Diplomacy

The Catholic Church has a new leader. Robert Prevost was not discussed by the media before being announced as the new Pope on Friday. He will follow the Church’s mantra, that has served it well over two thousand years, to be as flexible as necessary and as rigid as possible Europe has fresh energy in the person of the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Despite the wobbly start in the German Parliament, Merz in the four days after his swearing-in met key European leaders, and laid the basis for his Chancellorship. Meanwhile, Donald Trump statements continue to hanker for the past. His call for the re-opening of the prison on Alcatraz is a case in point. Trump marks the end of the “American era”. The US will remain a rich and powerful country, but its global role will be much diminished.

Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” with Russia for at least 30 days starting on Monday, Ukrainian FM Andrii Sybiha said on Saturday.  His remarks came as the leaders of four major European countries visited Kyiv, amid a push for Moscow to agree to a truce and launch peace talks on ending the nearly three-year war. They followed what Sybiha said was a “constructive” phone call between them, U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Turkey's EU accession process remains frozen due to democratic backsliding, despite the Mediterranean country's strategic importance and cooperation on migration, the European Parliament has stated in a report approved by MEPS in Strasbourg. Turkey's EU accession process, which has been at a standstill since 2018, cannot be relaunched in the current circumstances, despite Ankara's geopolitical and strategic importance, the report says. MEPs in Strasbourg approved the report on Wednesday 7 April, with 367 votes in favour, 74 against and 188 abstentions.

Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square on Friday attended by President Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The parade and other ceremonies underline Moscow’s efforts to project its global power and cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the conflict in Ukraine that has dragged into a fourth year.

China and Azerbaijan have announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Beijing on 23 April. During the talks, President Xi said that both sides should continuously enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and strengthen international collaboration to open a new chapter of all-round cooperation. President Aliyev was in China for  a state visit between 22 and 24 April.

The Kremlin was forced Wednesday to say it was taking "all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of foreign leaders set to attend its flagship May 9 parade after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across the country, disrupting hundreds of flights. Moscow and Kyiv traded a barrage of drone attacks ahead of the parade, which has become a key event during Vladimir Putin's 25 years in power, as US talks pushing for an end to the conflict appeared to have stalled. Moscow will hold the Victory Day event on Red Square to mark 80 years of the defeat of Nazi Germany, an anniversary that comes more than three years into its Ukraine offensive.

In recent times, Central Asia’s most populous nation has become the centre of attention for great powers, underscored by high level diplomatic contacts with the United States, the hosting of a regional summit with the leadership of the European Union and a high profile visit by hundreds of Russian officials and executives who participated in a trade fair in Tashkent. Western interest centres on Uzbekistan’s abundant reserves of critical minerals and a desire to develop clean energy  sources, including nuclear power. Russia, along with China, has broader trade interests, including developing manufacturing capacity.

LINKS Europe has successfully completed the first phase of its project to develop the Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue as part of its commitment within the EU4Peace III programme, funded by the European Union. In this first phase, which lasted from September 2024 to April 2025, LINKS Europe conducted an assessment of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and mobilised the personnel necessary for delivering the project output. LINKS Europe Foundation is pleased to announce the names of the chairs/co-chairs of the five thematic groups within the initiative.  

A brawl broke out in Armenia’s National Assembly on 22 April after opposition lawmakers proposed new legislation to impose harsher penalties on those who deny or question the 1915 mass killing and deportation of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the then Ottoman Empire — and whether it should be recognised as genocide. The term, coined in the 1940s by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, was partly inspired by the Armenian experience. Armenia already has laws addressing genocide denial, but this new initiative specifically targets anyone and not just those seeking to incite “hatred, discrimination, or violence.” Punishment of up to five years imprisonment would also be increased though the proposed changes are unlikely to pass a parliamentary vote.