International

Washington and London leave in the air the authorization to use their missiles against Russia

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, reaffirmed their support for Ukraine this Friday, but left Kiev on embers by not announcing a decision on their request to authorize the use of long-range missiles against Russian territory.

Expectations were high around the meeting between the two leaders, although in the end the announcement that Kiev was waiting for was not made.

New debate at United Nations

In statements to the press after the meeting, Starmer said that discussions will continue with a “wider group of individuals” during the week of high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, to be held later this month.

“This meeting was not to make a concrete decision,” stressed Starmer, who defended Ukraine’s right to defend itself and assured that NATO will continue to support Ukraine.

The issue of the missiles did not appear either in the final statement of the meeting, in which both parties “reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine while continuing to defend itself against Russia’s aggression,” nor in the statements that both leaders offered before the meeting to the media.

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At that time, Biden was the first to take the floor to thank Starmer for the “leadership” that the United Kingdom has shown in the war in Ukraine and reiterated that Washington is “committed” to helping Ukraine in its defense of “Russian aggression.”

For his part, Starmer expressed his support for Ukraine in “this vital war for freedom” and said that the coming months will be “very important” for the course of the conflict.

US conditions

Hours before the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had insisted again that Ukraine needs to attack military targets located within the Russian Federation to change the course of the war in its favor.

In addition to Ukraine, other allies on NATO’s east flank, such as Poland, want the US leader to allow Kiev to use long-range missiles to attack military targets within Russia, and Biden has been open to making some changes in the policy he has maintained so far.

The question is how far Biden will go and when he could announce a change.

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So far, the Biden Government’s policy has been to support Ukraine and, since the beginning of the conflict, it has given it more than 55 billion dollars in weapons, but it has set conditions on how Kiev should use the weapons that the US delivers or that are made with American components to avoid an escalation with Russia.

Those restrictions, however, have been relaxed over time on some occasions. They are maintained in long-range missiles, but in May Biden authorized Kiev for the first time to carry out attacks on Russian territory, specifically to defend the then besieged city of Kharkiv (northeast of the country).

Putin’s warnings

A possible measure that Biden could take is to authorize Ukraine’s use of British Storm Shadow missiles to attack targets outside its territory. The United Kingdom and Ukraine would need the approval of the US president, since some components of these missiles are manufactured in the United States.

Kiev also wants authorization to use the US long-range missiles ATACMS against Russia, which Washington has already sent to Ukraine. However, White House spokesman John Kirby already warned this Friday at a press conference that Biden was not going to announce any change in US policy for the moment.

“There are no changes in our vision on the provision of long-range attack capabilities for Ukraine to use within Russia. I wouldn’t expect any important announcement about it,” he said.

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One of the biggest fears in the United States remains an escalation with Russia. This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if Ukraine is authorized to use long-range missiles to hit targets on Russian territory, it would imply that NATO members, the United States and European countries would be at war with Russia.

International

Brazil offers to mediate Colombia-Ecuador tensions, calls for restraint

The government of Brazil has offered to mediate in the ongoing tensions between Colombia and Ecuador, while calling on both nations to exercise restraint.

In a statement released Wednesday, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the parties involved to act with moderation and seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

“Brazil encourages all sides to act with moderation in order to find a peaceful solution to the controversy. It stands ready to support dialogue efforts aimed at preserving peace and security in the region,” the statement said.

Brazil also expressed “serious concern” over reports of deaths in the border area between Colombia and Ecuador, noting that the circumstances surrounding the incidents have not yet been clarified.

The diplomatic move comes amid rising tensions between the neighboring countries, increasing regional concern over stability and security along their shared border.

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International

U.S. lowers travel advisory for much of Venezuela but keeps high-risk zones under warning

The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday that it has lowered its travel advisory for much of Venezuela to Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”), reflecting what it described as improved security conditions in parts of the country.

However, the agency will maintain the highest Level 4 warning (“Do Not Travel”) for several regions, including the states of Táchira, Amazonas, Apure, Aragua and Guárico, as well as rural areas of Bolívar, citing ongoing risks such as crime, kidnapping and terrorism.

The updated advisory marks a shift from December, when the United States raised the alert for Venezuela to Level 4 nationwide, warning of severe security threats.

Despite the partial downgrade, U.S. authorities continue to urge caution, emphasizing that conditions remain volatile in certain areas and that travelers should carefully assess risks before planning any trips to the country.

International

EU lawmakers move to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual nude images

Members of the European Parliament are pushing to ban across the bloc artificial intelligence services that allow users to digitally “undress” people without their consent.

The proposal, adopted on Wednesday at committee level, aims to prohibit applications that generate non-consensual explicit images. Irish lawmaker Michael McNamara, one of the sponsors, said the measure seeks to stop tools that “have caused significant harm for the benefit of a few.”

Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak welcomed the move, calling it “a major victory, especially for women and children in Europe.”

The amendment, part of broader EU legislation on artificial intelligence, was approved by the Parliament’s civil liberties and internal market committees. It specifically targets systems that use AI to create or manipulate sexually explicit or intimate images resembling identifiable individuals without their consent.

The proposal will be put to a full vote in the European Parliament on March 26. If adopted, lawmakers and European Union member states will need to agree on a final version before it can take effect.

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Separately, representatives of the 27 EU countries recently backed a Franco-Spanish amendment seeking to ban AI services used to generate non-consensual sexual images or child sexual abuse material.

The initiative follows controversy surrounding a feature introduced in Grok, developed by xAI, which allowed users to create simulated nude images from real photos. The tool sparked widespread criticism and prompted an EU investigation.

In response, xAI restricted image generation features in mid-January to paying subscribers and stated it blocks the creation of sexualized images in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.