All posts tagged: Lithuania

Europe’s Socialists face far-right reckoning after Romania deal – POLITICO

Europe’s Socialists face far-right reckoning after Romania deal – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The move exposes a gap between political red lines in Brussels and messy national realities, where the far right’s rise is making it harder for mainstream parties to govern without them. Socialists in Brussels were unaware of the plans in Romania, according to two officials familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to speak frankly. Iratxe García, chair of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), told POLITICO she expects its Romanian peers to work with pro-European forces in future. The 2024 EU election produced the most right-wing Parliament in the bloc’s history. The far-right Patriots group — home to France’s Marine Le Pen and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán — became the third-largest force, followed by the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists, which includes France’s Giorgia Meloni, Poland’s Law and Justice, and the AUR. Socialists and Democrats chair Iratxe García, who said she expects the group’s Romanian peers to work with pro-European forces in the future, speaks at an event in Lisbon in June 2025. | Horacio Villalobos/Corbis via Getty Images Across Europe, populist right-wing parties are gaining ground …

How the EU’s mega energy crisis plan will — and won’t — help – POLITICO

How the EU’s mega energy crisis plan will — and won’t — help – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Coordination is also an issue. While groups are regularly convened to discuss supply issues, most real coordination takes place bilaterally between the Commission and countries, according to two energy officials involved in such discussions. It’s no surprise one energy minister in a meeting earlier this month went so far as to call for a WhatsApp group to share information about supplies, and that the EU is looking into reviving a controversial effort to coordinate gas purchases. Earlier this week, the Netherlands went out on its own, launching emergency measures and announcing an additional release of oil stocks — bypassing the EU’s own glacial effort to coordinate the release. The draft of Wednesday’s proposals still broadly hews to the line set out by the EU executive as the war got going, focusing on providing better incentives for the green transition, including reduced grid tariffs and murky commitments to mobilize green funding. But these provisions have proved controversial, too, with some countries, especially in the rich North, arguing that expanding subsidies risks distorting the EU’s single market …

Trump’s rage at NATO allies is binding them together — against him  – POLITICO

Trump’s rage at NATO allies is binding them together — against him  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Nordic table talk In Helsinki last week, 10 European leaders met for a private dinner without their officials and aides in the intimate surroundings of the Mannerheim Museum, the home of Finland’s World War II leader Gustaf Mannerheim.  Amid the 1940s interiors, decorated with the former president’s hunting trophies, the leaders of countries including the U.K, Sweden, Finland and Norway held a frank discussion about the dire state of the transatlantic alliance. Trump’s stream of invective via social media is bad and getting worse, they all agreed.  But they resolved they couldn’t consent to the U.S. president’s demands to join the fighting against Iran.  Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a working dinner on Oct. 23, 2025. | Pool photo by François Walschaerts via AFP/Getty Images “We all want the war to end but we are not on the same page as the U.S.,” said one official briefed on the discussions. Trump wants NATO to help, but the leaders remain resistant because “most Europeans were not informed beforehand …

Lithuania Says a Suspected Drone Enters Its Airspace, Crashes Into Lake Near Belarus

Lithuania Says a Suspected Drone Enters Its Airspace, Crashes Into Lake Near Belarus

Published by Sam Flores

VILNIUS, March 23 (Reuters) – Lithuania’s ⁠army ⁠said on Monday ⁠that a suspected drone had ​entered the country’s airspace and crashed into an ‌ice-covered lake some 20 ‌km (12 miles) from the border ⁠of ⁠Belarus. Debris found around a hole in the ice ​was believed to be from a drone, an army spokesperson said. Night-time security camera footage ​published by Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT included ⁠about 40 ⁠seconds of buzzing ⁠sound ​followed by a loud blast, with what appeared ​to be ⁠pieces of flaming debris seen flying upwards. “We are very close to Belarus… The most likely assumption is it came ⁠from this country”, army spokesperson Gintautas Ciunis said. No ⁠explosives had been found at the lake, he said. Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene has called a National Security Commision consultation for Tuesday to discuss the incident. Lithuania last year asked NATO for more air defences after military drones from ⁠Belarus landed on its territory twice in July 2025. Lithuanian intelligence said earlier this month that both drones had entered ​Lithuania accidentally. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas, …

How every EU country responded to the strikes on Iran – POLITICO

How every EU country responded to the strikes on Iran – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

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 …

Denmark in Talks With Ukrainian Drone Maker Skyfall on Hosting Production

Denmark in Talks With Ukrainian Drone Maker Skyfall on Hosting Production

Published by Sam Flores

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

EU defense chief lays out ideas for a European military force to replace US troops – POLITICO

EU defense chief lays out ideas for a European military force to replace US troops – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“What we are talking about is a rapid reaction force of 100,000 or 80,000 capability, which should replace American forces,” if and when they reduce their presence in Europe, he said. “That’s why I started to use much more this terminology of rapid reaction force, in order not to make this misleading connection with the European army.” However, he acknowledged that even such a force would face difficulties as it would be controlled by member countries, making rapid and coherent action very difficult. He did not address whether such a European force would be part of NATO, although he did underline that Europe should continue to rely on the alliance. To get around the problem of leadership, Kubilius suggested creating a European Security Council, made up of five or six big EU countries, possibly plus the U.K, as well as smaller EU countries on a rotating basis and the Council and the European Commission. Such a body “may be the answer” to the leadership issue, he said.   Source link

EU capitals say deleting US tech is not realistic – POLITICO

EU capitals say deleting US tech is not realistic – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

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 …

Ostflanke rüstet, Indopazifik-Deal naht – POLITICO

Ostflanke rüstet, Indopazifik-Deal naht – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In Litauen erreicht der Aufbau der Panzerbrigade 45 einen neuen Meilenstein: Die Multinational Battlegroup Lithuania wird offiziell unterstellt, Deutschlands bislang größtes Auslandsprojekt der Bundeswehr nimmt sichtbar Gestalt an. Rixa Fürsen berichtet direkt aus Kaunas über eisige Temperaturen, fehlende Infrastruktur und warum diese Brigade als Leuchtturm der Zeitenwende gilt. Außerdem: Außenminister Johann Wadephul wirbt in Canberra für ein neues Freihandelsabkommen. Warum Australien strategisch wichtiger wird – als Partner gegen Protektionismus, für Rohstoffsicherheit bei Lithium und Kupfer, und für eine regelbasierte Handelsordnung jenseits von Mercosur und Indien. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis:Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren. Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski:Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski. POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbHAxel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 BerlinTel: +49 (30) 2591 0[email protected]Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 BUSt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna Source link