Israel conducts first strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since truce

Israel on Friday carried out its first major airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in months, retaliating for an earlier rocket launch from Lebanon in the most serious test of a shaky ceasefire deal agreed in November.

The strike targeted a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh, that Israel said was a drone storage facility belonging to the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militant group.

The ceasefire has looked increasingly flimsy in recent weeks. Israel delayed a promised troop withdrawal in January and said last week it had intercepted rockets fired on March 22, which led it to bombard targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the rocket firing.

Israel is also renewing its military campaign in Gaza after the collapse of a January ceasefire with Hamas - a resumption of major warfare that has set the wider region back on edge.

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The south Beirut airstrike was heard across the Lebanese capital and produced a large column of black smoke. It followed an evacuation order by Israel's military for the neighbourhood, and three smaller targeted drone strikes on the building intended as warning shots, security sources told Reuters.

The evacuation directive sent residents of the area into a panic. They rushed to escape on foot as traffic clogged the streets out of the area, Reuters reporters in the area said.

Beirut's southern suburbs were pounded last year by Israeli airstrikes that killed many of Hezbollah's top leaders, including its powerful long-time chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a September air attack.

In south Lebanon, smoke rose from Israeli artillery strikes against targets in the hills just across the border.

The truce in November halted the fighting and mandated that southern Lebanon be free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, that Lebanese troops deploy to the area and that Israeli ground troops withdraw from the zone. But each side accuses the other of not entirely living up to those terms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Israel would continue to attack anywhere in Lebanon to counter threats and enforce the ceasefire accord.

"Whoever has not yet internalised the new situation in Lebanon, has (today) received an additional reminder of our determination," he said. "We will not allow firing at our communities, not even a trickle."

No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. The Lebanese army said it was able to locate the launch site of Friday's rocket attacks and had begun an investigation to identify those responsible.

CRITICISM

Israeli ministers have vowed to ensure that the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes in border areas when Hezbollah began bombarding the area in 2023 would be able to return safely.

But with more Israeli military units deployed around Gaza, where 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday, according to local health authorities, it remained unclear whether Israel was prepared for any wider intervention.

Hezbollah denied any role in the rocket fire on March 22 and on Friday. President Joseph Aoun said a Lebanese investigation into last week's attack did not point to Hezbollah and called Friday's strike on Beirut unjustified.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose government helped mediate the ceasefire in November, criticised Israel for what he called "unacceptable strikes on Beirut" that he said did not respect the ceasefire and played into Hezbollah's hands.

"The Israeli army must withdraw as quickly as possible from the five positions it continues to occupy in Lebanese territory," he said, adding he would speak with both Israeli and U.S. leaders.

Israel's statement confirming its air raid on Dahiyeh said that the Friday morning rocket fire amounted to "a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of Israel."

It added that the Lebanese state bears responsibility for upholding the agreement.

Israel has vowed a strong response to any threats to its security, stirring fears that last year's conflict - which displaced more than 1.3 million people in Lebanon and destroyed much of the country's south - could resume.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the firing across the southern border on Friday was "deeply concerning."

"Any exchange of fire is one too many. A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at all costs," she said in a written statement.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia will ‘finish off’ Kiev’s forces – Putin

President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russian forces are gaining momentum across the entire line of contact and could soon “finish off” Ukraine’s military, while commenting on attempts by Kiev’s European backers to derail a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.

The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, which is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Putin reiterated that Moscow has always sought to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means but was met with deception and obstruction from the West – first with the failed Minsk Agreements and then during the 2022 Istanbul peace talks.

“Their European handlers… convinced the Ukrainian leadership that they had to continue armed resistance, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,”he said.

Putin accused Western leaders – specifically former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – of underestimating Russia’s resolve, and warned that the country’s military capabilities should not be taken lightly.

“He must have forgotten that there are people like you – and weapons like your submarine,”Putin told the naval crew. “Apparently, he forgot, or maybe they simply do not understand what the Russian people are made of.”

The Russian president said the conflict is reaching a turning point and expressed confidence in the outcome, noting that “across the entire line of combat engagement, our troops hold the strategic initiative.”

