World Briefing: February 22, 2025

US has signalled that it could leave an international effort to prosecute Russia for invading Ukraine, The Telegraph can reveal. US envoys refused to label Russia as an “aggressor” at a meeting of a “core group” of countries preparing a Nuremberg-style tribunal to try Vladimir Putin for his war crimes, according to Western officials. European officials fear Mr Trump’s flattery of Putin could lead to the Russian despot being let off the hook for his invasion as part of any peace settlement. This stance has put preparations for the final meeting of the “core group” next month in doubt. The group is leading a 40-nation coalition to form a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, modelled on the response to Nazi war crimes after the Second World War. It would involve the US and other countries joining Ukraine to grant jurisdiction to a dedicated criminal tribunal to investigate both the perpetrators of the crime of aggression and those complicit in that crime. The crime of aggression cannot be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. “Unless they acknowledge it’s an aggression, they can’t participate,” an official said of US opposition to the labelling of Russia as an aggressor. Losing Washington’ s backing for the tribunal will be a major blow to the project’s international reputation and standing. “This is quite a drastic shift,” a European diplomat told The Telegraph. “Rewriting history and pretending that Russia wasn’t the one who started this war is something that we simply cannot and will not agree to.” - Telegraph

Donald Trump says France’s Emmanuel Macron and UK PM Keir Starmer “haven’t done anything” to end the war in Ukraine, ahead of visits from both leaders to the White House next week. Speaking to Fox News, the US president also says Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has “no cards” in peace negotiations, adding: “I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings.” Meanwhile, UK cabinet minister Pat McFadden says Britain is in a “potentially good position” with Trump, as he urges colleagues to focus on “what will actually happen” as well as what’s said - BBC

Six Israeli captives are being released in Gaza today in exchange for 602 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The family of deceased Israeli captive Shiri Bibas confirmed that her remains have been identified after a body returned from Gaza on Thursday was discovered to belong to another person.

Germany’s Interior Ministry has warned of a Russian disinformation operation seeking to influence voters and help the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD). Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall said security officials had reason to suspect the Kremlin-linked “Storm-1516” network was behind some of the online campaigns. Disinformation researchers say the network has previously produced fake videos to discredit the US election campaign of Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election. “The goal of these influence operations is to destroy confidence in democracy, to question the integrity of the electoral process,” Kall said at a Berlin press conference. The campaigns were believed to be “quite targeted at the parliamentary elections” but did not have a “wide reach,” according to Kall. One of the campaigns suggested the AfD — which is sympathetic to Russia — was being treated unfairly and involved videos falsely claiming ballots in the eastern city of Leipzig had been sent out without listing the AfD or its candidates. Kall said other false videos purported to be from the northern German city of Hamburg show what appear to be ballots for the AfD thrown in a shredder.

The South Korean government will accept any North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine upon their request of asylum, a position that has already been communicated to the Ukrainian government, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry announced. It followed a North Korean prisoner of war in Ukraine expressing his desire to settle in South Korea in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper released earlier in the day. The North Korean soldier, at the same time, raised questions about whether the South Korean government would grant him asylum if he applied. “The government, based on the basic principle of accepting all of them (prisoners of war) when they request to come to South Korea and according to relevant laws, will provide necessary protection and support,” a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity in a statement in response to a media inquiry on Seoul’s stance on North Korean prisoners of war.“We have already conveyed this position of our government to the Ukrainian side, and will continue necessary consultations.” - Korea Herald

The leaders of seven Arab countries have held talks in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to hash out a plan for the future of Gaza. The gathering on Friday in Riyadh was meant to respond to a plan raised by US President Donald Trump for the US to “take over” Gaza, permanently forcibly displace its residents and turn the Palestinian enclave into the “Riviera” of the Middle East. Arab leaders have roundly rejected Trump’s proposal, saying it throws out decades of work towards Palestinian self-determination, treads on the rights of residents of Gaza and will perpetuate a regional cycle of violence. They hope to present an alternative plan with unified support at a March 4 Arab League meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had called the Riyadh meeting, which was attended by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad Al Sabah and Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. No official account of the meeting had been released Friday by any of the countries involved, and it was not immediately clear if any details of a plan had been agreed to - Al Jazeera

