Morning Bird: Trump wants the US to leave UNESCO two years after joining. Fiala demands an end to checks at the border with Germany
Donald Trump wants to continue the international isolation of the USA. Petr Fiala and Friedrich Merz discussed immigration solutions and the Ore Mountains tunnel in Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his offer on Tuesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss ending the war. Singer Ozzy Osborne has died.
Two years after rejoining, Americans could once again exit UNESCO
Trump's administration announced on Tuesday that it will once again withdraw from the UN's cultural agency UNESCO, an expected move that sees the USA further retracting from international organizations. The decision to terminate the US's funding and participation in UNESCO comes two years after Biden's administration reengaged in it after a controversial five-year absence that began during President Donald Trump's first term. The White House cited similar concerns to those in 2018, arguing that US's involvement is not in their national interest and accusing the agency of supporting anti-Israeli dispositions.
The decision, which will come into effect only in December 2026, will strike a blow to the agency known for protecting cultural heritage through the UNESCO World Heritage Programme. This recognizes significant monuments for protection, from the Taj Mahal to the Egyptian pyramids in Giza to the Grand Canyon National Park. The agency also promotes education and science around the world, the agency AP writes.
Petr Fiala wants an end to German border controls, he said at a meeting with Merz
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) at a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded an end to border controls, which are a tool to limit illegal migration to Germany. "Without a European solution, we will not move forward," Fiala emphasized. According to him, the solution is primarily in improving the return policy or closer cooperation with third countries.
Furthermore, top politicians discussed, for example, the Ore Mountain Tunnel, which should be part of a fast train connection between the Czech Republic and Germany's Dresden. The tunnel should be approximately 30 km long, 12 km of which are on the Czech side of the border, reported ČTK.
Zelensky wants to meet with Putin again
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his offer to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, but hopes for progress are slim, even though delegations were preparing for another round of talks. Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked four Ukrainian cities overnight, and according to officials, one child was killed in the process.
Putin has rejected Zelensky's previous offers for a personal meeting with the aim of ending the biggest European conflict since World War II. However, the Ukrainian leader insists that lower-level delegations, such as the one expected at Wednesday's talks in Istanbul, do not have the political power to stop the fighting. The parties still diverge in their views on how to end the war, which began with the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, reported the agency AP.
Ozzy Osborne Died
Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of Black Sabbath and a reality TV star, died on Tuesday. He was 76 years old. No details were immediately available about the cause of death. The news came just a few weeks after Osbourne performed with Black Sabbath in his hometown of Birmingham in England, where he reunited with his bandmates, including bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and guitarist Tony Iommi. The concert event was called Back to the Beginning and it was Black Sabbath's first performance in twenty years, CNN reported.