Not long ago I said, ‘We’ll squeeze them.’ Now there’s reason to believe we’ll finish them off. Then, I think a moment of realization must come to the Ukrainian people themselves.

Despite his hardline tone, Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to peace negotiations – as long as the core causes of the conflict are addressed.

“We are in favor of resolving these issues by peaceful means… But the root causes must be eliminated. We must ensure Russia’s security for the long historical perspective,” he said.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks, but insists that a true settlement of the conflict requires a permanent and legally-binding solution. Moscow opposes any NATO presence on Ukrainian soil and has demanded that Kiev demilitarize, denazify, adhere to a position of neutrality, and recognize the territorial “realities on the ground.”

On March 18, the Russian military was ordered to refrain from attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure under a deal agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

However, the Russian Ministry of Defense has since reported multiple Ukrainian violations, which it described as attempts to undermine Trump’s mediation efforts.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Months after first incursion, Ukrainian troops fighting in second Russian region

Just as Ukrainian forces are losing their grip on the pocket of Russia's Kursk region they captured last year, they have staged a little-publicised incursion into the adjacent Belgorod region, according to Russian military bloggers.

Several Russian military correspondents said on Friday that Ukrainian troops were inside Belgorod and fighting battles with Russian forces there.

Neither Kyiv nor Moscow has confirmed the reports, though Russia's Defence Ministry said 10 days ago its forces had thwarted five Ukrainian attempts to push across the border in Belgorod.

Ukraine's military has not commented on any thrust into Belgorod region, though that could be for operational security reasons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressing reporters in Kyiv, said Ukrainian forces had taken "certain steps" in Russia outside the Kursk region to ease pressure on Ukrainian troops in the area.

Zelenskiy said the action was intended to "reduce the accumulation" of Russian troops and had occurred "a little below the Kursk region." He did not elaborate.

Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Defence and Security Council, suggested in a March 18 statement that Ukrainian forces could act in the Belgorod region, "neutralising threats" from Russian forces that might mass near the border.

Rybar, a Russian military blog with 1.3 million subscribers, said there had been heavy clashes in a settlement called Popovka and each side was hitting the other with drones. Another Telegram account, Two Majors, said Russian forces were conducting "defensive operations."

"There are constant strikes on concentrations of Ukrainian Armed Forces, but the enemy still has serious offensive potential for this direction and has not abandoned plans for further breakthroughs, including in new areas of the front," it said.

A third military blog, Arkhangel Spetsnaza, reported fighting in a village called Demidovka and said some Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded there.

Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts.

The Ukrainian operation may be an attempt to distract Russian forces as they try to drive out the last Ukrainian forces from neighbouring Kursk. One of the Russian blogs, Rybar, said Russia had moved reinforcements to Belgorod from Goptarovka in the Kursk region.

Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst with the Finnish-based Black Bird Group, said Ukrainian forces had penetrated the first Russian defences and advanced most likely to a depth of three to four km (1.9 to 2.5 miles).

But he said it was unlikely they could stage a serious breakthrough and threaten any important Russian logistical routes or cities.

"The Ukrainians can, in theory, take some more villages from the border area, but that's not what a breakthrough means - it'd be a small tactical success, but there's very little to be achieved in the Demidovka direction at operational or strategic level," he told Reuters.

"There's no proper element of surprise, and the Russian presence in the area is strong enough to at least conduct mostly successful defensive operations."

In Kursk, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday its forces had recaptured the village of Gogolevka, one of only a handful of settlements still held by Ukraine out of around 100 that it seized last August.

Ukraine's General Staff said its military had stopped 18 Russian assaults in Kursk region over the past day.

Open source mapping from Deep State, an authoritative Ukrainian military blogging resource, showed Russian forces in control of some but not all of Gogolevka, and indicated Kyiv's troops still controlled just under 80 sq km (31 sq miles) of Kursk.

President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk this month in a sign of increasing confidence that Russia will shortly win it back, depriving Ukraine of a bargaining chip in future peace talks.

RT/Reuters

Of all the bizarre dynamics at play in the third season of “The White Lotus” — kissing brothers, potentially murderous May-December romances, a rogue gun — the one I’ve found most captivating is the girls’ trip. Three childhood best friends who take pride in the longevity of their relationship quickly find out they might not have much in common anymore. 