The European Union is set to lift some sanctions on Syria related to energy, financial transactions and transport next week, a draft document viewed by The National shows. The legal text is to be consolidated and is expected to be adopted by the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. Exemptions for reconstructions efforts, estimated at $250 billion, are to be included in the move, The National understands. “This is an important step that we highly welcome,” one EU diplomat said. The document, which is not public, stated that the EU Council has decided to suspend a number of restrictive measures on Syria in view of the situation in the country, a reference to the toppling in December by rebel groups of the Assad regime after more than five decades in power. The document was adopted on Wednesday and is expected to be reviewed on Friday before it is submitted to the foreign ministers on Monday. The move aims to “facilitate engagement with the country, its people and businesses in areas of energy, transport and reconstruction, as well as to facilitate the associated financial and banking transactions,” the document reads. “The EU stands with the Syrian people in this moment of transition.” - The National

The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order. “The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in its lawsuit, which names White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “This targeted attack on the AP’s editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment,” the news agency said. “This court should remedy it immediately.” - AP

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the White House decision to block The Associated Press (AP) from covering official events after AP’s decision to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its internationally known name, calling the action the latest in an alarming pattern of retaliation against a free press in the first weeks of Donald Trump’s administration. “Retaliating against AP – one of the world’s leading providers of fact-based news – for its content undermines the U.S. president’s stated commitment to free speech and prevents its audience in the U.S. and abroad from getting the news,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “These actions follow a pattern of smearing and penalizing the press from the current administration and are unacceptable. This decision is the latest in an alarming pattern of retaliation against a free press in the first weeks of Donald Trump’s administration which include retaliatory lawsuits, punitive action by the Federal Communications Commission, the suspension of U.S. Agency for International Development funding, as well as targeted attacks against journalists and news organizations.

South African businesses are grappling with uncertainty around the government’s economic plans after the unprecedented postponement of the budget. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday delayed his budget speech until Mar. 12 after the Democratic Alliance, a main coalition partner with the African National Congress, opposed plans to increase value-added tax to 17%, from 15%. The government wants to spark growth in Africa’s most advanced economy without increasing borrowing — public debt is now 75% of GDP, compared to 27% in 2008 — but VAT has become a major sticking point. The row marks the biggest policy disagreement since the ANC was forced into a coalition last year after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. With South Africa’s tax year set to start on Mar. 1, businesses lack finality around the government’s tax plans. “Uncertainty is something we can ill afford,” said Khulekani Mathe, CEO of the Business Unity South Africa organization, an employers’ group. He added that the delay casts doubt on the coalition’s “ability to collaborate effectively for the country’s benefit.” - Semafor

Bad news for Americans who love a meal with a side of cleavage—Hooters is going bankrupt. The popular restaurant chain, largely known for its servers’ skimpy outfits, is $300 million in debt. Almost 300 locations are scattered nationwide, historically enticing casual diners and drinkers with cheap beers and American comfort food. It isn’t the only chain prepping for its downfall—Red Lobster also filed for bankruptcy last summer. Both have blamed rising rent and food prices. Plus, they say, people are eating out less and ordering in more. The owl-themed spot first opened in Clearwater, Florida in 1983. For over four decades, it has greeted millions of Americans. But its loyal fans just aren’t cutting it anymore. Hooters is readying itself to restructure through Chapter 11—a policy which allows them to negotiate leases and loans in order to reorganize. Hooter-holics shouldn’t lose hope yet. Chapter 11 worked for Red Lobster, which emerged triumphant after closing 100 restaurants and ending their debts. The private equity-owned restaurant already shut down 40 of its “underperforming” locations in June to try and stay above water. Nationwide, dozens of chains are facing the same fate: from big players like Applebee’s and TGI Fridays to small, locally-owned businesses - Daily Beast

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