“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
On Monday, Macron said — after a leaders’ conference on support for Kyiv — that there was “no consensus” on sending ground troops to Ukraine in an “official manner,” but that “nothing was excluded.” The prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine was rejected by other NATO members, including the U.S., U.K. and Germany, and sharply criticized by French … Read more
The report notes a significant rise in military production in Russia, including of artillery and armored vehicles, that is enhancing Moscow’s ability to continue fighting. That surge could outpace Ukraine’s output unless the West escalates artillery production and delivery, Estonian intelligence finds. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia could maintain its current … Read more
However, two-thirds believe commitments to expand the military under the Zeitenwende modernization drive announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine haven’t been delivered. In total, 57 percent of those surveyed back the government’s plan to invest 2 percent or more of GDP in defense to meet the target set by NATO, but … Read more
Instead of appealing to EU taxpayers to fill the gap, which could embolden populists, the bloc should seize Russia’s frozen assets and start taxing Western companies that continue to operate in Russia despite sanctions, said Sinkevičius. “I think it is very important to find sources of funding that would use as little as possible from the … Read more
On Saturday, a flight carrying 179 passengers swerved off the runway before re-entering the same airstrip to taxi to the gate in Vilnius, Lithuania. The incident happened with an Avion Express Airbus A320, which had come from Milan Bergamo Airport in Italy. Lithuania’s Vilnius International Airport was forced to suspend all incoming and outgoing flights … Read more
Brussels formally launched its WTO dispute in early 2022 after Beijing imposed trade restrictions against Lithuania in late 2021 because Vilnius deepened its ties with Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province. The case dealt a blow to the relations between Beijing and Brussels, with the EU accusing China of discrimination and coercion against … Read more
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia agreed on Friday to set up a common Baltic defense zone on their borders with Russia and Belarus amid growing security concerns. The defense ministers of the three Baltic countries met on Friday in Riga to approve the construction of “anti-mobility defensive installations” on their eastern frontiers. They also agreed to … Read more
More than 20 senior European foreign affairs politicians have called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to investigate allegations of fraud in December’s election in Serbia. “We call on the EU to conduct an independent investigation of all reported election irregularities and claims of fraud,” the politicians wrote in a letter seen by POLITICO … Read more
When Ricardo Schmitz’s brother was visiting him in Vilnius, Lithuania, the pair went for a wintertime walk at midnight — something he said they would never do back home in Brazil. “My brother hadn’t seen snow since he was a kid, so he was super excited. We walked from midnight to 3 a.m.,” Schmitz … Read more
