Matthew Frear

Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and national hero Shevchenko’s enduring presence across Ukraine underscores that at the heart of modern Ukrainian identity lies a poet.

The 19th-century poet and artist Taras Shevchenko was born on March 9, 1814.

His life is defined by his long struggle against injustice. Born a serf and only freed at almost 30 years of age, he faced arrest and exile for his works of art that have shaped the modern Ukrainian identity.

New Dutch prime minister visits Kyiv two weeks after taking office Zelensky said that he and the Dutch leader had discussed investments in arms production, its possible scope, and the licensing of weapons.

⚡️New Dutch prime minister visits Kyiv two weeks after taking office.

Rob Jetten, the newly appointed prime minister of the Netherlands, paid his first official visit to Ukraine on March 8. 

kyivindependent.com/new-dutch-pr...

Premier Jetten in Oekraïne op bezoek bij president Zelensky Kort na zijn aantreden beloofde Jetten al aan Zelensky dat hij snel op bezoek zou komen.

Premier Jetten in Oekraïne op bezoek bij president Zelensky

🎥 The recording of our recent @chathamhouse.org #BelarusInitiative webinar “What lies ahead for Belarus?” chaired by Orysia Lutsevych and featuring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski & political activist Maria Kalesnikava is available in full at: www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/s...

President Zelensky houdt toespraak vanuit bunker: 'Vier jaar geleden begon Poetin zijn driedaagse oorlog' Precies vier jaar geleden lanceerde Rusland een grote aanval op heel Oekraïne. In een videotoespraak laat president Zelensky vandaag de bunker zien waar hij de eerste dagen van de oorlog doorbracht, e...

President Zelensky houdt toespraak vanuit bunker: 'Vier jaar geleden begon Poetin zijn driedaagse oorlog'

And there he is.
Ten years younger than Macron.
A political prodigy who led his party at 31.
Climate minister at 35
Former pacer for Olympic marathon winner Sifan Hassan.
History of heart trouble.
A gay man, engaged to a 28 yr old Argentinian hockey player.
And now Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Why is Ukraine extending a hand to the Belarusian opposition-in-exile? RAAM – op Rusland, Oekraïne en Belarus. Platform voor kennis, analyse en debat.

The risk posed by Lukashenko today looks very different. @shraibman.bsky.social writes for @ceip-politika.bsky.social that the threat of Belarus entering the war appears increasingly illusory. Ukraine’s ability to strike any point in Belarus gives Kyiv confidence.

platformraam.nl/uit-andere-m...

‘You can’t progress without a struggle’: Ukrainian sumo star Aonishiki on the next step, and life back home The 21-year-old, who is close to becoming the first European yokozuna or grand champion in Japan, is motivated by messages from his war-torn home

‘You can’t progress without a struggle’: Ukrainian sumo star Aonishiki on the next step, and life back home

Putin invited to join Trump's new Gaza Peace Board, Kremlin claims Moscow is currently studying the proposal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to state news agency TASS.

⚡️ Update: Trump invites Lukashenko to join Gaza Peace Board, Minsk claims.

"The proposal has been conveyed to (Alexander Lukashenko) and received positively," said Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ruslan Varankov, according to Belta.

Могут ли США поступить с Лукашенко так, как с Мадуро? Спросили у политического аналитика «Если не будет как-то американским интересам соответствовать, они могут нажимать».

🇧🇾🇻🇪 news.zerkalo.io/economics/11...

Venezuela Is a Gift to Putin and a harbinger of more Russian aggression in Europe

Venezuela may seem like a tactical loss for Russia, but in fact it's a strategic win for Putin's vision of the world. new essay:
hegemon.substack.com/p/venezuela-...

How Putin will threaten the UK in 2026 We must brace ourselves for plenty of Britain-bashing by the Kremlin and a growing escalation of its shadow campaign

How Putin will threaten the UK in 2026

My take for @theipaper.com. Not the more fashionable, exciting and, for me, implausible suggestions of a direct military threat, but the more indirect challenges, regardless of whatever happens over Ukraine

inews.co.uk/news/world/h...

Carol of the bells! - Splendor Midden in het centrum van Amsterdam vind je Splendor: meer dan 10 jaar geleden verzonnen en opgericht door 50 muzikanten die behoefte hadden aan een eigen, onafhankelijke plek om te verzinnen, maken, ...

Pretty full house at www.splendoramsterdam.com/agenda/11159... Quite a few vyahyvankas and embroidery on show 🇺🇦

The hill I will die on: Faux Cyrillic is a load of old crдp | Viv Groskop To the designers of film posters, I suppose it looks cleverly exotic – but there are 250 million readers of Cyrillic globally, and its misuse grinds our gears, says comedian and author Viv Groskop

The hill I will die on: Faux Cyrillic is a load of old crдp | Viv Groskop

Thinking of Odesa, where I lived for a few years in the late 1990s. Слава Україні 🇺🇦

Belarus at the Border: The Limits of Reengagement The future of the Belarus track will depend less on Minsk’s intentions than on whether the EU can move beyond symbolic unity and adopt a strategic approach toward a neighbor central to Europe’s securi...

