Section: European Voice (EU)
Obama’s Ukraine policy in shambles
President Barack Obama’s effort to rescue Ukraine from Russia’s military grip has stalled, and turmoil inside Ukraine’s government may hand Russian President Vladimir Putin a victory in a conflict that Obama has said involves “the most basic principles of our international system.” Two years after the pro-western protests that...
‘Exposed’ Baltics seek NATO help to combat Russia threat
WASHINGTON — Latvia and its Baltic neighbors need help to combat the threat from Russia, and they need it soon. That was Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs’ message when he met with American officials in Washington this week. And it’s why the Baltic states are eagerly awaiting July’s NATO summit in Warsaw, where they will...
Half of Dutch don’t know about Ukraine referendum
Almost half of Dutch voters are not aware of a coming referendum on an EU-Ukraine deal, just over a month before the vote takes place. The survey, out Thursday, found that 49 percent of those questioned knew nothing about the vote on an EU-Ukraine association agreement. Only 12 percent were able to name the correct voting day — April 6. The...
How to shore up NATO for the long haul
The Obama administration’s proposal to increase deployment of heavy weapons, armored vehicles and troops in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, would ensure that a full combat brigade, roughly 5,000 troops, could be maintained to deter Russian aggression in the region. The price tag for Congress to consider: $3.4 billion in...
US’s Milan expo dream crushed by debt
Thinc Design, a New York firm whose credits include the 9/11 Memorial Museum, designed exhibits along a boardwalk brought in from Coney Island and hung living plant “chandeliers” to create a distinctive look for the U.S. pavilion at last year’s World Expo in Milan, a big success for its State Department sponsors. The problem is nobody paid...
Ukraine’s Eurovision song takes aim at Russia
Ukraine has decided against using a love song as its entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, preferring a tune about Stalin’s mass deportation of the Tatar people in 1944, in a move sure to provoke Russia. Susana Jamaladinova, who uses the stage name Jamala, was chosen as Ukraine’s entry on Sunday night. She struggled to...
Europe betrays Ukraine’s ‘heavenly hundred’
The famed White Army General Anton Denikin led his troops into Kiev in 1919, during the Russian Civil war. In the following decades, living in exile, he published his memories of the White Army, recalling his disbelief at the number of Ukrainian forces he confronted in battle. His diaries and writing expound upon the difference between “Little...
World’s cartoonists on this week’s news
The cartoon takes on the week’s news. First published on Caglecartoons.com, The Netherlands, February 18, 2016. | By Tom Janssen. First published in Der Standard, Austria, February 18, 2016. | By Oliver Schopf. “I come full of good intentions.” Drawn for POLITICO.eu and L’Vif L’Express. | By Nicolas Vadot. “And as the girl stood...
National Front seeks Russian cash for election fight
Marine Le Pen’s National Front asked Russia for a €27 million loan to help it fight presidential and parliamentary elections in 2017, the party’s treasurer said. The French far-right party is notoriously strapped for cash as French banks refuse to lend it money, Wallerand de Saint-Just, the National Front’s treasurer, said. “The...
Dutch strategy on Ukraine referendum leaked
Dutch cabinet ministers should tell voters that an EU-Ukraine deal is good for trade but they should not talk about conflict with Russia, according to the Dutch government’s referendum strategy, which was leaked to the broadcaster RTL. A 12-page document, made public Thursday, lists a number of questions people might have about an...
