ֱ

Von der Leyen says Europe is drawing up ‘precise’ plans to send troops to Ukraine, FT reports

Local residents walk out of the residential building heavily damaged three days ago during a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack, in Kyiv on August 31, 2025. (AFP)
Local residents walk out of the residential building heavily damaged three days ago during a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack, in Kyiv on August 31, 2025. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 01 September 2025

Von der Leyen says Europe is drawing up ‘precise’ plans to send troops to Ukraine, FT reports

Local residents walk out of the residential building heavily damaged three days ago during a Russian attack.
  • “President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop,” von der Leyen told the FT
  • Deployment is set to include potentially tens of thousands of European-led troops, backed by assistance from the US

LONDON: Europe is drawing up “pretty precise plans” for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of US capabilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday.
“President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop,” von der Leyen told the FT, adding that “That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed.”
The deployment is set to include potentially tens of thousands of European-led troops, backed by assistance from the US, including control and command systems and intelligence and surveillance assets, the report said, adding that this arrangement was agreed at a meeting between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders last month.
European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and von der Leyen are expected to gather in Paris on Thursday, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, to continue the high-level discussions on Ukraine, the FT reported, citing three diplomats briefed on the plans.


Observation mission says Tanzanian election did not comply with AU standards

Updated 5 sec ago

Observation mission says Tanzanian election did not comply with AU standards

Observation mission says Tanzanian election did not comply with AU standards
  • President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the October 29 poll with 98 percent of the vote 
  • The opposition, which was barred from participating, branded the election a “sham”

NAIROBI, Kenya: African Union election observers said late Wednesday that the integrity of Tanzania’s recently concluded elections was “compromised,” citing incidents of “ballot stuffing at several polling stations.”
President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the October 29 poll with 98 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission, but the opposition, which was barred from participating, branded the election a “sham.”
Violent protests broke out across the country on election day.
The government responded with a total Internet blackout and transport shutdown, and the opposition says hundreds were killed by security forces, though getting verified information remains difficult despite an easing of restrictions.

The AU Election Observation Mission said its observers witnessed voters being issued multiple ballots, with some allowed to cast their votes without their identities being verified against the registry.
“The 2025 Tanzania General Elections did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections,” reads the initial report from the AU mission.
The mission said its observers were restricted from monitoring the vote count, noting that this “limited transparency.”
It added that in some polling stations observers “were asked to only observe voting for five minutes.”
The report also noted violent protests, gunfire, road closures, and tire burning in areas such as Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Mwanza, Kagera, Dodoma, Kigoma, Tebora, Buhungwa, Singinda, among others.
The AU urged Tanzania to “prioritize electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges.”
On Monday, African poll observers released an initial report saying Tanzanians had been unable to “express their democratic will” due to the barring of opposition candidates, censorship and intimidation, as well as signs of rigging on election day.