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

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

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

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

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

Finland shuts Russia border again hours after reopening – POLITICO

Finland’s government decided on Thursday to once again close the country’s entire eastern border with Russia — from Friday night until January 14 — due to another influx of asylum seekers mere hours after it had reopened two crossing points. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told a press conference that “entry started faster than expected when the … Read more

India responded to challenge at northern border very resolutely: Jaishankar

New Delhi: India has had an “exceptionally difficult” challenge along the northern borders in the last three years and the country responded to it very resolutely and has been maintaining the kind of military deployment necessary for national security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday on the lingering row in eastern Ladakh with … Read more