Eastern Europe
German foreign minister calls for prosecution of war criminals during Ukraine visit
German Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock travelled to Kyiv on Tuesday (10 May) as the first minister of Scholz’s cabinet, where she demanded that the “war crimes and the crimes against humanity” be investigated.
Ukrainian, Russian students in France face woes as war rages on
Ukrainian and Russian students in France face financial woes and find it increasingly difficult to renew their stay as the war in Ukraine impacts them despite them being several thousand kilometres away.
Associate memberships revisited: How to get the EU enlargement policy right
The alternative to a decades-long EU enlargement process would be to revive a concept discussed at the turn of the millennium: Associate memberships as a preliminary stage to full membership writes Andreas Wittkowsky.
The EU must encourage Georgia’s European perspective
The war in Ukraine highlights not only Georgia’s security predicament but also the long way the country has come since the 2008 invasion by Russia. While becoming a member state may take time, the EU must send the right signals...
Protect Western Balkans from Putin, EU leaders tell Biden
The Western Balkans, though not officially on the agenda of the three summits in Brussels on 24-25 March, turned out to be the background tune of the high-level meetings as some EU leaders used their time with visiting US President Joe Biden to insist on the region's importance.
Poland cements its status as a US ally
In the face of the most pressing European security crisis since World War II, Poland has proven itself once again as a critical US ally by helping to rally international support for an independent Ukraine and a rules-based international order, write Michael Carpenter and Mark Brzezinski.
US warns China not to fuel Russia’s assault on Ukraine as fears for Mariupol grow
US President Joe Biden warned China against helping Russia attack Ukraine in a video call with President Xi Jinping on Friday (18 March) as concern grew over mass civilian casualties in the besieged southern port of Mariupol.
‘Ukraine needs more international help’
Ukraine desperately needs a new international plan of support which could be called the "Marshall Plan", but in practice, it will be the organised plan of assisting Ukraine to recover the country from all the damage done by Russian war criminals, writes Roman Rukomeda.
Poland: Living with Russia’s threat at the border
As war rages in Ukraine and thousands of refugees flee across the border, Poland, one of the EU and NATO's easternmost members, has stepped up to help its neighbours in a massive show of solidarity.
EU liberals leader: Ukraine no excuse for Polish rule of law problems
While the Polish government is portraying itself as a leader in the EU response to the war in Ukraine, problems with rule of law should not be ignored, said Stéphane Séjourné, leader of the liberals in the European Parliament.
Ukraine looks to EU and US to prevent nuclear disaster, ensure energy security
The government in Kyiv is looking to the West to protect its energy security and prevent a nuclear disaster after Russian forces in Ukraine seized the country’s largest nuclear power plant overnight.
EU regional catch-up cohesion funds to be rerouted to help Ukrainian refugees
As the war in Ukraine rages on, Europe braces for an unprecedented wave of refugees. European regions are expected to play a crucial role by leveraging their interconnectedness and the EU’s regional cohesion funds.
Alarm at civilian toll on Russian assault’s ‘cruellest day’
The United States raised the alarm Wednesday (2 March) over the "staggering" human cost of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, as the apparent deployment of cluster bombs and other treaty-violating weapons raised fears of a brutal escalation in the week-old conflict.
Georgia follows Ukraine in applying for fast-track EU membership
Georgia will 'immediately' apply for fast-track EU membership, the country's ruling party said Wednesday (2 March), a day after the European Parliament backed war-torn Ukraine's bid to apply for fast-track EU membership.
Russian leaders could face war crimes cases, says EU crisis commissioner
Russian leaders could face indictments for war crimes committed against the Ukrainian people, the EU’s crisis management and humanitarian aid Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said in an interview with EURACTIV.
Ukraine refugee crisis set to intensify, warns EU aid chief
The EU’s Crisis and Humanitarian aid chief on Tuesday warned that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries could well intensify in the coming days as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine becomes increasingly ‘brutal’.
A voice from Ukraine: This is a colonial war
An emotional statement by Svitlana Zalishchuk International Affairs Advisor of NAFTOGAZ Ukraine from Kyiv.
Explainer: Where will Putin stop? Three scenarios
Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has recognised the independence of separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine and ordered in "peacekeeping" troops, the big question is: where will he stop?
Ukrainian president drafts reservists but rules out general mobilisation for now
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday (22 February) said he was introducing the conscription of reservists for a special period but ruled out a general mobilisation after Russia announced it was moving troops into eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine is growing, not shrinking, warns West
There is a growing Russian military presence at Ukraine's borders, Western countries warned on Wednesday (16 February), as Estonia said battle groups were moving ahead of a likely attack to occupy "key terrain," contradicting Moscow's insistence of a pullback.
EU: Russia must choose war or diplomacy in Ukraine
While continuing negotiations and exploring all diplomatic routes, should Russia choose the path of war, the EU is prepared said the heads of the EU institutions during Wednesday's (16 February) plenary debate in European Parliament.
Russia says it returns some troops to base in areas near Ukraine
Some troops in Russia's military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday (15 February), a move that could de-escalate frictions between Moscow and the West.
The Brief – How (not) to solve a problem
The new prime minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovachevski, is making his first visit to Brussels on 3 and 4 February. In view of Skopje's stalled EU accession bid, this could mean a groundbreaking visit, but it probably won't be. What can we realistically expect from it?