Moldovaโ€™s Russia-backed breakaway region strikes deal to end energy crisis

Separatist leaders said they will take a Russian loan to pay for supplies despite an EU aid offer.

Breakaway Moldovan region turn back to Russia for energy needs

A European Commission spokesperson today said that the EU’s offer “is still on the table” but that Transnistrian authorities “have gone for another solution.”

Orbรกn on Russia: US sanctions good, EU sanctions bad

Hungarian PM again makes performative threat about lifting the bloc’s tough measures against Moscow.

Slovakia summons Ukrainian ambassador over gas transit feud

Relations between Robert Fico in Bratislava and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv have become increasingly bitter over the month.

The West is trying to interfere in our elections, Russia moans

Kremlin whacks the U.S. with claim about vote-meddling.

Brussels holds its breath for Trumpโ€™s first move

This time around, Europe isnโ€™t panicking about what America First will mean โ€” in part because it has prepared.ย 

Russia plotted terror attacks on airlines around the world, Polandโ€™s Tusk says

Polish PM makes bombshell accusation against Moscow.

How Austriaโ€™s new leader could test the EU and what Brussels can do to push back

Host Giada Santana interviews Euractiv’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Karnitschnig to unpack Austriaโ€™s political shift and implications for Europe.
The post How Austriaโ€™s new leader could test the EU and what Brussels can do to push back appeared first on E…

Showdown in Georgia as pro-EU president refuses to step down

Salome Zourabichvili says she will continue to do her job, calling the inauguration of a new president “not valid.”

Russiaโ€™s not invincible โ€” just look at Syrian collapse, says EU top diplomat

Europe needs to act united to remain โ€œstrong and serious on the world stage,โ€ Kaja Kallas says.

Poland bans โ€˜hostile takeoversโ€™ of key media companies by Orbรกnโ€™s allies

Polish PM wants to protect its major broadcaster TVN from takeovers fueled by proxy capital.

Moldovan spy chief: Russia will try to interfere in 2025 parliamentary election, too

The Kremlin will use tactics similar to its campaigns to influence the 2024 presidential vote and the referendum to join the EU, Alexandru Musteaศ›a warns MPs.

TikTok influencers flee Romania amid tax probe into their election role

Romanian tax authorities are now investigating ultranationalist Cฤƒlin Georgescu and the TikTok activists who promoted his campaign.

Orbรกn calls Putin to discuss ending Ukraine war

The Hungarian and Russian leaders reportedly spoke about finding a diplomatic route to peace in Ukraine.

Macron, Tusk to discuss Ukraine peacekeeping force

The leaders will discuss sending foreign troops to Ukraine after the war ends.

Romanian election: What the hell is going on?

Warnings of a massive Russian hybrid attack distorting Romania’s democracy prompted the Constitutional Court to cancel the presidential election.

Romaniaโ€™s pro-Europeans fear Putin is pushing them back to dictatorshipย 

Far-right NATO-skeptic Calin Georgescu is on track to win the Romanian presidency, thanks to a Russia-influenced campaign.ย 

Romaniaโ€™s presidential front-runner Georgescu benefited from Russia-style booster campaign, declassified docs say

The files, released by the outgoing liberal president, donโ€™t specify the Kremlin tried to swing the election in Cฤƒlin Georgescu’s favor but strongly suggest it.

Kyiv issues ultimatum on NATO membership

Ukraine is losing hope that the alliance will invite it to join anytime soon.

Finlandโ€™s preparedness isnโ€™t exactly good for business

Being known as a country facing geopolitical threats has its drawbacks โ€” particularly when it comes to the economy.

US ambassador to Hungary tells Trump fanboy Orbรกn: You have a โ€˜gambling problemโ€™

The diplomat says the Hungarian prime minister treated the U.S. election like “a card game at a casino.”

Moldovaโ€™s pro-EU president on course for re-election

Security services warned of efforts to disrupt and distort voting at overseas polling stations.

Hungary taunts Western allies: Weโ€™ll talk to whoever we want

The top diplomat of Viktor Orbรกn attended a security conference in Belarus along with Russian FM Lavrov.

Hungary flirts with Putin and snubs NATO meeting

NATO diplomats based in Budapest wanted to chat with Hungary about its ambiguous policy toward the Atlantic alliance, but were ignored.

