Tag: Russia

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Hungarian Prime Minister Orban concedes defeat after 16 years in power

Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favor of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions.

Election victor Péter Magyar, a former Orbán loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary’s relationships with the European Union and NATO — ties that frayed under Orban. European leaders quickly congratulated Magyar.

It’s not yet clear whether Magyar’s Tisza party will have the two-thirds majority in parliament to govern without a coalition. With 77% of the vote counted, it had more than 53% support to 38% for Orban’s governing Fidesz party.

It’s a stunning blow for Orban, a close ally of both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Orban conceded defeat after what he called a ″painful″ election result.

“I congratulated the victorious party,″ Orban told followers. “We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition,″ he said.

‘’Thank you, Hungary!” Magyar posted on X, as thousands of his supporters thronged the banks of the Danube in Budapest, chanting “We got it! We did it!”

Orban, the EU’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has traveled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right.

Turnout by 6:30 p.m. was over 77%, according to the National Election Office, a record number in any election in Hungary’s post-Communist history.

The parties of both Orban and Magyar said they had received reports of electoral violations, suggesting some results could be disputed by both sides.

“I’m asking our supporters and all Hungarians: Let’s stay peaceful, cheerful, and if the results confirm our expectations, let’s throw a big, Hungarian carnival,” Magyar said.

Mark Radnai, Tisza’s vice president, also called for reconciliation after a tense campaign. “We can’t be each other’s enemies. Reach out, hug your neighbors, your relatives. It’s the day of reunification.”

The EU will be waiting to see what Magyar does about Ukraine. Orban repeatedly frustrated EU efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion, while cultivating close ties to Putin and refusing to end Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy imports.

Recent revelations have shown a top member of Orban’s government frequently shared the contents of EU discussions with Moscow, raising accusations that Hungary was acting on Russia’s behalf within the bloc.

Orban occupied an outsized role in far-right populist politics worldwide.

Members of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement are among those who see Orban’s government and his Fidesz political party as shining examples of conservative, anti-globalist politics in action, while he is reviled by advocates of liberal democracy and the rule of law.

Casting his ballot in Budapest, Marcell Mehringer, 21, said he was voting “primarily so that Hungary will finally be a so-called European country, and so that young people, and really everyone, will do their fundamental civic duty to unite this nation a bit and to break down these boundaries borne of hatred.”

During his 16 years as prime minister, Orban launched harsh crackdowns on minority rights and media freedoms, subverted many of Hungary’s institutions and been accused of siphoning large sums of money into the coffers of his allied business elite, an allegation he denies.

He also heavily strained Hungary’s relationship with the EU. Although Hungary is one of the smaller EU countries, with a population of 9.5 million, Orban has repeatedly used his veto to block decisions that require unanimity.

Most recently, he blocked a 90-billion euro ($104 billion) EU loan to Ukraine, prompting his partners to accuse him of hijacking the critical aid.

Magyar, 45, rapidly rose to become Orban’s most serious challenger.

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Iran and Russia are ‘brothers in hatred’, Zelensky tells MPs

The Iranian and Russian regimes are “brothers in hatred”, Volodymyr Zelensky has told MPs and peers, as he warned about the dangers of drone warfare.

Addressing around 120 parliamentarians in a Westminster committee room, the Ukrainian president highlighted how Tehran was selling Shahed ‘kamikaze’ drones to Moscow, which had been used in Ukraine.

He also warned against easing sanctions on Russian oil, saying it was “crucial” to keep up the pressure against Moscow.

The US has temporarily eased sanctions on some Russian oil in an attempt to tackle surging prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.

Among those in the audience in a packed committee room were Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, Defence Secretary John Healey and leaders of opposition parties.

In his speech, Zelensky sought to link the headline-generating war in the Middle East with the long-running conflict in Ukraine.

He argued that Ukrainians were now pioneers in modern warfare and schooled in techniques they could share with allies.

In its fight against Russia, Ukraine has been using cheap, mass-produced interceptor drones to defend its skies.