Perhaps the reason this storyline monopolizes my attention is because it’s all too familiar. Group trips are notoriously effective at straining relationships. Even my deepest, most candid friendships probably couldn’t survive a week abroad. 

To find out why this is such a universal experience, and how to avoid it, I talked to therapists and travel experts. 

Many of the guardrails that everyday life provides disappear when you travel, therapist Eman Almusawi told me. Routines help us manage our emotions and, as a result, protect our relationships.

“Friendships rely on a balance of closeness and personal space,” Almusawi says. “When that balance is thrown off, especially on vacation, people might respond in ways that catch us off guard.” 

The easiest way to ensure your trip doesn’t end with broken bonds is to do some vetting beforehand, travel experts say.

Be sure that discussions about money go deeper than the overall cost of your trip, notes Elaine Glusac, author of The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler column. “Talk about how you’d like to allocate the budget across variables like dining and entertainment,” she says.

Have honest conversations about how much time each of you is comfortable spending alone. “You can agree to do things at a different rate and meet up later for a meal, but you should both be content on your own, which you should hash out prior,” Glusac says.

And, of course, be sure your interests align. You don’t want to be in the position of convincing someone that a museum is worth their time or money. And you don’t want to be dragged out to a historical site you have no interest in seeing.

I’m not sure taking these precautions will guarantee a frictionless trip, but they will hopefully result in one that is more harmonious than what’s playing out in “The White Lotus.”

CNBC

A 23-year-old Kazakh man recently became the first person in his country to use ChatGPT to successfully challenge a traffic violation ticket in a court of law.

In December of 2024, Kenzhebek Ismailov was driving his mother to the hospital in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, when the car in front of them stopped for no apparent reason and blocked the entire lane, which happened to be the only car lane on that particular street. The only solutions he could think of were to bypass the stalled car through the bus lane on the right, or simply wait behind the car and hold up the entire lane. He chose the first option, but his maneuver was picked up by surveillance cameras, and he soon received a ticket in the mail. The young motorist tried contesting the ticket and explaining the situation, but his complaint was rejected, so his only other course of action was to go to court. And that’s where the world’s favorite AI model, ChatGPT, comes into play.

Unfamiliar with the subtleties of court and unwilling to spend money on a lawyer to contest a 5,800 tenge ($11) traffic fine, Ismailov turned to ChatGPT for legal assistance. After typing his situation into ChatGPT and mentioning that there was video evidence of his maneuver on the national traffic authority website, the AI tool advised him to challenge the ticket in a court of law and even redacted the paperwork needed to file his case.

Detailing his experience on X (Twitter), Kenzhebek Ismailov said that traffic authority personnel were initially very rude, rejecting his complaint outright and claiming that his decision to pay the fine was essentially an addition of guilt. However, as in many other countries, paying a fine in a certain period of time carries a 50% discount, so even if one plans to contest the fine in court, if they lose, they end up paying only half.

Things changed after Ismailov filed his case in court, and he was contacted by the traffic authority to settle the case by simply deleting the fine from their database and returning the money to him. However, ChatGPT advised him against dropping the lawsuit, so he went to court instead. During a 10-minute hearing where he was asked multiple questions by a judge, the 23-year-old used the speech synthesis function to have ChatGPT answer instead. It did so well that the judge had no choice but to cancel the fine.

“This is probably the first trial in Kazakhstan that was 99% conducted with the help of ChatGPT,” Ismailov said. “During the hearing, I turned on the speech synthesis, and it immediately prompted me how to respond.”

Now, the young motorist, who claims to have only challenged the traffic violation out of principle, because he knew he was right, now plans to use ChatGPT to file a civil lawsuit against the police, demanding compensation for the time he wasted contesting the fine.

Oddity Central

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) is in the "final" stages of preparing for its initial public offering (IPO), company officials confirmed on Thursday. The state-owned oil company is moving forward with plans to list its shares on the stock market, in compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

Olugbenga Oluwaniyi, the Chief Finance and Investor Relations Officer (CFIO), revealed that NNPC is currently conducting an "IPO Beauty Parade" to engage with prospective partners. The company is seeking investor relations executives, IPO readiness advisers, and investment bank partners, with the best offers to be selected for each category.

