Page 11 - Current Time News Today

Family and supporters continue to seek access to the body of Aleksei Navalny amid ongoing arrests as Russians lay flowers at ad hoc memorials after Russian authorities said the Kremlin critic collapsed and died in an Arctic prison, with EU foreign ministers preparing to meet with Navalny's widow.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom summoned Russia's ambassador on February 19 over the death of imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and called on the EU to consider new sanctions against Russia, joining other Western nations making such moves.

Belarusian journalist and opposition activist Andrey Gniot has urged Serbian authorities not to extradite him back to his home country, where he says his "life will be ruined."

Washington is "very encouraged" by developments during the first 100 days of Montenegro's new government and optimistic about prospects for deeper European and Euro-Atlantic integration, James O'Brien, assistant secretary of state, said on February 19 during a visit to Podgorica.

Finland, which accuses Moscow of funneling migrants to its eastern border, plans to amend legislation to boost border and national security and fight what it calls "instrumentalized migration," the Interior Ministry said on February 19.

Kyiv warned of serious economic consequences as Polish truckers and farmers along the border continued to block Ukrainian cargo from entering the EU nation, with intensified protests expected on February 20.

The United States conducted five self-defense strikes in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Huthi militias, U.S. Central Command said on February 18.

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet soon to define the bitter rivals' borders and to seek progress toward a peace treaty, leaders of both countries said following meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Munich.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke by phone on February 17, expressing outrage over the death of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny in a Russian prison and discussed aid for Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko believes that the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny represents "Russia's true face." Klitschko was interviewed jointly by Current Time and RFE/RL on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference on February 16 -- after Russian authorities announced Navalny's death and before his team confirmed it. Klitschko mentioned other slain Kremlin critics -- journalist Anna Politkovskaya and politician Boris Nemtsov. "Anyon...