Hungarian FM to join Russia, Syria and Belarus at security summit

NATO allyship be damned, Viktor Orbรกn’s top diplomat will join senior Russian official at eastern rival to Munich Security Conference.

Fratricide: How Poland and Hungary went from friends to foes

Hungarians and Poles traditionally see each other as brothers, but that relationship is collapsing as the capitals move in very different political directions.

Georgia election marred by intimidation and interference, observers warn

Opposition leaders have decried the voting as rigged.

Belarus announces date for Lukashenkoโ€™s next election win

Opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on “Belarusians and the international community to reject this farce.”

Orbรกn on Zelenskyyโ€™s victory plan: More than frightening

Hungarian leader urges Germany and France to start negotiations with Moscow instead of helping Ukraine.

Commission says disinformation efforts failed to sway EU election

The EU election dodged a bullet โ€” but it may not be so lucky next time, as AI tools continue to evolve.

Most of Europe is fine without Russian gas

But the end of the supply contract through Ukraine at the end of this year could prove costly for Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Leaked documents: Which EU commissioners have the most property, money and influence

POLITICO has reviewed the declarations of interest of every European Commission nominee.

Romania scrambles fighter jets after Russian drones approach border

The drones were targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure close to Romania’s border, according to authorities in Bucharest.

Putin will likely control part of Ukraine when war ends, Czech president says

But Petr Pavel, a strong supporter of Ukraine, reiterates that neither Moscow nor Kyiv can expect total victory.

Russia tried to stage coup in Armenia, prosecutors allege

A traditional Moscow ally, Armenia has pivoted to the West since the Ukraine war began, and its PM now says it could seek EU membership.

The winners and losers of the new European Commission

What the portfolios tell us about the EUโ€™s power dynamics.

5 takeaways on Ursula von der Leyenโ€™s new Commission

As the dust settles after weeks of wrangling, here are the key things you need to know.

Never mind the war, the French Riviera still loves oligarchs

The south of France has long been a safe space for Russians.

Hungary blows up at Spain after Russia links scuppered bid for train giant

Ganz-Mรกvag Europe threatened broad legal action against Madrid over it vetoing a deal to purchase Spanish train-maker Talgo.

Spain blocks Hungarian rail bid over possible Russia ties

Spain says the bid by the Hungarian company โ€” formerly a Russian subsidiary โ€” poses a risk to national security.

Zelenskyy urges Modi to back Ukraineโ€™s โ€˜just peaceโ€™ push after Putin hug

Indian PM comes to Kyiv to demonstrate he stands for peace, while signing pharma and agri deals.

Any Russia-Ukraine peace deal unlikely to be just, Czech president warns

“Probably a fantasy” to expect Ukraine to regain control of Crimea and get compensation from Russia, Pavel said.

Germany zeroes in on Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream pipeline explosions

Nord Stream gas pipelines running from Russia to Germany blew up in September 2022.

How even in death, Navalny helped Biden and Scholz get to a โ€˜yesโ€™ on the prisoner swap

The leaders of the U.S. and Germany navigated competing goals and dicey politics as they discussed an exchange for the Russian opposition leader.

Washington lawmakers hope released opposition leaders revive anti-Putin movement in Russia

The historic prisoner swap freed Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Andrei Pivovarov, and several other Putin critics from Russian penal colonies.

โ€˜Space aficionadoโ€™ Kamala Harris aims for moonshot presidency

As chair of the National Space Council, Harris has been a leading advocate of getting astronauts back to the moon to build a lunar base.

Hungaryโ€™s easing of immigration rules for Russians raises espionage fears

Fallout from policy, which grants Russians and Belarusians fast-track access to European Union, could threaten Hungary’s Schengen membership.

Putin threatens retaliation if US deploys long-range missiles in Germany

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to deploy missiles within striking distance of the West should the U.S. move forward with its missile deployment in Germany.

Romania confirms Russian drones in its airspace

Ukraine’s air force said three Russian Shahed kamikaze drones crossed the border.

Von der Leyen slams Viktor Orbรกn over trip to Russia

โ€˜This peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission.โ€™

EU fumes at rogue Orbรกn, but struggles to rein him in

Brussels is annoyed with Budapest, but Hungary’s leader seems to know exactly how far he can go without drawing real consequences.