Zelensky said there were now 201 Ukrainian military experts in the Middle East, with another 44 ready to deploy, who were sharing their knowledge on how to defend against Iranian drones.

He added that Ukraine was “ready to offer similar deals to all our reliable partners”.

On a TV screen, Zelensky demonstrated how Ukraine was mapping Russian strikes and defensive action against them in real time.

He explained how using technology as simple as an iPad allowed Ukrainian commanders to control the country’s security.

Zelensky added that during a meeting earlier at Buckingham Palace, he gave the King the iPad “as a sign of respect and gratitude”, to “strengthen our cooperation with the United Kingdom”.

Earlier, Sir Keir said “the focus must remain on Ukraine” despite the Iran war, ahead of a meeting with Zelensky.

Welcoming the Ukrainian leader to No 10, the prime minister said: “Putin can’t be the one who benefits from a conflict in Iran, whether that’s oil prices or the dropping of sanctions.”

During their meeting, the leaders agreed a new defence partnership aimed at tackling cheap attack drones.

Downing Street said the deal would bring together “Ukrainian expertise and the UK’s industrial base” to manufacture and supply drones and other capabilities.

Under the partnership between the UK and Ukraine, closer co-operation in the defence industries will also be sought with third countries as part of efforts to bolster international security.

Britain will also give £500,000 to fund an AI centre of excellence in Kyiv.

It comes as the US-Israeli war with Iran enters a third week, while US President Donald Trump continues to criticise the UK and other countries over the extent of their response to the conflict.

Rising oil prices are fuelling Russia’s war machine, while Ukraine’s allies are distracted and divided over the Middle East.

Zelensky is currently on a tour of European capitals to shore up support and keep his conflict at the forefront of allies’ minds. (BBC)

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UN marks fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The United Nations on Tuesday marked four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a high-level debate and renewed calls to end the war.

The General Assembly also passed a resolution reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Meeting in an emergency special session on Ukraine at UN Headquarters in New York, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine.”

The General Assembly called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

The text reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, the exchange of prisoners of war, and the return of civilians forcibly transferred, including children.

The resolution was adopted by 107 votes in favour, including Nigeria, 12 against and 51 abstentions.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a statement, said the invasion was a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

“This devastating war is a stain on our collective consciousness and remains a threat to regional and international peace and security.

“The longer the war continues, the deadlier it becomes. Civilians bear the brunt of this conflict, with 2025 witnessing the largest number of civilians killed in Ukraine.

“This is simply unacceptable. I reiterate my call for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” he said.

According to him, for peace to be just, it must be in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, respecting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The United Nations remains ready to contribute to all efforts towards this end,” he added. (Punch)

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Orbán says EU and not Russia is Hungary’s real threat ahead of April vote

The real threat facing Hungary is not Russia but the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a speech to supporters on Saturday, as his nationalist party ramps up an anti-EU campaign ahead of national elections.

With only eight weeks until the April 12 vote, Orbán and his Fidesz party are facing their most serious challenge since the right-wing populist leader retook power in 2010.

Most independent polls show Fidesz trailing the center-right Tisza party and its leader, Péter Magyar, even as Orbán has campaigned on the unsubstantiated premise that the EU would send Hungarians to their deaths in neighboring Ukraine if his party loses.

In his speech on Saturday, Orbán compared the EU to the repressive Soviet regime that dominated Hungary for over 40 years last century, and dismissed the belief of many European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a threat to the continent’s security.

“We must get used to the idea that those who love freedom should not fear the East, but Brussels,” he said, referring to the EU’s de-facto capital in Belgium.

“Fear-mongering about Putin is primitive and unserious. Brussels, however, is a palpable reality and a source of imminent danger,” he said “This is the bitter truth, and we will not tolerate it.”

Orbán has been a firm opponent of military and financial aid for Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, and has maintained close relations with Moscow while adopting a combative posture toward Hungary’s EU and NATO partners, which he portrays as warmongers.

In December, he said it was “unclear who attacked whom” when tens of thousands of Russian forces poured across Ukraine’s borders in February 2022.

