Section: European Voice (EU)
Republican senators to Trump: Putin is not your friend
Eight Republican senators urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to take a harder line on Russia, the clearest evidence yet that Trump struck a major nerve with members of his own party when he refused to label Vladimir Putin a killer over the weekend. The senators’ letter to Trump, led by Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), also shows that...
Signatures that triggered Dutch referendum were not verified: minister
The Dutch government cannot guarantee the authenticity of more than 400,000 signatures on a petition that triggered a referendum on an EU-Ukraine deal, local media reported Thursday. “It cannot be established with certainty that the requests [signatures] have been submitted by several individuals,” Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said in...
12 heroes who will make 2017 great again (in a good way)
12 people who will make 2017 great again (in a good way) Since its European launch in April 2015, POLITICO has run a provocative series called “Dirty Dozen,†designed to call out 12 characters — individuals, groups or institutions — that spell gloom (or worse) in a particular sphere. Earlier this...
The Wilders effect
THE HAGUE — Just over a month before the Netherlands heads to elections on March 15, conventional wisdom in political circles has it that the man expected to win — right-wing rabble-rouser Geert Wilders — will be unable to form a governing coalition. But while he may not become prime minister, to dismiss...
Merkel gets support (of sorts) from Poland
WARSAW — Angela Merkel met with Poland’s leaders Tuesday, gauging support for her vision of Europe at a time when the EU is beset with internal crises, wary of Russian intervention and uncertain of how to deal with Donald Trump. Relations between Warsaw and Berlin have been chilly since the Law and Justice (PiS) party of...
Trump: ‘Haters are going crazy’ over Russia double standard
President Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that his presidency is being evaluated by an unfair double standard that has allowed critics to attack him over his promises of a warmer relationship with Russia while his predecessor cut deals with Iran, a longtime U.S. foe. “I don’t know Putin, have no deals in Russia, and the haters...
Flynn to recommend Trump back NATO membership for Montenegro
National security adviser Michael Flynn will recommend that President Donald Trump support allowing the small Balkan nation of Montenegro to join NATO, POLITICO has learned — despite strong opposition from Russia. The move will be a major test of the new administration’s policy toward Moscow, which considers any further eastward...
Ex-acting CIA chief suggests Trump has ‘some special bond’ with Putin
Former acting CIA Director Michael Morell said President Donald Trump’s statements on Russia have been “very bizarre†and suggested there is “some special bond†between Trump and Vladimir Putin that is undermining U.S. interests. “It suggests that he doesn’t have a good...
Survivor: Special EU edition
Who will make it through the challenges ahead? Who will be voted out of the group? Welcome to 2017 and “Survivor” — the European politics edition. Appropriately enough, a preview of this new reality show aired Friday on an island, as EU leaders gathered in Malta. But it will run throughout the year. French President François...
Trump expresses ‘strong support’ for NATO, will meet leaders in May
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to meet NATO leaders in Europe in late May during a phone call with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday, according to the White House. Trump — who has pledged to force NATO members to pay their fair share for their own defense and caused alarm by calling the military alliance “obsolete”Â...
