00:00Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a face-to-face meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin in an open
00:07letter sent to Moscow.
00:10A coalition of 11 European countries is stepping up pressure to tighten visa conditions for Russian tourists.
00:21The owners of a bar that caught fire during New Year celebrations in a Swiss ski resort were in court
00:26once again to be questioned.
00:30Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin in an open letter to the
00:37Russian leader saying he was ready for a, quote, full ceasefire.
00:42The letter marks one of the few times Zelenskyy has appealed directly to Putin since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion
00:50and the first time he has ever sent a letter directly to the Russian leader.
00:54Zelenskyy opened a letter on Thursday saying when Vladimir Putin came to power over 26 years ago, many people in
01:02Ukraine viewed Putin positively.
01:04But that is now in the past, Zelenskyy said.
01:07According to the Ukrainian leader, now the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians view it positively that, quote,
01:13Our long-range drones paid a visit to the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of
01:21more than 1,000 kilometers.
01:23It is not the first time Zelenskyy, who believes only face-to-face talks will yield an agreement on territory,
01:29has called for a meeting with Putin.
01:31But this time, the Ukrainian presidential office confirmed the letter was sent to Moscow and was shared with Kiev's partners,
01:38including the U.S.
01:39In response to the letter, the Kremlin said on Thursday evening that Zelenskyy is welcome to meet with Putin in
01:45Moscow any time.
01:51A coalition of nine EU member states, plus Iceland and Norway, is stepping up pressure to tighten visa conditions for
01:58Russian tourists as the summer holiday season approaches.
02:02The initiative was led by Sweden, with the support of Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and
02:11Poland.
02:11What I want to accomplish is very clear.
02:14I want there to be no more shopping weekends.
02:16I want there to be no more fancy trips to Europe while Ukrainians are dying on the battlefield.
02:23All 11 countries signed a joint letter highlighting the uneven implementation of the European Commission's guidelines
02:30on handling visa applications from Russian nationals.
02:33The signatories argue that this fragmentation weakens EU leverage and sends mixed messages about the blocs resolved towards Russia.
02:41The letter also warns that uneven visa practices for Russian tourists may create a security risk across the entire Schengen
02:50area.
02:51The 11 countries are calling on the EU institutions to introduce new binding visa restrictions
02:57and monitor the effective implementation of existing guidelines.
03:06The EU is losing hopes in the chances of enforcing a full ban on maritime services for Russian tankers.
03:12The measure was approved in April as part of the 20th package of sanctions to cripple Moscow's war economy.
03:19It aims to prohibit all maritime-related services, including banking, shipping, flagging and insurance,
03:26for tankers carrying Russian oil.
03:28Turmoil in energy markets coupled with persistently high oil prices have hindered the measure's activation.
03:34The events in the Gulf have clearly changed the calculus about anything to do with energy.
03:41For the moment, what all Western economies are struggling with is access to energy at reasonable prices.
03:48So I think at this point, there is no appetite to take additional measures which might aggravate that situation.
03:54The official reason for the pause was a desire to reach an agreement at the G7 level,
03:59but other G7 members haven't shown much enthusiasm in backing the ban.
04:04So in the 20th sanctions package, we did indeed include a legal basis to eventually activate a full maritime services
04:11ban.
04:11But we were clear that we would do this in consultation and in cooperation with our G7 partners.
04:17But we do remain committed to all of the measures that we've put in place, like the oil price cap,
04:23and what we can do to minimize revenues that Russia might gain from the situation in Iran.
04:32Additionally, Brussels has not yet secured the support of two member states with interests directly at stake,
04:38Greece and Malta.
04:39The former hosts a powerful shipping industry, while the latter controls Europe's largest ship registry.
04:52Speaking from Montenegro, European Council President Antonio Costa called for the EU's enlargement rules
04:58to be streamlined by removing the need for unanimity at each stage of the process.
05:03I believe that we don't need to have the unanimity to open chapters and clusters.
05:09We just need the unanimity to close chapters and clusters.
05:15Greece and Bulgaria have repeatedly vetoed North Macedonia's EU bid over disputes related to constitutional matters and minority rights.
05:24Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban routinely used veto powers to block Ukraine's EU integration.
05:31Costa also suggested the use of more transitional periods in candidate countries' accession in order to make the process more
05:37efficient.
05:38We learned from the previous enlargement process that we always adopted transitional clauses on policies like agriculture,
05:50freedom of movement and so on.
05:52And now, because we are talking about a very challenging enlargement,
05:58perhaps we need also transitional clauses on institutional matters.
06:04EU and Western Balkans leaders meet in Tivat, Montenegro on Friday.
