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...
Russian state company defies Western sanctions with covert Sofia property sale
Russia's state-owned Goszagransobstvennost organised a secret auction to sell a property in the most expensive area of the Bulgarian capital. The Russian state-owned firm Goszagransobstvennost has organised a secret auction for the sale of a property in one of the most expensive areas of Sofia, according to the Bulgarian investigative...
Estonian experts dismissed rumors of spy gear at the Estonia ferry wreck
A number of German publications reported on the possible placement by Russia on the remains of the ship Estonia devices for monitoring the movement of ships in the Baltic Sea. However, the Estonian Ministry of Defence denied this information in an interview with ERR. According to the representatives of the...
EU to pool companies’ demand to buy more non-Russian gas
The EU is seeking to rapidly increase its LNG imports from the U.S,, according to a trade deal with President Donald Trump. The EU is seeking to rapidly increase its LNG imports from the U.S,, according to a trade deal with President Donald Trump. That will require countries still receiving...
New Vertical gas corridor to boost energy links from Greece to Ukraine by 2026
A regional project involving seven countries aims to replace Russian gas and expand transmission capacity across East and Central Europe. The Vertical Gas Corridor, designed to significantly increase gas supplies from LNG terminals at Greek ports on the Mediterranean through Bulgaria to Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Ukraine, is expected...
Albania’s Rama criticizes Europe for lacking a peace plan for Ukraine
In unusually blunt terms, the self-styled politician said that Europe is making a mistake by focusing only on armaments. From Riyadh, where he addressed the 9th Future Investment Initiative, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama delivered a stark warning to Europe. In unusually blunt terms, he declared: “Europe is making a...
Hungary aims to create an alliance with the Czech Republic and Slovakia before EU meetings
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán looks forward to working with Andrei Babiš, whose right-wing populist party won the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, to reach a consensus before EU leaders' meetings. «I think this will happen - and will become more and more...