The future of the Belarus track will depend on whether the EU can move beyond symbolic unity and adopt a strategic approach toward a neighbor central to Europe’s security architecture, argues Balázs Jarábik.

Ukraine’s Regional Shift: Realignments in Wartime and Beyond Regional disparities in investment, labor markets, and government transparency mean that regional development will be a key feature of Ukraine’s postwar future.

How has Russia's full-scale invasion transformed the distribution of people, capital, infrastructure, and political influence within Ukraine? Mariya Levonova and Balázs Jarábik unpack what regional disparities mean for postwar reconstruction: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say An agreement to rejoin Erasmus – the EU’s student exchange programme – is expected to be announced on Wednesday as part of the UK government’s drive towards closer relations with Brussels. The final details of the announcement were agreed by the two sides on Tuesday, with a plan to allow UK students to participate in the EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources said. Continue reading...

UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme

Belarus ruilt gevangenen voor sanctieverlichting: ‘We zijn terug in de middeleeuwen’ Bij Raam op Rusland vindt u altijd het laatste nieuws over Rusland, Oekraïne en de voormalige Sovjet-Unie. Ga naar de site voor het nieuws van vandaag.

Terwijl internationale media zich richtten op de vrijlating van 123 politieke gevangenen in Belarus, vierden staatsmedia in Minsk vooral een economische overwinning. De amnestie blijkt wisselgeld voor een versoepeling van Amerikaanse sancties.

platformraam.nl/in-het-kort/...

Na vrijlating Wit-Russische gevangenen: ‘Voor Loekasjenko is er maar een weg naar de vrijheid en die loopt via het buitenland’ Wit-Rusland: Met de vrijlating van 123 Wit-Russische politieke gevangenen in ruil voor sanctieverlichting hoopt dictator Loekasjenko het internationale isolement te doorbreken. Maar hij stuurt ze…

Met de vrijlating van 123 Wit-Russische politieke gevangenen in ruil voor sanctieverlichting hoopt dictator Loekasjenko het internationale isolement te doorbreken. Maar hij stuurt ze niet voor niets meteen de grens over. buff.ly/pmBS4kz

On Russian state TV tonight, a headline (until recently) you wouldn't have expected to see. "USA-EU: Cold War." Moscow clearly enjoying tensions between Washington & Brussels, as well as the new US national security strategy that's more critical of the EU than of Russia.

Рассказываем главное с первой пресс-конференции Виктора Бабарико, Марии Колесниковой, Александра Федуты и Владимира Лабковича «О том, что мы находимся в Украине, я узнавал только по вынужденным стоянкам и с точки зрения ориентации по солнцу», — рассказал Виктор Бабарико.

First press conference of Belarusian political prisoners released to Ukraine last week 🇧🇾https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/115870.html

Belarus contacted Ukrainian intelligence to offer release of political prisoners via Ukraine, Zelensky says Zelensky said Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov informed him Belarus preferred this option over releasing the prisoners via "this or that EU country."

⚡️ Belarus contacted Ukrainian intelligence to offer release of political prisoners via Ukraine, Zelensky says.

Zelensky said Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov informed him Belarus preferred this option over releasing the prisoners via "this or that EU country."

Belarus laat politieke gevangenen vrij, in ruil voor minder Amerikaanse sancties Het is de tweede keer in een paar maanden tijd dat Belarus leden van de oppositie vrijlaat.

Belarus laat politieke gevangenen vrij, in ruil voor minder Amerikaanse sancties

⚡️ Ales Bialiatski is free! ⚡️

The #NobelPeacePrize laureate and founder of Viasna spent over 4 years behind bars for his peaceful human rights work. Belarusian authorities had already imprisoned him once before — he then served almost 3 years.

#FreeViasna #FreeAles #FreeThemAll

Andrei Sannikov on Lukashenko’s latest gambit — and why the West keeps taking the bait — Meduza Belarusian pro-democracy activist Andrei Sannikov recently joined Beet editor Eilish Hart for a conversation recorded on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum. The interview focuse...

As the Trump admin eases sanctions on Belarus, Lukashenko is arresting more political prisoners than he frees, warns veteran opposition politician Andrei Sannikov. Listen to our full conversation on @meduza.io’s podcast now! meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Karbalevich: Lukashenka's exit is inevitable and will open a window of opportunity Radio Liberty political analyst Valer Karbalevich discusses what will happen after the departure of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and answers questions about whether we will face transit, “delukashenization”...

Eventual life after Lukashenka in Belarus 🇧🇾 en.belsat.eu/90371367/kar...

Station Kyiv #S1E8: De strijd aan de onderhandelingstafel RAAM – op Rusland, Oekraïne en Belarus. Platform voor kennis, analyse en debat.

In aflevering acht van Station Kyiv nemen we polshoogte in Oekraïne, waar de druk van alle kanten voelbaar is: aan het front maar ook zeker daarachter, zowel militair als diplomatiek. Te gast is voormalig topdiplomaat Robert Serry.

platformraam.nl/podcast/2948...