Diplomacy

Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky visited Istanbul over the weekend for talks with the Turkish president Recip Tayip Erdogan. Erdogan told the media after the talks that Turkey strongly defended Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” stressing, “We reaffirmed our principled stance of not recognizing the [Russian] annexation of Crimea.”

France and the European Union are preparing proposals that could result in a freeze of assets and a travel ban on Lebanese politicians, according to Reuters. The move aims to push politicians to agree on forming a government that addresses the multitude of challenges that have rocked Lebanon in the past few months.