President Volodymyr Zelensky ⁠pledged on Thursday that ​Ukraine would keep to a clear timetable in talks on joining the ​European Union and in sticking to its obligations with the 27-nation bloc. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Georgia's former minister of Euro-Atlantic integration and professor at SciencesPo Paris Tornike Gorgadze.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding his fifth wartime economic conference in St. Petersburg, with the Russian economy stgnating and his government struggling for ways to resume growth. FRANCE 24's Nick Rushworth reports.

One ballot box, two competing battles. In Armenia, voters are heading to the polls to decide the future direction of their country. But beneath the political campaigns lies a far more insidious warfare. Analysts warn that a massive, coordinated network of foreign disinformation - much of it tracing back to Russia - is systematically weaponizing the deep-seated trauma of recent wars. FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot reports from Yerevan.

Russia-U.S. talks on economic and energy issues continue despite a pause in Ukraine peace negotiations, Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev told ​Reuters on Thursday, ‌adding he spoke to U.S. counterparts a day earlier. He spoke on the sidelines of the St Petersburg economic summit, where, as FRANCE 24's international affairs commentator Douglas Herbert explains, a veritable 'rogues' gallery' of notorious figures showed up in support of Putin's policies.

Anger is growing in #Albania over a plan to build luxury hotels and villas in a protected area on the #Adriatic coast. The project is being led by an investment #fund linked to #Trump's son-in-law Jared #Kushner. Protests started end of May after videos showed bulldozers on the #beach.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off across the North American continent, hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Thando Sibiya, Sports Presenter and Journalist. While the tournament was initially met with great fanfare: an expanded 48-country tournament hosted by three countries, Sibiya warns that the "deplorable issues" and multiple controversies risk "killing the ambiance" and keeping football fans and country supporters away. From exorbitant ticket prices to Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies, many fans will now be forced to follow their team from their home country. This could very well be 'one of the least anticipated World Cups of this era', laments Sibiya.

⚽ Cabo Verde, #Brazil, South Africa... National teams are beginning to arrive in North America ahead of the 2026 football #WorldCup, due to start on June 11.