World

KINSHASA — The Democratic Republic of Congo's army denied Sunday that 20 fighters linked to the Rwandan genocide had been captured on its territory, calling a video of their handover to Rwanda "faked".

The statement came after the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in eastern DRC said on Saturday it had captured fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militia founded by ethnic Hutus who took part in the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994.

Rwanda has long pointed to the alleged presence of the FDLR in eastern DRC to justify its support for the M23.

With Rwanda's backing, the M23 has seized swathes of the DRC's troubled, mineral-rich east in recent months, including the key provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.

The M23 released a video showing its forces handing over 20 alleged FDLR fighters to Rwanda at a border post between the two countries.

"This is a faked incident in poor taste orchestrated with the sole aim of discrediting our army," the Congolese armed forces chiefs of staff said in a statement.

"This is part of the Rwandan strategy to justify the invasion of parts of the DRC's territory," it added.

"The Rwandan authorities, who specialize in the art of lies and manipulation, took old FDLR detainees, dressed them in new military fatigues, and passed them off as FDLR fighters newly captured in Goma."

The DRC high command also accused the Rwandan army of "summary executions" of wounded and ill soldiers at a field hospital in Goma, which "constitutes a war crime and crime against humanity", it said.

The escalating conflict in eastern DRC has raised fears it could spiral into a wider regional war, drawing in Rwanda, Uganda and other countries.

LONDON — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday gave Volodymyr Zelensky a warm welcome in London, a day after the Ukrainian leader's clash with US President Donald Trump.

And ahead of Sunday's summit in London to discuss how to support Ukraine as it battles Russia's invading forces, Starmer reiterated his support for Kyiv.

"In partnership with our allies, we must intensify our preparations for the European element of security guarantees alongside continued discussions with the United States," he said in a statement issued late Saturday.

"Now is the time for us to unite in order to guarantee the best outcome for Ukraine, protect European security, and secure our collective future," he added.

Hours earlier, Ukraine and the UK unveiled a £2.26 billion ($2.84 billion) loan agreement to support Ukraine's defence capabilities, to be paid back with the profits of immobilised sovereign Russian assets.

"The funds will be directed toward weapons production in Ukraine," Zelensky said on X.

"This is true justice -- the one who started the war must be the one to pay."

Supporters cheered as Zelensky's convoy swept into Downing Street, where he was embraced by Starmer and posed for photographs before heading inside the British leader's home.

"You're very, very welcome here in Downing Street," Starmer told Zelensky.

"I want to thank you, the people of the United Kingdom, for such big support from the very beginning of this war," Zelensky responded.

He is due to meet King Charles III on Sunday.

The leaders met behind closed doors for around 75 minutes, and embraced again as Starmer escorted Zelensky to his car.

- 'A new age of infamy' -

Earlier Saturday Zelensky had stressed that Trump's support was still "crucial" for Ukraine despite their row the previous day.

The clash was a further shock to Kyiv's European allies, still adjusting to Washington's new stance on the war.

On Friday as cameras in the Oval Office rolled, Trump berated Zelensky for not being "ready" for peace with Russia, triggering alarm across Europe.

"Yesterday evening underlined that a new age of infamy has begun," said Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Starmer, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron were among several other European leaders who reiterated their support for Kyiv after the row.

In an interview with the BBC, NATO chief Mark Rutte said he had told Zelensky he had to "find a way" to restore his relationship with Trump.

Russian politicians were delighted, however.

Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev called Zelensky an "insolent pig" who had received "a proper slap down in the Oval Office".

Although Zelensky left the White House without having signed the deal on Kyiv's rare minerals, he insisted he was still ready to sign it as "the first step toward security guarantees".

"It's crucial for us to have President Trump's support. He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do," Zelensky posted on X.

Zelensky will be at Sunday's emergency talks in London with Kyiv's European backers -- a meeting that will also be attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Starmer said he would meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Sunday at Downing Street, before the main summit. In Rome, her office said late Saturday that she had spoken with Trump by phone to discuss the London gathering.

Shouting match

Trump stunned many in Europe when he reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a deal on Ukraine, which Moscow invaded three years ago.

