Hungary’s reputation as the troublemaker of Europe will be burnished on Wednesday as its parliament begins debating a contentious issue: whether to give Finland and Sweden the green light to join NATO. Along with Turkey, Hungary has yet to ratify the applications of Finland and Sweden to join the transatlantic defense alliance more than eight … Read more
Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. In the weeks leading up to Russia’s invasion, senior Ukraine opposition politicians and former ministers were brimming with frustration. They’d been imploring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with them — something he’d not done since his landslide election nearly two years before. They’d also been urging him … Read more
MUNICH — “I’ve discovered I’m popular with Munich taxi drivers,” chortled Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He’s surprised they recognize him. They have been peppering him with questions about the future of Russia and whether its President Vladimir Putin will resort to nuclear weapons or can remain in power. They aren’t the only ones curious to get Khodorkovsky’s … Read more
KYIV — Heads are rolling in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s expanding purge against corruption in Ukraine, but Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov is denying rumors that he’s destined for the exit — a move that would be viewed as a considerable setback for Kyiv in the middle of its war with Russia. Two weeks ago, Ukraine was … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. For years, they’ve locked horns with EU leaders who accuse them of flouting the rule of law, oppressing minorities, and maintaining unsavory ties with foreign regimes such as Vladimir Putin’s in Russia. But now, as a corruption scandal engulfs Brussels, ensnaring a senior figure … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. As Belgian police launched a second wave of raids on the European Parliament, a stunned Brussels elite has started to grapple with an uncomfortable question at the heart of the Qatar bribery investigation: Just how deep does the rot go? So far, police inquiries … Read more
Belgium must pay compensation of around €100,000 to convicted terrorist Nizar Trabelsi for the damage he suffered by being extradited to the U.S., a Brussels appeals court ruled Tuesday. The court also ruled that the Belgian government should ask the American authorities to send back Trabelsi. Trabelsi, a Tunisian former professional footballer, was convicted in … Read more
Europe’s right wing is cheering Giorgia Meloni’s projected win in Italy’s election. Everyone else is looking anxiously at what happens next. Meloni is set to lead Italy’s most right-wing government since Benito Mussolini after the coalition led by her Brothers of Italy party won around 44 percent of the vote on Sunday. On Monday morning, … Read more