Europe is on the brink of another financial crisis, German frontrunner Merz warns

It’s “definitely coming,” he tells POLITICO ahead of the Feb. 23 election.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy rejects โ€˜quick winโ€™ ceasefire sought by US

โ€˜We will not sign just anything in order to be applauded,โ€™ Ukrainian president insists; European leaders pressed on sending troops to enforce peace. What we know on day 1,091 The US is trying to โ€œpleaseโ€ Vladimir Putin as it aims for a โ€œquick winโ€ by …

US โ€˜backstopโ€™ vital to deter future Russian attacks on Ukraine, says Starmer

British prime minister says force would need protections such as air cover that only US can provide Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to provide a US โ€œbackstopโ€ to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it is the only way to deter Russia fr…

Europeโ€™s leaders find no quick response to Trumpโ€™s bombshell on Ukraine

Top European leaders could not find common ground on issues including sending peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Germanyโ€™s Scholz: Itโ€™s โ€˜inappropriateโ€™ to discuss sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine

Ukraine doesn’t have to accept whatever peace plan Russia and the United States present, Scholz added.

Syrian delivery driver who rammed car into attacker hailed as hero in Austria

Villach mayor praises Alaaeddin al-Halabi, who intervened in knife attack that killed 14-year-old and injured five othersA Syrian migrant living in Austria has been hailed as a hero after he rammed his car into an attacker, bringing down a radicalised …

British MPs already want a vote on sending troops to Ukraine

Labour MPs โ€” and opposition lawmakers too โ€” are asking for a parliamentary say on any British escalation.

Poland to Europe: Donโ€™t play games with Trump, spend more on defense

The Polish PM is adamant that Europe must not break ties with the U.S.

French PM faces scrutiny over sexual abuse claims at Catholic school

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Wednesday battled to contain a new controversy after lawmakers urged him to explain whether he was aware of widespread claims of sexual abuse of minors at a Catholic school. Prosecutors in France have been inve…

What are Ukraineโ€™s critical minerals โ€“ and why does Trump want them?

Zelenskyy has rebuffed USโ€™s initial attempt to take control of minerals as downpayment for its aid in war with RussiaEurope live โ€“ latest updatesUkraineโ€™s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has rebuffed an initial attempt by the US to corner his countryโ€™s…

Ukraine will not accept results of any US-Russia talks held without them, Zelenskyy says โ€“ video

Ukraine’s president has said his country would not accept the outcome of talks between the US and Russia if his country was not involved. Zelenskyy was on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates where he told reporters that he was not informed of…

Zelenskyy: I want to show Trumpโ€™s Ukraine-Russia envoy the front line

Keith Kellogg will be in Ukraine for two days this week.

โ€˜Freezingโ€™ Ukraine war would allow Russia to threaten NATO, Latvian intelligence warns

Pausing hostilities, which U.S. President Trump has vowed to do, would free up Kremlin resources to threaten countries across the alliance, the report says.

Angry farmers push Poland away from Ukraine

After nearly three years of war in Ukraine, protests by Polish farmers are opening up social and political fractures in a once-unshakeable alliance.

Germanyโ€™s labor market โ€” long the envy of Europe โ€” is losing its shine

For the first time in a decade, the number of unemployed is closing in on 3 million โ€” and there’s more to come.

Victims of international crimes need justice โ€” and the ICC

We call on the EUโ€™s member countries and institutions to be the voice of human dignity globally, and to mobilize, defend and support the court.

