The EU’s funniest man
Journalists who survived until the bitter end of Thursday’s European Council were treated to a inadvertent standup comedy set by Belgium’s new Prime Minister Bart De Wever. That’s a change of pace for...
View ArticleUK to host further military planning sessions on Ukraine
LONDON — Europe must “step up” to meet the challenge of a “different chapter of history,” Keir Starmer told allies — as he announced three more days of military planning in London to be held next...
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Why Zelenskyy won’t wear a suit
KYIV — The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore a suit was early on Feb. 24, 2022, when he posted a video announcing martial law as Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Since...
View ArticleRussia could return to the international sports scene, incoming Olympics...
The next president of the International Olympic Committee said she would not categorically ban countries from the games over international conflicts, opening the door for Russia to return to the...
View ArticlePutin prayed for Trump after assassination attempt, top envoy says
Russian President Vladimir Putin prayed for Donald Trump after the then-presidential candidate was shot last year, top envoy Steve Witkoff revealed Friday. Witkoff, who has visited Moscow twice to...
View ArticleTrump envoy claims Ukraine ‘agreed’ to hold presidential elections
U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff asserted that Kyiv has “agreed” to organize presidential elections in Ukraine, without providing details or evidence backing his claim. In an...
View ArticleNo one can stop Putin but me, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is the only person in the world who is able to end the war in Ukraine, adding that efforts to keep the conflict from escalating are “somewhat under control.” “I...
View ArticleChina reportedly mulling participation in Ukraine peacekeeping mission
China is considering joining the potential peacekeeping mission for Ukraine being spearheaded by European leaders, German newspaper Welt reported on Saturday. China’s participation in the mission...
View ArticleChina trashes report it would put peacekeeping troops in Ukraine
The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday denied reports that Beijing could join a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine spearheaded by EU leaders. “I would like to emphasize that the reports in...
View ArticleUS announces Black Sea deal with Russia and Ukraine
The White House announced Tuesday that it had reached separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine to allow for “safe navigation” in the Black Sea, eliminating a major roadblock for peace talks between...
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The Ukrainian teens who took on Putin’s gulag archipelago — and won
The Ukrainian teens who took on Putin’s gulag archipelago — and won When Vlad and his friends realized the Kremlin would not return them home, they staged an open revolt. By CASEY QUACKENBUSH in Kyiv...
View ArticleTrump admits Russians could be ‘dragging their feet’ on Ukraine peace deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trying to delay a full truce with Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump conceded Tuesday — before adding that he still believes Moscow ultimately wants an end...
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Trump team’s rush to get Ukraine peace deal risks letting Russia off the hook...
KYIV — The United States met with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia this week as it ramps up pressure for a speedy end to the war, but Ukraine worries that in its rush to get a deal,...
View ArticleNATO to Putin: Attack Poland and our response will be ‘devastating’
WARSAW — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday stressed that the transatlantic military alliance would respond to an attack with “full force.” “When it comes to the defense of Poland and the...
View ArticleRussia and US discuss restarting Nord Stream pipelines, Kremlin says
BRUSSELS — Washington and Moscow are in talks to revive the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, as the Kremlin vies to regain a foothold in Europe amid the prospect...
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US disarmament is a gift to its great power rivals
Dalibor Rohac is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC. He tweets at @DaliborRohac. There’s a vast ocean separating the U.S. administration’s rhetoric about its...
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The Romanian mathematician trying to stop Putin and Trump wrecking the West
BUCHAREST — Nicușor Dan takes his time when he speaks, weighing every word as if the future of civilization might depend on it. But then he may just be the West’s best hope of holding onto Romania....
View ArticleTrump’s giving Putin ‘far too much,’ says UK ally Nigel Farage
LONDON — Vladimir Putin is getting “far too much” from U.S.-led negotiations to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, Donald Trump’s British ally Nigel Farage warned Friday. The Reform UK leader —...
View ArticleKyiv officials trash Putin’s ‘external governance’ plan for Ukraine
Officials in Kyiv have lambasted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to establish an interim government in Ukraine under the United Nations. Putin said that the “temporary administration”...
View ArticleUkraine and Russia do the Trump dance to shift blame for peace-talk problems
KYIV — There’s a life-and-death blame game going on between Kyiv and Moscow as each side tries to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump that the other is responsible for any failure of his desire to...
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Finland’s Stubb boosts Trump ties over golf
Finnish President Alexander Stubb played golf with U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday during a surprise, unofficial trip to Florida that included discussions about Ukraine and icebreaker ships....
View Article‘Pissed off’ at Putin, Trump threatens Russian oil tariffs
United States President Donald Trump vowed to impose hefty financial penalties on Russian crude oil imports if Moscow does not sign up to a ceasefire in Ukraine within the next month. Speaking in an...
View ArticleTrump on Putin: ‘I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word’
President Donald Trump said Sunday he basically trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin to do the right thing as he attempts to hash out a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war. Speaking to reporters...
View ArticleRussia officially moves to legalize the Taliban
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office requested Monday that the Supreme Court ends a ban on the Taliban’s activities in the country. Moscow’s foreign and justice ministries submitted an appeal last...
View ArticlePutin to conscript 160,000 more Russians for war with Ukraine
KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered another 160,000 Russian citizens be called up to serve in the military, Russian news agency Interfax reported Monday. Russia drafts men aged 18 to...
View ArticleFinland will exit global land mine treaty as Russia fears grow
Finland will withdraw from the international agreement banning antipersonnel mines, also known as the Ottawa Convention, and spend 3 percent of GDP on defense, the country’s President Alexander Stubb...
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Turmoil churns below the surface as Rubio meets NATO allies
BRUSSELS — When United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio joins European allies in Brussels on Thursday, both sides will do their best to smile for the cameras and promise that all is well in NATO....
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Italy’s Meloni strains to hold her coalition together over Ukraine and EU...
Europe’s massive rearmament plans — and the EU’s role in Ukraine — are turning into a splitting political headache for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as she grapples to hold her right-wing...
View ArticleBeautiful beef: Le Pen, Varoufakis and the horseshoe theory of politics
Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music What do Marine Le Pen, Yanis Varoufakis and Donald Trump have in common? More than you’d think. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton breaks...
View ArticleRussia open to security guarantees for Ukraine ‘in some form,’ Putin’s envoy...
Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said Thursday that some type of security guarantees for Ukraine “may be acceptable” following high-level talks at the White House in an attempt to revive stalled...
View ArticleUkraine still holds land in Russia and is actually expanding, top US general...
Ukraine’s armed forces control a sizable chunk of the Kursk region in Russia despite the Kremlin’s push to squeeze them out, according to a top American general. The Ukrainians have now also entered...
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