Orbรกn: From dissident to Putinโ€™s Hungarian boyar

The prime ministerโ€™s self-proclaimed โ€œpeace mission 3.0โ€ resembles Mussoliniโ€™s generous offers to arbitrate peace negotiations between Hitler โ€” his partner in the Pact of Steel โ€” and Britain and France.

NATO to back Ukraineโ€™s irreversible path, name China a โ€˜decisive enablerโ€™ in Russiaโ€™s war

The draft summit statement says allies will never recognize Russiaโ€™s annexations of parts of Ukraine and denounces Chinaโ€™s partnership with Moscow.

Ukraine seeks total lift of restrictions on American weapons after childrenโ€™s hospital struck

Ukrainian officials want the U.S. to let them use long-range ATACMS to hit inside Russia.

China and Belarus hold joint drills near Polish border ahead of NATO summit

Two key Russia allies claim to be responding to the “aggressive foreign policy” of Western countries.

Hungary looks to โ€˜de-escalateโ€™ EU-China trade tensions while Commission distances itself from Orbรกnโ€™s Beijing trip

“We should seek to maintain and strengthen cooperation with as many countries and market players around the world as possible,” Hungaryโ€™s Ambassador to the EU, Bรกlint ร“dor, told Euractiv in an interview.

Orbรกn arrives in China after Putin meeting

After causing a diplomatic storm with his surprise visit to Moscow, Hungary’s PM has now gone to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping.

Hungary cancels visit of Germanyโ€™s Baerbock amid row over Orbรกn-Putin meeting

Berlin criticized the “surprising and uncoordinated trip” of the Hungarian leader to Moscow.

NATOโ€™s Stoltenberg rules out Ukraine land-for-peace deal

While Trump advisers mull pushing Ukraine to give up land for peace, the alliance chief pointed at Russia’s refusal to abide by previous cease-fire pledges.

With Brussels fuming, Putin welcomes Orbรกn as EU leader

โ€œI am at your disposal,” Russian president says, as European leaders castigate Hungarian prime minister.

Farage let the cat out of the bag โ€” NATO expansion was just an excuse for Putin

Putin was going to do whatever he wanted regardless of what NATO and the EU did or didnโ€™t do โ€” he would have just come up with another excuse to make war, another great lie.

EU sanctions Chechen dictatorโ€™s mom

This isn’t the first time the mother of key Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov has been faced international travel ban and financial penalties.

EU approves up to โ‚ฌ1.4B military aid to Ukraine from Russian frozen assets

The money will be used for direct purchases of kit like ammunition and aerial defense systems.

French far right pulls manifesto that included controversial Russia, NATO plans

The now-deleted documents proposed a closer “alliance” with Russia and exiting NATO.

โ€˜Wildly inappropriateโ€™: Trump ally blasts German chancellor for Biden praise

โ€œI think this would elicit laughs if not outright scorn from many Americans,โ€ Elbridge Colby wrote.

Russia mocks Macron following EU election defeat

“Macron and Scholz are clinging on to power with their last remaining strength,” says head of Russia’s State Duma.

Impact of EU sanctions on aluminum would be disastrous for Europeโ€™s industry

Currently in Brussels, a new set of sanctions against Russia is being considered – the 14th round of sanctions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022. There are no good ideas for new economic measures against the Kremlin, but this do…

For Jews voting in Europe, there are no good choices

One thing is clear: We fear for the future of Europe and our place in it as a minority, no matter how we vote and no matter who wins.

Europeโ€™s democratic charade

Prepare for postelection negotiations changing the European Parliament just as much as voter choices.

Austrian liberals demand probe of far-right leaderโ€™s Putin links after POLITICO report

The Freedom Party’s Herbert Kickl is likely to become the country’s next chancellor.