The IPO represents a significant milestone for NNPC, which transformed from a state-run entity to a commercially oriented, profit-driven company in July 2022. This transition was a key provision of the Petroleum Industry Act, officially changing NNPC from a corporation to a limited liability company with government bodies remaining as shareholders.

Originally, the oil industry law required NNPC to list its shares within six months of the law's passage in 2021. However, the company has taken additional time to prepare for the public offering. In February 2023, NNPC completed its legal transition by officially taking over its assets after 46 years of operations as a corporation.

The company now operates independently of state funds and must raise financing on its own. NNPC currently holds joint ventures with major oil companies that produce more than half of Nigeria's oil output. The upcoming IPO will be conducted in line with capital market regulations and the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 1990.

While an exact timeline for the IPO remains unspecified, the company's officials indicate they are in the final preparatory stages. The public offering will allow investors to purchase shares in what was previously a fully state-owned enterprise, marking a significant shift in Nigeria's oil industry governance.

The Federal Government of Nigeria raised N1.94 trillion from bond investors in the first quarter of 2025, according to an analysis of Debt Management Office (DMO) auction results. This amount was significantly lower than the N2.52 trillion raised in the same period last year, reflecting a more measured borrowing approach.

The government initially planned to offer N1.10 trillion in bonds but ultimately allotted N1.94 trillion due to strong investor demand. Total subscriptions reached N2.83 trillion, with more than 70 percent of bids accepted.

Monthly Breakdown:

- January 2025: Offered N450 billion, with bids totaling N669.94 billion

- February 2025: Offered N350 billion, with demand surging to N1.63 trillion

- March 2025: Offered N300 billion, with subscriptions of N530.31 billion

The bond auctions revealed notable market trends. Marginal rates showed significant fluctuation, starting at 21.79 to 22.60 percent in January — a sharp increase from the 15.00 to 16.50 percent range in January 2024. By March, rates had moderated to between 19.00 and 19.99 percent.

Institutional investors demonstrated a strong preference for 7-year and 10-year bonds, typically favored by pension funds and insurance companies due to their long-term liability matching.

The DMO's 2025 strategy marked a shift towards a more targeted approach. Instead of offering multiple bond instruments, the government focused on deepening liquidity in existing bonds and maintaining key benchmark instruments across different tenors.

This conservative borrowing strategy comes amid high interest rates, with the government carefully managing its domestic debt profile. The reduced offer volume and more selective allotment approach suggest a deliberate effort to balance market demand with fiscal prudence.

The bond auctions, which target institutional and high-net-worth investors, do not include the government's separate savings bond programme for retail investors.

Suspected Islamist fighters launched a coordinated attack on an army base and a military outpost in Borno State, killing at least 16 people, security sources told Reuters.

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province militants have mainly operated in the northeast of Nigeria, attacking security forces and civilians and killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.

In the latest assault, Boko Haram insurgents and ISWAP fighters struck an army base in the Wajiroko area of Borno State at about 2100 GMT on Monday and set military equipment on fire, the sources said.

One of the soldiers in the Wajiroko brigade said at least four soldiers had been killed and several others injured, including the brigade commander.

Armed fighters in light tactical vehicles also stormed an outpost in Wulgo, a village about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the Cameroonian border town of Fotokol, killing 12 soldiers and injuring a dozen others, Cameroon's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

A military source who asked not to be named told Reuters the raid that targeted soldiers who are fighting the insurgency as part of a multinational task force took place between midnight and 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The source added the militants were suspected to have initially launched their attack using drones before advancing with a ground assault. "They looted an important stockpile of weapons," the source said.

Videos shared on social media showed bloodied bodies lying on the ground after the attack, charred patrol vehicles and damaged buildings. Reuters could not independently verify those videos.

A Nigerian army spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. Cameroon army spokesperson Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo confirmed the attack but said the casualty figures were still unclear.

Makinta Modu, a member of a local militia recruited to help the Nigerian army, said in the Wajiroko attack militants overran an army "forward operation base".

