Spain’s Canary Islands.

After a day of travel, the boat ran out of fuel. To lighten the load, Ali said, the smugglers threw away the passengers’ belongings and took away their meager rations.

“On the fourth day on the boat, a man went crazy because of hunger. He jumped into the ocean. We all got very scared thinking about what was going to happen next,” Ali said.

Smugglers, the survivor said, thrashed anyone who complained or didn’t comply.

“The smugglers told us to throw the dead bodies in the water,” said Ali. “When we refused, thinking how could we throw our brothers, they beat us up a lot.”

The ordeal ended almost two weeks later when Moroccan authorities rescued the survivors after a fishing boat spotted them.

Ali’s family sold livestock and precious agricultural land and took loans to raise nearly $10,000 to get their son to Spain. His mother is worried about the debt but delighted that her son is alive.

Who is leaving?

Almost two hours away in Gujrat district of Punjab, Haji Shaukat Ali is devastated. His son Chaudhry Atif Gorsi and nephew Chaudhry Sufyan Gorsi did not survive.

A roadside sign leading to their village commemorates the two as martyrs.

“We sent them because of our weakness,” said Ali, sitting among a group of mourners, some of whom had come from Europe. “The weakness is money.”

Studies conducted by Gallup Pakistan and the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, or PIDE, in recent years show lack of jobs as the primary reason for wanting to leave a country where economic growth is barely keeping up with population growth.

According to Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, more than 65,000 people left legally to work abroad just in January 2025. Between 2022 and 2024, an average of roughly 800,000 nationals moved abroad for work annually. Most went to the Middle East but a few to Europe.

Pakistanis also made nearly 5,000 attempts to enter Europe illegally in 2024, data from the EU’s border and coast guard agency Frontex indicates.

Amir Ali’s home district of Gujranwala and the Gorsi cousins’ home district of Gujrat, lead in migration trends, along with nearby Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin and Faisalabad districts, despite being hubs of agriculture and industrial activity.

“They are not the poorest of the poor,” said demographer Durre Nayab, pointing to the ability of migrants from this region to pull together thousands of dollars to fund their journey.

“But it’s not just the financial aspect,” Nayab, who was involved in the PIDE study, told VOA. “The two other aspects that came out were lifestyle, and somehow, they thought they would gain more respect out of [the] country.”

Many Pakistanis wanting to leave felt poorly treated compared to their wealthier countrymen, Nayab explained.

“This difference made them disillusioned about the whole system,” the demographer said.

The PIDE study showed 37% of Pakistanis would leave, if given a chance.

Does life get better?

Kashif Ali, a cousin of the deceased Gorsis, spent hundreds of dollars to arrange a sponsor for a work permit to Italy a decade ago.

“In Pakistan, a middle-class laborer earns around $3 a day. For that same work, they make $20 to $25 overseas,” said Ali, who works in boat making.

His family in Pakistan now has a new home and a car.

Such a turn of fortune is on display across small towns and villages in central Punjab. Experts say it inspires many others to risk their lives to reach Europe.

It was a similar story of success that made Ishraq Nazir move from Mandi Bahauddin to Greece. He entered the European country after a brief stay in Turkey as a tourist in 2009.

It took Nazir a decade to get a Greek residency permit after his asylum request was rejected.

For years he worked odd jobs like herding cows and painting trees to get by. Now he works in a packaging factory earning almost $60 a day and said he finally feels settled.

“I had to face a lot of difficulties, but the fact is that if I had stayed in Pakistan, I would have not gotten anything given the type of jobs they have,” Nazir told VOA on the phone while packing disposable plates. “My friends are still where they started.”

Umar Shaid from district Sialkot arrived illegally in Greece by boat from Libya in October.

“I am struggling. It’s very hard to find work. There are very few opportunities. I don’t have any friends or relatives to seek help from,” Shaid said by phone over the sound of the Athens metro.

Shaid said he has spent around $15,000 to pay smugglers and take care of his day-to-day expenses.

“Honestly, I believed the stories people told me and took this silly decision,” said Shaid. Still, he said he was not planning to go back to Pakistan.

Crackdown on smugglers

This month, Pakistan’s Senate passed three bills to toughen anti-human smuggling laws, increasing fines and jail terms.

Pakistan began cracking down on human smuggling after hundreds of its nationals died off the coast of Pylos, Greece, in June 2023 in one of the worst migrant boat disasters.

A report by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights says after that disaster, authorities arrested 854 suspected human smugglers.

Frustrated by recent incidents, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a high-level task force in January, with himself as the head, to combat human smuggling.

The Federal Investigation Agency, or FIA, has ramped up efforts, arresting dozens of alleged human smugglers and confiscating the assets of others to force them out of hiding.

“For the first time we have seen that they [smugglers] are using Bitcoin and digital currency. They have shifted away from traditional ways of money laundering.” Bilal Tanvir, FIA deputy director for the Gujrat region, told VOA.

However, he said a lack of resources and low rate of conviction of alleged criminals posed a challenge in curbing the crime.

The FIA is also facing increased scrutiny. Sharif’s government removed the agency head at the end of last month. More than 100 officials have been fired, suspended or blacklisted for alleged involvement in and insufficient action against human smuggling.

Survivor Ali told VOA his group of migrant men faced no hurdle boarding the flight for Senegal at the Karachi airport.

“Someone connected with the agents came, held our hand and told us to come after him. Wherever we went, we followed him,” Ali said. “Nobody stopped us.”

Tanvir defended his agency, saying officers focus on those entering the country more than those on their way out.

The impact of tragedies

Surrounded by friends and neighbors, Ali looked disappointed. He told VOA he would not recommend attempting to reach Europe by boat.

Others in the room felt differently.

“Why should I lie?” said Tariq Bajwa, who supports his young sons’ plan to head to Europe illegally in a few years. “Looking at others, we are willing to try as well.”

Several young men in the room agreed.

Why Europe? “Just because,” said Hamza Qayyum, the son of a farmer. “There’s farming in Europe. I don’t feel like doing it here,” the 20-year-old with a sixth-grade education explained.

Asked if they would risk drowning in the sea, Muhammad Zohaib, whose brothers work in the Middle East asked, “Why not?”

“Planes crash too, so what’s the big deal if a boat sinks?” the 20-something said. “One can run into an accident right outside the house.”
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After three years of relentless war, Ukraine is facing a mental health crisis, with hospitals overwhelmed by soldiers suffering from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors say the hidden wounds could linger for decades. Yan Boechat reports from Lviv in western Ukraine.
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