Rustem Umerov

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Bardella or Le Pen: What France's far-right choice means for Ukraine

Editor's note: this article was updated to take account of Marine Le Pen's announcement that she would run for president. BRUSSELS, Belgium — For months, opinion polls have indicated that France's far-right National Rally (RN) is well placed to win the 2027 presidential election, after President Emmanuel Macron reaches his constitutional term limit. But a court ruling on July 7 upended expectations over who will lead the party's presidential ticket — a decision that could also have implication

Concerns mount as Zelensky turns sanctions into tool for punishing critics, former allies

When President Volodymyr Zelensky slapped sanctions on ex-lawmaker Boryslav Bereza on July 7, many were left wondering what, if anything, linked him to Russia or posed a threat to Ukraine's national security. Bereza has never publicly expressed any sympathies for Russia and has been a pro-Western politician and blogger throughout his entire career. Sanctions, which were introduced by Ukraine when Russia started its war in 2014, were initially intended as a tool for fighting Moscow and its prox

President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, Germany, on April 14, 2026.
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