Putin could announce Russian troops will enter Transnistria region

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with his confidants for the 2024 election at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 31, 2024. Maxim Shemetov | Reuters The West is watching Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next move closely after pro-Russian officials in the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova appealed to Moscow for “protection” … Read more

Georgia follows Putin’s lead, new report says – POLITICO

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is dividing Europe’s eastern neighborhood — with some countries moving closer to the European Union but others, including Georgia, gladly following Russia’s path to authoritarianism, a report published Wednesday said. The report by Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine boosted relations between some eastern states and … Read more

Germany warns Putin could wage war against NATO in 5 to 8 years – POLITICO

An increasingly belligerent Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack the NATO military alliance in less than a decade, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned. “We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day … so we have to take into account that Vladimir Putin might even attack a NATO country one day,” Pistorius told German … Read more

Senior politicians urge Ursula von der Leyen to probe Serbian election – POLITICO

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

Russia ‘will not stop’ at Ukraine, Latvia warns – POLITICO

Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said Russia “will not stop” after the war in Ukraine and that NATO needs a “long-term strategy” to contain Moscow. “Russia will not stop, Russia can only be stopped,” Kariņš told the Financial Times in an interview published Friday. “Stopping Russia in Ukraine does not mean that it is over. It simply means … Read more

European Union leaders agree to open membership talks with Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy Viktor Kovalchuk | Getty Images Ukraine has moved one step closer to European Union membership after leaders in Brussels agreed to open negotiations with the war-torn nation. In a surprise announcement late Thursday, EU summit chair Charles Michel, who is the European Council president, said leaders had decided to start … Read more