Only a joint Ukraine-EU defence force can stop Putin’s imperialist rampage
Why a joint defence platform with Ukraine is a prerequisite for Europe’s strategic agency and security.
Russia
-
-
Banned Russian fuel keeps re-entering EU ports, with cargoes doubling in July
Eighteen shipments of oil products from refineries that run partly on Russian crude were unloaded at EU ports in July, more than double the eight recorded in the month before.
-
Baltic states get ready for Russian false-flag attack on Nato
As Baltic leaders sound the alarm over a possible Russian false-flag drone strike, they fear the real damage could come from the political chaos and hesitation it triggers among Nato allies in the crucial first hours.
-
A Golden Age in central and eastern Europe, which became one of the best places in the world to live
Some of the world’s best places to live are, apparently, now in central and eastern Europe.
-
Europe is creating a new international court for Putin — one he may never face while in power
Creating an institution that cannot, by design, reach the one man it was created for is not accountability. It is expensive symbolism — and it costs Europe exactly the credibility it is trying to project, argues former ICC judge Christine Van den Wyngaert.
-
10 EUobserver investigations from 2026 so far you shouldn’t miss
From secret deportations and European-funded projects destroyed in Gaza to EU recovery funds and mining lobbying, these ten investigations expose the widening gap between Europe’s rhetoric and the realities of its policies and actions.
-
Moscow restaurant bombing sparks pro-war nationalist fury over elite privilege and security failures
As Chaiko’s champagne-soaked birthday in a Moscow luxury restaurant turned into a bloodbath, furious pro-war bloggers are openly asking why they should keep dying at the front when their generals cannot even be kept safe at home.
-
Russia’s faith in ‘error-free’ killer robots and global divisions expose the moral vacuum in AI warfare
While drones already account for most of the bloodshed in Ukraine, the push to let AI, not humans, choose who lives or dies is racing far ahead of any global rules meant to protect civilians.
-
‘Cursed August’ returns to haunt Russia as Putin’s regime comes under pressure
The Putin regime is rigid but brittle, and under increasing stress; don’t switch your phones off.
-
Poland’s six‑minute Russia missile scare shows how fast Nato can spot a threat — and the agonising slowness of deciding if to fire back
The Russian missile was in Polish airspace for six minutes. Everything Poland did well happened after it hit the ground.
-
Brussels is not pulling Armenia away from Russia – it is pushing Yerevan into autocracy
Among EU officials, the Brussels rationale has hardened into doctrine: “Pashinyan is taking Armenia away from Russia.” That sentence has become the whole of EU policy toward Yerevan. It is also a strategic error, one that is making Armenia less democratic and less safe at the same time without loosening Russia’s grip.
-
Brussels found Russia’s LNG weak spot — then carved out an exception for a Greek billionaire
Preserving this Greek carve-out sends precisely the wrong signal. It tells companies that sufficiently valuable commercial interests may eventually secure exemptions. It tells member states that delaying agreement can produce favourable outcomes. And it tells Moscow that Europe’s political unity remains negotiable when influential industries are affected.
-
From Mar‑a‑Lago to Moscow: how Trump’s FBI chief is shredding allies’ faith in US intelligence
The FBI chief Kash Patel is heading to Moscow, where he is to be hosted by the Russian security service, the FSB. Nothing wrong with that in principle: under the previous administration the then CIA chief Bill Burns regularly acted as message-carrier to the Kremlin. But news of the visit comes as allies’ trust in American spookdom is hitting new lows, warns Edward Lucas.
-
Russian ex-combatants set for EU visa entry ban as of October
The EU has drafted the legal basis to slap visa bans on Russian soldiers, but won’t decide when to make it operational until after the long summer holiday break – when many Russians go to France, Italy and Spain.
-
[Interview] Putin is ‘already at war’ with Europe, Kasparov says
Europe fears escalation with Russia, but by clinging to an “old world” mindset it may be quietly losing a war it refuses to acknowledge.
-
Greek billionaire dilutes largest EU anti-Russian sanctions package with an LNG exemption
The battle over this 21st sanctions round lays bare a new fault line in Europe’s Russia policy, with Greece and Austria securing sensitive carve-outs.
-
Dragon’s teeth and ditches: inside the Baltics’ new 950km defence barrier against Russia
As warnings of possible provocations from Moscow pile up, a system of ditches, trenches and bunkers is beginning to take shape along the 950-km border that the Baltic states share with Russia.
-
[Interview] Regimes like Putin’s look strong until the last minute before they fall, Czech expert says
Amid burning refineries, grinding Ukraine warfare is eroding Putin’s power faster than Western sanctions, but it is not easy to foresee when or where a breaking point might come.
-
Putin’s war is going badly — and China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey are quietly walking away
Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy team may feel nervous about briefing the boss this week. Among recent bad news, the Chinese Communist Party has delivered a double snub to the Kremlin, writes Edward Lucas.
-
Zelensky’s reshuffle surprised everyone – and Ukraine just fired its fastest learner
Kyiv dismissed the reformer who was making the concept of speed its defence ministry’s organising principle – just as Russia begins to copy the model, and days after Europe signed up to build on it. So what now?
