Section: European Voice (EU)
How Italy could blow up Europe as we know it
FLORENCE, Italy — As Italy’s leading vote-getters work through the weekend to hammer out a coalition deal — about time, some might add, two months after the election — the EU and Brussels establishments are in a state of heightened anxiety. A government of the 5Stars (anti-establishment, in media shorthand) and the League (far right, ditto)...
Sergey Lavrov: Ukraine gas transit route cannot be ‘politically imposed’
A Russian decision to continue gas transit to the European Union via Ukraine after the construction of Nord Stream 2 needs to make economic sense and not be politically motivated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday. “We don’t mind continuing with a certain amount of transit going through Ukraine — it just has to be...
Your political Eurovision cheatsheet
LONDON — We are living in the age of soft power. Planting a tree with a golden shovel, hosting a tournament where 22 men kick a ball around, wearing a feathered cape to a royal reception — these events are deconstructed, analyzed and imbued with significance. Next week, Europe celebrates the most glitter-encrusted of all the soft-power displays:...
NYT: Mueller’s questions for Trump focus on Manafort, Flynn, Comey, Sessions
Special counsel Robert Mueller has a long list of questions for President Donald Trump, and is seeking to ask him about everything from Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser, to whether or not Attorney General Jeff Sessions tried to resign, according to a New York Times report. The Times reported on Monday night that Mueller had at...
Meet the pro-Trump PR guy at the center of the Mueller probe — and everything else
What do the Mueller probe, the Eric Trump Foundation, Sinclair Broadcasting, Girls Gone Wild, Israel, Turkey, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Jay Sekulow all have in common? Ronn Torossian. Earlier this month, the hard-charging New York PR man caught Washington’s notice first when he announced in an op-ed that...
After Macron high, Trump’s Merkel comedown
BERLIN — Au revoir, Macron. Now it’s the bad cop’s turn. After days of pomp, kisses, lavish dinners and a picture-perfect tree planting, U.S. President Donald Trump is about to be confronted with Europe’s sterner side, courtesy of Angela Merkel. When the president sits down opposite the German chancellor in the White House on...
The Cinderella Spitzenkandidaten
For some European politicians, the runway to a campaign for European Commission president is clear. Others might need a bit of help from a fairy godmother. The mix of qualities and qualifications needed to become a viable candidate for the EU’s top job is far more complex than in a national election. Support on the European Council,...
What playing Russian poker taught me about Putin
MINSK — The Western media often likens Vladimir Putin’s governing style of brinkmanship, covert aggression and blatant deceit to those of a brilliant poker player. The poker-faced Russian president rarely shows his hand, enjoys bluffing his more powerful opponents and doesn’t hesitate to go all-in when he senses an opening. He’s...
‘Strong suspicion’ of corrupt activities in Council of Europe: report
A new report says there is a “strong suspicion” of corruption in the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, the international human rights organization. An independent group published the findings of a 10-month-long investigation last night. In a 219-page report, the authors allege that activities “in favour of Azerbaijan were...
John Bolton and Russian ambassador meet at White House
The White House on Thursday said national security adviser John Bolton and Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov agree that both nations want to have a better relationship, but cautioned that Bolton said such an improvement will only occur if Russia address “concerns” about interference in 2016 election and it’s actions in Ukraine and Syria....
