EU urges Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to lift unilateral bans on Ukrainian farm exports
The European Commission will hold talks with Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to persuade them to drop unilateral restrictions on certain Ukrainian agricultural exports now that a renewed EU-Ukraine trade deal has taken effect. Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill made the announcement at a press conference in Brussels on 31 October….
Europe’s 12-point bid for peace in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine grinds into its fourth year, the European Union finds itself thrust into the diplomatic spotlight amid a backdrop of frustration and finger-pointing. With U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious peace initiatives hitting repeated roadblocks – exemplified by the postponement of a planned summit with Russian President…
FSB Expands Powers Over “Troubled Youth”
The spy agency has drafted legislation that would allow FSB officers to take part in the work of juvenile commissions across the country and feed intelligence on so-called “troubled youth” into government blacklists and databases. The FSB’s new prison-and-detention empire, relaunched only this summer, will also be folded into the…
Romania announces downsizing of U.S. forces on NATO’s eastern flank
Bucharest insists the decision is not a withdrawal but a rotation adjustment, and that 1.000 U.S. soldiers will remain in the country. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed on Wednesday (29 October) that the United States plans to reduce the number of troops deployed on NATO’s eastern flank, including those…
Sanctions gone: Dodik hails Trump, Republika Srpska opposition cries treason
The U.S. announced on 29 October the removal of sanctions imposed on Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on 29 October the removal of sanctions imposed on Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia…