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PARIS — Key Ukrainian allies are meeting in Paris to hammer out security guarantees for Kyiv and advance U.S.-brokered plans aimed at ending the war with Russia, with Washington’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner set to join the talks. The gathering, convened by France and the United Kingdom under the banner of the “Coalition of the Willing,” brings together representatives from 35 countries, including Ireland. The French presidency said the aim is to demonstrate alignment between Washington, Kyiv and European partners…

KYIV, Ukraine — Security advisers from Ukraine’s key allies met in Kyiv on Monday to push a U.S.-brokered plan to end the war with Russia, days after Ukrainian officials said a draft agreement was “90%” complete. Senior officials from Britain, France and Germany, as well as representatives of NATO and the European Union, joined the talks, the first in a planned series this month. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff participated virtually, a Ukrainian official said. A follow-up meeting of European leaders is expected in France…

ISTANBUL — Somalia and Türkiye moved to deepen their energy partnership with high-level talks in Istanbul on Monday, as the countries reviewed ongoing hydrocarbon exploration and mapped operational plans ahead of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s upcoming visit to Türkiye. Somali Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Dahir Shire Mohamed met with Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar to assess the status of joint exploration work in Somalia’s onshore and offshore basins and…

Tomahawks, Trump and the Perilous Calculus of Escalation In a development that could reshape the next phase of the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump is reported to be preparing to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a working lunch in Washington this week as discussions intensify over the possible provision of long‑range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv. The meeting, disclosed to reporters by multiple U.S. sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because plans have not been publicly announced,…

Somalia Courts German Investment as Mogadishu Seeks to Turn Stability Gains into Jobs On a sweltering Monday in Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre sat down with Germany’s ambassador, Sebastian Groth, for a conversation that was part pitch, part signal. Somalia, he said, has “vast investment potential” in fisheries, industry and livestock. Germany, Groth responded, is preparing to send senior officials to explore those opportunities on the ground. It wasn’t a flashy announcement—no ribbon cuttings, no signed…

Trump says European leaders will visit US as Kyiv reels from what Ukraine calls the largest air strike of the war WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told reporters he expects individual European leaders to travel to the United States “on Monday or Tuesday” to discuss resolving the Russia-Ukraine war — a claim that came as Ukrainian officials described a massive drone-and-missile barrage across large parts of the country and pleaded for a robust U.S. response. “Certain European leaders are coming over to our country on…

Strengthening Bonds: UAE and Somalia Forge Deeper Ties Amid Regional Shifts In a move resonating with diplomatic significance, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, to Mogadishu. The high-level meeting unfolded against the backdrop of shifting regional dynamics, underscoring the evolving socio-political landscape of the Horn of Africa. Deepening Diplomatic Relations The discussions took place at the heart of Somali leadership—the…

Next week, NATO and Ukraine will convene in Brussels to discuss Russia's recent launch of an experimental hypersonic missile, according to diplomatic sources. This assembly of the NATO-Ukraine Council is scheduled for Tuesday and will take place at the ambassadorial level. The meeting was initiated by Ukraine in response to the missile strike that struck the city of Dnipro, officials reported. A NATO spokeswoman stated, "The deployment of such a missile won't alter the conflict's trajectory or dissuade NATO allies from…

Somalia: CIA Director's Chat with President Hassan Sheikh — What's the Skinny? MOGADISHU, Somalia — CIA boss William Burns swung by East Africa for the first time, making a pit stop in Somalia. He sat down with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who’s kinda feeling the squeeze from upcoming tweaks to the constitution. Their powwow gave prime stage lighting to Somalia's security woes and the omnipresent threat of terrorism. Uncle Sam’s got a gig as a security buddy in this corner of the world, trying to lend a hand to a…

At the African Defense Ministers Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, military brass from across the continent gathered to chat about pivoting from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to the fresh African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). Mogadishu (AX) — On October 16, 2024, amidst explicit disapproval from Somalia, Ethiopia hosted a confab of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) involved in ATMIS. The hoopla took place during the African Defense Leaders Conference in Addis…