Zelenskyy: Europe cannot guarantee Ukraineโ€™s security without America

Exclusive: In extended interview with the Guardian, Ukraineโ€™s president says he will offer US firms lucrative reconstruction contracts to try to get Trump onsideIf Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable to fill the g…

German frontrunner Merz will take EU โ€˜to its grave,โ€™ says Scholz

Country’s role in Europe gets a surprise central focus in election campaign.

Press release – Press conference: Call for EU support for the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Today, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will hold a press conference in Strasbourg, after President Trump issued an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC.Subcommittee on Human Rights Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Press release – EP Conference of Presidents’ statement on EU support for Ukraine

Statement of the Conference of Presidents on continuing the unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after three years of Russiaโ€™s full-scale war of aggression. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

By courting the far right, the man tipped to be Germanyโ€™s next chancellor may have sealed his own downfall | Florian Ranft

Conservative Friedrich Merz shattered a political taboo. His blunder gives the centre-left a chance in the 23 February electionThere are moments in every election campaign when the fate of a key protagonist takes a decisive turn, often after an unforce…

Time to sign?

SNEAK PEEK โ€” JD Vance lands in Paris as the U.K. tries to get on message.ย  โ€”ย Peter Kyle says an AI bill will avoid upsetting voluntary agreement with AI labs. โ€”ย The U.K.โ€™s own mini-summit kicks off in London. Good morning and happy Tuesday, This is Tom, coming to you from a cold press room in [โ€ฆ]

Trump demands $500B in rare earths from Ukraine for continued support

“We have to get something. We canโ€™t continue to pay this money,โ€ U.S. president says.

Trumpโ€™s aid cuts will lead to a surge of propaganda, say press freedom groups

Loss of USAid funds will sow โ€˜chaos and confusionโ€™ and force independent media outlets to shut down, says RSF Donald Trumpโ€™s foreign aid freeze will lead to a decline in the number of independent media outlets across the world, causing a surge in misin…

Inside the divided coalition coming for the Green Deal

Intentionally or not, concerned businesses, the ascendant far right and traditional conservatives are coming together to rewrite green rules.

Riding out the Trump tiger until heโ€™s exhausted

How should one handle the 47th U.S. president? Kiss the ring, resist, offer deals and wait for exhaustion to set in.

As Trump torches overseas aid, will Britain step up?

Britain used to lead the world on international development. But in the era of right-wing populists, its Labour government is now treading carefully.

Ukraine war briefing: Power restrictions as Russia hits energy system

Trump says Ukraine โ€˜may be Russian somedayโ€™; Biden-approved weapons still flowing, says Kellogg. What we know on day 1,084See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine implemented emergency power restrictions on Tuesday morning as the energy minister, German…

Trump could remake USAID to promote fossil fuels

The presidentโ€™s allies want foreign aid repurposed to encourage more oil and gas development around the world.

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.

Franceโ€™s great AI hope sees opportunity in Chinaโ€™s chatbot success

Mistral AI co-founder says China’s artificial intelligence breakthrough offers inspiration for Europe in the global AI race.

New ecodesign rules freeze out Europeโ€™s local space heaters

Proposed EU rules could see almost 100% of solid fuel local space heaters disappear from the European market, destroying European jobs, growth and competitiveness, warns CEFACD

The menace of deindustrialization in the EU โ€” and what we can do about it

Policymaking is not accountancy: in the medium and long term, the EU will be better off keeping factories within its borders.

EU considers giving countries wiggle room to boost defense spending

The move would allow governments with overstretched budgets more flexibility under the bloc’s debt and deficit rules.

Inside the new plan to seize Russiaโ€™s shadow fleet

European countries are pushing for new powers to squeeze Moscowโ€™s shadow fleet after a spate of incidents in the Baltic Sea.

โ€‹โ€‹Justin Trudeauโ€™s not the only Canadian pushing for a UK trade deal

Pierre Poilievre โ€” frontrunner to be the next Canadian PM โ€” is also on board with push to reboot stalled talks amid Trump’s trade war.

Suggestions for U.S. success in the Middle East

An aide-mรฉmoire to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from a former adviser to Tony Blair.

Germany’s Scholz slams CDU rival Merz for accepting far-right support in heated debate

Germanyโ€™s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday clashed with opposition leader Friedrich Merz in a heated debate, accusing him of accepting favours from the far-right AfD party. Merzโ€™s conservative CDU party received backing from the AfD to push through a …

Trump is rattling Europe. Heโ€™s sending Vance as his emissary.