Hungary’s government has long been at odds with the EU, which has frozen billions of euros in funding to Budapest over concerns that Orbán has dismantled democratic institutions, eroded judicial independence and overseen widespread official corruption. In return, Orbán has increasingly acted as a spoiler in EU decision making, routinely threatening to veto key policies like providing financial support for Ukraine.

As the elections approach, he has increasingly portrayed the Tisza party as a puppet created by the EU to overthrow his government and serve foreign interests, claims that Tisza has firmly denied. Magyar, the party’s leader, has pledged to repair Hungary’s strained relations with its Western allies, revive the stagnant economy and return the country to a more democratic track.

On Saturday, Orbán accused multinational corporations like banks and energy companies of profiting off the war in Ukraine, and conspiring with his political opposition to defeat him in the election.

“It is crystal clear that in Hungary the oil business, the banking world and the Brussels elite are preparing to form a government,” he said. “They need someone in Hungary who will never say no to Brussels’ demands.”

If his party wins a fifth-straight majority in the election, Orbán promised to push ahead with ridding Hungary of entities that he argues infringe on the country’s sovereignty.

He credited U.S. President Donald Trump, who has endorsed him ahead of the election, with creating an environment where “fake nongovernmental organizations and bought-and-paid-for journalists, judges and politicians” can be expelled.

“The new president of the United States has rebelled against the global business, media and political network of liberals, thus improving our chances,” he said. “We, too, can go a long way and expel foreign influence from Hungary, along with its agents, that limit our sovereignty.”

“The Brussels repressive machine is still operating in Hungary. We’ll clean it up after April,” he said. (JapanToday)

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Zelenskyy says U.S. too often asks Ukraine, not Russia, for concessions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced hope on Saturday that U.S.-brokered peace talks in Geneva next week would be substantive, but he said Ukraine was being asked “too often” to make concessions.

He also accused Moscow of seeking to delay decisions by changing ‌its lead negotiator.

Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations are due to meet in the Swiss lakeside city on Tuesday and Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to push through a deal to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945.

“We truly hope that the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all us but honestly sometimes it feels ‌like the sides are talking about completely different things,” Zelenskyy said in a speech at the annual Munich ⁠Security Conference.

Ukraine and Russia, which invaded its neighbor in February 2022, have engaged ⁠in two recent rounds of talks ⁠brokered by Washington in Abu Dhabi described by the sides as constructive but achieving no major breakthroughs.

Zelenskyy called for greater action from Ukraine’s allies ‌to press Russia into making peace – both in the form of tougher sanctions and more weapons supplies.

Recalling his appeal four years ago, when he spoke at ⁠the same conference days before tens of thousands of Russian forces poured into ⁠Ukraine, Zelenskyy said there was too much talk by Western officials and not enough action.

Trump has the power to force Putin to declare a ceasefire and needed to do so, Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian officials have said a ceasefire is required to hold a referendum on any peace deal, which would be organized alongside national elections.

The Ukrainian leader, a former television entertainer, acknowledged he was feeling “a little bit” ⁠of pressure from Trump, who yesterday said Zelenskyy should not miss the “opportunity” to make peace soon and urged him “to get moving”.

“The Americans often return ⁠to the topic of concessions and too often those concessions ‌are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

Instead, Zelenskyy said, he wanted to hear what compromises Moscow would be ready for, as Ukraine had already made many of its own.

Russia said its delegation to Geneva would be led by Putin’s adviser Vladimir Medinsky, a change from negotiations in Abu Dhabi at which Russia’s team was led by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.

Zelenskyy told reporters on Saturday the change was “a surprise” for Ukraine, ‌and suggested to him that Russia wanted to delay any decisions from being agreed.

Ukrainian officials have criticized Medinsky’s handling of previous talks, accusing him of delivering history lessons to the Ukrainian team instead of engaging in constructive negotiations.

Land remains the major sticking point in negotiations, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk that Moscow has failed to capture – something Kyiv steadfastly refuses to do.