"Around 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT) air force fighter jets came for reinforcement ... and killed many of the ISWAP fighters that captured the military base," Modu said. It was not clear whether the army had regained control over the base.

Although weakened by military assaults and internal fighting over the years, Boko Haram and ISWAP have stepped up attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno this year.

An Islamist insurgency has plagued the northeast of Africa's most populous country for more than a decade, while kidnapping and banditry are rampant in the northwest and gang and separatist violence is common in the southeast.

Reuters

Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, says Hamas media

Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said early on Thursday, the latest group figure to be killed since Israel resumed its operations in the enclave.

Qanoua was killed when his tent was targeted in Jabalia, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television said. The same strike wounded several people, while separate attacks killed at least six in Gaza City and one in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, medical sources said.

Later on Thursday, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that it killed Qanoua, saying that "he served as one of Hamas' key inciters."

Earlier this week, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas' political office, and Salah al-Bardaweel, another senior leader.

Both Bardaweel and Barhoum were members of the 20-member Hamas decision-making body, the political office, 11 of whom have been killed since the start of the war in late 2023, according to Hamas sources.

Last week, Israel ended a two-month-old ceasefire by resuming bombing and ground operations, increasing pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages in its captivity.

At least 855 people have been killed since Israel resumed major military strikes in Gaza on March 18, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Palestinian health authorities said that at least 30 people have been killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday.

Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the truce. It had broadly held since January and offered respite from war for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble.

Hamas, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023 attack, accused Israel of jeopardising efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension. He repeated threats on Wednesday to seize territory in Gaza if Hamas failed to release the remaining hostages it still holds.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin proposes the UN to temporary govern Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested discussing the establishment of temporary governance in Ukraine, under the guidance of the UN and several countries. The aim would be to conduct elections in the country since Vladimir Zelensky’s presidential term officially expired in May 2024. 

Moscow sees no clear way to sign any agreements with Kiev since “other leaders might come tomorrow,” Putin explained on Thursday night while addressing the sailors of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine.

“In such cases, international practice follows a well-known path within the framework of the United Nations peacekeeping activities; several instances have already demonstrated what is referred to as external management or temporary administration”, he suggested.

External powers should facilitate elections in Ukraine to “establish a capable government that has the trust of the people”, Putin stressed. After that, the new Ukrainian government could begin negotiations with Moscow and sign a peace agreement “that would be recognized around the world and will be reliable and stable.”

However, Putin also stressed that temporary governance is only one possible option. “In general, we support resolving conflicts peacefully, including this one, but not at our expense”, he concluded.

The US recently brokered a limited ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, placing a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s Zelensky has publicly supported the 30-day partial ceasefire, which is supposed to involve reciprocal suspension of attacks by Kiev’s forces.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, however, has reported multiple Ukrainian violations of the agreement, which it described as aimed at undermining US President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts between Moscow and Kiev.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Moscow will honor its obligations despite Ukrainian actions, since the agreement represents positive diplomatic engagement with the Trump administration.

Earlier this week, US officials met separately with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. Following the talks, Moscow said it was willing to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an arrangement that was originally mediated by the UN and Türkiye and expired in 2023.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Europeans back strong Ukraine army, differ on future 'reassurance force'

European leaders vowed on Thursday to strengthen Kyiv's army to ensure it was the cornerstone of future security in Ukraine, while France and Britain tried to expand support for a planned foreign "reassurance force" in the event of a truce with Russia.

It was the third summit of what Britain and France have called the "coalition of the willing", reflecting concern among Europeans that the U.S. no longer represents a bulwark of support for Ukraine's three-year-old fight against Russian invasion.

Progress on what role Europe might play in providing peacetime security guarantees is proving difficult with the prospect of a ceasefire distant and much dependent on how Russia responds and to what extent the U.S. would support its allies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said building up Ukraine's armed forces through additional funding was an important part of the conversation.

A Franco-British military delegation will soon head to Ukraine to consider how its army could take shape in the long term. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters a Ukrainian army of between 500,000 and 1 million would be a first line of defence in the event of a peace deal.