The Republican's sudden shift -- sidelining Kyiv and Europe while pursuing rapprochement with Putin -- has rattled the transatlantic NATO alliance.

Those concerns were only exacerbated by Friday's White House shouting match.

During the televised clash, Trump and Vice President JD Vance angrily accused Zelensky of not being "thankful" and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.

"You're either going to make a deal or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty," Trump said.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the Oval Office uproar as "a grotesque and disrespectful scene".

He added: "I think that Zelensky was humiliated, I think that in Trump's mind Zelensky deserved it, I think that the European Union was harmed by Zelensky's speech."

EU 'independence' from US

Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky and refusing to condemn the Russian invasion.

He said in the Oval Office that he had "spoken on numerous occasions" to Putin -- more than has been publicly reported.

With fears growing over whether the United States will continue to support NATO, Sunday's gathering in the UK will also address the need for Europe to increase defence cooperation.

France's Macron has said he is ready to "open the discussion" on a possible future European nuclear deterrent.

"We have a shield, they don't," he said in an interview with French newspapers appearing Sunday. "And they can no longer depend on the American nuclear deterrent."

France and Britain are the only Western European countries with a nuclear arsenal.

Germany's likely next leader, Friedrich Merz, also stressed the need for the continent to move quickly to "achieve independence" from the United States on defence matters.

But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- the closest ally of Trump and the Kremlin in the European Union -- vowed to oppose any EU-wide agreement on the conflict.

"I am convinced that the European Union -- following the example of the United States -- should enter into direct discussions with Russia on a ceasefire and a sustainable peace in Ukraine," Orban wrote in a letter.

UKRAINE — A few kilometres from the front line in eastern Ukraine, Nadija, an army lieutenant, told AFP she felt "empty" after watching the clash between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.

Nadija said she wondered what Ukraine had done to deserve getting harangued by Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused Zelensky of being "disrespectful" and not "thankful" enough for US support.

"We did everything we had to," said the round-cheeked 21-year-old soldier in the Donetsk region.

"I could have lived a calm life but instead of that I am fighting," she said.

The fighting is raging in Ukraine, particularly around the town of Pokrovsk -- an important logistics hub.

The Ukrainian army is outgunned and outmanned and struggling to hold back Russia's steady advance.

Nadija said the unprecedented argument in the White House would likely boost support for Zelensky and the army in Ukraine.

"I think that more people will pay attention to the need to serve in the armed forces," she said, explaining that the army needed "young recruits".

 'Proud' of Zelensky 

With the risk of a cut in US military assistance, Nadija said she hoped for backing from Europe, adding that countries bordering Russia would "wake up".

"If the support weakens, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will have achieved his aims and Europe will be next" to be attacked, she said.

Near the snow-covered front line, Oleksandr, a 41-year-old sergeant, held a cup of coffee to stay warm.

An imposing figure with blue eyes, he said he was "proud" of his president and "not surprised" by Trump's words, adding that the US leader "likes dictators".

"I think there won't be any more aid to put pressure on us to capitulate to Russia as soon as possible."

Oleksandr said he also hoped for support for Europe, pointing out that Russia had "reliable" partners such as North Korea which sent soldiers to fight Ukraine.

"They [European countries] will help us but not all of them," he said.

'Betrayed' by Trump 

Two other soldiers, who go by the the nicknames Smile and Rybachok, were also having coffee between missions.

Smile said he felt "betrayed" and "abandoned".

"They way Trump behaved is unacceptable," he said, adding that the situation at the front was "serious".

He said he too wanted to believe Europe would come to the rescue -- "otherwise, what else can we do?".

"Of course Europe will help us", said Rybachok, 38, who is staying optimistic despite having lost an eye in combat and having several scars on his face.

Ivan, who was away from the front for a break to try and forget the horror, said Zelensky had replied "as he should have" to Trump.

Asked if he was afraid of what would come next, he replied: "I no longer know what fear is."

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for two weeks with double pneumonia, is in a "stable" condition, the Vatican said on Saturday while again declining to offer a prognosis.

