LONDON: The UK on Saturday said that Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was considering joining a group of countries prepared to protect an eventual ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Britain and France have been leading efforts to form the so-called “coalition of the willing,” with the United States’ long-term commitment to Europe’s security now in doubt under President Donald Trump.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese this morning,” the UK leader’s office said on Saturday.
“He welcomed Prime Minister Albanese’s commitment to consider contributing to a Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine and looked forward to the Chiefs of Defense meeting in Paris on Tuesday.”
European countries have been rushing to boost support for Ukraine as Trump pursues direct talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end Moscow’s three-year-long invasion of Ukraine.
Several European states have said they would be willing to deploy troops to Ukraine as a “security guarantee.”
Key details about the “coalition of the willing” have not been specified, but the grouping was mentioned by Starmer during a summit of European leaders in London last Sunday aimed at guaranteeing “lasting peace” in Ukraine.
British officials have held talks with around 20 countries interested in being part of the group, a UK official said on Thursday.
The official refused to name the nations but said they were “largely European and Commonwealth partners.”
Earlier this week, Albanese told journalists that Australia was “ready to assist” Ukraine.
“There’s discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping,” he said. “From my government’s perspective, we’re open to consideration of any proposals going forward.”
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UK says Australia ‘considering’ joining group to protect Ukraine peace
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UK says Australia ‘considering’ joining group to protect Ukraine peace
- European countries have been rushing to boost support for Ukraine
- Several European states have said they would be willing to deploy troops to Ukraine as a “security guarantee“
Former French minister Lang summoned over Epstein links, source says
- Pressure grows on ex-culture minister to quit Paris-based Arab World Institute
- Jack Lang’s correspondence with Epstein raises questions about their relationship
PARIS: Pressure rose on Friday on former French culture minister Jack Lang to resign as president of the Arab World Institute over his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after he was summoned to the foreign ministry to discuss the matter.
Lang said earlier this week he had been unaware of Epstein’s 2008 sex-offense conviction when they met in around 2012, describing the financier as an acquaintance interested in art and cinema introduced to him by US film-maker Woody Allen.
The 86-year-old former minister, head of the Arab World Institute since 2013, has not been accused of wrongdoing. Lang told BFMTV on Wednesday that Epstein was not a friend, that he knew little about the convicted sex offender, but had found him to be “passionate about art, culture and cinema.”
But files released by the US Department of Justice last week raise questions about Lang’s characterization of his relationship with Epstein.
They show Epstein and Lang corresponding intermittently between 2012 and the financier’s 2019 death by suicide in jail.
In an email sent by Lang to Epstein on April 7, 2017, nearly a decade after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, he thanked Epstein for a “splendid time” the previous day.
“Your friendship, the amazing pl=ne (sic)m and your extraordinary generosity really touched us,” Lang wrote.
Lang, who served multiple terms as culture and education minister between 1981 and 2002, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lang urged to ‘think about the institution’
A source close to President Emmanuel Macron said the presidency and prime minister’s office had asked relevant ministers to summon Lang and encourage him to “think about the institution.” The foreign ministry said a summons had been issued.
The Arab World Institute is a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world and is located in Paris on the banks of the Seine river.
Lang’s name appears over 600 times in the Epstein files, according to a Reuters review of the documents.
“I fear nothing, and I am clean as a whistle,” Lang told French radio RTL on Wednesday.
The files dump has heightened scrutiny of Epstein’s global connections with public figures, including Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles, and Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the United States.
On Monday, Lang’s daughter Caroline resigned as head of France’s Independent Production Union after her own links to Epstein surfaced.
Both father and daughter deny wrongdoing, with Caroline telling BFMTV on Thursday she only knew about Epstein’s 2008 conviction after he told her to look him up on Google in 2014.
Lang said earlier this week he had been unaware of Epstein’s 2008 sex-offense conviction when they met in around 2012, describing the financier as an acquaintance interested in art and cinema introduced to him by US film-maker Woody Allen.
The 86-year-old former minister, head of the Arab World Institute since 2013, has not been accused of wrongdoing. Lang told BFMTV on Wednesday that Epstein was not a friend, that he knew little about the convicted sex offender, but had found him to be “passionate about art, culture and cinema.”
But files released by the US Department of Justice last week raise questions about Lang’s characterization of his relationship with Epstein.
They show Epstein and Lang corresponding intermittently between 2012 and the financier’s 2019 death by suicide in jail.
In an email sent by Lang to Epstein on April 7, 2017, nearly a decade after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, he thanked Epstein for a “splendid time” the previous day.
“Your friendship, the amazing pl=ne (sic)m and your extraordinary generosity really touched us,” Lang wrote.
Lang, who served multiple terms as culture and education minister between 1981 and 2002, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lang urged to ‘think about the institution’
A source close to President Emmanuel Macron said the presidency and prime minister’s office had asked relevant ministers to summon Lang and encourage him to “think about the institution.” The foreign ministry said a summons had been issued.
The Arab World Institute is a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world and is located in Paris on the banks of the Seine river.
Lang’s name appears over 600 times in the Epstein files, according to a Reuters review of the documents.
“I fear nothing, and I am clean as a whistle,” Lang told French radio RTL on Wednesday.
The files dump has heightened scrutiny of Epstein’s global connections with public figures, including Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles, and Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the United States.
On Monday, Lang’s daughter Caroline resigned as head of France’s Independent Production Union after her own links to Epstein surfaced.
Both father and daughter deny wrongdoing, with Caroline telling BFMTV on Thursday she only knew about Epstein’s 2008 conviction after he told her to look him up on Google in 2014.
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