Pressure is Growing for Negotiations
It's been exactly three years since the start of the war in Ukraine. After US President Donald Trump came to power, US support for Ukraine has completely changed and the pressure to start peace talks has increased. We talk to Olena Halushka from Kiev, co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, about whether Ukrainians are ready to give up rare minerals and meet Trump's demands, as well as about public opinion in Ukraine about the pressure from the US.
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Trump Takes Office – Optimism for Lasting Peace grows in Gaza
Reports from the US and Gaza
Donald Trump officially takes office as President of the US. The inauguration ended with the sensational signing of numerous decisions that have international implications. One of them is the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. From the US, we include reporter Jallysa Dugrot with an analysis of Trump's inauguration day.
In Gaza, meanwhile, the ceasefire is being celebrated and hopes for a lasting peace are growing. Humanitarian aid has begun to arrive in the strip, and the first hostages have already been exchanged. The second exchange is expected to take place this weekend. Journalist Rakan Abed El Rahman joins us from central Gaza, with whom we discuss the situation there after the long-sought ceasefire.
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Analyses of conflict zones and experiences from war hotspots
A series of interviews about crisis areas and personal experiences of journalists and humanitarians - Sееma Jilani, Michael Bociurkiw, Adelin Pertisor and Giorgi Dolidze in this Labyrinth.
This week, Labyrinth in Tbilisi at one of the biggest journalism events - the ZEG Festival. We had the opportunity to talk to journalists from all over the world about the current situation in their countries. We present you a series of interviews about the countries that are currently in the global focus.
We spoke with one of the keynote speakers at the event, a doctor who has dedicated her life to treating children in the most vulnerable places in the world, Seema Jilani. We talked about the great humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes, the Gaza Strip, and how we can help people cut off from all help. Seema also shared her personal experience of what it feels like to treat her own child injured in an explosion in Beirut.
The war in Ukraine is still raging, and since the coming to power of US President Donald Trump, Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital seem to have increased. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Israel and Iran are fiercely attacking each other. We talk about the situation in Ukraine and the current hot spots in the Middle East with Atlantic Council analyst Michael Bociurkiw, who regularly analyzes for CNN and other global media.
At the event, we also had the opportunity to talk with our colleague Adelin Pertisor from the Romanian public service, who is one of the most experienced war reporters. He reported on wars in the Middle East, Africa, as well as the Balkan conflicts and had the opportunity to interview a large number of leaders, but also some notorious militants such as Željko Ražnjatović - Arkan. Of course, we also talked about the situation in Romania after the annulled elections when the Constitutional Court recognized Russian influence in the electoral process.
Since Georgia got a new pro-Russian President who imposed a series of undemocratic laws, Georgians have been protesting every day. Media freedom and civil society are under attack, and journalists and citizens are facing prison sentences. We talk to Georgian colleague Giorgi Dolidze about what is happening in his country.
Watch the full episode.
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Kurti faces two scenarios – Coalition with the opposition or with minorities
Labyrinth in Kosovo
Albin Kurti’s party, Self-Determination, received the most votes in Kosovo’s regular parliamentary elections. These are the first regular elections since Kosovo’s independence in 2008. The current prime minister will have to form a coalition if he wants to retain the prime minister’s office. Analysts we spoke say that Kurti has two options, either a coalition with the opposition or with minorities. Negotiations are just beginning. In the campaign, which passed peacefully, the focus of politicians was mainly on ethnic issues, while the focus of the people, however, is on real social problems such as the economy, emigration and corruption. We talk to journalist Vjosa Cerkini in Pristina about all these issues, as well as about Kosovo’s international relations under the leadership of Albin Kurti. In Mitrovica, we spoke with political analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu, and in North Mitrovica, we asked citizens what they think about these elections.