Starmer ready to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if peace deal reached

It is understood to be the first time the PM has been explicit about sending British peacekeepers to UkraineKeir Starmer has said he is prepared to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia, acknowledging…

Ukraine recaptures frontline village amid signs of slowing Russian advance

Pischane in Donetsk back under Kyivโ€™s control as Zelenskyy renews call for fighting to end โ€˜with a just and lasting peaceโ€™Ukraine has recaptured a village on the frontline in the countryโ€™s east, amid signs Russiaโ€™s advance may be slowing down and as Pr…

Zelenskyy says Russia will โ€˜wage war on Natoโ€™ if US support for Ukraine wanes

Ukrainian president tells NBCโ€™s Meet the Press that Putinโ€™s next targets may be Poland and LithuaniaVolodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday predicted Russia would โ€œwage war against Natoโ€ if the US stepped back from its support of Ukraine โ€“ and that he had seen i…

As US recedes, NATO scrambles to find a new leader

The Brits, French, and Germans all have their own ideas about how to defend the continent with Americaโ€™s plans in flux.ย 

The US said Ukraine would meet with Russia to discuss peace. That was news to Kyiv.

โ€œI do not know what it is,โ€ said Ukraineโ€™s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

France confirms emergency European summit Monday in Paris

The “main European countries” will discuss the continent’s security, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noรซl Barrot said.

UKโ€™s Starmer to attend emergency European summit in Paris

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noรซl Barrot said the “main European countries” would meet on Monday to discuss European security.

Netherlands says economic stability a must for EU defence push

The frugal country’s defence minister told Euractiv he would “need to look at the details” of a proposal to loosen EU fiscal rules to allow more military spending.

Europeans are right to be angry with Donald Trump, but they should also be furious with themselves | Andrew Rawnsley

The betrayal of Ukraine is a final warning to the UK and its continental allies to put a lot more energy and money into rebuilding their defencesIt was, Sir Keir Starmer told members of his inner circle, one of his most meaningful visits abroad. In the…

As the US walks away, Europe needs to step up for Ukraine. But does it have the will?

Russia is relying on strength of numbers, and Putin may not honour a peace dealAfter three years of Russiaโ€™s attempt to occupy and annex Ukraine, the country continues to put up a fierce resistance.Russia is suffering more than 1,500 casualties a day a…

France hails a young heroine: Violette, conqueror of the waves

The 23-year-old has become the youngest solo sailor to race around the world. Now itโ€™s hoped her example will inspire a more intrepid generationWhen she set sail around the world from the west coast of France three months ago, Violette Dorange was bare…

Vanceโ€™s week of waging war on EU tech law

The U.S. vice president attacked Europe’s regulations governing American Big Tech giants and online speech.

German chancellor hits back after Vance tirade at security conference โ€“ video

Olaf Scholz has responded strongly in defence of his stance against the far right and said Germany will not accept people who ‘intervene in our democracy’, a day after the US vice-president, JD Vance, attacked European governments for the way they soug…

Scholz calls for reform of German debt brake right after election

The chancellor, who is trailing in the polls ahead of the Feb. 23 snap election, expressed confidence that Germany will have a parliamentary majority to loosen the debt brake.

Republicans struggle with unified response to Trumpโ€™s plan for Ukraine peace talks

Lawmakersโ€™ reactions underscore the challenge Republicans face as they try to make sense of the administrationโ€™s efforts to end the Ukraine war.

Scholz slams Vanceโ€™s support for far right as โ€˜interferenceโ€™ by โ€˜outsidersโ€™

‘We will decide for ourselves what happens to our democracy,’ German chancellor tells the U.S.

Trump asks Zelenskyy for half of Ukraineโ€™s rare earths: NBC News

U.S. officials told NBC that handing over half of its valuable minerals would be a way for Kyiv to reimburse the U.S. for the billions of dollars in weapons and support.

Zelenskyy: โ€˜The time has comeโ€™ for a European army

Despite talk of a peace agreement, Russia is continuing to wage war against Ukraine.

Ukraine probably canโ€™t survive without US help, Zelenskyy says

The grim prognosis comes as the conflict appears to be entering a new phase.

Ukraine will have โ€˜low chanceโ€™ of surviving without US support, Zelensky says

Ukraine will only have a low chance of surviving should it lose the backing of its main ally the United States in the face of Russiaโ€™s war of aggression, the countryโ€™s president Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC that will be broadcast o…

The downfall of the World Trade Organization

What we see before us now is a dysfunctional and paralyzed colossus. And itโ€™s time to reevaluate this institution, which is no longer fit for purpose.

