NATO Chief warns Kosovo against making destabilizing steps

"Pristina & Belgrade must engage in the EU-led dialogue now, as the only way to peace & normalisation. Pristina must de-escalate & not take unilateral, destabilising steps," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on social media after speaking to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Kosovo police used force on Thursday to install ethnic Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo following an election in April that was boycotted by a vast majority of voters. The polls were declared valid despite the turnover of less than 3.5%.

Serbia's National Security Council accused the NATO-led peacekeeping mission KFOR of inaction. Serbia put its armed forces on full combat alert and moved them close to the border following a Kosovo police crackdown on peaceful anti-government protesters.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇹🇷 Erdogan stated that he has received phone calls from world leaders congratulating him and expressing their readiness to visit Turkiye

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has already publicly congratulated him on his Twitter account, and the president of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory in the second round of the presidential election, adding that it is an “important victory for the entire world.”

The Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, took to social media to congratulate Erdogan on his reelection.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

‼️ 99% of votes counted: Erdogan 52.08%, Kilicdaroglu 47.92%

🇹🇷🇷🇺 Putin congratulates Erdogan on reelection as Turkish president, Kremlin says

Putin in congratulatory message to Erdogan confirms readiness to continue constructive dialogue on topical issues.

“The victory in the elections is a logical result of your dedicated work as the leader of the Turkish Republic, a tangible testament to the support of the Turkish people for your efforts in strengthening state sovereignty and pursuing an independent foreign policy. We highly appreciate your personal contribution to the consolidation of friendly Russian-Turkish relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas,” the Russian president stated.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇹🇷 Thousands of supporters awaiting the re-elected president and allies from his electoral alliance at the Presidential Palace in Ankara

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇹🇷❗️The People's Alliance Party supporters gathered at the Presidential Complex are waiting for President Erdogan to speak from the balcony

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️⚡️ The Supreme Election Council: Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been elected as the president of Turkiye

What is a recession and how can you prepare for one?

President Biden and GOP House speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a last-minute deal on the debt ceiling Saturday, with Biden boasting that the agreement would prevent a “catastrophic default” and punishing recession.

What are recessions? What can ordinary folks do to cushion their blow?

Sputnik explains

🚅🇷🇺 Russian Railways ready to build high-speed rail, launch first train in 2027

"Today we are ready to build the high-speed rail. And we think it is necessary now. Now is the time," Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozyorov told a Russian TV channel.

A specialized train fit for the high-speed rail is now being built and will be ready by 2027, the Russian Railways head said.

A high-speed railroad is a specialized electrified double-track line for operating trains with speeds of 200 to 400 kilometers per hour (124-248 miles per hour). There are no such roads in Russia now. Authorities picked the Moscow-St. Petersburg route for the maiden high-speed rail. It is planned that the trains will cover the way between the cities in 2 hours 15 minutes.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Israeli Foreign Minister to travel to Central Europe to bolster ties with EU allies

"The diplomatic visit to Central European countries is strengthening strategic coordination with our friends, allowing Israel to promote our political and economic interests on the continent," Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement.

"Friends of Israel in the EU are playing a central role in our relationship with a united Europe — from economic, cultural and technological cooperation to the joint fight against terrorism and Iran’s nuclear project," he added.

Cohen will visit Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria and meet with senior government officials. This will be his seventh trip to the region in five months and the first ever visit to Slovakia of an Israeli foreign minister. He will also take part in a meeting of his Slovak, Austrian and Czech counterparts.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Over half of Britons want UK to forge closer ties with EU - poll

The survey of more than 10,000 adults, conducted by Focaldata between April 20 and May 9, found that 53% wanted London to pursue closer ties with Brussels, compared to 14% who wanted a more distant relationship and 23% who wanted it to remain uncharged.

Almost two-thirds of those sampled said they believed Brexit had created more problems than it had solved, up from just 57% recorded in December 2021. Only 21% of respondents said the United Kingdom's departure from the EU solved more problems than it had created.

"In just a few short years, public opinion in Britain has moved on from being pro-Brexit, to believing [then Prime Minister Boris] Johnson’s deal has done more harm than good, to now supporting a closer relationship with the EU," Best for Britain chief executive Naomi Smith summed it up.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt