Demobilized Russian fighters could pose crime and security risks for the EU’s Schengen free-movement area, northern and eastern capitals warn. Listen AI generated Text-to-speech Source link
Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran risk another Iraq-style quagmire, but said Berlin won’t lecture Washington as it seeks U.S. help to end the war in Ukraine. The German leader is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Merz also stressed that despite U.S. efforts, Iran hasn’t agreed to a nuclear deal or committed to reducing its missile program. Merz’s warnings against protracted conflict were later echoed by British PM Keir Starmer during a video address. Starmer gave more detail on the extent to which the British government is willing to help the U.S. and Israel in the conflict, albeit in a defined and limited manner, than the initial E3 statement cowritten with Germany and France. Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed the safety of Greeks in the region and the need for effective control of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, according to local media. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary is raising its counterterrorism level and used the strikes on Iran as a chance to talk about the …
Bardella acknowledged that France’s nuclear doctrine has always foreseen that the country’s vital interests do not stop at the French borders. “When it comes to nuclear power, I defend principles, and those principles are that there can be no sharing, no co-financing, and no co-decision-making on the nuclear button,” Bardella also said. The Elysée Palace has always stressed that any decision to launch a nuclear weapon would remain with the French president. The National Rally, historically skeptical of engagement with both NATO and the EU, is leading early polls for next year’s pivotal presidential election. If longtime leader Marine Le Pen’s appeal to shorten or overturn her five-year election ban related to embezzlement charges is unsuccessful, the 30-year-old Bardella will likely run in her place. Bardella’s remarks come a few days ahead of a landmark speech Macron is set to deliver on how France’s nuclear weapons can contribute to Europe’s security. Paris has been in talks with European capitals such as Berlin, Stockholm and Warsaw over how French nukes could help the continent deter Russian …
STOCKHOLM, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Ukrainian drone maker Skyfall is in talks with Denmark about becoming the second defence firm from the war-torn country to establish production on Danish soil, the Nordic country’s defence ministry said on Tuesday. Skyfall develops unmanned aerial systems (UAS) including attack drones and drone interceptors, the firm said on its website. “Skyfall is a company with an impressive product portfolio that can provide strategically important production and supply on Danish soil – both for Ukraine and Denmark,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Copenhagen last year announced that Ukraine’s Fire Point will begin production of fuel for long-range missiles in Denmark, marking the first expansion abroad by a Ukrainian defence company. Russia’s foreign ministry in December said the production of fuel for Ukrainian missiles in Denmark posed a risk of escalation. Ukraine in December signed an agreement with the Netherlands for joint drone production. (Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Terje Solsvik) Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters. Photos You Should See – Feb. 2026 Source link
The IPC said six Russian and four Belarusian athletes have been awarded invitations to compete at the Games in para-alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing and para-snowboarding. The committee lifted its broader suspension of the two countries in September, after previously allowing athletes to compete only as neutrals following Russia’s 2022 full-invasion of Ukraine. The decision is now drawing political backing across Europe. EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef said he would skip the ceremony, warning that the IPC’s decision risked undermining solidarity with Ukraine. Estonia’s Paralympic Committee has also condemned the move, with its governing officials saying they will not attend the opening ceremony. In Poland, the head of the national Paralympic Committee told Polsat News his organization was considering a boycott, calling the IPC’s decision “scandalous” and the result of Russian lobbying. Italy — host of the 2026 Winter Games — has also stepped up diplomatic pressure. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi urged the IPC to reconsider, expressing Rome’s “absolute opposition” and arguing Russia’s continued violations of Olympic ideals make …
“Our joint message is clear: The Commission needs to hear the sign of the times,” said German Minister of State Günther Krichbaum. “When we talk about improving competitiveness, cutting red tape and scaling down national administrations, the Commission’s call to further increase staff numbers is simply out of touch with reality. It would be best for the Commission to retract this proposal.” The letter, signed by ministers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, reads: “We expect the Commission to present ambitious, quantified proposals as a direct input for ongoing negotiations on the next MFF, including on an EU administrative system that reflects the challenges of our times.” “In this context, the proposed increase [from the Commission] of 2,500 posts as well as the overall significant increase of heading 4 (administration) runs counter to the stated objectives of efficiency, restraint and reform, and risks undermining the credibility of the broader MFF proposal.” Heading 4 of the 2028-2034 MFF refers to administrative costs. EU countries are in the midst …
Estonia isn’t ruling out joining early-stage talks on a common nuclear deterrent in Europe, Deputy Defense Minister Tuuli Duneton said in an interview. “We are always open to discuss” with partners, she said, while emphasizing the U.S. was still “committed to providing nuclear deterrence for allied nations.” Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Siliņa echoed that. “Nuclear deterrence can give us new opportunities. Why not?” she said, while cautioning that any steps would have to be in compliance with “our international commitments.” Trump has questioned NATO’s common defense Article 5 provision, ridiculed allied contributions to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and repeatedly called for annexing Greenland, part of NATO-member Denmark. That’s leading Europe to hunt for what officials call another layer of “insurance” against Moscow. Evika Silina, Prime Minister of Latvia, at the Munich Security Conference. | Felix Hörhager/Picture Alliance via Getty Images In practice, that means turning to France and the U.K. — Europe’s only nuclear powers. Unlike London, Paris is not part of NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, which discusses the use of nuclear force through …
In Estonia, the barrage of cyberattacks from Russia has helped it prepare for “literally whatever situation,” Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta said. Estonia has forged a level of digital resilience that is widely praised. When it comes to where to go from here, “We are not looking for U.S. company dependencies but we are looking for any critical dependencies,” she said, noting that Estonia considers the threat of submarine internet cables being cut to be far more real than a U.S. tech shutdown. Betting on ‘open’ When it comes to finding alternatives to American majors, some of the tools that are gaining traction in Europe are open-source — meaning anyone can see, use and adapt the software, unlike proprietary tools whose code is confidential. “Like France, the Dutch government is researching autonomous communication tools for chats and video conferencing,” said outgoing State Secretary Eddie van Marum. Van Marum cited the trials of the French-developed platform Visio and a German alternative from Nextcloud, both of which are open-source. The German government is trying the openDesk platform, a …
Estonia’s Narva has become a tense microcosm of the NATO-Russia standoff. Since 2022, Estonia has fortified the border with anti-tank obstacles and moved to sever ties with Moscow. In this 95% Russian-speaking town, the government has mandated Estonian in schools and recently banned Russian citizens from local voting. Amid Russian provocations like removing border buoys, residents feel increasingly torn between two worlds. Keywords for this article Source link
BRUSSELS ― There’s no turning back now. That was the message from European leaders who gathered in Brussels on Thursday. And even though this emergency summit, called in response to Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, turned into something far less dramatic because the U.S. president backed down 24 hours earlier, the quiet realization that Europe’s post-1945 rubicon had been crossed was, if anything, all the more striking for it. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the EU’s two most powerful leaders, who haven’t seen eye-to-eye of late, were united in warning that the transatlantic crisis had catapulted the bloc into a harsh new reality — one in which it must embrace independence. “We know we have to work as an independent Europe,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters at the end of the five-hour gathering. And while, in contrast to recent EU summits, there was no tub-thumping or quarrels or even any decisions to be made, the gathering quietly signaled a tacit understanding, according to four EU diplomats …