06:09The choice of venue is highly symbolic, as Montenegro could become the 28th EU member state as early as next
06:16year.
06:22Slovenia's parliament has approved its new right-leaning government under Prime Minister Janice Jansa,
06:27which has pledged tax cuts, targeted spending and an anti-corruption drive.
06:32The vote came after parliamentary elections held in March that produced no clear winner.
06:38Former Liberal Prime Minister Robert Golub's freedom movement won most votes,
06:42but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
06:46Janice and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party formed a coalition government with other right-leaning groups in parliament.
06:53The new government also has the backing of a non-establishment truth party
06:57that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
07:03It is Janice's fourth term in office.
07:05The political veteran is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump
07:09and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban,
07:13who was defeated in a landslide election in April.
07:22Preparations are picking up speed just days before an event of global significance, the G7 summit.
07:28From the 15th to the 17th of June,
07:31the heads of state and government of the world's seven leading economies
07:35will gather in Evian in the French Alps.
07:37About 50 kilometers away, in La Roche-sur-Fouron,
07:41police officers are fine-tuning the logistics for the security operation.
07:45L'objectif premier de la base, c'est de subvenir aux besoins des unités déployées sur le terrain.
07:51L'idée, c'est de pouvoir répondre à tous leurs besoins,
07:54que ce soit la réparation de leur véhicule,
07:58voire le remplacement de leur véhicule,
08:00mais également leur distribuer du matériel,
08:03également les nourrir.
08:05A major challenge, since 6,100 gendarmes and 1,400 vehicles
08:10will be deployed to ensure security for the summit.
08:25Enhanced security checks will begin in Evian and the surrounding area
08:29with the establishment of restricted traffic zones
08:32starting four days before the G7 summit begins.
08:40Protests have continued in Albania
08:42against a massive coastal development project
08:45linked to Jared Kushner,
08:47the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
08:50Hundreds of demonstrators on Wednesday
08:52took to the streets of Tirana for the fourth day
08:55to voice their opposition to the projects
08:57that the government says
08:59would be transformational for the former communist nation.
09:23The luxury projects linked to Kushner's investment firm
09:28and Ivanka Trump spans an abandoned island
09:31and a nearby stretch of seafront
09:34on Albania's southern coast.
09:36It has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners
09:39and critics of Prime Minister Eddie Rama.
09:42On Tuesday, Rama said
09:44Albania should not be a country
09:46that fears an extraordinary project like this one,
09:49adding that, quote,
09:50there is absolutely no chance
09:52that the investment will stop
09:54as long as I am here.
10:00The owners of a bar that caught fire
10:02during New Year celebrations
10:04in a Swiss ski resort
10:05arrived in court once again on Friday
10:07to be questioned.
10:09French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti
10:11were to be cross-examined
10:12by public prosecutors and lawyers
10:14for civil parties caught up in the blaze
10:16that killed 41 people,
10:17mostly teenagers,
10:19and injured 115 others.
10:21Chaque jour, on vit avec ses conséquences
10:24en tant que parent, de frères, de soeurs,
10:26de grands-parents, d'oncles, de tantes.
10:29Et il a besoin de réponse.
10:32J'ai besoin de réponse.
10:33Nous avons besoin de réponse.
10:35Et je suis là aujourd'hui
10:36parce que 4, 5 mois ont passé
10:40que beaucoup de choses maintenant
10:42ont été apprises.
10:44Et j'ai besoin de comprendre
10:47maintenant l'état d'esprit
10:50de Jessica et de Jacques Moretti.
10:53The Morettis face charges
10:54of manslaughter by negligence,
10:56bodily harm by negligence,
10:58and arson by negligence.
10:59Ce que veulent les familles,
11:01c'est surtout que les Morettis
11:03arrêtent de se défausser
11:05de leurs responsabilités
11:06sur d'autres personnes,
11:07que ce soit le mystérieux vendeur de mousse,
11:11l'invisible contrôleur communal,
11:13ou leurs fidèles employés.
11:15On veut qu'ils reconnaissent
11:17leurs torts, leurs erreurs,
11:19sans forcément, bien sûr,
11:20il ne faut pas être naïf,
11:21assumer leurs responsabilités.
11:23Ils ne le feront pas.
11:24Mais au moins de la vérité.
11:27In total, 14 people
11:29are under criminal investigation
11:30in connection with a disaster,
11:32including several current
11:33and former local officials.
11:35of course,
11:35c'est un peu de la vérité.
11:37C'est un peu de la vérité.
11:38C'est un peu de la vérité.
Comments