At a news conference on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that U.S. negotiators had told Ukraine that the Russians had promised a swift end to the war if Ukrainian forces immediately withdrew from the part of Donetsk it still controls.

He said earlier he was instead ready to discuss a U.S. proposal for a free trade zone ​in that region, while freezing the rest of the 1,200-km (745-mile) front line.

Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, who sat beside Zelenskyy during the media briefing, said the only two options were either that Ukraine sticks to the current lines of control, or that a free economic zone ‌is established.

Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Analysts say Moscow has gained about 1.5% of Ukrainian territory since early 2024. Its recent air strikes on Ukraine’s cities and electricity infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heating and power during the ‌course of a bitterly cold winter.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks that U.S. congressional mid-term elections in November could focus the ⁠Trump administration on domestic political issues after the ⁠summer.

Zelenskyy said he hoped the U.S. would stay involved in the negotiations, ​and that there would be an opportunity for Europe, which he said was currently sidelined, to play a bigger role.

“Europe is practically ⁠not present at the table. It’s a big mistake ‌to my mind,” he said.

Zelenskyy said that Russia had to accept a ceasefire monitoring mission and an exchange ​of prisoners of war; he estimated that Russia currently had about 7,000 Ukrainian troops while Kyiv had more than 4,000 Russians.

Zelenskyy also suggested Moscow was opposed to the deployment of French and British troops in Ukraine after the war – which Paris and London have said they are willing to do – because Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to have the opportunity to come back.” (JapanToday)

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UK, France pledge ‘reassurance force’ for Ukraine after Russia ceasefire

Key European allies pledged to send a “reassurance force” to Ukraine in a move described as a significant step in the effort to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a declaration of intent on Tuesday for the deployment of multinational forces to support Kyiv’s defence and reconstruction – if a ceasefire with Russia is agreed on.

The announcement follows a meeting of more than two dozen countries in Paris. The nations dubbed the “coalition of the willing” have explored for months how to deter any future Russian aggression should it agree to stop fighting Ukraine.

There was no immediate response from Russia, however. President Vladimir Putin has ruled out any deployment of troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil.

Kyiv has long said it cannot be safe without guarantees that are comparable to the NATO alliance’s ‍mutual defence agreement Article 5 to deter Russia from attacking again.

Zelenskyy welcomed the promised security guarantees for Ukraine.

“It’s important that today the coalition has substantive documents. These are not just words. There is concrete content: a joint declaration by all the coalition countries and a trilateral declaration by France, Britain, and Ukraine,” he said.

“It has been defined how those forces will be managed and at what levels command will be exercised,” Zelensky added.

Macron said “several thousand” French soldiers could be deployed to Ukraine to maintain peace.

“These are not forces that will be engaged in combat,” Macron told France 2 television on the sidelines of the summit, calling such a deployment “a force of reassurance”.

Starmer said allies will participate in US-led monitoring and verification of any ceasefire, support the long-term provision of armaments for Ukraine’s defence.

The UK and France will “establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs” – in the event of a peace deal with Russia, he added.

Starmer said peace in Ukraine ⁠is closer than ever though ​the “hardest yards” still ‍lay ahead.

US ‍envoy ‍Steve Witkoff said there was significant progress made on ​several critical issues facing ‍Ukraine including security guarantees and a “prosperity plan”. Security ‍protocols for Ukraine are “largely ⁠finished”, he added.

“We agree ‍with ⁠the coalition that durable security guarantees and robust prosperity commitments are essential to ​a lasting peace ‌in the Ukraine, and we will continue to ‌work together on this effort,” ‌Witkoff said ⁠in a post on X after talks in ‌Paris.

Ukraine’s ‍reconstruction ‍is inextricably linked to security guarantees, German ⁠Chancellor Friedrich Merz ​said.

“Economic strength will ‍be indispensable ⁠to guarantee that Ukraine will continue to credibly block ​Russia ‌in the future,” Merz said.

However, he noted Ukraine and its European allies will have to accept “compromises” to achieve a peace deal.

