10 killed in Ukrainian strikes on border regions, Russian officials say – POLITICO

10 killed in Ukrainian strikes on border regions, Russian officials say – POLITICO

Ukraine launched a series of drone and missile attacks on Russia over the past 24 hours, killing at least 10 people, Russian officials said on Saturday. The Russian emergency ministry said one child was among those killed in Belgorod, a city less than 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Another 45 people, including four children, … Read more

For Israel, Gaza is a preventative war – POLITICO

For Israel, Gaza is a preventative war – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. Israel’s top politicians sense a possible near-term election. And in their preparation, they have started complicating Israel’s war on Hamas, making relations with the country’s key Western ally, the United States, more difficult. In fact, currently, … Read more

Venezuela’s Maduro blasts ‘provocation’ as UK sends warship to Guyana – POLITICO

Venezuela’s Maduro blasts ‘provocation’ as UK sends warship to Guyana – POLITICO

LONDON — Venezuela lashed out at “an act of hostile provocation” after the United Kingdom deployed a navy patrol ship to Guyana amid a simmering border dispute. The U.K. announced this week that its HMS Trent vessel had been dispatched to Guyana in what it described as a show of support for the ex-British colony, … Read more

Romania, Bulgaria set to partially enter Schengen zone in March – POLITICO

Romania, Bulgaria set to partially enter Schengen zone in March – POLITICO

Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone for air and sea travel in March 2024, while an opening of land borders will be discussed in the coming year, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced Wednesday. “We have a political agreement on this!” Ciolacu said in a social media post. “From March next year, … Read more

Moscow warns Finland will ‘suffer,’ in latest round of saber rattling – POLITICO

Moscow warns Finland will ‘suffer,’ in latest round of saber rattling – POLITICO

Finland would be “the first to suffer” if war broke out between NATO and Russia, one of Moscow’s top diplomats said. “Since they are our neighbors, if, God forbid there is some escalation, they will be the first to suffer,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Russian state-owned news agency … Read more

POLITICO Europe’s most-read stories of 2023 – POLITICO

POLITICO Europe’s most-read stories of 2023 – POLITICO

Well, here we are folks, at the end of another turbulent year. When we put this list together at the end of 2022, its contents largely covered something many of us thought we would not see again in our lifetime: a major war in Europe. Now, we are grappling with two wars in our immediate … Read more

The guardrails that once prevented wars are failing – POLITICO

The guardrails that once prevented wars are failing – POLITICO

Abishur Prakash is the founder of the Geopolitical Business, Inc. He is a global keynote speaker and the author of five books. His latest book is called “The World Is Vertical.” The Israel-Hamas war is an ominous message to the world: The guardrails that long stopped wars from breaking out are now effectively failing. Of … Read more

Polish truckers halt blockade at Ukraine border crossing – POLITICO

Polish truckers halt blockade at Ukraine border crossing – POLITICO

Protests blockading a key border crossing between Ukraine and Poland have halted, officials in Kyiv said Sunday, amid a long-running standoff with Polish farmers over imports of cheap grain. In a statement, the Ukrainian authorities said that “truck traffic has been restored” after “Polish farmers finished the blockade of the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing point” along … Read more

We are once again at war in the Middle East – POLITICO

We are once again at war in the Middle East – POLITICO

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. It was February 1991, and the crew of the British frigate HMS Gloucester was scrambling, trying to knock out an Iraqi Silkworm missile heading toward the USS Missouri — a World War II-era battleship recommissioned by former United States President Ronald Reagan. The extreme jolt from the … Read more

Northern Ireland’s DUP dumps coal in Sunak’s Christmas stocking – POLITICO

Northern Ireland’s DUP dumps coal in Sunak’s Christmas stocking – POLITICO

DUBLIN — The Democratic Unionists dumped a lump of coal in the British government’s Christmas stocking Monday, declaring that their party will maintain its stubborn blockade of Northern Ireland’s cross-community government into the new year — a deadlock that could take billions in extra U.K. finance to break. Hopes were dashed of a pre-Christmas breakthrough … Read more