Section: European Voice (EU)
Accused Russian secret agent pleads guilty in US
Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights proponent who cultivated close ties to the National Rifle Association of America and conservative political figures, pleaded guilty Thursday to acting as an agent of the Russian government. The plea makes Butina, a former graduate student at American University, the first Russian national convicted of trying to...
Why Putin is learning to love rap
MOSCOW — When 25-year-old rapper Husky found out in late November that Russian officials had cancelled his gig in the southern town of Krasnodar, he clambered onto the top of a vehicle in a nearby car park and launched into an impromptu performance. “I will sing my music, the most honest music,” he belted out to wild applause. Those were the only...
In accountability drive, Dutch seek targeted EU human rights sanctions
The Netherlands is on a mission to boost accountability — whether it be for EU governments undermining the rule of law or individuals committing human rights abuses in far-flung places. On Monday, the Dutch government will make its case in Brussels for a new EU global human rights sanctions regime. “The existing sanctioning mechanisms are...
Polish authorities under fire for denying entry to COP24 participants
KATOWICE, Poland — The United Nations’ climate chief on Saturday called for an “inclusive atmosphere” at the COP24 climate talks, after at least a dozen participants were denied entry to Poland. The U.N. “immediately engaged with the Polish presidency” to clarify the chain of events, said Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of the...
Mike Pompeo says US will quit nuclear treaty in 60 days
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday gave Russia a 60-day deadline to correct alleged violations of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty or he said the U.S. would quit the accord. Speaking at a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he attended a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers, Pompeo...
Russia partially unblocks access to Ukrainian Sea of Azov ports
Russia partially restored traffic through the Kerch Strait towards Ukrainian ports on Monday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure announced. “The vessels are being stopped by the Russian side, they are still inspecting them, but partly the traffic has been restored,” the ministry quoted Infrastructure Minister Volodymer Omelyan as saying....
Trump’s Moscow deal is exactly what the framers worried about
Michael Cohen’s guilty plea for lying to Congress about Trump’s Moscow project prompted a new frenzy of “Did the president commit a crime?” chatter among legal pundits. Finding—or refuting—a smoking gun of criminality has become the singular focus for the president’s supporters and critics alike, and his ex-lawyer’s plea...
Trump wants ‘meaningful halt’ in arms race with Russia, China
President Donald Trump on Monday expressed hope that he and the presidents of China and Russia might jointly agree to scale back defense spending, writing on Twitter that he was “certain” that such talks would take place and calling the amount of money the U.S. spends on defense “crazy.” “I am certain that, at some time in the future, President...
POLITICO Pro Morning Energy and Climate, presented by Global Covenant of Mayors: COP24 showtime — Berlin unflinching on NS2 — G19 stick to Paris
By Paola Tamma with help from Anca Gurzu and Kalina Oroschakoff | @paola_tamma, @AncaGurzu, and @makaoro | Send tips to [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] | View in your browser With thanks to Hans Von Der Burchard. Dzień dobry, dear readers! Kalina and I are in Katowice, Poland, where we will bring you all the...
7 tweets to regret
Twitter is a horrible place, full of Russian bots, abusive trolls and the president of the United States. But buried among the pile-ons and the bile are some interesting nuggets and, occasionally, a “did they just tweet that?” moment. Here are some important people who sent tweets that they must surely have regretted. There’s no Donald J....
