International
Putin, Lukashenko discuss migrant stand-off on Poland-Belarus border
AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ally, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, on Tuesday discussed a migrant stand-off on the border between Poland and Belarus, the Kremlin said.
In a statement, Moscow said the two long-time leaders “exchanged opinions on the situation with refugees” on the border, where a wave of migrants has amassed in recent days.
Western critics have for months accused Lukashenko’s regime of luring migrants from the Middle East to Belarus to send them across the border, in retaliation for European sanctions.
Belarus denies the claim and accuses Poland of violating its humanitarian obligations by refusing to allow the migrants in.
Minsk said the pair discussed the “harsh actions of the Polish side towards peaceful people”.
In a statement, Lukashenko’s press office said the pair had “noted a particular concern over the deployment of regular Polish troops to the border”.
It said the leaders — both in power for more than 20 years — discussed events at the border “in detail”.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin said it was “very carefully watching” the migrant stand-off on the EU’s eastern border.
“It is a real problem that concerns Belarus and Poland. We are, of course, very concerned,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
For weeks, Poland has reported an increasing number of migrants — mostly from the Middle East — attempting to cross its border from Belarus.
The crisis came to a head on Monday when hundreds of migrants marched to the border in a bid to cross, where they were blocked by rows of Polish border guards behind razor wire.
Putin is the primary backer of Lukashenko, increasingly isolated after orchestrating a brutal crackdown on the opposition last year.
Internacionales
U.S. to restore ambassador-level relations with Bolivia after 17 years
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced on Saturday that the United States will restore ambassador-level diplomatic relations with Bolivia after 17 years. The statement came during his visit to La Paz to attend the inauguration of Bolivia’s new president, Rodrigo Paz Pereira.
In a brief appearance before the media, Landau noted that in recent weeks Washington had maintained “very close relations with the president-elect.”
“And now that he is officially president, we will restore relations at the ambassador level, as it should have always been,” he said, speaking alongside President Paz.
Landau described it as “highly unusual” and “very unfortunate” that the two nations have spent years without ambassadors in each other’s capitals — Washington, D.C., and La Paz.
“Diplomacy is ultimately about communication. Without an ambassador in the other country’s capital, that becomes more difficult,” the U.S. official emphasized, expressing hopes that the appointment of new ambassadors will be announced “very soon.”
He also recalled that President Paz has expressed his interest in maintaining a strong bilateral relationship, adding that the United States “reciprocally wants to establish a good relationship with this new Bolivian government.”
For his part, President Paz thanked the U.S. delegation led by Landau for attending his inauguration and asked him to “convey a message of cordiality and friendship” to President Donald Trump and all levels of the U.S. government.
International
Trump says GOP ‘learned a lot’ after democratic election wins
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he and the Republican Party “learned a lot” from the Democratic victories in Tuesday’s state and local elections. He also compared Democrats to “kamikaze pilots” over the ongoing budget standoff.
Speaking at an event with Republican senators on Wednesday, Trump described the results as an unexpected setback.
“These were very Democratic areas, but I don’t think it was good for Republicans. In fact, I don’t think it was good for anyone. But we had an interesting night and we learned a lot,” he said during remarks broadcast by the White House.
Trump agreed with pollsters that two key factors led to Republican losses in New York’s mayoral race and the gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia.
International
Bolivia’s Jeanine Áñez freed after Supreme Court annuls her conviction
Former Bolivian interim president Jeanine Áñez was released from a women’s prison in La Paz on Thursday, where she had spent more than four and a half years for an alleged coup, after her conviction was annulled, AFP journalists confirmed.
Dozens of supporters and family members gathered outside the facility to celebrate her release. Áñez left the prison waving a Bolivian flag around 15:00 GMT.
“It is comforting to see that justice will once again prevail in Bolivia. She was the only woman who took on the role with bravery and courage,” said Lizeth Maure, a 46-year-old nurse who had come to show her support.
Áñez, a 58-year-old lawyer and conservative politician, governed Bolivia for nearly a year until November 2020, when she handed power to leftist leader Luis Arce.
She was arrested in 2021 and sentenced the following year to 10 years in prison for “resolutions contrary to the Constitution,” accused of illegally assuming the presidency after Evo Morales resigned in 2019 amid social unrest.
Her sentence was overturned on Wednesday by the Supreme Court of Justice, Bolivia’s highest judicial authority.
The court ruled that Áñez should have been subjected to a “trial of responsibilities” before Congress— a constitutional process reserved for sitting presidents, vice presidents, ministers, and top judges — rather than prosecuted in an ordinary criminal court.
As she was welcomed by relatives and supporters upon release, Áñez declared:
“I feel the satisfaction of having fulfilled my duty to my country, of never having bowed down. And I will never regret having served Bolivia when it needed me.”
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