France, Germany ask their citizens to quit Iran amid growing risk of military escalation in Mideast – POLITICO

It also restated that French citizens should “absolutely refrain from traveling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine.”  Meanwhile, German airline Lufthansa on Sunday announced it won’t be conducting any flights to Amman, Erbil and Tel Aviv until Tuesday and flights to Beirut and Tehran until Thursday at the soonest. The announcement comes after the airline … Read more

Macron to apologize for France’s failure to stop Rwanda genocide – POLITICO

Macron was invited to a ceremony in the Rwandan capital Kigali commemorating the anniversary of the genocide but will not attend. France will instead be represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Séjourné and Rwandan-born genocide survivor Hervé Berville, the secretary of state for the sea. The genocide has long been a source of tension between … Read more

Russiagate hits German far right – POLITICO

The AfD is just one of several parties in Europe with pro-Russian views. Others include Hungary’s Fidesz, France’s National Rally, Italy’s Lega and Slovakia’s Smer. In the run-up to the EU-wide election in June, Russia is ramping up its attempts to sway EU opinion and, where possible, infiltrate the bloc’s institutions. A Serbian national linked … Read more

This moment may define our children’s future – POLITICO

That is why, on its 75th anniversary, we reiterate NATO’s founding principle: An attack against one of us is considered an attack against all. One for all and all for one. Together, we will defend every inch of NATO territory and stand united against any future Russian aggression. For years, Putin has spread lies and … Read more

Blinken calls for ‘swift, impartial investigation’ into killing of aid workers in Gaza airstrike – POLITICO

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Tuesday that an “unintentional” Israeli airstrike had killed “innocent people” in Gaza after seven workers from World Central Kitchen were bombed. The aid organization said the dead included Australian, Polish and British citizens. Blinken is in Paris at the start of a four-day European tour that will also … Read more

France wants China to send ‘clear messages’ to Russia over Ukraine war – POLITICO

China presents itself as neutral on the Ukraine war and hasn’t formally condemned Russia for the invasion. Instead, Beijing has deepened ties with Moscow — even deciding to ditch the United States dollar for bilateral trade. Last month, China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs warned about the war escalating and said both Ukraine and Russia … Read more

Macron rattled as EU election defeat looms – POLITICO

One MP belonging to Macron’s Renaissance party, said targeting the National Rally “helps rally” voters, but he was more in favor of a “50/50” approach that also focused on other issues. “We need to insist on our European credibility and send press the idea that we succeeded on many issues” such as the CAP, Frontex … Read more

Macron forms ‘New Europeans’ club to unite fragmented EU liberals – POLITICO

“We want to convince everyone to join a single [European] political party,” said Gilles Boyer, a French MEP from a party called Horizons created by former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, allied to Macron. “The message is that we’re uniting and that’ll make us stronger,” Boyer, who will be the association’s treasurer, added. Macron’s MEPs … Read more

France finds Baltic allies in its spat with Germany over Ukraine troop deployment – POLITICO

“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

France calls for independent investigation into Navalny’s death – POLITICO

PARIS — France wants an “independent and thorough investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the death of Russian opponent figure Alexei Navalny, the country’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement released Tuesday. “France holds Russian authorities fully responsible for Alexei Navalny’s death,” the statement reads. The Russian ambassador in France was summoned on Monday in … Read more