58 h. ago EU leaders consider using seized Russian assets to fund a loan to Ukraine

European Union leaders are weighing a scheme to provide long-term financial and military support to Ukraine using hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets

Politics

60 h. ago Europe ‘in most difficult and dangerous situation since second world war,’ Danish PM warns – Europe live

Mette Frederiksen says she backs the European Commission’s proposal for a reparation loan for Ukraine, secured on frozen Russian assetsSiliņa says the EU should move on drones very quickly, as she rejects some criticism that fully developing the bloc’s “drone wall” could take up to three-four years.“We don’t need three years, and I believe we can do it in a much shorter time.It just depends on the leaders [if] we can agree on a much shorter time, because with drones, how they’re developing so fast, three years is too long.” Continue reading...

Events

67 h. ago The European Union was designed for peace – it is never going to be a war machine | Anand Menon

Reacting to the Russian military threat would require the bloc to be agile and decisive. It is many great things, but it is not thatIn her 2025 state of the union speech last month, Ursula von der Leyen didn’t mince her words. Europe, the president of the European Commission declared, is engaged in a “fight for a continent that is whole and at peace”. Her analysis of the problem was pretty accurate. What is increasingly clear, however, is that the European Union is not the whole solution. The EU is good at many things. Being an effective defence organisation is not one of them.Don’t get me wrong: European integration has, over the decades, performed an important security function. By binding former enemies together, it helped them overcome centuries-old rivalries. By incorporating new members, it calmed potential tensions (not least among those countries formerly within the Soviet bloc).Anand Menon is director of UK in a Changing Europe and professor of European politics and foreign...

Events

3 d. ago Putin ‘in his heart of hearts’ knows he cannot win in Ukraine, US special envoy says – Europe live

Keith Kellogg tells Warsaw Security Forum that war in Ukraine is ‘unwinnable’ for PutinIf you are keen to understand the dynamics between the US and Belarus a bit better (10:08), here’s a brilliant story from our own Pjotr Sauer, who recently visited Minsk.Since Trump took office, Lukashenko, an authoritarian strongman who has ruled Belarus since 1994, has been edging out of the diplomatic freeze, cautiously probing for space beyond Moscow, which sees Belarus as both its closest ally and a vital buffer.Sensing a political opening with the new Trump administration, Lukashenko has regularly met US officials and even held a call with the US president, who has floated the idea of a direct meeting. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Europe must give strong and united response to Russian drone incursions, says von der Leyen – Europe live

European Commission president gave a press conference with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, ahead of an EU security college meetingClosing the panel, US envoy Kellogg spelled out the US position on Ukraine, as he said:“The biggest thing we want to do is stop the largest land war in Europe since the second world war. And this is a war of industrial strength with over hundreds - not one thousand or two thousand, we’re talking hundreds, plural, of thousands – of killed in action there. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Britain should shrink its nuclear arsenal says world’s most nuke

THE Kremlin says Britain and France should reduce nuclear weapons stores, despite having more than both nations combined. Putin's representatives have said nuclear stores of both Britain and France should be included in negotiations to reduce stockpiles. Dmitry Peskov made the demands following a Russian proposal to the US to voluntarily maintain the limits on...

Events

4 d. ago Russia’s provocations are menacing Nato. The cold war shows how it needs to respond | Sergey Radchenko

Despite the cost of shooting down fighter jets and drones, small skirmishes remind both sides of the dangers of escalationEarlier this month, a swarm of Russian drones violated Poland’s borders. Some were shot down. A few days later, another Russian drone overflew Romania en route to Ukraine. The Romanian air defence let it get away. Then, on 19 September, three Russian MiG-31 fighters intruded into Estonia’s airspace. Italian F-35s – in the area on a Nato mission – intercepted the Russians and saw them off.Although this is hardly the first time Russia has violated Nato’s airspace, the extent and the brazen nature of these latest provocations make them stand out. Incursions will end only when the intruders are shot down. Fortunately, shooting down an occasional Russian fighter jet, never mind drones, is very unlikely to lead to a broader escalation. It may even help cool down tensions by reinforcing the red lines.Sergey Radchenko is Wilson E Schmidt distinguished professor at the He...

Events

4 d. ago German identity doesn’t rely on cars – Brussels should face down the mighty automakers

Mercedes-Benz and other big manufacturers want to overturn the EU’s 2035 ban on petrol cars. This would be as disastrous for jobs as for the climateThere is something rather old-fashioned about the way Germany views its car industry. When the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, calls the car the destiny of Germany and the heart of its economy, and says that “without the car, collapse is imminent”, the vehicle he seems to be describing is one with a combustion engine, running on fossil fuels or their derivatives. This nostalgic attachment to the heavy-duty, polluting industries of the 20th century is now colliding with the urgent realities of the climate crisis.Earlier this month, heads of European automotive companies gathered in the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, for a meeting with its president, Ursula von der Leyen. German car manufacturers came with two demands: to reverse the EU ban on the manufacture of new cars with CO2-emit...

