EU Foreign Ministers Make Historic Kyiv Trip

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at an unprecedented EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Ukraine, election crackdowns in Madagascar, and a Turkish air assault against the PKK.

European Union foreign ministers convened in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials on Monday in the bloc’s first-ever meeting outside EU borders. The surprise visit was aimed at demonstrating the West’s “unwavering” long-term support for Ukraine amid its slower-than-expected counteroffensive against Russia and growing opposition from some quarters to providing Kyiv with additional military assistance.

One such quarter is Slovakia. On Saturday, former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer party won 22.9 percent of the vote in the country’s snap elections, securing 42 seats in the 150-person parliament. Fico—a pro-Kremlin, anti-American populist—campaigned on immediately ending military aid to Ukraine and blocking Kyiv’s NATO membership bid. “We are prepared to help with the reconstruction of the state, but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine,” Fico said, reasserting his party’s commitment to only provide humanitarian assistance.

If Fico succeeds in forming a coalition government, then he will likely reverse many of his predecessors’ policies. Past liberal administrations were known for accepting high numbers of Ukrainian refugees and being among the first governments to send fighter jets to Ukraine. However, accusations on Monday by Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry that Moscow interfered with state elections could hamper Fico’s win.

Across the Atlantic, support for Ukraine is also looking a bit shaky. Top Republicans have advocated ending Ukraine funding for months, and on Saturday, the U.S. Congress had to remove military aid to Ukraine from its stopgap spending bill to get House Republicans to support it and thereby avoid a government shutdown. U.S. President Joe Biden said Republicans promised to provide the aid in a separate vote, but some conservative lawmakers are pushing back.

Still, Ukraine is downplaying the notion that Washington is wavering. “We don’t feel that the U.S. support has been shattered,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, “because the United States understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than just Ukraine.”

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Tuesday, Oct. 3: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visits Armenia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets with the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The European Parliament holds a plenary discussion on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Wednesday, Oct. 4: OPEC+ holds a joint ministerial monitoring committee meeting.

Wednesday, Oct. 4, to Thursday, Oct. 5: Mexico City hosts a high-level security dialogue between top U.S. and Mexican officials.

Thursday, Oct. 5: International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva delivers remarks.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev participate in five-sided talks.

Friday, Oct. 6: India’s Central Bank announces its interest rate.

Sunday, Oct. 8: Luxembourg holds parliamentary elections.

Argentine presidential candidates take part in a debate.

Germany’s Bavaria state holds local elections.

Opposition crackdown. Police in Madagascar on Monday deployed tear gas against opposition candidates in the country’s upcoming elections as well as hundreds of their supporters during an unauthorized rally in the capital.

Malagasies go to the polls on Nov. 9 to begin choosing their next president and state governors. However, opposition heads accused President Andry Rajoelina on Sept. 12 of orchestrating an institutional coup after he passed a series of legal rulings that would favor his candidacy, including overruling an allegation that his French nationality makes him ineligible to run for public office under Malagasy law.

Rajoelina denounced the opposition on Sunday, saying it had fabricated a political crisis “from scratch.”

Turkey’s PKK assault. In a large-scale military operation, Turkish warplanes destroyed 20 alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on Sunday. These sites included caves, shelters, and supply depots. The assault served as retaliation for a suicide bombing that injured two police officers near an entrance to Turkey’s Interior Ministry that same day. The PKK reportedly claimed responsibility for the ministry attack.

Sunday’s suicide bombing was the first such attack to hit Ankara, Turkey’s capital, in years. And it came as Turkish operations against the PKK, which it deems a terrorist organization, have escalated. On Monday, Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid condemned Turkish attacks on Iraqi soil and advocated a peaceful agreement that does not involve establishing Turkish bases in the region.

Mourning in Murcia. At least 13 people were killed in a nightclub fire in Murcia, Spain, on Sunday—marking the country’s worst such blaze in 30 years. The victims included people from Spain as well as Colombia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador. Murcia Mayor José Ballesta announced three days of mourning.

Local authorities are still investigating the fire’s cause. Of the three buildings that were burned—Fonda Milagros, Teatre, and the Golden—only the latter facility had the proper permits. Fonda Milagros and Teatre, which are operated by the same company, only had one working permit between the two of them.

A competitive runner at the Delhi State Athletics Championship in India found himself all alone at the starting line for the final men’s 100-meter race last week after his seven opponents withdrew from the event at the last minute. Although they cited “muscle strains” and “cramps” as reasons for their absences, organizers suspect it had a lot more to do with the fact that government anti-doping officials had shown up to give the runners surprise mandatory tests. One junior steeplechase athlete apparently didn’t get the memo in time for her race, though—so when she crossed the finish line, she just kept going, hoping to outrun the anti-doping officials who were waiting to test her. They caught her … eventually.