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EU Has Made Diplomatic ‘Contacts’ with Kremlin, Says Official

European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)
European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)
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EU Has Made Diplomatic ‘Contacts’ with Kremlin, Says Official

European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)
European Council President Antonio Costa walks, during the official arrivals ceremony for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP)

The office of EU chief Antonio Costa has had "brief" diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin to open channels of communication, Brussels said Wednesday, as Europe debates whether to talk to Russia about ending the Ukraine war.

"In the past few weeks, brief contacts at diplomatic level were made to open communication channels but nothing was discussed on substance," an EU official said on condition of anonymity.

Discussions on Europe re-engaging with Moscow have become louder amid deadlocked US efforts to halt the war in Ukraine while President Donald Trump's attention has been consumed by Iran.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky -- who is due to join EU leaders at a summit in Brussels Thursday -- has pushed for Europe to play a more active role.

"In any future scenario, the EU has specific interests that will need to be defended, therefore it is important to have established diplomatic channels with Russia," the EU official said.

"The EU is not a mediator. It supports Ukraine in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace."

The official said that European Council president Costa -- who chairs meetings of EU leaders -- "has been coordinating closely with European leaders on possible engagement with Russia and the issues to be discussed when the right moment comes".

British, French and German ambassadors to Russia last week urged direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in a rare meeting at Russia's foreign ministry last Thursday.

Trump at a G7 meeting involving Zelensky in France on Tuesday said Moscow should "make a deal" to end its war on Ukraine.

Zelensky said Vladimir Putin had rejected an offer of a meeting at the G7 but said he had also suggested to Trump that he could meet the Russian leader in the United States.

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World

Netanyahu Basks in Trump Endorsement Week Before Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid security personnel as he meets with voters at a mall in Ramle on October 19, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid security personnel as he meets with voters at a mall in Ramle on October 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Netanyahu Basks in Trump Endorsement Week Before Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid security personnel as he meets with voters at a mall in Ramle on October 19, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid security personnel as he meets with voters at a mall in Ramle on October 19, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu basked in Donald Trump's endorsement on Monday ahead of close-fought elections, airing a phone call in which the US president predicted he would win and suggested they may again attack Iran together.

A day after Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu for the October 27 vote, Netanyahu put out a video of a telephone call in which the two right-wing leaders lavish praise on each other.

"I think you're going to have a tremendous victory, actually," Trump can be heard saying on speakerphone.

"You're the man I want by my side, Bibi," Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

Netanyahu -- while reminding the famously loose-lipped president that they were on an open line -- hailed Trump for joining Israel in attacking Iran in February.

"Donald, we have a job to finish," Netanyahu beamed. "We'll finish it together. We'll finish it, and no one else will do it."

Netanyahu did not elaborate but again described Iran's clerical state, which remains in power nearly eight months after the joint attack, as "the greatest danger".

Netanyahu appeared to be speaking to Trump from an air force base from which he earlier released a video warning that he had been assured of Israel's "capability to strike our enemies the moment it is required".

- 'Polarizing figure' -

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, had waited for years for a US president who would agree to attack Iran. But Trump abruptly switched course in April and reached a ceasefire with Tehran that is now in tatters.

Polls showed Trump's approval rating in Israel plunged afterwards.

An Axios report on Tuesday that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Netanyahu in Israel the previous day added to speculation that US-Israeli attacks on Iran could resume.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the reported meeting.

David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it was unclear whether Trump's endorsement would have a "huge impact" on the Israeli electorate.

Netanyahu is "a polarizing figure. You either love him or hate him," Makovsky said. "How many undecideds are there? Not that many."

Trump went ahead with the endorsement despite open tensions involving top US officials. Vice President JD Vance has issued stinging criticism of Israel over the Iran war, saying it had no friends other than the United States and needs to get in line with US policy.

Makovsky said Trump's move may indicate that he secured an agreement from Netanyahu in return for the endorsement, although it was unclear on what.

The Israel Hayom newspaper -- in a report denied by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee -- said recently that the Trump administration was pushing Netanyahu to form a government that no longer includes his far-right allies, who have championed settler extremists in the West Bank and urged the expulsion of all of Gaza's Palestinians.

Netanyahu described Trump as "by far, the greatest friend Israel has ever had".

Since his first term, Trump has taken several major steps to back Israel, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, which most countries do not recognize as Israel's capital due to the dispute with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu's top challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, voiced respect for Trump after the endorsement, but insisted, "Only Israelis can choose their leader."

- 'Treated unfairly' -

Trump, 80, and Netanyahu, who turns 77 on Wednesday, have forged a close partnership at a time when both are vastly unpopular in public opinion in most democratic nations.

The pair have also managed to avoid prosecution while in power, with Netanyahu facing charges of corruption that could land him in prison.