“We will certainly have to make compromises” to end the nearly four-year-old war. “We will not achieve textbook diplomatic solutions,” said Merz.

Moscow has revealed few details of its stance in the US-led peace negotiations. Officials have reaffirmed Russia’s demands and insisted there can be no ceasefire until a comprehensive settlement is agreed. (AlJazeera)

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Peace hopes dented as Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin residence

Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northern Russia, although it provided no evidence to back up an assertion that Kyiv dismissed as baseless and designed to undermine peace negotiations.

The angry exchanges – including a statement by Russia that it was reviewing its stance ‌in negotiations in response to the attack – dealt a new blow to prospects for peace in Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Putin had told him about the alleged attack in a phone call on Monday morning, which had angered him. Still, Trump repeated his belief that a peace deal may be near.

“It’s one thing to be offensive,” Trump told reporters. “It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the ⁠right time to do any of that. And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about ‍it.”

On Sunday, Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida and the U.S. president said they were “getting a lot closer, maybe very ‍close” to an agreement to end the ‍war, although “thorny” territorial issues remained.

On Monday, Putin struck a defiant tone, telling his army to press on with a campaign to take full control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. ⁠The Kremlin repeated demands for Kyiv to pull its forces out of the last part of the Donbas area that they still hold in eastern Ukraine.

Putin told Trump in Monday’s phone call that Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was reviewing its stance following the ​reported drone attack, an aide said.

After the call with Putin, Trump told reporters outside his home in Palm Beach, Florida, that he had no further information about the alleged attack.

“I don’t like it, it’s not good,” Trump said. Asked if U.S. intelligence agencies had evidence of such an attack, Trump said: “We’ll find out.”

Trump said the conversation with Putin was productive.

“We have a couple of issues that we’re going to get resolved, hopefully, and if we get them resolved, you’re going to have peace,” Trump said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine had tried to attack Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region west ⁠of Moscow on December 28-29 with 91 long-range drones which were all destroyed by Russian air defenses. No one was injured and there was no damage, he said in comments reported by Russian media.

“Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” Lavrov said in a statement, describing the attack as “state terrorism” and adding that targets had already been selected for retaliatory strikes by Russia’s armed forces.

Lavrov did not offer any evidence for his assertions in his statement. It was not clear where Putin was at the time.

Lavrov said the attack took place during negotiations about a possible peace deal, and said Russia would review its negotiating stance but not quit the negotiations.

Denying Ukraine had planned such an attack, Zelenskyy accused Russia of preparing the ground to strike government buildings in Kyiv, saying Russia wanted to undermine progress at U.S.-Ukrainian talks on ending the war.

“Another round of lies from the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy told reporters via WhatsApp. “It is clear that we had a meeting with Trump yesterday, and it is clear that for the Russians, if there is no scandal between us and America, and we are making progress – for them it is a failure, because they do not want to end this war.”

He added: “I am sure they are simply preparing the ground for strikes, probably on the capital, probably on government buildings.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media the attack was a fabrication intended to create a pretext for more Russian attacks on Ukraine and to undermine the peace ​process. He urged world leaders to condemn Russia over its accusations. (JapanToday)

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Ukrainian drone attack kills 2 in Russia as over 1 million people in Ukraine lose power

A Ukrainian drone attack in southwestern Russia killed two people on Saturday as parts of Ukraine went without power following Russian assaults on energy infrastructure hours before peace talks were to restart in Germany.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials will hold a series of meetings in Berlin in the coming days, adding that he will personally meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys.

“Most importantly, I will be meeting with envoys of President Trump, and there will also be meetings with our European partners, with many leaders, concerning the foundation of peace — a political agreement to end the war,” Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation late Saturday.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are traveling to Berlin for the talks, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

American officials have tried for months to navigate the demands of each side as Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war and grows increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into major obstacles, including the possession of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, mostly occupied by Russia but parts of which remain under Ukrainian control.

“The chance is considerable at this moment, and it matters for our every city, for our every Ukrainian community,” Zelenskyy said. “We are working to ensure that peace for Ukraine is dignified, and to secure a guarantee — a guarantee, above all, that Russia will not return to Ukraine for a third invasion.”