Zelenskiy told reporters he had been encouraged by the promises for now and after the war.

"It’s obvious that the strength and size of the Ukrainian army will always be a key guarantee of our security. So we need to build everything around that – our defence forces, their equipment, their technology, their effectiveness – this is the foundation," he said after more than four hours of talks with some 30 leaders.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who co-hosted with French President Emmanuel Macron, said leaders had agreed Ukraine needed more support to be in the strongest possible position for any peace process, without elaborating.

Beyond France committing some 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in new aid, including warplanes and missiles, there were no specific announcements.

Europe is under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to assume much more of its own security burden, but the continent's anaemic growth and high levels of debt have complicated the task.

FRANCE AND BRITAIN TRY TO MARSHAL EUROPEAN FORCE

Paris and London have already been working for weeks with allies on plans for a future land, air and sea "reassurance force", which could include troops based in Ukraine, to deter Russia from future aggression once there is a peace deal.

But diplomats say sending such a force to Ukraine itself is not the likeliest outcome, although bolstering NATO forces in neighbouring countries could be an option.

Even so, Macron was adamant the force would eventually come together and said Europe should prepare to go ahead even if U.S. support was lacking.

He said a number of countries had agreed to pursue the idea of sending troops, some could contribute air and maritime assets, and others remained opposed.

"It was not unanimous today, as we all know - and we don't need unanimity," Macron told a news conference.

He said one task for the British and French military delegations was to better understand Ukraine's needs, including where reassurance forces should be deployed.

"There are many questions about the modality of this contingent," Zelenskiy said. "So far, there are few answers."

Governments have said any European force would need its own U.S. security guarantees as a backstop, but there has so far been no sign that the Trump administration would provide those.

The United States did not attend the meeting but Macron said he would share the results with Trump.

"We need to accelerate our ability to finance, deliver weapons and prepare the outline of the Ukrainian army and the outline of the reassurance force," Macron said.

Some European allies have baulked at the prospect of sending troops without U.S. guarantees and an international mandate. They worry about the cost, about shortages of manpower and equipment, and about the prospect of ending up fighting Russia.

"The debate on sending troops from concrete countries is premature," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters.

"The idea still is that, if we debate something like that in Europe, there should be some kind of a safeguard from the United States."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Washington should be invited to future talks, according to her office.

There was broad agreement at the summit that it would be a strategic error to ease sanctions on Russia prematurely. Moscow has made the easing of certain sanctions a condition for a Black Sea ceasefire deal to take effect.

RT/Reuters

In late February 2025, a group of former African heads of state and finance experts gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, to sign the Cape Town Declaration – a bold call for a comprehensive debt relief program for African nations. This initiative, led by the African Leaders Debt Relief Initiative (ALDRI), comes at a time when Africa’s economy is shackled by a debt burden that is suffocating development, forcing governments to prioritize repayments to Western and private creditors over essential services like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

The numbers are staggering. As of 2021, Africa’s external debt had skyrocketed to $824 billion, with many countries spending over 60% of their GDP servicing these loans. In 2025 alone, Africa is projected to spend $74 billion on debt repayments – money that could instead fund schools, hospitals, and roads. But this crisis is not a simple case of financial mismanagement; it is a direct continuation of a system of economic subjugation that was established during colonial rule and perfected in the post-independence era through institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

For decades, African nations have fought to break free from Western economic dominance, and many visionary leaders have proposed radical solutions to liberate the continent. Among the most ambitious efforts were those led by Muammar Gaddafi, who sought to establish a gold-backed African currency, an African Central Bank, and an African Organization of Natural Resources – initiatives that, had they succeeded, could have ended Africa’s dependence on Western financial institutions.

The colonial origins of Africa’s debt crisis

Africa’s modern debt crisis cannot be understood without revisiting its colonial past. European powers extracted resources worth trillions of dollars from the continent while offering little in return in terms of industrial development. When independence movements swept across Africa in the mid-20th century, colonial powers did not simply leave. Instead, they imposed odious debts on newly independent nations, ensuring their continued economic dependence.

