Traditional American allies in Europe – France, Spain, Italy – aren’t just declining to join military operations against Iran. In recent days, they have blocked the use of bases and airspace by U.S. military assets in the campaign. Not since the run-up to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has there been such a chasm…
PARIS, April 1 (Reuters) – China will at one point have to engage more directly on how to restore oil traffic flows in the Strait of Hormuz because the number of vessels it has going through is probably insufficient, France’s navy chief said on Wednesday. “We have not seen China’s navy step in to reopen…
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 27 (Reuters) – Ukraine is close to clinching several security agreements — including with the UAE and Qatar — to counter Iranian attacks, its foreign minister said on Friday, adding that he saw scope to draw China into peace efforts to end the war with Russia. “We have the situation in the…
MANILA, March 27 (Reuters) – The Philippines and France have signed a visiting forces agreement that would allow them to conduct joint military training in each other’s territory, as Manila expands defence ties amid rising tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister for the Armed Forces…
By John Irish and Andrew Gray VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – European powers on Thursday accused Russia of helping Iran target U.S. forces in the Middle East war and said they would raise the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France. Rubio is joining…
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations will discuss repair works worth about 500 million euros ($576.30 million) for the protective shield of Ukraine’s Chornobyl nuclear plant, France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday. “The G7 must play a leading role in this fundraising, in close…
PARIS, March 26 (Reuters) – The European Unions is worried about Ukraine being pressured by the United States into ceding territory in negotiations with Russia, the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday. “This is clearly a wrong approach. It is, of course, the Russian playbook of negotiations, that they are demanding something that…
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – Foreign ministers from the world’s leading Western democracies meet in France this week against the backdrop of wars in Iranand Ukraine, economic uncertainty, and mounting unease over an increasingly unpredictable U.S. foreign policy. The two-day gathering at the restored 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, about 40 km (25 miles) southwest…
PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) – French media tycoon Vincent Bolloré told lawmakers on Tuesday that he had become the “perfect scapegoat” for what he described as a hostile elite, rejecting accusations that his conservative media empire was waging a political war. The hearing forms part of a parliamentary investigation into France’s public broadcaster, an inquiry…
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has further extended its suspension of all flights to and from the Middle East until the end of May, amid a regional conflict that shows little sign of abating. But the airline will increase flights to Europe starting next month to cater to surging demand. In an announcement…