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Trump Warns Of ‘Severe Consequences’ If Putin Obstructs Ukraine Peace
U.S. President Donald Trump warned of “severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin obstructed peace in Ukraine, while adding that Wednesday’s meeting could be quickly followed by another involving Ukraine’s leader.
Trump did not specify what the consequences could be, but he has warned of economic sanctions if a meeting between himself and President Putin in Alaska on Friday proved fruitless.
The comments by Trump and the mood music after a virtual meeting of Trump, European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could provide some hope for Kyiv after fears the Alaska meet could sell out Ukraine and carve up its territory.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe’s demands strongly and previously said its stance had not changed since it was set out by Putin in June 2024.
‘Severe Consequences’
When asked if Russia would face any consequences if Putin does not agree to stop the war after Friday’s meeting, Trump responded: “Yes, they will.”
Asked if those consequences would be sanctions or tariffs, Trump told reporters: “I don’t have to say, there will be very severe consequences.”
But the president also described the aim of the meeting between the pair in Alaska as “setting the table” for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskyy.
“If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” he said.
“I would like to do it almost immediately, and we’ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they’d like to have me there.”
Trump did not provide a time frame for a second meeting.
Red Lines
European leaders and Zelenskyy had earlier spoken with Trump in a last-ditch call hosted by Germany to lay out red lines ahead of the Alaska meeting.
“We had a very good call. He was on the call. President Zelenskyy was on the call. I would rate it a 10, very friendly,” Trump said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump agreed that Ukraine must be involved in any discussions about ceding land, while Zelenskyy said Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a post-war settlement.
“President Trump was very clear that the United States wanted to achieve a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska,” Macron said.
“The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the virtual meeting, said the principle that borders could not be changed by force must continue to apply.
“If there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and we Europeans should … increase the pressure,” he said.
“President Trump knows this position, he shares it very extensively and therefore I can say: We have had a really exceptionally constructive and good conversation with each other.”
Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has previously said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Russia Makes Sharp Advance Into Ukraine
On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelenskyy flew into Berlin for virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Trump.
He and the Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for almost 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land, the last three in all-out war, and embolden Putin to expand further west in the future.
Russian forces have made a sharp thrust into eastern Ukraine in recent days in what may be an attempt to increase the pressure on Kyiv to give up land.
“I told the U.S. president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing (about his stated wish to end the war),” Zelenskyy said. “He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine …”
A source familiar with the matter said the call with Trump discussed possible cities that could host a three-way meeting, depending on the outcome of the talks in Alaska.
Wary of angering Trump, European leaders have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts, while stressing that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation.
‘Great Progress’
Trump’s agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the U.S. peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made “great progress” at talks in Moscow.
A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev earlier said Moscow’s stance had not changed since last year.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, the Kremlin leader had demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce its plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Nigeria Air Force Says Nearly 600 Killed In Eight Months Of Airstrikes
Nigeria’s military has killed 592 armed militia members in Borno State over the past eight months, following intensified airstrikes in the violence-plagued region, the air force said.
The results surpassed the operational gains recorded in 2024, Chief of Air Staff Hasan Abubakar said during a visit to Borno Governor Babagana Zulum on Tuesday.
Abubakar said the air force also destroyed more than 200 technical vehicles and 166 logistics hubs in a sweeping offensive against insurgents in the northeast.
Militants from Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have attacked security forces and civilians in Nigeria’s northeast, causing widespread displacement and thousands of deaths.
Militia gangs in Borno State have killed at least 2,000 people since 2023, according to Nigeria Watch, a database that monitors lethal conflicts and security in the country.
‘Faster, Sharper, More Surgical’
“This year, our air war is faster, sharper and more surgical,” Abubakar said. “We are taking out high-value targets, crippling logistics networks and dismantling cells that threaten peace in the northeast.”
Confidence MacHarry, Senior Analyst at research consultancy SBM Intelligence in Lagos, said it was hard to independently verify how effective the air campaign had been.
“However, the reality on the ground shows that the military’s claim of success pales in comparison to gains and successful attacks carried out by the leading Boko Haram factions in Borno since the renewed ISWAP offensive was launched late 2024,” he told Reuters.