The vice president will mingle with world leaders in Munich and Paris at a time when the White House has made clear itโ€™s not afraid to shred old alliances.

The Future of Temporary Protection in Tรผrkiye: Return of Syrians after the Fall of Assad

 

Dr. AyลŸe Dicle
Ergin, Assistant
Professor, Bilkent University Faculty of Law

 

Photo credit: Henry
Ridgwell, Voice of America news, via Wikimedia
Commons

 

As of today, the vast majority of
approximately 2.8
million Syrians in Tรผr…

Super Bowl: The NFL team Trump loves to hate

The president has left a breadcrumb trail suggesting nothing would make him happier than to see the Eagles get slaughtered in the Super Bowl.

Trumpโ€™s plan for โ€˜ethnic cleansingโ€™ in Gaza is illegal, says UN investigator

Navi Pillay, head of UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said she would support a charge of apartheid against Israel at the ICC.

Ukraine war briefing: Kim Jong-un vows ongoing support for Russiaโ€™s โ€˜just causeโ€™

North Korean leader also pledged further development of nuclear forces; UK foreign secretary says no imminent peace talks with Russia. What we know on day 1,082See all our Ukraine war coverageNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged his ongoing supp…

Merzโ€™s gamble: Germanyโ€™s centre-right leader splits voters by flirting with hardline AfD

Would be chancellor Friederich Merz breaks post-war convention of no political deals with far rightOn a foggy, frigid morning in Saxony, far-right MP Renรฉ Bochmann could not believe his partyโ€™s luck in the final days of the German election campaign, wi…

Hands On, Eyes Closed? CJEU Grand Chamber hearing on Frontexโ€™s role in unlawful pushbacks (WS and Others v Frontex, C-679/23 P)

 Jan-Hendrik Seelow, Dutch
Council for Refugees*

*The Dutch Council for Refugees has
closely worked with the applicantโ€™s counsel to support the case from the
beginning Photo credit: Francesco Placco, via Wikimedia Commons

Introduction

It is a f…

Inside USAIDโ€™s undoing

Aides to the president and Elon Musk suspected USAID officials were trying to go around a funding freeze.

โ€˜New realityโ€™ hailed as Slovak protests against pro-Russia PM widen to small towns

More than 100,000 people hit the streets Friday across Slovakia and elsewhere in Europe to defend the country’s Western orientation.

Germanyโ€™s Habeck casts doubt on coalition with conservatives

The possibilities for conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz to form a coalition government are looking increasingly uncertain.

Commission to grant โ‚ฌ100m package to farmers affected by disasters

The emergency support package is expected to be unveiled on 19 February, coinciding with the presentation of the ‘Vision for agriculture and food’.

Britainโ€™s Karen Pierce swaps DC embassy for the Balkans

Former British ambassador in Washington will help lead a summit this fall tackling illegal migration.

US can ramp up sanctions on Putin, Trumpโ€™s Ukraine-Russia envoy says

โ€œIf thereโ€™s anybody who understands leverage, itโ€™s President Donald J. Trump,” Keith Kellogg tells the New York Post.

Trumpโ€™s aid freeze leaves UN food agency scrambling, with millions at risk

Despite a U.S. waiver, food shipments are stalled, funding is uncertain and Europe may have to fill the gap.

EU chiefs chastise Trump for sanctioning the ICCย 

In a first jab at the White House, Ursula von der Leyen and Antรณnio Costa said the U.S. president’s move to target the International Criminal Court undermines global justice.

Germanyโ€™s likely next chancellor wants to tell Trump to rein in Musk

โ€œI do not approve of someone in Trumpโ€™s orbit attempting such direct interference in Germanyโ€™s elections,โ€ says Friedrich Merz.

โ€˜Weโ€™re still thereโ€™: Ukraine marks the 6-month anniversary of its Kursk incursion

Kyiv insists that the invasion made sense, but some experts feel the cost has been very high.

Germanyโ€™s old-school conservatism is well and truly over

Even if Merz stumbles across the finish line and secures a coalition government, the death knell for Christian democracy may well have been sounded.

How Germany found itself holding an Italian election

POLITICO has processed 35 years’ worth of election data to find out why this month’s vote is messier than ever โ€• and what will happen next.

Britain led the world on AI safety. Now itโ€™s waiting for Trump.

Labour promised tough new rules for the worldโ€™s leading AI developers. But as Trump returns, ministers are thinking again.