Ukraine could become the EUโ€™s โ€˜Afghanistan,โ€™ Viktor Orbรกn claims

The Hungarian leader repeated Kremlin talking points in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

Meloni: Russia โ€˜offended the entire Italian nationโ€™ by rejecting Third Reich comparison

The Italian prime minister stood by her presidentโ€™s comparison of Russia to Nazi Germany.

Vance brings a wrecking ball to diplomatic gathering in Munich

The U.S. vice president roasted the continent’s way of governing itself.

Zelenskyy tells Vance Ukraine needs โ€˜security guaranteesโ€™ before any Putin talks

Ukrainian leader appears reassured after Munich bilateral, having feared he could be bounced into peace negotiationsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said during a meeting with the US vice-president, JD Vance, that his country wants โ€œ…

New Geo-Political Challenges and the Past and Future of EU-Greenland Relations

  

Ulla Neergaard, Professor of EU Law, University of Copenhagen

Photo credit: Gordon Leggett, via Wikimedia Commons 

 

*This contribution draws upon Ulla
Neergaardโ€™s forthcoming work, โ€œโ€˜Eurarcticโ€™: Colonialism and EU-Greenland…

Zelenskyy: Trump told me Putin wants to end the war. I told him Putin is a liar.

“I donโ€™t want to go [down] in history as [the] president who helped Putin to occupy my country,โ€ says Ukrainian leader.

Boris Johnson: Europe acting like โ€˜headless chickensโ€™ on Ukraine

Former prime minister โ€” who has lobbied Donald Trump to back Ukraine โ€” says European nations should ‘man up and step up’ by increasing defense spending.

The lost children of Romania’s Ceauศ™escu dictatorship

Thirty-five years after the horrors of the Ceauศ™escu dictatorship were discovered in Romania, our reporters investigated one of the darkest episodes in the country’s history โ€“ the squalid, state-run institutions where thousands of children were locked…

Russian drone detonates on Chornobyl nuclear plant containment shell

Attack during night before Munich Security Conference started fire but did not cause radiation leak, says KyivEurope live โ€“ latest updates
A Russian drone carrying a high-explosive warhead struck the protective containment shell of the Chornobyl nucle…

American troops in Europe are not โ€˜forever,โ€™ US defense chief warns

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has a “stark” message for European allies.

German prosecutors confirm Islamic extremism in Munich attack, stoking election debate

A suspected Islamist attack in Munich has ignited fierce political debate on security and migration just over a week before Germanyโ€™s federal election.

Britain dances to JD Vanceโ€™s tune as it recasts AI security institute

After the U.S. VP blasted โ€œhand-wringing about safety,โ€ Britainโ€™s safety institute gets a new look. References to AI creating โ€œunequal outcomesโ€ are out.

Musk will face consequences for interfering in German election, says front-runner Merz

The next German government’s response could be political, legal, or possibly target Musk’s gigafactory near Berlin, center-right leader says in interview.

Revealed: fugitive Dutch drug lord has been in Sierra Leone for at least two years

Sources place Johannes Leijdekkers in west African country since at least December 2022One of Europeโ€™s most-wanted drug lords has been living in Sierra Leone for at least two years, spending time at nightclubs and house parties, sources have told the G…

Putin is capable of attacking NATO country โ€˜next year,โ€™ Zelenskyy warns

Ukrainian leader implores the West to “stop this crazy guy.”

Ukraine negotiations: Europe’s moment

Trump’s approach to the peace process, which involves talks with Putin in the absence of the country that has been attacked, is a serious matter. Kyiv and its European allies must continue to insist that no agreement should be discussed without Ukraini…

Senior Republican senator โ€˜puzzled and disturbedโ€™ by Hegsethโ€™s Ukraine remarks

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker is breaking with the line from the Trump White House.