Coordinated Air Attacks
Abubakar said the operation involved coordinated day-and-night air strikes across key locations in the state, including Gonori, Rann, Dikwa, Damboa, Azir and Mallam Fatori.
He said it was bolstered by A-29 Super Tucano aircraft capable of precision and night missions, Mi-171 helicopters for medical evacuation and logistics, and enhanced surveillance platforms for round-the-clock target tracking.
A newly acquired Mi-35 gunship is expected to further strengthen close-air support for ground forces, Abubakar said.
He said Nigerian Air Force aircraft flew 798 combat sorties and logged over 1,500 operational flight hours under Operation Hadin Kai, Nigeria’s military’s counterinsurgency operation in the northeast.
This week, the military said it killed scores of armed gang members in a joint air and ground operation in Zamfara, northwest Nigeria, after more than 400 of them were seen preparing to attack a village in the state.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Oslo Blames Russia For Dam Cyberattack
In a first official attribution, Norway on Wednesday confirmed that Russian hackers had briefly taken control of a dam earlier this year, according to the country’s counter-intelligence chief.
While in command of the dam in Bremanger, western Norway, on April 7, the hackers opened a flood gate and released 500 litres (132 gallons) of water per second for four hours before the attack was detected and stopped, authorities previously said.
No one was injured during the attack.
Norway produces most of its electricity via hydropower dams and intelligence authorities have previously warned of the risk of attacks on its energy infrastructure.
‘Change In Activity’
“Over the past year, we have seen a change in activity from pro-Russian cyber actors,” Beate Gangaas, head of Norway’s PST security police agency, said in a speech.
The incident at Bremanger was one such activity, Gangaas added.
“The aim of this type of operation is to influence and to cause fear and chaos among the general population,” she said.
“Our Russian neighbour has become more dangerous.”
The Russian embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
‘Staggeringly Reckless Campaign’
Last September, Britain’s spy chief accused Russia of waging a “staggeringly reckless campaign” of sabotage in Europe, partly to scare European countries from helping Ukraine. Moscow denies this is true.
After her speech, Gangaas told Reuters that she was going public with the attribution to warn the general population and to try to prevent Russia launching further attacks.
“I want Norwegians to be prepared,” she said in an interview.
NATO-member Norway shares a border with Russia in the Arctic. Like the other Nordic countries, it is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. It is also Europe’s largest supplier of gas, which is mostly transported via a network of pipelines under the North Sea.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Russia Repeats Demand For Full Ukrainian Pullout From Regions It Claims
On Wednesday, Moscow reiterated that its conditions for ending the war in Ukraine remain the same as those outlined by President Vladimir Putin last year: the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from regions claimed by Russia and the renunciation of Kyiv’s NATO membership goals.
Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are due to meet on Friday in Alaska, the first U.S.-Russian summit since 2021, to discuss efforts to end the war. Trump has said both sides will have to swap some of the land they currently hold to make this happen.
Russia currently controls 19% of Ukraine including all of Crimea, all of Luhansk, more than 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and slivers of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
After reports by some media that Washington understood Putin was ready to compromise on his territorial demands, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesperson, Alexei Fadeev, was asked by reporters if Russia’s position had changed or not.
“Russia’s position remains unchanged, and it was voiced in this very hall just over a year ago, on June 14, 2024,” Fadeev said, referring to a speech Putin delivered then at the foreign ministry.
Russia’s Conditions
At that time, in his fullest public remarks so far about the shape of a possible settlement, the Kremlin chief set out demands including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson that they still control.
Putin also said that Kyiv would have to officially notify Moscow that it was abandoning its plans to join the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, and that it intended to remain neutral and non-aligned.
In addition, Putin said that the rights and freedoms of Russian-speakers in Ukraine would have to be ensured, and the “realities” that Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson were now part of Russia.
Putin has said his conditions would also have to be reflected in international agreements. At the time of his 2024 speech, Ukraine rejected his demands as tantamount to an absurd ultimatum.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it will never recognise Russian occupation of its land, and most countries recognise Ukraine’s territory within its 1991 borders. Based on the current frontlines, Putin’s demand would entail Ukraine ceding an additional 21,000 sq km (8,100 sq miles) to Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia must agree to a ceasefire before territorial issues are discussed. He would reject any Russian proposal that Ukraine pull its troops from the eastern Donbas region and cede its defensive lines.