Take, for example, the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). When Belgium finally relinquished its grip on the country in 1960, it left behind a destroyed economy and almost no national wealth. Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister, attempted to nationalize the country’s resources to benefit its people. The response from the West? A CIA-backed coup that led to his assassination. In his place, the US and Belgium installed Mobutu Sese Seko, who accumulated billions in debt while plundering national wealth. The people of the DRC are still paying for this crime.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the IMF and World Bank imposed Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) on African nations, forcing them to slash public spending, privatize state enterprises, and open their economies to foreign investors. These policies, disguised as “economic reforms,”crippled Africa’s public sector, increased unemployment, and destroyed local industries – while Western corporations made a fortune.

The debt trap today: A modern form of colonialism

Fast forward to 2025, and Africa remains trapped in an economic structure that benefits Western financial institutions, multinational corporations, and private creditors. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), nearly 49% of Africa’s debt is now held by private lenders (expected to rise to 54%). Unlike concessional loans from the AfDB or the World Bank, these private loans come with interest rates that are five times higher than those paid by Western nations.

And then there’s the “Africa premium” – the absurd phenomenon where African countries are charged higher interest rates despite having lower default rates than Western economies.

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina has repeatedly condemned this financial racism, stating, “There is no economic justification for why Africa, which has some of the lowest default rates, should be punished with higher borrowing costs.”

Gaddafi’s vision: Africa’s path to economic sovereignty

Not all African leaders have accepted this system of economic servitude. Some have tried to overthrow the Western-controlled financial order, and none more so than Muammar Gaddafi. It is in fact undeniable that Gaddafi was one of the most visionary proponents of African economic independence.

Gaddafi’s most radical proposal was the creation of an African currency backed by gold, known as the Gold Dinar. This would have eliminated Africa’s dependence on the US dollar and euro, allowing African nations to trade with one another in a currency based on their own resources.

Western powers understood that such a move would undermine the supremacy of their financial systems. A leaked Hillary Clinton email revealed that one of the main reasons for NATO’s intervention in Libya in 2011 was to prevent Gaddafi from launching the gold-backed currency.

Gaddafi also proposed an African Organization of Natural Resources (AONR), an institution that would have unified Africa’s resource management and ensured that the continent’s wealth was controlled by Africans, not foreign corporations. And his most ambitious economic project was the establishment of an African Central Bank (ACB), headquartered in Nigeria. The ACB would have served as an alternative to the IMF and World Bank, issuing African currencies and financing development without reliance on Western financial institutions.

A strategic shift: Africa and BRICS

If Africa is serious about breaking free from Western economic hegemony, it must seek alliances beyond the West, and BRICS offers the best alternative. BRICS nations represent a significant share of global economic power, controlling over 31.5% of global GDP (PPP) as of 2024, surpassing the 30% held by the G7.

Why BRICS? First of all, it gives access to alternative financing: the New Development Bank (NDB), established by BRICS, provides loans without the colonial-style conditionalities of the IMF and World Bank. Then, it can build a way to reduce dollar dependence, as BRICS is actively promoting trade in local currencies, which aligns with Africa’s own push for currency independence.

We also speak of technology transfer and industrialization: China and India, as emerging industrial giants, can provide investment in infrastructure and technology transfer without the exploitative conditions imposed by the West.

Apart from that, BRICS means fairer trade terms, because, unlike Western trade agreements, which favor multinational corporations, BRICS partners have shown more willingness to negotiate mutually beneficial deals.

Africa must not simply replace Western dependency with another form of subservience. The relationship with BRICS must be strategic, ensuring Africa gains real leverage. First, African nations must demand technology transfer instead of being raw material suppliers. Then AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) should be expanded to create a strong internal African market before seeking external trade partnerships. And finally, Africa should collectively negotiate with BRICS rather than entering fragmented, nation-by-nation agreements that weaken its position.

The struggle continues

The West killed Gaddafi’s dream of economic independence, but it remains Africa’s duty to resurrect it. The 21st century must be about dismantling financial colonialism – and forging new alliances that serve African interests. BRICS offers a promising alternative, but ultimately, Africa’s economic liberation must come from within. The continent must unite, own its resources, control its currency, and dictate its economic future – or remain forever shackled to the whims of foreign creditors.

RT