summons

Kremlin calls UK’s support for Ukraine an endorsement of ‘terrorism’ after recent escalation of weapons supplies.

Russia has stepped up pressure on Ukraine’s allies, summoning Britain’s top diplomat in Moscow over arms shipments to Kyiv and seizing Russian assets of several Western firms.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Britain’s charge d’affairs, Danae Dholakia, on Friday, issuing a formal protest over the UK’s “further increase” in weapons to Ukraine.

“London is placing itself in the position of an accomplice to the bloody atrocities committed by the Kyiv regime, which can only be characterised as terrorism and war crimes,” the ministry said in a statement.

Britain has maintained its support for Ukraine and says it will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv and will provide whatever military equipment it needs, saying just last month that it will share classified weapons information.

Moscow’s move comes the day after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia might be preparing to launch hybrid drone and missile strikes against countries that support Ukraine, including Poland. He said that such attacks would be framed as accidental, with the intention of weakening NATO states’ resolve to invoke collective defence provisions in the event of an attack on one of its countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that the threat posed by Russia’s shadow operations was growing across Europe and that Moscow had targeted ⁠⁠France with hybrid attacks in the past few ⁠⁠weeks.

“The Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France has intensified,” he said after a meeting with French political leaders.

France’s interior minister had met regional prefects to step up “vigilance in response to the Russian hybrid attacks”, Macron said, adding that he had ordered “the government to prepare a plan to protect our critical infrastructure” and the “most sensitive” defence industry and technology sites against drone and cyber-attacks.

Moscow seizes French, Swiss firms

As Russia steps up pressure on Ukraine’s political allies, it is also targeting Western companies.

Moscow has ordered the seizure of Russian businesses and assets of Swiss food giant Nestle and three French firms: retailer Auchan, DIY chain Lemana Pro (formerly Leroy Merlin) and logistics firm FM Logistics.

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree late on Thursday that changed the firms’ Russian operations to a new entity, LEV Management, which is managed by a Russian Ministry of Interior general, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe.

Nestle said it was still “assessing” the situation and its options but it remains “committed to taking all necessary steps to protect its rights”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that one of the reasons behind the decision was because Nestle and Auchan are companies from “unfriendly” countries.

Their assets are only under “temporary administration” and that no decisions have been taken as of yet, Peskov added.

Overnight Russian strikes hit multiple regions in Ukraine, sparking several fires across the country, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to host the inaugural Carpathian Eight summit of several European countries.

They include Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Serbia, with the European Union also set to discuss regional cooperation.

Hungary and Slovakia have refused to send Kyiv direct military assistance in the past, though Poland and Romania remain staunch allies.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — Belgium’s foreign minister on Friday summoned U.S Ambassador Bill White over an Instagram story the U.S. diplomat posted targeting the country’s health minister.

White posted an AI-generated image of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke on a cigar box, apparently mocking the minister’s efforts to change how alcohol companies display health warnings on products.

The box read, “Damages every form of joy in life,” while White captioned the image, “Who’s the biggest loser in Belgium?”

“It is unacceptable that an ambassador uses such insulting language against a member of government,” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said in a statement to Politico.

This is the second time White has been summoned over comments made toward the health minister.

In February, he accused Belgium of antisemitism over an investigation of three mohels for performing ritual circumcisions without a doctor present.

White called the move “ridiculous” and demanded Brussels drop its investigation.

He said Vanenbroucke was “very rude” and asked for his intervention in the case, adding, “You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium.”

On Friday, White’s comments about the health minister also drew criticism from Conner Rousseau, who leads the political party Vooruit.

“Bill can be a funny guy,” said Rousseau, whose party includes Vanenbroucke, in a statement on Instagram. “But he knows nothing about healthcare.

“He only repeats what daddy Trump says. They only care about money, not our health.”