Her comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration circulated a 28-point plan last week that alarmed Ukraine and its European allies for heavily favoring Moscow. Wednesday’s online meeting was seen in Brussels as a chance to “speak with one European voice” and set out the EU’s non-negotiables, ensuring all 27 members remain aligned as negotiations accelerate. Kallas … Read more
European officials suggested Donald Trump’s new peace drive could help solidify support for the plan to use the frozen funds for a reparations loan. The cash would only become repayable to Moscow in the unlikely future scenario that Russia agrees to pay war damages, under the plan. EU diplomats expect European Commission President Ursula von der … Read more
“This is a very dangerous phase of escalation and we should address it really seriously because we are minutes from big casualties here,” said Budrys, who will present his concerns his counterparts at Thursday’s Foreign Affairs Council. “If it would be successful, these operations, this sabotage that was conducted in Poland, we would be talking … Read more
It is “absurd” and “unsustainable” that the West is doing so little to react to Russian attacks, Crosetto wrote. If we were invaded by a land army we “would not simply barricade ourselves at home hoping they would go away.” The West is engaged in an “asymmetric conflict,” he wrote, it has the tools to … Read more
Security guarantees Europe should take an approach on Ukraine “based on the European interest,” Orbán said, adding that he is “not interested” in whether Moscow is winning or losing. Orbán said he is “interested in the future of the European people, among them, the future of the Hungarians,” and “a new security system.” A postwar … Read more
Instead, ministers on Wednesday agreed an 85 percent cut in domestic emissions by 2040. Governments intend to achieve the remaining 5 percentage points by paying other countries to reduce pollution on the bloc’s behalf, a system of purchases known as carbon credits. The deal also opened the door to outsourcing additional efforts as part of … Read more
At the VVD party headquarters, leader Dilan Yeşilgöz walked onto the stage to chants of her name, a striking contrast to earlier rumors that she might have to resign if the party suffered major losses. Speaking to POLITICO, she framed the early results as a mandate for a center-right agenda: “Based on these [early] results, … Read more
“We agreed on the what, now we have to work on the how,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters. Faced with the Commission’s reassurances that the financial operation carried little risk, Belgian diplomats replied in internal EU meetings that a plane had little chance of crashing — but if that happens, tens of … Read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argues Putin only showed an interest in peace with Trump when he suggested he would let Ukraine use Tomahawks — and as soon as Trump took the cruise missiles off the table, Russia backtracked on peace. “Putin believes only in power,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said. | Radek Pietruszka/EPA So should … Read more
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also slammed the cover, writing on Telegram that the choice of photo was “astonishing,” as Moscow continues to try to ingratiate itself with Trump. “Only unhealthy people, people obsessed with malice and hatred — perhaps even freaks — could have chosen such a photo,” she stormed. While relations between … Read more