(With inputs from Reuters)
White House Warns Uncooperative Homeless Could Face Jail Under Trump Crackdown
The White House said on Tuesday that homeless individuals in Washington, D.C., may face jail if they refuse to comply with President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime and removal of homeless encampments from the U.S. capital.
“Homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental-health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Leavitt said the administration was exploring strategies to relocate homeless individuals “far from the capital.” She said U.S. Park Police have removed 70 homeless encampments from federal parks since March and are set to clear the remaining two encampments in the city later this week.
Andy Wassenich, director of policy at Miriam’s Kitchen – an organisation offering services to the homeless – said his team was out trying to warn people. He said there was still a lot of confusion about what the crackdown may bring.
Their best advice, he said, was: “Go to shelter if you can, if you can stand it. If you have anybody you can stay with, get off the street, and seek safety and let us know what we can do for you.”
Trump said on social media that he wanted the homeless out of Washington even before he announced the extraordinary step of temporarily taking over the District of Columbia’s police department and deploying 800 National Guard troops as part of a crackdown on crime there – an effort that also includes another 500 federal law enforcement agents.
A billionaire real estate developer, Trump described the homeless as one of several groups who have “overtaken” Washington that include “violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs.” He likened his intended crackdown to his administration’s actions to secure the U.S. border with Mexico.
Homelessness Reaches Record High
U.S. communities have long experienced seemingly intractable problems with homelessness, which reached an all-time national high of over 771,000 men, women and children on a single night in 2024, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest homelessness report to Congress.
The HUD report estimated Washington’s homeless population at 5,616, a 14.1% increase from the year before. That made Washington, a city of just over 700,000 people, the 16th out of the 20 U.S. cities with the largest homeless populations, according to the website USA Facts. The top five cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and Denver.
But the District of Columbia had the highest prevalence of homelessness among U.S. states, with 83 homeless individuals for every 10,000 people, HUD data showed.
Homeless people did not appear to be caught up in a Monday night sweep by 850 officers and federal agents, who the White House said made 23 arrests across the city, an operation which Leavitt announced at a press conference on Monday.
The District of Columbia operates under the Home Rule Act, which gives Congress ultimate authority but allows residents to elect a mayor and city council. Trump bypassed the city’s elected leaders by declaring a “public safety emergency” and invoking a section of the act that allows the president to take over the police force for 30 days under emergency conditions.
On Sunday night, a small group of federal agents arrived at Union Station – a gathering place for homeless people – and briefly questioned a person standing there, according to a man who was outside the building at the time. After about 15 minutes, the agents, who were from a variety of federal agencies, left with little fanfare.
Jacob Adams, a political activist with FLARE USA, a self-described anti-Trump group, was sitting at the organisation’s table set up near the fountain outside the station. He said the agents did nothing to disperse the people who had gathered there, and in fact told them they could stay overnight. “I don’t know if it was a show of force or photo ops. But it didn’t come off as very forceful,” Adams said.
Wassenich said on Tuesday that so far, there was little evidence of the unhoused population being directly affected by the surge in law enforcement.
“If they are caught up in other things, that’s certainly possible,” he said. “The tents are still standing. The people are still sleeping on whatever bench they might be on.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Urges Ukraine To Take Part In Territorial Talks With Russia: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump believes Ukraine must be included in discussions over territory in any truce agreement with Russia, indicating that Kyiv and its European allies had succeeded in conveying their position ahead of a major summit.
The comments were among the first indications of what came out of talks between Trump, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, intended to influence Trump as he prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Trump’s insistence on involving Ukraine, if confirmed, could bring a measure of relief to Ukraine and its allies, who have feared that Trump and Putin could reach a deal that sells out Europe’s and Ukraine’s security interests and proposes to carve up Ukrainian territory.
Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelenskyy flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Trump.
Russia Could Have A Fifth Of Ukraine
The Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for almost 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, and embolden Putin to expand further west into the future.
“The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president,” Macron said.
“There are currently no serious territorial exchange schemes on the table.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump would prioritise reaching a ceasefire on Friday, adding that there was no question of legally recognising Russia’s territorial holdings.
Zelenskyy said there should be a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Trump.
Merz said Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but “legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate”.
