KYIV: European leaders were set to meet in South Africa on Saturday to hash out alternatives to a US plan to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine seen as favoring Moscow, nearly four years after it invaded its neighbor.
The 28-point blueprint to end the Kremlin’s aggression sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Friday that his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.
The US plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out, while reducing the size of its army and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership. It contains many of Moscow’s long-standing demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv.
European countries see their own future at stake in Ukraine’s fight to beat back Russia, and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts. On Saturday, they prepared to meet on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a show of support to Kyiv.
Europeans warn against rushing a peace deal
“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but their actions never live up to their words,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters ahead of the G20 summit, days after a Russian strike on western Ukraine killed over two dozen civilians.
European leaders have long accused Russia of stalling diplomatic efforts in the hope of overwhelming Ukraine’s much smaller forces on the battlefield. Kyiv has repeatedly accepted US ceasefire proposals this year, while Moscow has held out for more favorable terms.
Starmer added that the Europeans want to work closely with Washington and Kyiv to secure “a just and lasting peace.”
Top European Union officials, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa, first announced the planned talks after their call with Zelensky on Friday.
Earlier that day, von der Leyen said a key principle for Kyiv’s European allies was “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also warned against rushing a peace agreement.
Speaking on Friday night on German television, Wadephul said lasting peace can only be achieved if Kyiv preserves its sovereignty, and if new security guarantees are in place “for Ukraine and all of us.”
Zelensky defiant as Ukraine remembers Soviet-era famine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a defiant note on Saturday as the country commemorated the “great famine” that Soviet leader Josef Stalin imposed on Ukraine in the early 1930s, which led to millions of deaths.
“We all know how and why millions of our people died, starved to death, and millions were never born. And we are once again defending ourselves against Russia, which has not changed and is once again bringing death,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram marking Holodomor Memorial Day.
“We defended, defend, and will always defend Ukraine. Because only here is our home. And in our home, Russia will definitely not be the master,” Zelensky added.
Drones hit Russian refinery
A nighttime Ukrainian drone strike hit a fuel refinery in southern Russia, killing two people and injuring two more, a local official said. The attack on the Samara region in the latest of Kyiv’s long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, which it says fuels the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev did not immediately name the site that was targeted or detail any damage. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Russian air defenses overnight shot down 69 Ukrainian drones over Russia and occupied Crimea, including 15 flying over the province of Samara, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow. The nighttime strikes forced at least five Russian airports to temporarily halt or restrict operations, and cut off power to some 3,000 households in the southern city of Rylsk, according to Russian officials.
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European leaders scramble to respond to a US peace plan for Ukraine seen as favoring Russia
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European leaders scramble to respond to a US peace plan for Ukraine seen as favoring Russia
- The US plan contains many of Moscow’s long-standing demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv
Georgia’s street dogs stir affection, fear, national debate
TBILISI: At a bus stop in central Tbilisi, two tagged dogs dozed on a bench as some commuters smiled at them and others cast angry glances.
In the streets of the Georgian capital, such scenes are part of daily life: community-fed “yard dogs,” yellow municipal tags on their ears, lounge outside bakeries, metro entrances and school gates.
The free-roaming canines stir both affection and fear. What to do with their swelling numbers — in the tens of thousands in Tbilisi alone — has become a nationwide dilemma.
Stray animals tied the top spot for public concerns in a poll by the National Democratic Institute, with 22 percent of respondents naming it the most pressing issue.
Many welcome the dogs as a symbol of Tbilisi, a showcase of Georgian hospitality and the warm street life that draws tourists to the capital.
“Street dogs in Georgia have made a more positive impact on tourism and the image of Georgia than people and culture alone,” said journalist Elena Nikoleisvili, 51, who helps street dogs.
“If anything, these adorable creatures should be the symbol of the capital — like the cats of Istanbul.”
On cafe terraces, regulars slip bones under tables as mongrels curl up between patrons’ feet, while each neighborhood and cul-de-sac has its own local canine mascot.
- ‘Drop in the ocean’ -
Others worry about safety.
“They bark and scare folks,” said plumber Oleg Berlovi, 43.
“Two weeks ago, a dog bit my kid and we needed shots. Animals are great, but they need looking after.”
According to the World Health Organization, dogs are the main vectors in human rabies cases globally.
Georgia still records a handful of human deaths from the disease each year and administers tens of thousands of post-exposure treatments, according to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
City officials say the answer is steady, humane population control.
“The state’s policy is to manage these animals by the most humane methods possible and to reduce to a minimum the number of stray dogs on the streets,” Nicoloz Aragveli, who heads Tbilisi city hall’s animal monitoring agency, told AFP.
A recent count put the capital’s stray dog population at about 29,000, and around 74 percent have been neutered, Aragveli said.
“We plan to do more so that we reach 100 percent,” he said.
The city runs weekly school lessons and a door-to-door registration drive to raise awareness and track owned pets.
Legislative changes have also tightened penalties for abandoning animals and for violating care and ownership rules — steps officials say will help halt the flow of pets to the streets.