EU warns of โ€˜immediateโ€™ retaliation against Trumpโ€™s reciprocal tariffs

Brussels has strengthened its trade defense arsenal since a skirmish in U.S. President Donald Trumpโ€™s first term.

Ukraine on โ€˜irreversible pathโ€™ to Nato membership, Starmer tells Zelenskyy

Prime minister uses call with Ukraine president to restate UK support in face of Trump interventionsโ€ข Europe live โ€“ latest updatesUkraine remains on โ€œan irreversible pathโ€ towards Nato membership, Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone ca…

Killer Russian drone strikes Chernobyl nuclear reactor cover, Ukraine says

“Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable,” says International Atomic Energy Agency.

Security is the new safety

SNEAK PEEK โ€”ย ย The U.K. AISI drops โ€œsafetyโ€ for โ€œsecurityโ€ as it rebrands for the Trump era. โ€”ย DSIT and Anthropic ink a new partnership. โ€”ย Whatโ€™s happened to the porn review? Good morning and happy Friday, This is Tom, unable to find where Iโ€™ve hidden my wifeโ€™s Valentineโ€™s card. You can get in touch with your news, [โ€ฆ]

‘New steps, new commitments would be proof of good faith from this new Syrian authority’

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged Syria’s new leaders to ensure “governance that is representative and respectful of all” at a Paris conference on the transition in the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad’s fall. For in-depth analy…

Criminals use AI chatbots too

SNEAK PEEK โ€” Criminals use AI chatbots to commit fraud, Europolโ€™s chief AI officer warns. โ€” The U.K. switches from โ€˜AI safety to โ€˜AI security.โ€™ โ€” The Munich Security Conference is working hard to make killer AI cool. Good morning and welcome to Morning Tech. This is Pieter. #TGIF (unless youโ€™re in Munich, then the [โ€ฆ]

Ukraine war: Macron warns against โ€˜capitulationโ€™ as Trump suggests Russia may not make concessions

French president says yielding to Vladimir Putin would be โ€˜bad news for everyoneโ€™ amid fears of US and Russia deciding continentโ€™s future securityEmmanuel Macron has warned against a peace deal over the Ukraine war that would amount to โ€œcapitulationโ€ a…

Brussels power couples โ€”ย 2025 edition

Love is in the air in the halls of power.

Austria’s far right fails to form a coalition

The FPร– has returned its mandate to the president, the ecologist Alexander Van der Bellen, who must find a solution to get the country out of the political stalemate it has been in since the September 2024 legislative elections.

Trump sets out process for imposing global reciprocal tariffs

The president tasked top Cabinet officials to study the matter further before deciding on specifics.

US reins in demands on Ukraine amid alliesโ€™ outcries

โ€œEverything is on the table,โ€ the Defense secretary said with no mention of concessions he demanded the day before.

Qatar plans to rein in future French investments amid โ€˜witch huntโ€™ into PSG boss

Nasser al-Khelaรฏfi is under formal investigation again, but Paris denies that has affected Doha’s plans in France.

Trumpโ€™s Ukraine bombshell puts British support to the test

Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to be a โ€œsteadfastโ€ backer of Ukraine. But Britain is cash-strapped and struggling to build links.

โ€˜We will soon be nextโ€™: German leaders sound alarm on Trumpโ€™s Ukraine plan

Berlin wants more robust military spending following a bombshell move by the Trump administration to negotiate a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

JD Vance snubs Germanyโ€™s Scholz at Munich Security Conference

โ€œWe donโ€™t need to see him, he wonโ€™t be chancellor long,โ€ a former U.S. official said of Vance’s thinking.