“If the United States of America now works towards a peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavour,” Merz said at a joint press conference with Zelenskyy.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Myanmar’s Military Chief Urges Tighter Security Ahead Of ‘Sham’ Election
Myanmar’s military chief has urged heightened security for political party members and candidates as the interim government moves ahead with the December–January elections, which the West has dismissed as a sham.
Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the war-torn country’s acting president, asked authorities to take measures for protecting politicians and voters, while warning of a rise in attacks on civil servants in the run-up to the polls, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on Wednesday.
“The Senior General highlighted that the election must be held without fail,” the state-run publication said, referring to comments made by Min Aung Hlaing at the first meeting of a new commission formed to hold the polls.
With opposition groups either barred from running or refusing to take part, the planned election has been dismissed by Western governments as a move to entrench the generals’ power and is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military.
Military-backed authorities last year held a nationwide census in an effort to create voter rolls, but were only able to conduct on-ground surveys in 145 out of Myanmar’s 330 townships.
Power Handover
Myanmar’s military this month nominally transferred power to a civilian-led interim administration to conduct the election, four years after Min Aung Hlaing led a coup that unseated the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The takeover triggered widespread protests and eventually sparked a civil war, where an array of established ethnic armies and newly-formed armed groups are battling the well-armed military on multiple frontlines.
In Tuesday’s meeting in the capital Naypyitaw, officials reviewed military operations in preparation for the polls and reinforced security through the formation of “people’s security” groups, the newspaper said.
A military-led council last month also introduced new electoral laws aimed at improving security, containing punishments ranging from a minimum of three years in prison to the death penalty.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Zelenskyy And European Leaders Urge Trump Against Ukraine Deal With Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders made a final push on Wednesday to convince U.S. President Donald Trump not to agree to a Ukraine peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning it could undermine Kyiv’s interests.
Trump and Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday for talks on how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has said both sides will have to swap territory to end the fighting, which has cost tens of thousands of lives.
In a day of intense diplomacy, Zelenskyy flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and Trump. The Europeans are worried that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine and embolden Putin to expand further west in the future.
Since announcing the Alaska summit, Trump has played down expectations for the talks, saying it would be a “feel-out” meeting as he seeks to end Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
In a first video conference on Wednesday, Zelenskyy and his host, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, met the leaders of Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss their pitch to Trump and try and shape the outcome of Friday’s summit.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance later joined the conversation, according to a source familiar with the situation.
“Will be speaking to European Leaders in a short while. They are great people who want to see a deal done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Alaska Deal
The unpredictability of the summit in Alaska has fuelled Europeans’ fears that the U.S. and Russia could take far-reaching decisions over their heads and even seek to coerce Ukraine into an unfavourable deal.
“We are focusing now to ensure that it does not happen – engaging with U.S. partners and staying coordinated and united on the European side,” said one senior official from Eastern Europe.
Wary of angering Trump, European leaders have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts while stressing that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation.
Trump’s administration tempered expectations on Tuesday, telling reporters the summit would be a “listening exercise” for him to hear what it would take to get to a deal.
Trump’s agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the U.S. peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made “great progress” at talks in Moscow.
Half a dozen senior European officials said that they see a risk of a deal being struck that is unfavourable for Europe and Ukraine’s security. They said European unity would be vital if that happened.
After the meeting with Trump, the “coalition of the willing”, a group of countries working on plans to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, will also convene online.
Battlefield Pressure Mounts On Ukraine
A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions.
Ahead of the calls, Zelenskyy said it would be impossible for Kyiv to agree to a deal that would require it to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, a large swathe of which is already occupied by Russia.
That, he told reporters on Tuesday, would deprive Ukraine of a vast defensive network in the region, easing the way for a Russian push deeper into Ukraine in the future.
He said territorial issues could only be discussed once a ceasefire was in place and Ukraine had received security guarantees.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev said Moscow’s stance had not changed since it was set out by Putin in June 2024.
As preconditions for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations, the Kremlin leader had demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce its plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
(With inputs from Reuters)
South Korea: Ex-First Lady Begins Jail Term
South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon Hee begins her first day in jail on Wednesday, sharing conditions similar to those of her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, as prosecutors deepen their criminal investigation into the once high-profile couple.