Trump, who remains bitter over cases against him including over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, told Netanyahu he was a "warrior" who had been "treated unfairly by your country and by some others."

Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the relentless Israeli offensive in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

Netanyahu has denounced the charges, while the Trump administration has tried to dismantle the court in The Hague through sanctions.

World

US Bans Use of China’s DeepSeek by Govt Agencies

The DeepSeek logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)
The DeepSeek logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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US Bans Use of China’s DeepSeek by Govt Agencies

The DeepSeek logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)
The DeepSeek logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)

The US government on Monday ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools from Chinese startup DeepSeek, as the countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector.

A notice from the Department of Homeland Security announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek -- and tools created using DeepSeek by third parties -- saying they must be removed from IT devices.

The department can issue direction to civilian agencies, but not the military or intelligence services. Washington's Department of Defense did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

"DeepSeek's models present multiple threat vectors," said a document attached to Monday's notice.

Use of DeepSeek AI tools "may result in the transfer of sensitive data to (China) if used by US government employees or vendors," the department warned.

Its servers are located in China, where the legal system permits the government "extensive authority" to access private company infrastructure, it said.

AFP has contacted DeepSeek for comment.

DeepSeek, one of China's top AI labs, shook up the industry in January 2025 with a low-cost, high-performance chatbot, challenging assumptions of US dominance.

The firm released a long-awaited new model, V4, in April, and this month updated a faster, more lightweight version of V4.

The United States has accused DeepSeek and other top Chinese AI firms of systematically stealing the capabilities of cutting-edge models developed by American rivals.

Despite their fierce competition in the field, China and the United States in September agreed to set up a "communication channel" for AI incidents.

The topic is expected to arise again when the countries' leaders meet next month at a summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.

World

S. Korea Warns of ‘Firm’ Response After North Threatens Fresh Measures Near Border

South Korean soldiers patrol along a military fence on the south side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, as seen from a South Korean observatory in the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)
South Korean soldiers patrol along a military fence on the south side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, as seen from a South Korean observatory in the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)
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S. Korea Warns of ‘Firm’ Response After North Threatens Fresh Measures Near Border

South Korean soldiers patrol along a military fence on the south side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, as seen from a South Korean observatory in the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)
South Korean soldiers patrol along a military fence on the south side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, as seen from a South Korean observatory in the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)

South Korea's military warned Tuesday of a "firm" response and resolute punishment for any further provocations by North Korea, saying it was "unacceptable" for Pyongyang to blame Seoul for escalating tensions.

North Korea has rejected claims it was behind an explosion that injured three soldiers last month inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily mined buffer area that has divided the two Koreas since their 1953 armistice, and mockingly dismissed calls for an apology.

Pyongyang said Monday the situation along the two countries' shared border was "grave" and that it was considering deploying additional "tactical strike means" to the area.

It also decried what it claimed were nearly 1,000 "provocative" loudspeaker broadcasts and numerous warning shots fired by South Korean forces between October 1 and 17.

Seoul said Tuesday, without specifying the number of occurrences, that it had used both loudspeakers and warning shots as "legitimate defensive measures to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the MDL (Military Demarcation Line) and to drive back troops that have crossed it".

The MDL is the border within the DMZ that separates the two countries.

Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused Pyongyang of "baselessly shifting the blame for escalating military tensions onto our own military".

"It is unacceptable that North Korea yesterday characterized our legitimate operational measures as a 'provocation,'" Jin said, according to a statement.

Jin ordered the military to "respond with firm resolve" should North Korea use Seoul's actions as a pretext for aggressive action, while the defense ministry warned they would be met with "resolute" punishment.

A string of cross-border incidents has weighed on North-South ties in recent years.

In 2024, North Korea sent thousands of trash-carrying balloons south, calling them retaliation for anti-Pyongyang balloons launched by South Korean activists.

The South later resumed border loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years, including K-pop and international news, while the North began transmitting strange, eerie sounds across the frontier, unsettling South Korean residents.

- 'Climax of the farce' -

"What North Korea fears is not so much the warning shots used to drive their troops back, but Seoul's loudspeaker broadcasts and the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets," Hong Sung-pyo, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told AFP.

"They are very sensitive to such measures because they could expose information that the regime has sought to conceal -- the realities of South and North Korea."

Seoul has accused Pyongyang of "a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement" over the explosion that injured South Korean soldiers in the DMZ, while Seoul's civilian leadership called for the North to return to dialogue.

Pyongyang has since ridiculed South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's overture, with Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader, dubbing it "the climax of the farce."

South Korea's Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said last month that its military had "a range of necessary measures at our disposal, and we will implement them in stages" to respond to the DMZ mine incident, without giving details.

North Korea has separately tested a slew of weapons recently, including a "new-type" precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both of which were said to employ AI technology.