KYIV, Ukraine: Numerous Ukraine-based humanitarian projects have had their financing suspended due to the US freeze on foreign aid, several sources told AFP on Monday, prompting alarm in the war-battered country.
Almost three years after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has become extremely dependent on foreign aid for humanitarian work, with the United States providing billions of dollars of that help.
Organizations that support veterans, local media and health care are among those to have had their funding curtailed by Washington, with many small local press outlets and aid groups announcing on social networks that they would have to close as a result.
“Most of the projects have received an order to stop,” a source at the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission in Ukraine told AFP.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday ordered a halt to virtually all US foreign aid except for funding to Israel and Egypt, according to an internal memo.
It came after US President Donald Trump signed an order last Monday temporarily suspending foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews of their funding.
A number of Ukrainian and international NGOs wrote on social media that they were affected by the freeze.
Olga Kucher of Veteran Hub told AFP the Ukrainian NGO on Monday had to pause the work of its branch in the central city of Vinnytsia.
The organization offers legal consultations and psychological support to veterans and their loved ones.
“We do not know how long this will last,” she said, adding that the group had launched an appeal asking Ukrainian companies to help fund its operations.
Maria Vorotylo, a soldier’s wife who had been receiving help from Veteran Hub, wrote on Facebook that its closure was “a very severe blow.”
She called Veteran Hub “one of the threads that keep many people in good mental health now,” adding that she had received help with understanding the mental toll that fighting took on her husband.
A humanitarian worker at an American NGO in Ukraine that is partly funded by USAID said that a project to assist Ukrainian aid groups that was about to launch has now been “put on hold.”
“We don’t know if it will be completely canceled or reduced,” they said on condition of anonymity.
The worker explained that his organization was supposed to provide support totalling several million dollars to half a dozen Ukrainian NGOs, some of which are now at of risk closing.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, USAID has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance and more than $30 billion in direct budget support, according to its website.
Alarm in Ukraine as US aid freeze halts humanitarian projects
https://arab.news/nwefj
Alarm in Ukraine as US aid freeze halts humanitarian projects
- A humanitarian worker at an American NGO in Ukraine that is partly funded by USAID said that a project to assist Ukrainian aid groups that was about to launch has now been “put on hold”
Five charged in European Parliament Huawei bribery probe
Four have now been arrested and charged with active corruption
BRUSSELS: The Belgian prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that it has charged five people in connection with a bribery investigation in the European Parliament allegedly linked to China’s Huawei.
The five were detained last week. Four have now been arrested and charged with active corruption and involvement in a criminal organization, while a fifth faces money laundering charges and has been released conditionally.
The prosecutor’s officer did not disclose the names of those involved or give information that could identify them.
It said new searches had taken place on Monday, this time at European Parliament offices. The European Parliament did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
Huawei said last week it took the allegations seriously. “Huawei has a zero tolerance policy toward corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times,” it said.
The prosecutors have said the alleged corruption took place “very discreetly” since 2021 under the guise of commercial lobbying and involved payments for taking certain political stances or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches.
Trump, Putin agree halt to Ukraine energy attacks but no ceasefire
- The Kremlin said the two leaders had a “detailed and frank exchange of views” on Ukraine
- They discussed a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday on a halt in Russian attacks against Ukrainian energy targets — but fell far short of securing a full ceasefire in a highly anticipated phone call.
The US and Russian leaders spoke for more than an hour and a half and both expressed hopes for repairing relations between the countries.
However, there was no agreement from the Russian president for Washington’s proposed full 30-day ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.
The Kremlin said Putin agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days and that Putin had already given the order to his military. The White House said separately that the “leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire.”
Russia has launched a series of devastating attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout the three-year-old war. According to the Kremlin statement, Ukraine — which has bombed multiple Russian oil installations — had also agreed to the truce on energy targets, although Kyiv had yet to comment.
The two leaders agreed that broader truce talks would “begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said in its statement, also citing a “huge upside” if Russia and the United States improve their relations.
But the Kremlin statement said a “key condition” for peace would be ending Western military and intelligence support to Ukraine’s embattled military — a position that will alarm Kyiv and European capitals that have already accused Putin of stalling.
Trump had already made clear before the call that he was ready to discuss “dividing up certain assets” — what parts of occupied Ukraine that Russia would be allowed to keep.
The US president had said on his Truth Social network on the eve of the call that “many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains” to be settled.
US allies, alarmed by Trump’s recent pivot toward Russia, fear the Republican will give too much ground to the Russian president, a leader for whom he has repeatedly expressed admiration.
Kyiv had already agreed to the US proposal to halt fighting for 30 days. It said on Tuesday before the call that it expected Moscow to “unconditionally” accept to the ceasefire.
“It is time for Russia to show whether it really wants peace,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.
But Putin has repeatedly said that there were further issues that needed discussion, which Tuesday’s call apparently failed to fully resolve.
Putin gave a hard-line anti-Western speech Tuesday before the call, saying the West would still try to undermine Russia even if it lifted sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
He mocked the G7 group of rich democracies — from which Russia was expelled in 2018 — to wild applause from the audience, saying it was too small to “see on a map.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Putin does not want peace and is trying to achieve a better position militarily ahead of any halt in fighting.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with near daily barrages of drones and missiles for more than three years, occupying some 20 percent southern and eastern Ukraine and pressing a grinding advance in recent months.
The Kremlin has also hailed Moscow’s quick offensive in the Kursk region, parts of which Ukraine seized last year and was hoping to use as a bargaining chip.
The push toward a ceasefire began in February when Trump announced that he had spoken to Putin — a surprise call that broke Western efforts to isolate the Russian leader while his invasion continues.
