Duitse president niet welkom bij Zelensky • Oekraïense vriend van Poetin opgepakt
German president not welcome at Zelensky • Putin's Ukrainian friend arrested
31 MINUTES AGO
German president not welcome at Zelensky
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wanted to travel to Kiev to show "European solidarity with Ukraine" but was not welcome, he told
Bild newspaper .
The reason, according to Bild, is his close ties with Russia in recent years. Steinmeier was a strong supporter of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and is seen as "the architect of the federal government's Russia-friendly politics," the magazine writes.
Polish President Duda wanted to travel to Kiev with Steinmeier and their counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These politicians are allowed by President Zelensky, Bild writes.
AN HOUR AGO
Putin's friend handcuffed in Ukraine
The Ukrainian security service SBU has arrested a Ukrainian politician and businessman who is friends with Russian President Putin. President Zelensky shared a photo of Viktor Medvedchuk in handcuffs on
Telegram . Medvedchuk is the leader of Ukraine's largest opposition party. According to
Reuters news agency , Putin is his daughter's godfather.
Medvedchuk had been under house arrest since May last year for financing separatists in Donetsk and Lugansk. He escaped on Feb. 27, three days after the raid, a government adviser said. Medvedchuk's lawyer said he was forced to move elsewhere because of threats and that he had informed the authorities.
NOS NEWS •
ABROAD • TODAY, 21:59 • MODIFIED TO7 MINUTES AGO
Two weeks after Istanbul, there is hardly any talk between Russia and Ukraine
At the end of March, there was a glimmer of hope over the Bosphorus. In Istanbul,
concrete results were achieved for the first time in the talks between Russia and Ukraine. The Russians pledged to withdraw from the regions around Kiev, Ukraine said the status of Crimea and Donbas could be discussed.
Now there seems to be little left of a view of more, such as a possible truce. "There is almost no talk anymore," says defense expert Bob Deen van Clingendael. "Actually only on an operational level, such as about the exchange of prisoners of war."
ALSO WATCH

Two weeks after Istanbul, there is hardly any talk between Russia and Ukraine
34 MINUTES AGO
For example, Ukraine still wants to continue to export grain
Ukraine is building infrastructure to export agricultural products by rail. Until now, grain, maize and other products were exported only through the port cities of Mariupol and Odessa. But ships can no longer reach those ports because of the war.
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02:15
For example, Ukraine still wants to continue to export grain
Four journalists sentenced to forced labor in Russia
A Russian court has sentenced four journalists from a student magazine to two years of hard labour. According to the judge, they have called on young people to demonstrate against the Kremlin, the Russian news agency Interfax reported. They are also not allowed to use the internet for three years.
The independent news medium DOXA was founded five years ago by students and graduates of the Moscow Higher School of Economics. The magazine, which has since been blocked, focused on student life, educational news, politics and science.
The four journalists were arrested in April 2021 after a raid on the editorial office. This happened during the period when the Russian police cracked down on allies of opposition leader Navalny.
According to DOXA, a video is the reason for last year's arrests. In that video, DOXA said it is illegal for universities to expel students who participated in pro-Navalny protests. The media says the video was removed following a request from the media regulator.
The four reporters say they will appeal the verdict.