Politics

4 d. ago German identity doesn’t rely on cars – Brussels should face down the mighty automakers | Tania Roettger

Mercedes-Benz and other big manufacturers want to overturn the EU’s 2035 ban on petrol cars. This would be as disastrous for jobs as for the climateThere is something rather old-fashioned about the way Germany views its car industry. When the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, calls the car the destiny of Germany and the heart of its economy, and says that “without the car, collapse is imminent”, the vehicle he seems to be describing is one with a combustion engine, running on fossil fuels or their derivatives. This nostalgic attachment to the heavy-duty, polluting industries of the 20th century is now colliding with the urgent realities of the climate crisis.Earlier this month, heads of European automotive companies gathered in the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, for a meeting with its president, Ursula von der Leyen. German car manufacturers came with two demands: to reverse the EU ban on the manufacture of new cars with CO2-emit...

Politics

7 d. ago Belarus proposes a new nuclear plant to supply energy to Russian

Belarus has unveiled proposals to build a second nuclear power plant capable of supplying energy to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine

Events

7 d. ago Europe prepares for war with Putin: EU plans 'drone wall' to stop Russian attacks as Poland vows to shoot down UAVs over Ukraine and Kremlin threatens direct conflict with NATO

Ten nations, including Denmark, Finland, and Poland will join Ukraine at a summit to thrash out plans for what EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has described as 'the bedrock of credible defence.'

Events

8 d. ago Talks on European ‘drone wall’ after Danish airport incursions

European ministers to hold talks on Friday on how to defend infrastructure after airports affected, including the closure of CopenhagenEuropean ministers are to meet for urgent talks on building a “drone wall” to defend against incoming incursions from the skies after Denmark said it had been the victim of a “hybrid attack” on four airports in the second such incident in days.Ministers from 10 European countries, including Ukraine, will hold talks on Friday to discuss plans for what the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has described as “the bedrock of credible defence”. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago European ministers to meet for urgent ‘drone wall’ talks to protect skies

Meeting comes after Denmark says ‘professional actor’ behind ‘hybrid attacks’ that closed it airports in recent daysEurope live – latest news updatesEuropean ministers are to meet for urgent talks on building a “drone wall” to defend against incoming incursions from the skies after Denmark said it had been the victim of a “hybrid attack” on four airports in the second such incident in days.Ministers from 10 European countries, including Ukraine, will hold talks on Friday to discuss plans for what European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has described as “the bedrock of credible defence”. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Poland will give its military the green light to shoot down Russian drones over UKRAINE without NATO approval under proposed law change

Poland is looking to pass a law that will allow its military to down Russian drones over Ukraine without needing approval from NATO or the European Union. 

Events

9 d. ago Spanish military jet with minister onboard suffers GPS disruption near Russia’s Kaliningrad

It comes after the GPS system of a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was jammed

Politics

9 d. ago If Europe keeps placating its own far right, how can it possibly stand up to Trump? | Thu Nguyen and Jannik Jansen

European leaders have been pulled to the right on migration, the climate crisis and Israel. Their weakness is undermining the democratic principles on which the EU was builtWhen Ursula von der Leyen made her pitch to become president of the European Commission back in 2019, she put the “European way” at the heart of her appeal. Under her direction, she said, Europe would be a principled power built on multilateralism, fair trade and the rules-based order, standing firm and united against authoritarianism, protectionism and the politics of zero-sum thinking.Six years on, she is again calling on Europe to “fight” for that future. But the vision is fading fast. This summer brought a cascade of negative headlines decrying Europe’s “humiliation”; it was the worst in years, if not in a century, some critics said. All pointed to the same reality: European leaders, fearing both a trade war and the loss of US support for Ukraine, had bowed to the wishlist of the Trump administration and left...

Politics

1 week ago Iran's foreign minister meets with European nations ahead of sanctions deadline

Senior diplomats from Germany, the United Kingdom and France are holding last minute negotiations with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to explore final options before the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program on Sept. 28, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said

Politics

1 week ago World, business leaders hope to keep momentum in fight against climate change despite US

Hundreds of world and business leaders are gathering to keep the fight against climate change alive

Politics

1 week ago UK, Canada and Australia announce formal recognition of Palestine, with wave of Israel’s allies to follow

Partly symbolic move by up to 10 states comes amid fears Israel could respond by annexing parts of West BankA wave of Israel’s allies are announcing their recognition of the state of Palestine, as part of a wider manoeuvre designed to ostracise Hamas and challenge attempts by the Israeli government to erase the chance of a Palestinian homeland.But the delicate and partly symbolic move by as many 10 states, pioneered largely by the French government, has the potential to lead to a negative spiral of further confrontation amid fears Israel will respond by annexing parts of the West Bank, leading in turn to European trade sanctions and further political isolation for Israel, including an ultimate possible suspension from the UN. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago UK to explore ‘reparations loan’ for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets

Treasury officials also declined to discuss the mechanisms the UK would consider.

Politics