As Trump upended years of US policy he then had a televised shouting match with Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, which led to the United States temporarily suspending its billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv.
On Sunday Trump said he would discuss issues of “land” and “power plants” with Putin — a likely reference to the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Trump is however intent on delivering on an election pledge to end fighting in Ukraine, blaming his predecessor Joe Biden’s policy on Russia for fueling the war.
“It must end NOW,” he said on Truth Social.
UK PM’s office retracts FM’s comments accusing Israel of breaching international law
- Israel only ‘at risk’ of violations, says spokesperson for Keir Starmer
- Reversal described as ‘disgraceful’ by Council for Arab-British Understanding
LONDON: The office of the UK prime minister has retracted a statement by Foreign Secretary David Lammy accusing Israel of breaking international law by blocking aid to Gaza.
Lammy told the House of Commons on Monday that Israel had breached international law, while a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday said the country was only “at risk” of doing so. It follows a series of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that killed more than 400 Palestinians.
“Our position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law, and we continue to call the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations,” the spokesperson said.
“The government is not an international court, and, therefore, it is up to courts to make judgments.”
The Council for Arab-British Understanding described the reversal as a “disgraceful move” that “undermines the government’s claims that it respects international law.” It also exposes a sharp divide between Starmer and his foreign secretary, CAABU added.
Lammy’s comments concerned Israel’s blocking of food, fuel and medicine from entering Gaza.
He said on Monday: “This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid — it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza — unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.”
His acknowledgment of Israel’s violation of international law was a “welcome if belated admission” of the country’s criminal conduct, CAABU said, adding that after Lammy’s comments, the UK government should have announced measures to demonstrate consequences for Israel’s actions.
CAABU’s director, Chris Doyle, said: “Downing Street has serious questions to answer about the government’s continued complicity with Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
“We have raised the illegal blockade with David Lammy and other ministers repeatedly since October 2023 and most recently directly with a Foreign Office minister last week.
“We cannot have a business-as-usual relationship, which is why it is welcome that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will not be coming to the UK this week.”
Ukraine’s Zelensky arrives in Finland, will meet defense industry
- The two presidents will discuss Finland’s support for Ukraine
- Finland’s finance, defense and foreign ministers will participate in Wednesday’s meeting
HELSINKI: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Helsinki ahead of an official visit to Finland on Wednesday, the office of Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday.
The two presidents will discuss Finland’s support for Ukraine, including steps to end Russia’s war, and meet with defense industry companies, it added.
The announcement comes as US President Donald Trump started a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s war with Ukraine and move toward a more permanent end to the three-year conflict.
Finland’s finance, defense and foreign ministers will participate in Wednesday’s presidential palace meeting, and Zelensky will also meet with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and parliament speaker Jussi Halla-aho, Finland said.
During his second visit to Finland since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky is accompanied by his wife Olena Zelenska who will visit local schools with Stubb’s wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb, the Finnish statement said.
AI ‘reshaping’ organized crime, warns Europol
- Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle described the report as a “wake-up call” for law enforcement
- “We will not let organized crime dictate the rules of the game,” she said
THE HAGUE: Artificial intelligence is turbocharging organized crime, from creating child sexual abuse images to money laundering via cryptocurrency, Europol warned Tuesday, with advances like quantum computing only poised to make things worse.
Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle described the report as a “wake-up call” for law enforcement, telling top officers from around Europe that “the future of European security is in our hands.”
“This is a fight of the rule of law, for our communities, for our businesses, and for the future of our children. We will not let organized crime dictate the rules of the game,” she said.
In its report laying out the threats posed by organized crime, the European police organization said criminals had seized on the opportunities offered by AI as a “catalyst” to accelerate their activities.
“Rapid technological advancements — especially in artificial intelligence (AI) — are reshaping how crime is organized, executed, and concealed,” Europol said in a detailed 80-page “threat assessment” report.
“These shifts are making organized crime more dangerous, posing an unprecedented challenge to security across the EU and its member states,” the police added.
The use of AI and other technologies are helping criminals across the whole of their portfolio — from drug and human trafficking, to cybercrime and identity theft.
Generative AI enables criminal gangs to hit their targets more globally across multiple languages and even generate child sexual abuse images, the police report warned.
“Explicit pictures of adults can be manipulated to make the individual look younger or applications can ‘nudify’ non-explicit images,” the report said.
“The very qualities that make AI revolutionary — accessibility, versatility, and sophistication — have made it an attractive tool for criminals,” noted Europol.
Technology is also making it harder for authorities to recover ill-gotten gains.
Confiscation of proceeds from crime has stagnated at around two percent, the police said, with the challenge “further exacerbated by the increasing criminal exploitation of digital assets.”
Criminal groups are using cryptocurrency to launder money and move funds around, making it hard to track and eventually confiscate.
“The criminal exploitation of cryptocurrency as a payment method now has moved beyond the scope of cybercrime, and is encountered increasingly in more traditional crime areas such as drug trafficking or migrant smuggling.”
As technology improves, the boost to criminal activity is only likely to increase, according to Europol, noting the rapid developments in quantum computing, the metaverse, 6G, unmanned systems and brain-computer interfaces.
“The high levels of anonymity, speed, and sophistication currently demonstrated by criminal networks will only likely increase over the coming years,” cautioned the report.
Quantum computing in particular will enable criminals to crack current encryption technology with ease.
Finally, the police raised the dystopian prospect of criminal gangs run entirely by AI.
“The emergence of fully autonomous AI could pave the way for entirely AI-controlled criminal networks, marking a new era in organized crime,” said the report.