The 88-year-old had suffered a breathing "crisis" on Friday, but Saturday's evening bulletin said this was not repeated, adding: "The clinical conditions of the Holy Father have remained stable."

The pope was hospitalised on February 14 for breathing difficulties but his condition deteriorated into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking widespread alarm.

He suffered a breathing attack at the weekend, but since then appeared to have been getting slightly better, with the Vatican releasing more optimistic medical updates.

A Vatican source went so far Friday as to say Francis's condition was not currently critical following incremental improvements in his condition.

But the Vatican has not yet modified the pope's prognosis of "reserved", -- which means doctors will not predict changes in his health.

Medical experts have warned that Francis's age and the chronic respiratory disease from which he suffers mean a sustained recovery could take time. 

And Friday's bulletin from the Vatican stressed once again that his "prognosis remains reserved".

This hospital stay is Francis's longest since he was elected pope in 2013.

TOKYO — Japan was battling its largest wildfire in more than three decades on Saturday, one of several blazes that have killed one person and forced the evacuation of more than a thousand.

Flames are estimated to have spread over about 1,200 hectares in the forest of Ofunato in the northern region of Iwate since fire broke out on Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

"We're still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the biggest since the 1992 wildfire" in Kushiro, Hokkaido, an agency spokesman told AFP.

That fire burned 1,030 hectares, the previous record.

Around 1,700 fire fighters were being mobilised from across the country, the agency said.

Aerial footage from public broadcaster NHK showed white smoke billowing up and covering an entire mountain.

Local police found the body of one person who had been burned on Thursday.

Over 1,000 nearby residents have been evacuated and more than 80 buildings had been damaged as of Friday, according to the Ofunato municipality.

The cause of the blaze remained unknown.

Two other fires were also burning Saturday, one in Yamanashi and another elsewhere in Iwate.

There were about 1,300 wildfires across Japan in 2023, concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries out and winds pick up.

The number of wildfires has declined since the peak in the 1970s, according to government data.

Ofunato has seen only 2.5 millimetres of rainfall this month, on course to fall far below the previous record low for February of 4.4 millimetres in 1967.

And last year was Japan's hottest since records began, mirroring other nations as ever-rising greenhouse gas emissions fuel climate change.

WASHINGTON — Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that his relations with the United States can still be repaired, after President Donald Trump shouted at him in an angry White House meltdown accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing to make peace with Russia.

"Of course," Zelensky said when asked in a Fox News interview if the relationship with Trump could be salvaged.

US-Ukrainian ties are about "more than two presidents," he said, adding that Ukraine badly needs Washington's help in the fight against Russia's far bigger and better-armed military.

"It will be difficult without your support," Zelensky said on Fox, Trump’s favourite news channel.

Zelensky's olive branch came hours after the extraordinary Oval Office scene where the years-long US policy of massive support for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion collapsed in a shouting match.

The row saw European leaders scramble to voice support for Ukraine after Zelensky was made to leave the White House early and without signing a minerals-sharing deal seen as vital to an eventual US-brokered truce.

During the clash, played out in front of US and international media, Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being "thankful" and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.

"You don't have the cards right now," Trump said. "You're either going to make a deal or we’re out, or if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty."

Zelensky departed shortly after, with Trump posting on social media that "he can come back when he is ready for peace."

"They were asked to leave the room. Then they had to be asked to leave the building," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who had been in the Oval Office for the row, told Fox News of the Ukrainians.

The president told journalists later Friday that Zelensky was "overplaying his hand" and should agree to end fighting "immediately."

Zelensky, however, refused to apologize, telling Fox News, "I'm not sure that we did something bad." He did, however, say he wished the exchange had not taken place in front of reporters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later on CNN called for Zelensky to "apologise for wasting our time."

'Not alone'

US allies in Europe,  already worried that Trump will force Ukraine to effectively hand victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin, rushed to back Zelensky.

"You are not alone," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, fresh off his own visit to the White House, said he had spoken to both Trump and Zelensky by phone following the clash and vowed "unwavering support" for Kyiv.

Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for a summit "without delay" between the United States, Europe and allies on Ukraine.