Scholz, Macron und die Debatte um Verteidigung auf russischem Boden

Der Kanzler hingegen versucht weiter im Vagen zu bleiben. Wir analysieren die Worte des Kanzlers und die neuerlichen Diskussionen in Deutschland, der EU und der NATO.ย  Im 200 Sekunden-Interview sprechen wir mit Roderich Kiesewetter von der CDU. Der Oberst a.D. war selbst bei der NATO eingesetzt und verlangt vom Kanzler diese rote Linie aufzugeben.ย ย  Mit [โ€ฆ]

Koalitionskrach ums Rentenpaket

Lindner gegen Heil โ€“ das Rentenpaket II ist heute im Kabinett: Aber die FDP ist nach wie vor nicht einverstanden und wartet nur darauf, im Parlament Verรคnderungen zu erkรคmpfen.ย  Eines der wichtigsten Projekte der Ampel-Regierung hat erst lange auf sich warten lassen. Heute ist das Rentenpaket im Kabinett im Juli im Bundesrat, dann folgt der [โ€ฆ]

Putinโ€™s Estonia provocation rings alarm bells in the Baltics

EU demands Russia explain its unilateral demarcation of the Narva River on the Estonian-Russian border.

How Putin hijacked Austriaโ€™s spy service โ€” and is now gunning for its government

Intelligence officials suspect Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek of colluding with the far-right Freedom Party on Moscowโ€™s behalf.ย 

Ukraine faces decisive battle as Russian forces surge

As the two-year war enters a critical phase, Ukraineโ€™s second city Kharkiv is in Putinโ€™s sights.

Poland to bolster eastern borders to curb irregular migration from Belarus

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the country faces a “hybrid war” in illegal migration.

For some Russians, Putinโ€™s Victory Day is the darkest of the year

Russia’s autocrat leader kills his opponents and demands absolute loyalty. But he still has critics โ€” and they feel heโ€™s stolen their history.

Ukraine attacks Russiaโ€™s energy infrastructure with drones

Moscow said it shot down 50 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Why Ukraine is losing the war with Russia

The Westโ€™s failure to send weapons to Kyiv is putting Putin on course for victory.ย 

Punch-up in Georgiaโ€™s parliament! Ruling party leader assaulted over โ€˜Russian lawโ€™

The incident comes after the EU told the South Caucasus country to withdraw a controversial foreign agent bill.

Zelenskyy to US: Iranโ€™s attack on Israel is โ€˜wake-up callโ€™ to fortify Americaโ€™s allies

Ukrainian leader draws a parallel between Tehranโ€™s tactics in Israel and those employed by Russia against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy blasts Scholzโ€™s reason for not sending German Taurus missiles

Ukraine’s leader says the chancellor wants the missiles to defend Germany โ€” which is not the version of events given to the German public.

Putin may be the biggest dupe of his fake election landslide

With official results showing he won nine out of 10 votes, has the Russian autocrat overplayed his hand?

Putin โ€˜winsโ€™ rigged Russian electionย with 88% of the vote, early results show

Preliminary results indicate huge victory for Vladimir Putin but thousands protest at polling stations and Russian embassies worldwide.

Hundreds line up at Russiaโ€™s embassy in Brussels to vote against Putin

The “Noon Against Putin” protest action caused a long queue for people to cast their ballots in the capital of the EU.

Attacks on polling stations, a Tucker Carlson cutout and baby Vladimir Putin: Russia electionย highlights

Russia’s presidential contest won’t deliver a surprise winner, but day one of the vote was surprisingly action-packed.

From the grave, Navalny takes a last jab at Putinย 

Despite the risk of persecution, thousands publicly paid their last respects to the opposition leader in cities across Russia.ย 

UK sanctions six Russians running Arctic prison where Navalny died

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says it’s ‘considering all options to hold Russia and Putin to account’ over opposition leader’s death.

After Navalnyโ€™s death, the West must get tougher with Putin

I call on Russians to demonstrate their resistance by writing the name โ€œAlexei Navalnyโ€ on their ballot papers on March 17, in tribute to the regimeโ€™s latest and most prominent victim.

Zelenskyy blames Putin for Navalnyโ€™s death as leaders voice outrage

NATO chief Stoltenberg says the Kremlin has “serious questions to answer.”

Russian police detain Western journalists at protest by soldiersโ€™ wives

Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot described the detentions as โ€œvery concerning.โ€

There are more Russian spies in EU Parliament, Latvian lawmakers say

“We are convinced that ลฝdanoka is not an isolated case,” three MEPs wrote in letter about espionage obtained by Brussels Playbook.

Sweden seeks to tighten NATOโ€™s grip in Baltic Sea with 2 new submarinesย 

Swedenโ€™s first new submarines inย decades will have advanced weapons, stealthy propulsion and sonar-evading hulls to counter Russia under the Baltic Sea.