Kim was formally booked into the Seoul Nambu Detention Center on the western edge of the capital, a comparatively new correctional facility that opened in 2011 and one of the few run by a female warden.
Minor Adjustment
She will be treated in the same way as other inmates but will receive minor adjustments in her daily routine given her status as a high-profile figure, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Kim was imprisoned after a court approved a warrant for her arrest late on Tuesday on the grounds that she might destroy evidence amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of bribery, stock fraud and influence peddling.
Kim’s lawyers have denied the accusations against her and dismissed as groundless speculation news reports about some of the gifts she allegedly received in return for favours.
Kim apologised for causing concern in the country and called herself “a nobody” as she appeared for questioning last week.
New Experience
Her solitary cell has a small table that can be used as a desk and for eating meals and a floor mattress to sleep on, said the source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Kim will have separate access to a common shower room and be allowed to exercise outdoors for an hour every day except on Sundays, the time staggered to avoid overlap with other inmates, the source said.
Prison will be an entirely new experience for Kim, unlike for her husband who has already spent about 100 days in jail.
Yoon is on trial over his botched attempt to impose martial law, on charges of insurrection, an accusation he denies. He has been imprisoned at the Seoul Detention Center, which despite its name is outside the capital to the south.
‘Political Mind’
The former first couple had lived in a spacious apartment in an upscale district of Seoul before Yoon’s election as president in May 2022 and had returned there after his ouster for the martial law decree that resulted in a political disaster for him, his party and now for his wife.
Kim is a wealthy businesswoman in her own right and most of the couple’s assets, including the apartment, belong to her, according to a government database.
Now, Kim will receive the same food as the average inmate, usually traditional Korean fare prepared at a cost of about 1,500 won ($1.08) per meal. On Wednesday, toast with strawberry jam, sausages and salad were on the menu for breakfast.
Kim had not eaten since late Tuesday and was not in good health, one of her lawyers told Reuters. It was unclear whether she would appear for questioning by prosecutors on Thursday, the lawyer said.
A fine art expert who founded and ran a successful curation agency, Kim has been embroiled in a number of scandals before and after her husband’s election in 2022, with the controversies at times overshadowing Yoon’s turbulent presidency.
Her fashion choices and policy lobbying in areas like promoting a ban on eating dog meat made her controversial in a country where a first lady has typically kept a low profile.
Han Dong-soo, a former judge and a prosecutor who worked with Yoon, said Kim had “a politically strategic mind” and was a driving force behind her husband’s ascent to top office.
After she married Yoon when he was 52, Kim became the main influence of practically all of his thinking and decisions, Han said. Kim was 39 when they wed.
“Kim Keon Hee chose him,” said Han. “And she gave him the strategy and energy to be president”
($1 = 1,382.8000 won)
(With inputs from Reuters)
New Zealand PM Says Netanyahu Has ‘Lost The Plot’ Amid Palestinian State Debate
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Wednesday said Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot” as Wellington considers whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
Luxon told reporters that the lack of humanitarian assistance, the forceful displacement of people and the annexation of Gaza were utterly appalling and that Netanyahu had gone way too far.
“I think he has lost the plot,” added Luxon, who heads the centre-right coalition government. “What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable.”
Luxon said earlier this week that New Zealand was considering whether to recognise a Palestinian state. Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would do so at a U.N. conference in September.
Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached “unimaginable levels”, Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies.
Ahead of Wednesday’s parliamentary session, a small number of protesters gathered outside the country’s parliament buildings, beating pots and pans. Local media organisation Stuff reported protesters chanted “MPs grow a spine, recognise Palestine.”
On Tuesday, Greens parliamentarian Chloe Swarbrick was removed from parliament’s debating chamber after she refused to apologise for a comment insinuating government politicians were spineless for not supporting a bill to “sanction Israel for its war crimes.”
Swarbrick was ordered to leave the debating chamber for a second day on Wednesday after she again refused to apologise. When she refused to leave, the government voted to suspend her.
“Sixty-eight members of this House were accused of being spineless,” House Speaker Gerry Brownlee said. “There has never been a time when personal insults like that delivered inside a speech were accepted by this House, and I’m not going to start accepting it.”
As Swarbrick left, she called out, “free Palestine.”
(With inputs from Reuters)