But journalist Nikoleisvili said the authorities only responded after a public backlash, and “could do much more.”
The number of dogs that have been neutered in Tbilisi — around 50,000 over the last decade — is “a drop in the ocean,” she said.
- ‘Guilty party’ -
Volunteers, like theater director Zacharia Dolidze, who builds kennels, also play a big role in caring for the dogs.
“There are days I make 20 kennels. I’ve built about 2,500 in seven years,” the 40-year-old said.
He collects regular donations to help pay for materials.
Shelter operators say there are big gaps in addressing what they call one of Georgia’s biggest issues.
“You can make regulations, but if you cannot enforce them, that’s not going to help,” said Sara Anna Modzmanashvili Kemecsei, who runs a shelter that houses about 50 dogs.
In many regions, “there are absolutely no neutering campaigns.”
“I can’t really see that the government is on top of the issue, so there are lots of volunteers,” she said. “They are really good at managing these animals.”
Politics has also injected fresh uncertainty.
Last year, the government pushed a “foreign influence” law that complicates NGOs’ access to funding from foreign donors such as UK animal welfare charity Mayhew, which runs a program to vaccinate and neuter strays in Tbilisi.
Volunteers meanwhile continue to juggle feeding, sheltering and basic care.
Nino Adeishvili, 50, is a geologist and university lecturer who looks after around 10 dogs.
Her group organizes rabies shots and fundraises on Facebook for deworming, flea treatment and food.
“On the street, a dog is still unprotected,” she said.
“The guilty party is the human.”
In the streets of the Georgian capital, such scenes are part of daily life: community-fed “yard dogs,” yellow municipal tags on their ears, lounge outside bakeries, metro entrances and school gates.
The free-roaming canines stir both affection and fear. What to do with their swelling numbers — in the tens of thousands in Tbilisi alone — has become a nationwide dilemma.
Stray animals tied the top spot for public concerns in a poll by the National Democratic Institute, with 22 percent of respondents naming it the most pressing issue.
Many welcome the dogs as a symbol of Tbilisi, a showcase of Georgian hospitality and the warm street life that draws tourists to the capital.
“Street dogs in Georgia have made a more positive impact on tourism and the image of Georgia than people and culture alone,” said journalist Elena Nikoleisvili, 51, who helps street dogs.
“If anything, these adorable creatures should be the symbol of the capital — like the cats of Istanbul.”
On cafe terraces, regulars slip bones under tables as mongrels curl up between patrons’ feet, while each neighborhood and cul-de-sac has its own local canine mascot.
- ‘Drop in the ocean’ -
Others worry about safety.
“They bark and scare folks,” said plumber Oleg Berlovi, 43.
“Two weeks ago, a dog bit my kid and we needed shots. Animals are great, but they need looking after.”
According to the World Health Organization, dogs are the main vectors in human rabies cases globally.
Georgia still records a handful of human deaths from the disease each year and administers tens of thousands of post-exposure treatments, according to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
City officials say the answer is steady, humane population control.
“The state’s policy is to manage these animals by the most humane methods possible and to reduce to a minimum the number of stray dogs on the streets,” Nicoloz Aragveli, who heads Tbilisi city hall’s animal monitoring agency, told AFP.
A recent count put the capital’s stray dog population at about 29,000, and around 74 percent have been neutered, Aragveli said.
“We plan to do more so that we reach 100 percent,” he said.
The city runs weekly school lessons and a door-to-door registration drive to raise awareness and track owned pets.
Legislative changes have also tightened penalties for abandoning animals and for violating care and ownership rules — steps officials say will help halt the flow of pets to the streets.
But journalist Nikoleisvili said the authorities only responded after a public backlash, and “could do much more.”
The number of dogs that have been neutered in Tbilisi — around 50,000 over the last decade — is “a drop in the ocean,” she said.
- ‘Guilty party’ -
Volunteers, like theater director Zacharia Dolidze, who builds kennels, also play a big role in caring for the dogs.
“There are days I make 20 kennels. I’ve built about 2,500 in seven years,” the 40-year-old said.
He collects regular donations to help pay for materials.
Shelter operators say there are big gaps in addressing what they call one of Georgia’s biggest issues.
“You can make regulations, but if you cannot enforce them, that’s not going to help,” said Sara Anna Modzmanashvili Kemecsei, who runs a shelter that houses about 50 dogs.
In many regions, “there are absolutely no neutering campaigns.”
“I can’t really see that the government is on top of the issue, so there are lots of volunteers,” she said. “They are really good at managing these animals.”
Politics has also injected fresh uncertainty.
Last year, the government pushed a “foreign influence” law that complicates NGOs’ access to funding from foreign donors such as UK animal welfare charity Mayhew, which runs a program to vaccinate and neuter strays in Tbilisi.
Volunteers meanwhile continue to juggle feeding, sheltering and basic care.
Nino Adeishvili, 50, is a geologist and university lecturer who looks after around 10 dogs.
Her group organizes rabies shots and fundraises on Facebook for deworming, flea treatment and food.
“On the street, a dog is still unprotected,” she said.
“The guilty party is the human.”
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