Two men detained in Poland in early April on suspicion of assaulting Russian opposition figure Leonid Volkov in Vilnius are expected to be transferred to Lithuania by mid-May, a spokesperson for Lithuania’s prosecution service announced Thursday. The Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, which is coordinating the transfer, has not disclosed whether it is also seeking the … Read more
“We are facing the green and digital transformation of our economies … and it’s very important that in this process we are not leaving countries and regions behind,” Dombrovskis said, speaking ahead of the celebrations of 20 years of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joining the EU. … Read more
Volkov was beaten outside his home in Vilnius in March, with his colleagues saying he had tear gas sprayed in his eyes and was beaten with a hammer. “They broke the window in his car and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker began to beat Leonid with a hammer,” wrote Kira … Read more
Verhofstadt’s move is widely seen as parliamentary theatrics, since the legislature has no power to force the Council to provide weapons. Both institutions have been in a long-running budgetary dispute anyway because the Council refuses to engage with the Parliament’s audit checks, and the Parliament has not signed off on the Council’s budget discharge in … Read more
VLADIMIR Putin could quickly launch an invasion of the Baltics and bring a new war to Europe, ambassadors have warned. Top diplomats to the UK from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fear the Joseph Stalin-like dictator could “pivot quickly” from Ukraine to invade the three nations. 8 Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fear Putin could ‘pivot quickly’ … Read more
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the EU leader with the closest ties to Putin and, to a lesser extent, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is also seen as pro-Russia. Nausėda’s view from behind closed doors is mirrored by public statements from EU leaders. The most dramatic shift has been by French President Emmanuel Macron, … Read more
“The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable,” Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Friday in Poland, adding that he appreciated Macron’s initiative, “because it is about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin.” Séjourné raised concerns about Moscow setting its sights on the Baltic countries, which used … Read more
During the Munich Security Conference in February, Pavel announced the Czechs had figured out a way to purchase 500,000 155 mm and 300,000 122 mm caliber artillery shells for Ukraine from producers outside the EU. The shells can be delivered within weeks if the funding is there, Pavel said. Since then, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, … Read more
Ingrida Šimonytė, the prime minister of Lithuania, has no earthly reason to emulate Russian President Vladimir Putin — but an embarrassing choice of campaign slogan for upcoming presidential elections has put her on the back foot. The Lithuanian leader’s pitch to voters — “Strong President, Strong Country” — mirrors Putin’s boast of “Strong President, Strong … Read more
“The very soul of Europe is at risk,” warned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. During the two-day meeting in Rome, politicians cast around for ideas and strategies to reverse the curve. “We should respond to the worries of our citizens,” Belgian Socialist Party lead candidate Elio Di Rupo told POLITICO, noting that the far right … Read more
