Author: staff

It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US and China have been on trade talks after Beijing denied any negotiations on tariffs.“They had a meeting this morning,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Norway’s Prime Minister at the White House. However, he declined to identify the Chinese representative involved, adding: “It doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is. We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China.”Earlier that day, China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong said there were currently no trade talks between China and the United States. “China has…

“I am sure that there will be some reduction of U.S. presence in Europe,” said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe. Estimates of the number of U.S. forces in Europe range from 70,000 permanent troops to 90,000. But all estimates show a marked decrease from the 1950s, during the Cold War’s most tense years, when over 400,000 U.S. troops were stationed on the continent. According to analysts and current and former U.S. military officers, withdrawing — or even reducing — American troop numbers in Europe would significantly reduce deterrence against Russia and cost money to…

Volker Wissing, geschäftsführender Bundesminister für Digitales und Verkehr und für Justiz, spricht über die Stunden des Koalitionsbruchs am 6. November, seine Entscheidung, im Amt zu bleiben – und über die Frage, warum die FDP aus seiner Sicht an sich selbst gescheitert ist.  Es geht um persönliche Verantwortung, Kompromissfähigkeit, das Versagen demokratischer Zusammenarbeit – und den Preis dafür: das Erstarken der AfD. Ein politischer Spaziergang, der Einblicke in das Ende der Ampelregierung gibt – und in den Menschen hinter dem Ministeramt. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch jeden Morgen…

The chancellor’s comments, made during a three-day visit to the U.S. capital for the International Monetary Fund’s Spring talks, shed more light on the areas the British government is targeting as it tries to land a deal with Donald Trump’s administration. They came ahead of a meeting with Reeves’ American counterpart Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett on Friday. Donald Trump slapped 25 percent tariffs on cars imports to the U.S. earlier this month. | Focke Strangmann/Getty Images Trump slapped 25 percent tariffs on cars imports to the U.S. earlier this month and…

The news set off a firestorm of criticism within Sánchez’s left-wing coalition government, with Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz, who heads junior coalition partner Sumar, demanding the situation be “rectified immediately.” Antonio Maíllo, general coordinator of the United Left party within the Sumar group, called it the “biggest crisis” the executive had faced since taking office in 2023. Faced with the threat that Sumar could abandon the five seats it controls within the Council of Ministers, Sánchez moved to settle the issue quickly. A Spanish government official granted anonymity to discuss the politically sensitive issue told POLITICO on Thursday that after…

Earlier this week, POLITICO reported that the EU was considering a ban on new Russian fossil fuel contracts as part of its long-awaited roadmap. The plan has been delayed for weeks amid geopolitical uncertainty following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rapprochement with the Kremlin. Von der Leyen has, however, previously welcomed the suggestion of buying more American gas to help phase out Russian shipments. “These energy partnerships, including imports of liquefied natural gas from the United States, remain of strategic importance for the European Union,” she added, while also crediting renewable power as having helped break Moscow’s stranglehold. Meanwhile, the risk…

Vibe: Upon entering, you are instantly transported into an IKEA showroom. Your humble reviewer was taken back to his first week in Brussels, wandering the labyrinthine interior of the IKEA store in Anderlecht in search of potted plants, spatulas and assorted knickknacks for his new apartment. Who’s picking up the check? The soup was €8.50 for a rather standard portion and the cheddar scone was €4.50, so the prices are not exactly in line with IKEA’s budget-friendly reputation. Spotted: Several Belgian influencers from Instagram and TikTok attended the pop-up’s opening day, the manager told us. With the EU institutions a stone’s throw away,…

‘No pact’ Asked to elaborate, he said: “Nobody can really predict, and I’m not going to predict, what that relationship should look like — whether it’s even a coalition, whether Reform merge with the Conservative Party, whether it’s a … supply and confidence agreement or whatever it might be. “But there’s going to have to be a very practical decision made. Because, again, in my view, because I’m a Conservative, I think the next few years are going to be terrible for the country. I think things are going to get a lot worse.  “And so again, if you want…

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday posted exasperatedly about Ukraine’s hesitance to accept that demand and criticized Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Macron, however, said Trump’s ire should be aimed squarely at Putin. “There is an aggressor, Russia, and there is a victim, Ukraine,” Macron said. “American frustration should be directed at only one person: President Putin.” While Trump has been particularly critical of Zelenskyy, he said he was “not happy” with Putin after Thursday’s deadly attack on the Ukrainian capital.  “Not necessary, and very bad timing,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets…