Belgium

EU summit to focus on aid to Ukraine, enlargement talks, Middle East

BRUSSELS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's (EU) leaders convened here on Thursday and Friday, placing discussions over financial aid for Ukraine, the country's possible accession to the bloc, and the Middle East situation on their top agenda.

"Now is the time for decision-making. I call on you all to come equipped with a spirit of compromise, a sense of collective responsibility, with the Union's interests and values at the forefront of your minds," Charles Michel, president of the European Council, wrote in his invitation letter to the EU leaders.

Belgium: Ireland’s prime minister urges EU leaders to call for Gaza cease-fire at their summit

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ireland’s prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday that the European Union is losing its credibility because of a lack of a strong position in the war between Israel and Hamas, urging his counterparts to call for a humanitarian cease-fire.

Speaking at the start of a EU summit in Brussels focusing more on Ukraine, Varadkar said the EU should condemn “terrorism perpetrated by Hamas,” but also call for justice for the Palestinian people.

Belgium: Orban tests the European Union’s promises to help Ukraine as he stands firm on blocking aid

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders struggled at the start of a two-day summit Thursday to keep intact their two most basic promises to Ukraine at war — to give it the money and wherewithal to stave off the Russian invasion and maintain its hope that one day it will be able to join the wealthy bloc.

Belgium: Stoltenberg says assistance to Ukraine good opportunity to spend money

BRUSSELS, December 7. /TASS/: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said assistance to Ukraine is a good opportunity for NATO member countries to spend their money. When asked how NATO member countries should spend 2% of their GDP on defense, something the alliance requires of its members, the secretary general said, "If the problem is that it’s hard to spend 2% [of GDP], I can help you."

Senior EU official warns of huge security risk in Europe over Christmas as Israel-Hamas war rages

BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe faces a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” over the Christmas holiday period due to the fallout from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the European Union’s home affairs commissioner warned Tuesday.

The warning came as French investigators probe a fatal weekend attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Questions were raised about the mental health of the suspect, who swore allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group before stabbing a tourist to death and injuring two other people with a hammer.

Ukraine insists it sees no sign of NATO war fatigue even as fighting and weapons supplies stall

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba insisted on Wednesday that NATO allies are showing no sign of war fatigue and remain committed to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia and take back occupied territory.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Kuleba also said that President Vladimir Putin is miscalculating if he sees any value in keeping his forces in Ukraine at least until presidential elections in the United States in a year’s time, which could usher in a new administration.

Belgium: Blinken seeks a new extension of the Gaza cease-fire as he heads again to the Middle East

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration would like to see a new extension of the cease-fire agreement in Israel’s war with Hamas after the current one expires to secure the release of additional hostages held by the militant group and to ramp up humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.

Belgium: NATO needs to be prepared for more fighting in Ukraine, says secretary general

BRUSSELS, November 28. /TASS/:  NATO needs to be prepared for more fighting in Ukraine, the bloc’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said upon arrival to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

"We will, of course, discuss the situation in Ukraine. We see intense fighting along the frontline and we have seen waves of drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and we need to be prepared for more fighting and also more air and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. This just makes it even more important that NATO Allies continue to support Ukraine," Stoltenberg pointed out.

Belgium: EU court says public employees may be barred from wearing head scarf

BRUSSELS, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The top European Union court ruled on Tuesday that public authorities in member states can prohibit employees from wearing signs of religious belief, such as an Islamic head scarf, in the latest decision on an issue that has divided Europe for years.

The case came to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) after an employee of the eastern Belgian municipality of Ans was told she could not wear an Islamic head scarf at work.

Belgium: Blinken will return to Israel as the US hopes to see further extensions of the Gaza cease-fire

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return this week to the Middle East as the U.S. hopes to find a way to extend a cease-fire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the State Department said Monday. It will be his third trip to the region since Israel’s war with Hamas began last month.

Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending Ukraine-focused meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels and Skopje, North Macedonia, where foreign ministers from NATO and the Organization for Peace and Security in Europe are gathering.

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