Tony Blair picks his Labour rising stars

The former U.K. prime minister has quietly been meeting Labour’s new MPs โ€” and he’s not the only Blairite who’s at it.

Putinโ€™s disinformation networks flood social media in bid to skew German election

A Kremlin-backed campaign is trying to influence voters ahead of Feb. 23 poll, according to government report obtained by POLITICO.

Ukraine’s options: How to maintain US support in the age of Trump?

Does what goes for Greenland and Gaza also go for Ukraine? With the third anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion approaching and Kyiv on the back foot,ย allies are scrambling to figure out the “art of the deal” power plays of a US president they thou…

Alzheimerโ€™s group slams hard-left French MEP for โ€˜disrespectfulโ€™ joke

Lawmaker’s office deletes TikTok video that “may have offended people.”

Lithuania hopes to woo Trump with its anti-China stance

The country aims to curry favor and keep the U.S. president committed to transatlantic defense by being the first to catch the mood in Washington.

Denmark gets ready to defend Greenland from Trump โ€ฆ with warm socks

Danish military forks out millions for toasty footwear.

Hungary floats WHO withdrawal after Trump and Milei exits

Comments from Viktor Orbรกn’s team suggest the exodus from WHO could continue.

UK takes on leadership of Biden-era Ukraine military aid group

Britain will take over Wednesdayโ€™s meeting of Kyivโ€™s allies from the U.S.

Merkel โ€˜could not remain silentโ€™ as she jabs Merz again over far-right AfD vote

Former German leader reiterates swipe at chancellor candidate from her own Christian Democratic Union ahead of Feb. 23 election.

Turning aspirations into action for rare disease patients

Inspired by the rare disease communityโ€™s passionate drive to advance policies that provide equitable access to care, UCB spearheaded Aspire4Rare: a global initiative supporting the development of rare disease policies.

Britainโ€™s handover of the Chagos Islands is pleasing nobody

Labourโ€™s decision to grant the geopolitical archipelago to Mauritius has sparked criticism from all sides.

French PM Bayrou survives no-confidence vote thanks to far right

The decision by the National Rally gives Bayrou some breathing room.

Milei to pull Argentina out of WHO, mirroring Trump

The WHO, which promotes health worldwide, is already making cutbacks following the loss of U.S. funding.

UKโ€™s Starmer breaks with Trump on Gaza โ€˜Rivieraโ€™ plan

British prime minister said Palestinians “must be allowed home” to rebuild.

Global fury builds over Trumpโ€™s plan to turn Gaza into the Middle East โ€˜Rivieraโ€™

U.S. president faces outrage from Arab countries and key European capitals over his โ€œdangerousโ€ proposal that Palestinians should be removed from the coastal enclave.ย 

EU leaders talk the talk on defence. But where will they find the billions to pay for it? | Paul Taylor

Europe may have as little as three to five years to prepare for a potential Russian attack โ€“ it must get real about borrowing to protect peaceEU leaders agreed at their summit with Keir Starmer in Brussels this week that much more spending is urgently …

BoE prepares to cut rates as economic risks take precedence

The outlook has darkened since Rachel Reeves’ budget, and a relative degree of indulgence for the U.K. from Donald Trump isn’t enough to make it better.

Poland spends big on arms to stay friends with Trump

Defense Minister Wล‚adysล‚aw Kosiniak-Kamysz warns that Europe must spend more “to retain the presence of the Americans in Europe.”

Zelenksyy: Trump must get โ€˜strong security guaranteesโ€™ from Russia to end war

The Ukrainian president is open to a deal, but not without assurances against a future Russian invasion.

UK waits nervously for Trump to back Chagos Islands deal

U.S. president’s shake-up of the security apparatus has complicated scrutiny of controversial British deal over Diego Garcia military base.

Give Ukraine nuclear weapons, says Zelenskyy

If Ukraine isn’t granted NATO membership it will need another way to defend itself from Russia in future, said the Ukrainian president.

German election poll: Merzโ€™s far-right gambit costs conservatives

The first major survey of voters after frontrunner Friedrich Merz’s controversial alignment with the far right suggests the gambit failed.

