FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert breaks down what could be Putin's strategy and ultimate goal, following the proposal accepted by Ukraine of an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
Walt Disney and OpenAI agreed a three-year licensing deal on Thursday allowing users to generate short videos featuring Disney characters with artificial intelligence. It is the first time a major studio has permitted such broad generative-AI use of its protected characters, from Mickey Mouse to Ma...
Tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders on Thursday in western North America after days of heavy rain caused rivers to overflow. Storms have lashed Washington state and Canada’s British Columbia for several days, with authorities warning that water levels are still rising and flo...
The US is still trying to convince Kyiv to concede territories to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday. Washington wants for Ukraine – and not Russia – to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region, where a "free economic zone" would be installed, Zelensky...
Russian frozen assets will have to be used for Ukraine at some point, Belgium's deputy prime minister Vincent Van Peteghem said on Thursday, adding however Belgium "would not take any reckless compromises" before it agreed to any deal over this. Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasia Democracy Ini...
Turns out that it's not enough to stage peace signings.Half-a-million displaced as fighting rages along the border between Thailand and Cambodia, a resurgence of July’s five-day conflict that Donald Trump counts as one of the eight wars in eight months he's ended. We’ll ask why the return to fi...
NATO chief Mark Rutte on Thursday urged allies to step up defence efforts to prevent a war waged by Russia that could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured". FRANCE 24's Dave Keating reports from Brussels....
The US is pushing for a demilitarised "free economic zone" between Russian and Ukrainian troops in the east of the country as part of a settlement to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiativ...
NATO chief Mark Rutte on Thursday urged alliance members to realise that they are Russia's next targets, urging them to step up defence efforts to prevent a possible war with Moscow "on the scale our grandparents endured". Rutte also argued that a peace plan in Ukraine would be a test of whether Ru...
Ukraine has submitted a detailed counterproposal to the US peace plan, taking time to carefully review and refine their response. The plan addresses key issues including territorial concessions, enhanced security around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and provisions for potential elections in Ukrai...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz revealed that a proposal outlining potential territorial concessions from Ukraine was sent to US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. European leaders are working to make the terms more acceptable to Ukraine as Trump intensifies pressure for a swift peace deal. Key...
Winter storm Byron drenched Gaza’s tent camps on December 12, flooding shelters and deepening the humanitarian crisis despite two months of ceasefire. Families saw their belongings and food soaked, children waded through knee-deep muddy water, and overflowing sewage and garbage worsened already d...
As the US pressures Ukraine to accept a Russia-leaning peace plan, Zelensky is turning to Europe for support. The UK, France, and Germany are leading the 'Coalition of the Willing' to counterbalance Washington and coordinate military backing. With European aid declining this year, the EU is also pu...
The US has seized an oil tanker off Venezuela, further escalating tensions with President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Caracas condemned the move as piracy, saying it exposes Washington’s real interest in Venezuela’s oil. According to FRANCE 24's Tim Vickery, this seizure 'has nothing to do...
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, who survived two suspected poisoning attempts and spent two and a half years in jail before being released in a 2024 prisoner swap, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "not only a dictator" but "also a murderer in...
Leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine will hold a follow-up videoconference on Thursday, with President Zelensky participating, the French presidency said. European countries are struggling to make up for halted US aid, as overall support for Ukraine has dropped in 2025....
A few days ago, Aonishiki became the first Ukrainian wrestler to win a professional sumo tournament in Japan. At just 21 years old, he has risen up the ranks at record speed since he arrived in Japan in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our Japan correspondents report....
European nations are struggling to compensate for halted US aid to Ukraine, with a significant drop in overall support in 2025. While some countries like France, Germany, and the UK have increased contributions, Italy and Spain have reduced or stopped aid. The European Commission aims to use frozen...
US President Donald Trump said he and European leaders discussed proposals to end the war in Ukraine in 'pretty strong terms' Wednesday, adding that President Volodymyr Zelensky 'has to be realistic' about his country's position on a peace plan. As tension builds around a US push for a settlement,...
Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado vowed at a press conference on Thursday that Venezuela "will be free". The Venezuelan opposition leader, honoured for her fight for democracy, said she would try to return to end the "tyranny" in her home country, despite warnings she could be arrested...
German Chancellor Merz said on Thursday that proposals on territorial concessions had been sent to US President Donald Trump, who had earlier expressed frustration with European allies and questioned the United States’ ongoing involvement in future talks. This comes as leaders of the “coalition...
A fresh rift opened between Washington and Europe on Wednesday after Ukraine delivered a new US-requested peace blueprint, prompting President Donald Trump to lash out at Kyiv and its allies as they push back against elements of the American plan....
Japan has scrambled jets to monitor Russian and Chinese air forces conducting joint patrols around the country. China's rising military actions in the area follow Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi's comment last month that Tokyo could respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan that also threate...
Military aid for Ukraine plummeted in the second half of 2025 as falling European contributions failed to make up for the halt in US support, data from the Kiel Institute showed Wednesday. This as Ukraine is expected to give its latest peace proposals to U.S. negotiators. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Ukr...
Iceland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Austria, the country's public broadcaster said Wednesday, becoming the fifth country to boycott the competition after organisers declined to exclude Israel from participating over its conduct of the war in Gaza....
European migration policy is under renewed pressure as ministers meet to discuss tougher measures against smuggling and deportations, amid rising influence of far-right anti-immigration parties and criticism from Donald Trump. British and Danish leaders argue for “tough but fair” reforms and a...
Ukrainians have dismissed Donald Trump’s accusation that their president is using the war to stay in power. Opposition parties and analysts note that elections cannot be organised because martial law is in force, and due to ongoing Russian attacks and the impossibility of guaranteeing free voting...
As Paramount Skydance and Jared Kushner pursue a hostile takeover of Warner Brothers Discovery, with the enthusiastic support of US President Donald Trump, François Picard is pleased to welcome Vincent Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Our guest offers a very sobe...
Nigeria’s timely military intervention in Benin over the weekend proved decisive in defeating an attempted coup against Beninese President Patrice Talon. It was also a win for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, whose country was powerless to prevent a spate of coups in neighbouring Niger and across...
Tensions between Donald Trump and Europe are escalating. Last week, European leaders were angered by the Ukraine peace plan, drafted without any consultation with the EU. Now, the rift has widened further after Trump publicly criticized Europe as “weak” and “decaying,” remarks that sparked...
The alert of a ‘megaquake’ comes after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck late Monday off the Pacific coast of Aomori, raising the likelihood of another quake of equal or greater strength in the same area....