Trump and Vance are "doing Putin's dirty work," top US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted.

But Russia was delighted.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called Zelensky an "insolent pig" who had received "a proper slap down in the Oval Office."

Trump's Republican Party echoed the Russians in blaming Zelensky.

Ukraine appeared united behind Zelensky, with its army chief vowing to stand with him while the foreign minister praised his "bravery."

"He did what he must," 26-year-old Valentyn Burianov told AFP in Kyiv, echoing others in the streets of the Ukrainian capital.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis, in hospital with pneumonia, suffered a breathing "crisis" on Friday which caused him to vomit, but he was given air and responded well, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old, who has spent the past two weeks at Rome's Gemelli hospital, "presented an isolated crisis of bronchospasm which... led to an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory picture", it said in a statement.

"The Holy Father promptly underwent bronchoaspiration and began non-invasive mechanical ventilation, with a good response on gas exchange," it said.

Francis "remained alert and oriented at all times, cooperating with the therapeutic manoeuvres," it added.
The pope was hospitalised on February 14 for breathing difficulties but his condition deteriorated into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking widespread alarm.

He suffered a breathing attack at the weekend, but since then appeared to have been getting slightly better, with the Vatican releasing more optimistic medical updates.

A Vatican source went so far Friday as to say Francis's condition was not currently critical following incremental improvements in his condition.

But the Vatican has not yet modified the pope's prognosis of "reserved", which means doctors will not predict changes in his health.

Medical experts have warned that Francis's age and the chronic respiratory disease from which he suffers mean a sustained recovery could take time.

And Friday's bulletin from the Vatican stressed once again that his "prognosis remains reserved".

This hospital stay is Francis's longest since he was elected pope in 2013.

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Friday after his angry Oval Office argument with Volodymr Zelensky that the Ukrainian leader is uninterested in peace so long as he has US support in the war with Russia.

"I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump added: "He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

Trump and Zelensky openly argued in the White House on Friday as they clashed on the need for compromising with what the Ukrainian president called Russia's "killer" leader.

Trump berated Zelensky as they sat in the Oval Office, telling him to be more "thankful" and saying, "You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel."

And he told the Ukrainian president that he either "make a deal" with Russia "or we're out."

US Vice President JD Vance, sitting nearby, also attacked Zelensky, calling him "disrespectful."

Zelensky appeared to try to speak but was cut off.

The extraordinary outburst came after Trump said Ukraine will have to make "compromises" in a truce with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor three years ago.

"You can't do any deals without compromises. So certainly he's going to have to make some compromises, but hopefully they won't be as big as some people think," Trump said.

But showing Trump pictures of war atrocities and referring to President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said there should be "no compromises with a killer on our territory."

"Crazy Russians," he said, deported Ukrainian children and committed war crimes during their three-year invasion of his country.

Trump lashed out at Zelensky, who he said was "not acting at all thankful" and not "nice."

"You're gambling with the lives of millions of people," Trump said. "You're gambling with World War Three, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country -- this country."

The dramatic public breakdown in the long-tense relationship between Zelensky and Trump came after their meeting -- in front of a large group of journalists -- appeared to get off to a friendlier start.

Zelensky had said, "I think President Trump is on our side."

He said that he would be speaking to the US president about the "crucial" need for a so-called US security "backstop" to any European deployments of peacekeepers monitoring an eventual truce.

"This is crucial, this is what we want to speak about, this is very important," he said.

Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, ending what had been full-throated support for Ukraine's attempt to defeat the Russian invasion and casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky.

Trump said in the Oval Office that he had "spoken on numerous occasions" to Putin -- more than has been publicly reported beyond the lengthy call between the two leaders earlier this February.

Trump had told Zelensky that a truce is "fairly close."

He also said that a deal he was set to sign with Zelensky allowing US exploitation of Ukraine's natural resources would be "very fair."

The resources deal is intended to give the United States access to rare-earth and other critical minerals as part of an overall plan to help Ukraine recover after a truce.

Zelensky told Trump that he should visit his embattled nation. "You have to come and to look."