Author: staff
Russian drones struck Kharkiv overnight, killing four people and injuring at least 13 in Ukraine’s second-largest city. According to regional head Oleh Syniehubov, eight residential buildings, a school and power lines were damaged. Fires spread through parts of the city, and emergency teams recovered an additional body from the rubble. The strikes also caused power outages after a transformer substation and sections of the heating network were hit. Two children were treated for shock, and more injuries were reported from shattered glass. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched more than 160 drones across the country, most of which were intercepted.
How the Kremlin gets Ukrainians to betray their country Two young people were desperately short of cash. Then the Kremlin stepped in to help. By VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA in Kyiv Illustration by Hokyoung Kim for POLITICO Olena, 19, and Bohdan, 22, smile happily as they enter the room; they’re in handcuffs and are accompanied by armed Security Service of Ukraine agents. It’s the first time the couple has seen each other in a month; both are being held in a detention center until their trial on treason charges. Olena is blonde with soft, childish features, and Bohdan is an athletic young…
The EU has confirmed a financial contribution of €82 million to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to support stabilisation efforts in the West Bank, at the first meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels on Thursday. “Our aim is to strengthen governance, build a more resilient economy, stabilise finances, improve services for the population, and create conditions for future effective governance across all territories”, Dubravka Šuica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean said. Although this money was already pledged, and no additional commitment was announced by the EU, the Palestinian minister of Planning and International Cooperation told Euronews that this renewed…
What makes the affair complicated is that the ID group dissolved after last year’s EU election, with a majority of its members and staff absorbed into the new Patriots for Europe group. While the Parliament’s budgetary control committee considers the two groups to be related — and therefore, the Patriots potentially liable to pay back the cash — the Patriots have pushed back, arguing that they are two separate legal entities. “The absurd claim that the Patriots are the legal successors to the ID group is baseless,” Patriots MEP Tamás Deutsch said in September, after the budgetary control committee instructed the…
Germany has opened its 2025 Christmas markets with noticeably tighter security, a response to the deadly vehicle attacks in Magdeburg last year and in Berlin in 2016. Visitors still gather around stalls serving mulled wine, grilled sausages and caramelised apples, but many markets now use heavy barriers and increased patrols to manage the risk. Some smaller towns have cancelled their events because they cannot afford the new requirements. Larger cities have pushed ahead, trying to balance safety with the familiar feel of lights, rides and handmade goods.
“Les discussions ont permis de réaliser des progrès significatifs en vue d’un rapprochement des positions et de l’identification d’étapes suivantes clairement définies”, ont relaté Washington et Kiev dans un communiqué commun, qui précise que l’Ukraine a “réaffirmé sa gratitude” envers les Etats-Unis et Donald Trump personnellement. “Les deux parties ont réaffirmé que tout accord futur doit respecter pleinement la souveraineté de l’Ukraine et garantir une paix durable et juste.” Discussions “tendues” Malgré l’optimisme affiché, “les négociations ont été tendues”, décrit une personne au fait des pourparlers de dimanche, qui s’exprime sous anonymat pour discuter des négociations. “La partie américaine ne…
Published on 24/11/2025 – 18:51 GMT+1 The pot is massive: An estimated €300 billion in Russian Central Bank assets are frozen across the G7 countries. The vast majority — to the tune of €185 billion — is locked here in Belgium by Euroclear, a securities depository. Brussels planned to use the Russian frozen assets to issue an unprecedented reparations loan for Ukraine. But the US plan flips the script with a controversial proposal: unblock the funds and split them into two investment vehicles. The first fund would be intended for Ukraine’s reconstruction. $100 billion of the frozen assets would be…
Updated: 24/11/2025 – 18:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this November 24th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Published on 21/11/2025 – 16:14 GMT+1 Planning a budget trip to the Azores? Your options for getting there may soon shrink. Ryanair says it will cut every route to the islands from March 2026, blaming rising airport fees, new taxes and what it calls government “inaction” in Portugal. The move would end the carrier’s year-round connections between the remote Atlantic archipelago and major cities such as London, Brussels, Lisbon and Porto. Why is Ryanair threatening to walk away from the Azores? Ryanair announced the cuts on 20 November, claiming the “French airport monopoly ANA” – which operates Portugal’s airports under…
Die Genfer Gespräche über einen möglichen Ukraine-Deal sorgen für seltene Zuversicht – und zugleich für neue Abhängigkeiten. Während Kanzler Friedrich Merz auf Afrika-Reise ist, verlagert sich die Weltpolitik an seinen Aufenthaltsort: Die USA prüfen einen überarbeiteten Vorschlag, der mit der Ukraine abgestimmt wurde, die heftig kritisierten Territorialforderungen aber nicht mehr enthält. Doch klar ist: Donald Trump muss entscheiden – und Europa hat kaum Einfluss. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis:Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen…