International

Zelensky to address EU summit as oil sanction plan stalls

AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak via videolink with EU leaders on Monday as the bloc struggles to agree oil sanctions on Russia in the teeth of opposition from Hungary.

EU chief Charles Michel said in a letter sent to leaders on Friday that Zelensky would virtually join the beginning of the two-day emergency summit taking place in Brussels.

The gathering will tackle Ukraine’s immediate need for cash, the energy and food crises ensuing from the war, and how to build up a coordinated European defence military industry, Michel’s letter said.

Much of the attention though will be on Brussels’ stymied effort to impose an import embargo on Russian oil as part of stepped-up punishment on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

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CEL

Announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 4 as a plan to be phased in over this year, the oil ban has run aground on resolute refusal by Hungary to accept it.

The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban — a longtime thorn in Brussels’ side for his rolling back of democratic norms — says it needs financial “solutions” from the European Union first, given the country’s dependence on piped-in Russian oil.

The question of money is especially problematic, as the EU has been withholding coronavirus recovery funds sought by Budapest because of its rule of law failings.

Orban wrote to Michel earlier this week saying it would be “counterproductive” to raise the oil sanctions issue at the summit.

But Michel said Wednesday he was “still confident” the matter could be resolved in time for the gathering.

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CEL

EU ambassadors were on Sunday to meet to try once more to find agreement.

Some diplomats said it might be possible to exclude the oil pipeline to Hungary from the sanctions package, but others said that would expose EU disunity and hand Russian President Vladimir Putin a win.

International

Habeas Corpus at risk as Trump team eyes drastic border policy shift

The White House is reportedly considering suspending habeas corpus, the legal principle that protects individuals against arbitrary detention, as part of its efforts to escalate anti-immigration measures in the United States.

In remarks to reporters, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, argued that the U.S. Constitution allows the suspension of habeas corpus “in times of invasion.”

“It’s an option we are actively considering, and it all depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not,” Miller stated.

The Trump administration has frequently invoked the notion of a “migrant invasion” to justify actions such as the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border and the deportation of foreign nationals—primarily Venezuelans—to El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison.

International

Maduro to Xi: Venezuela is a loyal friend to China

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during a meeting held in Moscow on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in World War II, that China has “loyal friends” in the Caribbean nation.

“You know that in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela you have loyal friends and people willing to continue working for a new world,” said the South American leader, according to footage aired Friday by Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV.

Maduro, accompanied by several of his ministers including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, highlighted the “great results” of a 2023 agreement between China and Venezuela called the “All-Weather and All-Round Strategic Partnership.”

“I believe we can multiply the great results we’re already seeing, and I’m sure that strong and clear guidelines will emerge from this meeting to keep moving forward together,” Maduro added.

International

Iberojet reaffirms commitment to Honduras as Central American Hub

Spanish airline Iberojet and Palmerola International Airport, located in central Honduras, signed a three-year renewal of their exclusive agreement to operate direct flights between the Honduran terminal and the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

With this renewal, Iberojet—part of the Spanish tourism group Ávoris Corporación Empresarial—reaffirms its commitment to Honduras as its main gateway to Central America from Europe.

The agreement was signed by Iberojet’s Commercial Director, Mario Domínguez, and Erick Spears, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Palmerola.

The signing ceremony took place at the residence of the Spanish Ambassador to Honduras, Diego Nuño García, who served as an honorary witness.