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European Parliament Chief Visits Ukraine, Says 'We Stand with You'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola address the media during a joint statement at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (Michele Tantussi/Pool photo via AP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola address the media during a joint statement at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (Michele Tantussi/Pool photo via AP)
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European Parliament Chief Visits Ukraine, Says 'We Stand with You'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola address the media during a joint statement at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (Michele Tantussi/Pool photo via AP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola address the media during a joint statement at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (Michele Tantussi/Pool photo via AP)

The head of the European Parliament said during a visit to Kyiv on Friday that the people of Europe stand with Ukraine and will help rebuild its towns and cities after the war with Russia.

Roberta Metsola, who took over as the European Parliament's president in January, also said the assembly would support Ukraine's efforts to start the process of joining the European Union.

"Please believe me when I say that the European Parliament, the European Union and the people of Europe stand with Ukraine. That is why I am here today, because we stand with you," she said after arriving in the capital Kyiv.

Metsola, who is Maltese, made three promises to Ukraine.

"First, (President Vladimir) Putin's criminal invasion of Ukraine puts Russia in direct confrontation with Europe, the international community and the rules-based world order. That is not something that we will let him do unchallenged," she said.

"Second, the European Union recognizes your European ambitions and your aspiration to be a candidate country for succession. And you can count on the European Parliament's full support in achieving this goal."

"Third, we will help you rebuild your cities and your towns when this illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary war is over. We have already provided financial, military and humanitarian assistance. This will continue and it will increase," she told a joint briefing with Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, or parliament.

Stefanchuk said they had discussed continuing international sanctions on Russia, humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine and procedures for EU accession.

The prime ministers of EU member states Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia visited Kyiv last month in a show of solidarity with Ukraine. EU countries are among those that have imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion.

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World

Swiss Will Not Export War Equipment to US during Mideast Conflict

A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Swiss Will Not Export War Equipment to US during Mideast Conflict

A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
A member of ground crew moves munitions towards a USAF B1 B bomber at RAF Fairford airbase, used by USAF personnel, amid the US–Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorize the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Switzerland has already refused US requests for flights over its territory since the war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran.

Following that decision, on Friday the Swiss government looked at applying neutrality to exports to states involved in the war.

"The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorized for the duration of the conflict," said a government statement, AFP reported.

"Existing licences and exports of other goods will now be regularly reviewed by an interdepartmental group of experts, particularly with regard to their compatibility with neutrality.

"Exports of war materiel to the USA cannot currently be authorized," and existing US licences will now face regular review, it said, whilst adding that Switzerland has not issued war materiel export licences to Israel or Iran for years.

Since the conflict started, no new licences have been issued for exports of war goods to the United States, Bern said.

Existing US licences "have been determined to be of no relevance to the war at present and can therefore continue to be used", the statement said.

Nevertheless, an expert group drawn from the foreign, defense and economy ministries will regularly review developments in exports of the goods in question to the United States, and assess whether any action is required.

Swiss neutrality traces its roots back to 1516 and has been internationally recognized since 1815.

World

Trump Mulls Kharg Island Takeover to Force Iran to Open Hormuz Strait, Axios Reports

This handout image taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland in the north of the Gulf, on March 17, 2026. (Photo by EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY / AFP)
This handout image taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland in the north of the Gulf, on March 17, 2026. (Photo by EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY / AFP)
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Trump Mulls Kharg Island Takeover to Force Iran to Open Hormuz Strait, Axios Reports

This handout image taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland in the north of the Gulf, on March 17, 2026. (Photo by EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY / AFP)
This handout image taken by the European Space Agency (ESA) captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world, about 30 kilometers south of the mainland in the north of the Gulf, on March 17, 2026. (Photo by EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY / AFP)

The Trump administration is considering plans to ‌occupy ‌or blockade ‌Iran's ⁠Kharg Island to pressure ⁠Iran to reopen ⁠the ‌Strait ‌of Hormuz, ‌Axios reported ‌on Friday, citing ‌four sources with knowledge ⁠of ⁠the issue.

Amid the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran, the confrontation has expanded from direct airstrikes to an explicit threat against oil infrastructure, after Washington announced it had struck military targets on Kharg Island.

Kharg Island is located about 15 miles off Iran’s coast in the Arabian Gulf. It serves as the primary oil terminal for about 90–95% of Iran's crude oil exports.

The Washington Post said that weakening the Kharg Island would carry significant strategic advantages for the United States, given its economic and military importance and its direct link to Tehran’s ability to export oil and finance its institutions, including the payment of military salaries.

World

Running App Reveals Location of France Aircraft Carrier in Mediterranean

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) visits the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, deployed to the Mediterranean following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus on the Mediterranean Sea, on March 9, 2026, on the sidelines of his trip to Cyprus to discuss regional security. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes / POOL / AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) visits the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, deployed to the Mediterranean following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus on the Mediterranean Sea, on March 9, 2026, on the sidelines of his trip to Cyprus to discuss regional security. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes / POOL / AFP)
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Running App Reveals Location of France Aircraft Carrier in Mediterranean

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) visits the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, deployed to the Mediterranean following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus on the Mediterranean Sea, on March 9, 2026, on the sidelines of his trip to Cyprus to discuss regional security. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes / POOL / AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) visits the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, deployed to the Mediterranean following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus on the Mediterranean Sea, on March 9, 2026, on the sidelines of his trip to Cyprus to discuss regional security. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes / POOL / AFP)

A member of the French navy using an app to track his jogging performance broadcast the exact position of his country's flagship aircraft carrier, a newspaper has reported.

France deployed the Charles de Gaulle -- and accompanying frigates -- to the Mediterranean in early March shortly after US-Israeli strikes on Iran sparked war in the Middle East.

It has been in the eastern Mediterranean since March 9 as part of what Emmanuel Macron has called a "purely defensive" posture in support of France's allies in the conflict.

Le Monde newspaper reported on Thursday that the runner jogged in circles on a ship in movement on March 13 in the middle of the sea northwest of Cyprus, according to his public profile on the Strava fitness tracking app, while satellite images showed the aircraft carrier was in the immediate vicinity at the time.

The same person had also been running in Copenhagen, Denmark, in late February, across a bridge from Malmo, Sweden, where the Charles de Gaulle was anchored at the time, Strava data showed.

The French armed forces told AFP appropriate measures would be taken if the report was true, as members of the navy were regularly reminded about the risk of security breaches using such apps.

"The reported case -- if confirmed -- does not comply with the current instructions," it said.

Running app profiles have given away sensitive information before.