Author: staff
Published on 18/12/2025 – 17:21 GMT+1 Russia is trying to exclude the European Union not only from the diplomatic negotiations but also from any future security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in response to a question from Euronews at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. “No matter what signals Russia sends, we understand that they would like to exclude the presence of Europeans. This cannot be done,” Zelenskyy stated. Ukraine’s president explained that a legally binding commitment from the European countries and the US security guarantees are “different things”. European leaders vowed to protect Ukraine…
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde signalled that the euro area economy is undergoing a structural shift driven by artificial intelligence investment, while stressing that interest rate decisions will remain fully data-dependent amid persistently high uncertainty. Speaking after the ECB’s final Governing Council meeting of the year, which unanimously decided to keep all three key interest rates unchanged, Lagarde said that monetary policy is “in a good place”. However, she made clear that this assessment does not imply a fixed or predictable path for rates. Interest rates: No guidance, all options open Lagarde firmly ruled out providing forward guidance on…
EU leaders will find a solution to the problem of how to get money to Ukraine but must stay on the right side of the law, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Thursday. Addressing a press conference in Frankfurt after the ECB’s Governing Council meeting, Lagarde said she was “confident” that heads of government meeting in Brussels would thrash out a mechanism for lending to Kyiv, but immediately warned against expecting the ECB to underwrite it. “We are an area of the world which praises itself for respecting the rule of law,” Lagarde said. “I’m sure that there are…
Three Russian border guards briefly entered Estonian territory on Wednesday, the foreign ministry in Tallinn said in a statement on Thursday. CCTV footage taken on Wednesday showed three people crossing a breakwater in the Narva River, which also functions as part of the border between the two countries. The incident is said to have occurred at around 10 am, when the three border guards crossed the breakwater near the village of Vasknarva on foot after arriving in the area by hovercraft. “There was no immediate security threat,” Estonia’s Interior Minister Igor Taro said. However, the incident has prompted police and…
By Eldar Emric with AP Published on 18/12/2025 – 15:48 GMT+1 •Updated 16:01 Flights were cancelled, children were told to stay indoors, and outdoors construction work was banned in Sarajevo on Thursday as a thick layer of fog enveloped the Bosnian capital. Sarajevo traditionally faces severe pollution during winter, mostly from house heating and transport pollution. The city is located in a valley surrounded by mountains which can keep polluted air stuck for days at a time if there is no wind. Several flights from Sarajevo airport were cancelled, and cars moved slowly in low visibility during the morning rush hour. Some residents…
Not for the first time, he described the windfall profits — which are used to support Ukraine — from the immobilized assets as golden eggs from a goose. “Today, the plan is to serve that goose, to eat it,” he told MPs. But if the other EU countries agree to fully share the risks and protect Belgium from potential Russian retaliation, “then we’ll all jump off that cliff together … and hope that the parachute will hold us,” De Wever said. “We will do that, because the alternative — no solution, no financing for Ukraine, the country collapses — is…
Greece has taken delivery of the first of four advanced frigates from France, which Greek officials say symbolises its navy entering a “new era”. The handover ceremony for the F601 Kimon took place on Thursday in the western port city of Lorient and was attended by Greece’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias. “We are witnessing proof of the strategic relationship between Greece and France that also bears my signature,” Dendias said. “It is not just the delivery of an exceptional ship, but the entry of the Armed Forces and the Navy into a new era.” Dendias thanked the French government and…
The new numbers are likely to lock in the view that the ECB — which has now left rates unchanged for the fourth meeting in a row — is heading for an extended period on the sidelines. Most economists and investors now expect borrowing costs to remain unchanged throughout 2026, barring a major economic shock. “Economic growth is expected to be stronger than in the September projections, driven especially by domestic demand,” the ECB said in its statement, repeating again that it will respond to any material changes if incoming economic data demand it. The ECB has become gradually more…
Around 10,000 farmers from all 27 EU countries gathered to protest near the EU quarter in Brussels. Tractors moved toward security zones, roads were blocked and fireworks set off, prompting police to use water cannons and, in some areas, tear gas to control the crowd. Potatoes and eggs were thrown as officers tried to keep access routes open. Farmers oppose the EU trade deal with the Mercosur countries, saying it would expose them to unfair competition. Negotiated for 25 years, the agreement would remove most trade duties over 15 years and cover a market of 780 million people. Protesters also…
The Bank of England cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point to 3.75 percent, saying that the U.K. economy had cooled enough to justify loosening financial conditions. The move was widely expected after data earlier this week showed that unemployment had risen to its highest in over four years in October, while inflation slowed more sharply than forecast in November as supermarkets and other retailers found it harder to pass on price increases. “We think that Bank Rate is likely to fall gradually further in future, but that will depend on whether variables like pay growth and services inflation…