Foreign Digest: France, Armenia, Ukraine and the Group of Seven Industrial Powers

France: The main French conservative party, the Republicans, expelled their leader after he announced an alliance with the far-right anti-migrant pro-Russian party that had won the most votes and seats in the EP election last weekend for the upcoming snap French parliamentary elections next month that were called by the President after his coalition’s weak showing, although a court ruled against the expulsion. The French governing coalition is made up of centrists and some center-right parties, including some former members of the Republicans. The longtime opposition to fascism by the Gaullist center-right Republicans has kept the far right from power in France and likely will be pivotal in the national parliamentary vote. France is a great power ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It supports defending Ukraine against Russian aggression. The far-right opposition party was funded by Russia and opposes aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the parties on the left are uniting to defeat the far right, dropping a communist as their candidate who had performed well in the last French parliamentary elections and taking strong stands in support of Ukraine versus Russian aggression and against Islamist terrorism against Israel. The elections are only for Parliament. The President’s term does not end until 2026. Armenia: Armenia, a former Soviet Republic, is leaving a Russian Federation-led security alliance. Armenia has turned away from Russia, the successor of the Soviet Union, and toward the West after Russian peacekeepers failed to prevent Azeri troops from overtaking Nagorno Karabakh, and a breakaway ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, another former Soviet Republic that has clashed with Armenia over the territory ever since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukraine: Ukraine has been boosted diplomatically and financially by three international organizations and groups. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will fund nearly $700 million for restoration of cultural sites in Ukraine that have been destroyed by Russian aggression and cultural genocide, including religious centers, historical architectural buildings, museums and monuments. The fund is backed by the United States, Canada, many European States, Georgia and Japan. The Group of Seven Industrial Powers (G-7), which includes the United States, agreed to loan Ukraine $50 billion with frozen Russian assets used as collateral. At the International Peace Summit hosted by Switzerland, the United States, the European Council, the European Union and over 80 individual States from around the world agreed to a formula for peace that upholds Ukraine’s and every States’ independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity (based on its internationally recognized borders that Russia had recognized), based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and UN resolutions condemning Russian aggression. The joint statement includes the freeing of Ukrainian civilians illegally detained and the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. Russia had attempted to discourage States from attending the summit. Group of Seven Industrial Powers: The G-7 summit statement included no mention of abortion as a right in the final draft of its join statement, unlike last year. The meeting in Italy was the first attended by a Pope, as the Francis called for ethics in regard to artificial intelligence and for peace.