The drone attack in Russia’s Saratov region damaged a residential building and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, said Gov. Roman Busargin. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight.

In Ukraine, Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes on five Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and port infrastructure. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that over a million people were without electricity.

Zelenskyy said Russia had sent over 450 drones and 30 missiles into Ukraine overnight.

An attack on the Black Sea city of Odesa caused grain silos to catch fire at the port, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and reconstruction minister Oleksiy Kuleba said. Two people were wounded in attacks on the wider Odesa region, according to regional head Oleh Kiper.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold. (JapanToday)

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Nine Russian and Belarusian skiers get neutral status to compete in Olympics qualifying events

Three skiers from Russia and six from Belarus — including former Olympic and world champions — were approved Wednesday to compete in qualifying events for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games in February.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said it cleared the applications of the nine to get neutral athlete status and return to competitions for the first time since the full military invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. FIS did not state if it rejected some applications, or how many.

Athletes and their entourages must not have publicly supported the war and not have ties to military or state security agencies.

Freestyle skier Hanna Huskova took gold in women’s aerials for Belarus at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and silver four years later in Beijing.

Anastasia Tatalina was a Big Air world champion for Russia in 2021, and was fourth in freeski slopestyle at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Russian cross-country skiers Savelii Korostelev and Dariya Nepryaeva also got neutral status ahead of World Cup races this weekend at Davos, Switzerland.

The Russian ski federation and athletes won a ruling last week at the Court of Arbitration for Sport forcing FIS to start processing applications for neutral status.

Russian athletes and team officials could face challenges getting visas to enter some countries that host qualifying events on the World Cup circuits in Alpine, cross-country and freestyle skiing, and snowboarding. (JapanToday)

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Trump slams ‘‘decaying’’ Europe and pushes Ukraine on elections

U.S. President Donald Trump deepened his rift with Europe in an interview published Tuesday, calling it “decaying” and blasting key allies as “weak” over immigration and Ukraine.

Speaking to Politico, Trump also called on Ukraine to hold elections despite Russia’s invasion and questioned whether the country is truly democratic under President Volodmyr Zelenskyy.

Trump doubled down on his recent extraordinary criticisms of Europe, following the release of the new U.S. national security strategy last week that recycled far-right tropes as it warned of civilizational decline on the continent.

“Most European nations, they’re, they’re decaying. They’re decaying,” Trump told Politico in the interview, conducted Monday.

The 79-year-old billionaire, whose political rise to power was built on inflammatory language about migration, echoed far-right talking points as he said that Europe’s policies on migrants were a “disaster.”

“They don’t want to send them back to where they came from,” Trump said.

The Trump administration’s strategy sparked alarm in Europe — where most countries are part of the U.S.-led NATO alliance — by calling for the cultivation of “resistance” in the EU.

Asked if European countries would not remain U.S. allies if they failed to embrace his migration policies, Trump replied that “it depends.”

“I think they’re weak, but they also want to be so politically correct,” Trump said.

He listed countries including Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden that he said were being “destroyed” by migration, and launched a new attack on the “horrible, vicious, disgusting” Sadiq Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor.

Trump also brushed off the Kremlin hailing the new U.S. strategy as echoing its own views, saying Putin “would like to see a weak Europe, and to be honest with you, he’s getting that. That has nothing to do with me.”

The U.S. president then criticized Europe’s role in resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine, saying: “They talk but they don’t produce. And the war just keeps going on and on.”

Washington and its European allies are increasingly at odds over Trump’s plan to end the war, which many European capitals fear will force Kyiv to hand over territory to Moscow.

Trump also had sharp words for Ukraine and for Zelenskyy, in his latest see-saw in relations with the leader whom he called a “dictator without elections” in January and then berated in the Oval Office in February.

“I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using war not to hold an election.” Trump said. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Elections in Ukraine were due in March 2024 but have been postponed under the imposition of martial law since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Fresh elections were included in the draft U.S. plan to end the war. (JapanToday)