Author: staff

Snubs, slights and cold shoulders Trump’s bile over what he calls the “very nasty” EU is nothing new. It has long riled him as a trade heavyweight that runs bumper surpluses in goods with the United States, while relying on America for military protection. Most famously he has fumed over the number of luxury German cars on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Belgium, seat of the EU institutions, is one of his “shithole” countries. But he still had to deal with top EU officials. And in the course of transatlantic arguments, he even took a liking to some of them. Margaritis…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two sides have been working on an upcoming meeting, after the US announced it paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that there is “positive movement” in US-Ukraine talks and that both sides have started working towards an upcoming meeting.Following his nightly address, Zelenskyy posted on X that his chief of staff Andriy Yermak had spoken on the phone with US national security adviser Mike Waltz, hoping “to see some results next week.”Yermak confirmed the phone call in a separate post. He wrote that he “discussed the next steps…

So far, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have received the most Ukrainian refugees, and in the event of a new, larger refugee wave, “that will have to change,” Faeser said. Faeser added that she doesn’t currently expect another large refugee surge and that it’s “just a scenario” ministers have to discuss. Germany will stand by Ukraine “as long as Putin’s terrible attack against Ukraine continues,” she said. Europe’s political leaders rushed to X, formerly Twitter, to throw their support behind Ukraine after U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance held a shouting match with the Ukrainian leader,…

The European Commission has refused to say whether it would launch legal action over Poland’s refusal to implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Brussels remained conspicuously silent after Poland doubled down on its refusal to implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which was once described as a “historical” legislative achievement to allow member states to manage the arrival of asylum seekers in collaboration with each other.The scene played out in plain view on Wednesday evening, after a meeting of home affairs ministers chaired by the Polish presidency of the European Council.Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s Minister of Interior, was asked…

“This will include the role of the various security actors in the region and their relationship with project owner Total.” According to the POLITICO report, the Mozambican military unit herded between 180 and 250 people into containers at the French company’s gatehouse and kept them there for three months. Only 26 men survived the ordeal; 97 of the victims have been identified. The revelations sparked criticism from French and European lawmakers, and although the company’s Mozambican subsidiary said it had “not identified any information or evidence that would corroborate the allegations,” the French company delayed its gas project in the…

“Nous constatons un intérêt sans précédent, motivé par la dure réalité du paysage sécuritaire”, observe Line Tresselt, partner et directrice du service défense et sécurité chez Rud Pedersen, un cabinet d’affaires publiques qui conseille le secteur de la défense depuis deux décennies. Traditionnellement, les gouvernements nationaux sont de loin ceux qui dépensent le plus dans le domaine militaire. Ainsi, il était logique de concentrer les efforts de lobbying sur eux. L’enjeu est une bonne vieille bataille pour les financements : les fabricants d’armes européens veulent s’assurer que l’argent de l’UE va aux entreprises locales, mais leurs concurrents étrangers veulent aussi…

Leaders of the EU’s 27 countries are meeting in Brussels for a special European Council on Thursday and it doesn’t seem too much of an exaggeration to say that the future of the continent is at stake. Prompted by President Donald Trump’s decision to distance the U.S. from Europe’s security and his determination to end the Ukraine war by aggressively demanding Kyiv give in to Russia, leaders will look at fresh ways to fund defense and rearm. Stay with us throughout the day ― and, who knows, perhaps into the early hours of Friday too ― as POLITICO brings you…

Bucharest expelled Russia’s military attaché Victor Makovskiy and his deputy for violating the Vienna Convention, the foreign ministry told Euronews Romania. Russia’s military attaché to Bucharest and his deputy were declared personae non gratae in an unprecedented move by Romanian authorities on Wednesday.The military, air and naval attaché Victor Makovskiy and his deputy Evgeny Ignatiev were expelled for carrying out activities that contravened the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.“It is an exceptional measure. It is not a common measure. It is not a measure taken easily, and it is taken…

As the (over-age adults of the) world celebrate International Absinthe Day, we’re taking a look at the history and present popularity of the emerald-coloured drink. Depicted in works of Impressionist painters, blamed for acts of brazen insanity, and now resurging in bars across the continent, absinthe is one of the most mysterious beverages to hit bar shelves. Absinthe is a spirit made from distilling a combination of wormwood, green anise and fennel. The resulting drink is known for its green tint, aniseed flavour, and high alcohol content – some bottles are as strong as 90% alcohol. Market research has shown…

The country’s ex-leader, who was detained in December 2022, faces charges of rebellion, abuse of power and disrupting the peace. A trial against former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has begun over his unsuccessful attempt to shut down Congress in 2022, an event which has deeply divided the the South American nation. Castillo, an ex-union leader and teacher who surprised the political establishment by winning the 2021 election, is accused of rebellion, abuse of power and disturbing the peace.The leftist politician, who was Peru’s first indigenous president, tried to dissolve parliament in December 2022 as politicians were preparing an impeachment vote…