Tories express alarm at report saying cost of Chagos Islands deal has risen far beyond ยฃ9bn, saying itโ€™s โ€˜madnessโ€™ โ€“ as it happened

Priti Patel accuses Keir Starmer of being motivated by โ€˜leftie shameโ€™ at Britainโ€™s historyNigel Farage has said the UK could be โ€œfriendlyโ€ with the EU but did not outline what kind of ties with the bloc his party would support, PA Media reports. PA say…

Scholz slams Trumpโ€™s โ€˜self-centeredโ€™ bid to link Ukraine aid to rare earths access

Kyiv isn’t totally against the U.S. president’s idea โ€” but the German chancellor isn’t impressed.

Ex-Tory MP reportedly joins Ukraine foreign legion in non-combat role

Former party deputy chair Jack Lopresti said to be carrying out support work to help the countryโ€™s fight against RussiaA former Conservative MP ousted in the 2024 election has reportedly joined the International Legion in Ukraine in a non-combat role t…

War of attrition strains Ukraineโ€™s army

Ukraine wants Donald Trump’s support, but has suffered thousands of casualties and desertions as it holds the line against Russia.

Ukraine demands โ€˜impartialโ€™ inquiry into death of a citizen in Slovakia

Bratislava and Kyiv have been at loggerheads since the Slovak leadership cut off weapons flows to Ukraine and embraced Moscow talking points.

US to again withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council, stop UNRWA funding

The actions come one day before Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

French PM Bayrou braces for 4 no-confidence votes in a week

It’s a high-wire few days as votes on the first two motions are expected Wednesday.

Keir Starmer tells EU countries to โ€˜step upโ€™ for Ukraine

U.K. prime minister also wants the EU to target Russia’s energy revenues to keep the pressure on โ€œrattledโ€ leader Vladimir Putin.

Elon Muskโ€™s Tesla showroom defaced with swastikas in the Netherlands

Tech billionaire continues to attract vitriol after his controversial salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration party.

Worldโ€™s top defense conference bans Germanyโ€™s populist left and right parties

Munich Security Conference gets tough on anti-establishment parties ahead of German election.

Former Tory MP signs up to serve in Ukraineโ€™s army

Former Conservative deputy chair Jack Lopresti is now based in Kyiv helping with weapons procurement.

Keir Starmer says he does not accept UK has to choose between US and EU โ€“ as it happened

Prime minister says both US and Europe are important to UK as he holds press conference with Nato secretary general Mark RutteKeir Starmerโ€™s dinner with EU leaders tonight will take place at the Palais dโ€™Egmont, a 16th-century palace where Ted Heath si…

Romaniaโ€™s coalition parties unite behind Antonescuโ€™s candidacy

BUCHAREST – Crin Antonescu officially secured backing for the upcoming presidential election during the extraordinary congress of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) on Sunday, ensuring that the liberal politician has the full support of the governing co…

Slovak Christian Democrats oppose Ficoโ€™s controversial constitutional reform

BRATISLAVA – The opposition Christian Democratic Party (KDH) has announced it will not support Prime Minister Robert Ficoโ€™s proposed amendments, which seek to define only two genders, ban adoption by same-sex couples, and establish the primacy of Slova…

The Mediterranean diet is a lie

Italy’s food is supposed to be the world’s healthiest. So why are so many of its kids obese?

German far right may benefit most from Merzโ€™s self-inflicted wound

Conservative leader’s gambit to weaken the postwar ‘firewall’ may be a boon for the AfD ahead of a national election.

Germans protest against party leader who pushed migration bill backed by far right

Angry rallies in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich accuse Friedrich Merz of cooperating with AfDTens of thousands of people marched in Germany on Sunday to protest against the decision by the centre-right leader โ€“ and frontrunner in a loomin…

UniCredit builds stake in Generali, further complicating fight for Italian financial sector

The Milan-based bank said its holding is โ€œa pure financial investmentโ€ and asserted that it has โ€œno strategic interest in Generali.โ€

German conservatives to back Weber for second term as EPP leader

Friedrich Merzโ€™s CDU is set to endorse the EPP head on Sunday, boosting Weber’s chances at a decisive party congress in April.

Trump finalizes tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, triggering likely trade war

The tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods will be 25 percent.

EU silent as protests in Serbia gain momentum

While von Ursula von der Leyen has not hesitated to express support for โ€œthe Georgian people fighting for democracy”, she has remained remarkably quiet about the uprising in Serbia.
The post EU silent as protests in Serbia gain momentum appeared first …

Trump is wreaking havoc at USAID. Is the goal to shut it down?

The presidentโ€™s failure to name a USAID administrator and other steps seem to suggest that, at the very least, heโ€™ll fold USAID into the State Department.