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Zelensky urges allies not to ‘look for excuses’ to avoid sanctions on Russia

Zelensky urges allies not to ‘look for excuses’ to avoid sanctions on Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference with President of Finland following talks at Mariyinsky Palace in Kyiv on September 11, 2025, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (AFP)
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Updated 14 September 2025

Zelensky urges allies not to ‘look for excuses’ to avoid sanctions on Russia

Zelensky urges allies not to ‘look for excuses’ to avoid sanctions on Russia
  • “I urge all partners to stop looking for excuses not to impose sanctions— Europe, the US, the G7, the G20,” Zelinskiy wrote on X

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to stop buying Russian oil and not to “look for excuses” to avoid sanctions.
US President Donald Trump has said that the US would only follow sanctions when all NATO members agree to the same.
“I urge all partners to stop looking for excuses not to impose sanctions— Europe, the US, the G7, the G20,” Zelinskiy wrote on X.
“It is necessary to reduce the consumption of Russian oil, and this will definitely reduce Russia’s ability to fight. We can hear the position of the US, and this position should be heard by all who still choose supplies from Russia rather than from other partners,” he added.


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.