Polish court orders retrial of woman found guilty of helping terminate pregnancy

Judgment against Justyna Wydrzyล„ska overturned in symbolic moment for abortion rights movementA Polish court has ordered a retrial in the case of an activist found guilty of helping a woman to terminate her pregnancy in a symbolic moment for Polandโ€™s a…

Trump kept Germanyโ€™s Scholz in the dark about his Ukraine peace plan

Based on talks with Trump, Scholz had expected Washington to continue its support for Kyiv, he told POLITICO

Press release – MEPs: Georgiaโ€™s self-proclaimed authorities have no legitimacy

MEPs call on the international community to join the boycott of Georgiaโ€™s self-proclaimed authorities, who they accuse of eroding the countryโ€™s democracy and cracking down on dissents.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Reynolds hits โ€˜resetโ€™ on competition

SNEAK PEEK โ€”ย  The government is giving the CMA a โ€˜resetโ€™. The CMA will try to show itโ€™s got the message. โ€”ย Peter Kyle explains the U.K.โ€™s AI summit statement snub. โ€”ย MPs pick up where peers left off on copyright. Good morning and happy Thursday, This is Tom, back home. You can get in touch with [โ€ฆ]

โ€˜There is fear of what lies aheadโ€™: Germans divided as snap election looms

Voters share which party they are backing on key issues from immigration to economic stagnation amid a fractured political landscapeโ€œI live in Germanyโ€™s oldest city, founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago,โ€ said Gregor, 59, from Trier, a town of ab…

Trumpโ€™s uphill battle to make NATO allies hit his mega defense spending target

There is broad agreement to boost defense spending โ€” but the U.S. president’s call for 5 percent of GDP is too much for most European countries.

Vance enters the world stage. Can he speak for Trump?

The vice president faces a perennially difficult task as he attempts to take the MAGA mantle.

Jordan and Egypt unite against Trumpโ€™s vision for Gaza

The countriesโ€™ leaders clarified their โ€œshared positionโ€ that Palestinians should not be displaced from Gaza just a day after the king of Jordan met with Trump.

Trump and Putin stun Europe with peace plan for Ukraineย 

U.S. president announces that talks with Russia’s leader on ending the war will start โ€œimmediately,โ€ after his defense chief warns that Ukraineโ€™s peace goals wonโ€™t be met.

Outcry in Irelandโ€™s parliament as PM slams opposition โ€˜liesโ€™ โ€ฆ in Irish

Prime Minister Micheรกl Martin accuses opposition chief of telling lies โ€” but his use of โ€œbrรฉagaโ€ draws a blank from the Sinn Fรฉin leader. It highlights a parliament struggling with the national language.

US no longer โ€˜primarily focusedโ€™ on Europeโ€™s security, says Pete Hegseth โ€“ video

The US defence secretary said the country would not send troops to Ukraine and that ‘the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency’ when addressing Nato in Brussels on Wednesday. He added that Europe h…

Talks to form far-right-led coalition government in Austria collapse

Disagreements over key posts and issues like migration mean snap election is likely, with far-right Freedom party ahead in pollsEurope live โ€“ latest updatesAustriaโ€™s Freedom party (FPร–) has ended coalition talks with the conservatives on forming the co…

US no longer โ€˜primarily focusedโ€™ on Europeโ€™s security, says Pete Hegseth

US defence secretary argues Europe should take lead in defending Ukraine and says restoring countryโ€™s pre-2014 borders is unrealisticEurope live โ€“ latest updatesDonald Trumpโ€™s newly appointed defence secretary told allies on his first international tri…

JD Vance and Germanyโ€™s likely next chancellor to discuss Ukraine, trade

Friedrich Merz has pledged to take a leading role in uniting the continent in its response to U.S. President Donald Trump.

UK dances to Vanceโ€™s tune

SNEAK PEEK โ€” Where does the Paris summit leave the U.K.โ€™s AI policy? โ€”ย MPs tackle the data bill, amendments and all. โ€”ย Patrick Vallance sets out his plan to remake science. Good morning and welcome to Wednesday, This is Tom, heading back to London from a gloomy City of Light. Come and say hi if youโ€™re [โ€ฆ]

The big fat Greek plot to defraud the EU

โ€œFarmers” raked in millions of euros for land they didnโ€™t own or work.