Europe

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow's military "tasks" in Ukraine now went beyond the eastern Donbas region, in the clearest acknowledgment yet that it has expanded its war goals.

In an interview with state media nearly five months after Russia's invasion, the foreign minister also said peace talks made no sense at the moment because Western governments were leaning on Ukraine to fight rather than negotiate.

Ukraine's foreign minister retorted that Russia wanted "blood, not talks".

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s head office on Wednesday proposed that member states cut their gas use by 15% over the coming months to ensure that any full Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies to the bloc will not fundamentally disrupt industries next winter.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative Party chose former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss — a fiscal moderate and a low-tax crusader — as the two finalists in an election to replace departing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The result came on the day the divisive, unrepentant Johnson ended his final appearance in Parliament as prime minister with the words “Hasta la vista, baby.”

Sunak and Truss came first and second respectively in a secret vote by Conservative lawmakers. Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt came in third and was eliminated.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s record-breaking heatwave has spurred calls for the government to speed up efforts to adapt to a changing climate, especially after wildfires created the busiest day for London firefighters since bombs rained down on the city during World War II.

PALINI, Greece (AP) — Nearly 500 firefighters struggled to contain a large wildfire that threatened hillside suburbs outside Athens for a second day Wednesday, after hundreds of residents were evacuated overnight.

Fires continued to burn across southern Europe, but authorities in France, Spain and Portugal all reported improved conditions with a respite from severe heat wave conditions.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s head office on Wednesday proposed that member states cut their gas use by 15% over the coming months as the bloc braced for a possible full Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies that could add a big chill to the upcoming winter.

While the initial cuts would be voluntary, the Commission also asked for the power to impose mandatory reductions across the bloc in the event of an EU-wide emergency caused by what Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saw as a deliberate attempt by President Vladimir Putin to weaponize gas exports.

BRUSSELS, July 19. /TASS/: The European Union has launched membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday.

"Today, Albania and North Macedonia open accession negotiations with the EU. This historic moment is your success," she told the two countries’ premiers.

MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/: Russia will put forward tougher conditions in terms of both substance and time if talks with Ukraine are resumed, Leonid Slutsky, leader of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and a member of the Russian delegation to the talks with Ukraine, said on Tuesday.

"Today the conditions from our side will be tougher both on demilitarization and denazification, tougher in essence and in time of their execution. I emphasize that this is if the negotiation process is resumed," Slutsky said at a press conference.

MOSCOW, July 19./TASS/: Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina has been classified as fit for a space flight by the Chief Medial Commission, which analyzed data of her medical examinations during the pre-flight training, the Yury Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center reported on its website on Tuesday.

"According to the results of a meeting of the commission, the health state of cosmonaut Anna Kikina makes her fit for a space flight. She will continue training for long-term Expedition 68 to the International Space Station," the report said.

PARIS, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France secured promises of new energy supplies from the United Arab Emirates on Monday after talks between President Emmanuel Macron and UAE leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Paris.

The UAE has emerged as a key partner for Western countries as they scramble for energy deals worldwide to replace imports from sanctions-hit Russia.

Sheikh Mohamed, also known as MBZ, was on his first overseas state visit since taking office in May following the death of his half-brother.