Section: European Voice (EU)
Vladimir Putin to Trump: Let’s be friends
Russia “needs friends” and is ready to improve relations with the U.S. under President-elect Donald Trump, President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to parliament on Thursday. “It is important to start to normalize and develop bilateral relations on an equal and mutually beneficial basis,” Putin said, adding that cooperation between the two...
Ukraine launches missile tests near Crimea
Ukraine on Thursday carried out a series of missile tests near Russian-held Crimea, AFP reported. This latest incident follows last week’s arrest of an alleged Ukrainian spy by Russia and accusations from Moscow that two of its servicemen had been abducted in the region. Kiev and the West maintain Russia illegally annexed Crimea in...
Why Portugal has become an oasis of stability
LISBON — Any celebrations of António Costa‘s first anniversary as Portugal’s prime minister were muted by the announcement this week that the man Costa spent five months persuading to lead Portugal’s biggest bank had resigned, plunging into doubt the government’s efforts to shore up the...
Russian wind blows over Eastern Europe
KIEV, Ukraine — The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, and the subsequent collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, passed with barely a whimper this year. A chill wind blowing from the East put a damper on the celebrations. Russia, which Europe kept at arms length for so long, is once again ascendant....
The Italian movement that could remake Europe
FLORENCE — Before there was Brexit or Donald Trump, there was Italy’s 5Star Movement. Ever since it burst onto the scene in 2013, at the height of the euro crisis, the anti-establishment, Euroskeptic political party has served as the country’s largest, and loudest, opposition group, stubbornly defying...
Norwegian beats Russian to win World Chess Championship
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen on Wednesday won the World Chess Championship for the third time, seeing off challenger Sergey Karjakin, a Kremlin-backed Russian grandmaster who is a vocal supporter of President Vladimir Putin and who has praised the annexation of Crimea. After the 12-game match — which took place in New York...
Moldova PM to Brussels: We still love EU
Prime Minister Pavel Filip has a message for EU and NATO leaders: Despite recently electing a pro-Russia president, Moldova is still firmly on a westward trajectory. Speaking to journalists after meeting with EU officials in Brussels on Tuesday, Filip said media reports that Chișinău would pivot away from the bloc after the...
Russian hackers targeting Germany: intelligence chief
Germany is likely to be the target of Russian cyberattacks ahead of national elections in 2017, warned the head of its federal intelligence service. There is evidence that “cyberattacks are taking place with no other motive than to cause political uncertainty,” said Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) President Bruno Kahl in an interview with...
A Russia reset? Maybe not yet
After a phone call between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin days after the U.S. election, Russian media buzzed that Putin might host Trump this winter to kick off what the Kremlin described as their joint effort to “normalize ties” between the U.S. and Russia. The talk of an early state visit remains speculative. But...
5 things Italians vote on this week
FLORENCE, Italy — When they go to the polls on December 4, Italians will be voting on more than a constitutional reform. The contest has effectively become a choice between center-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who favors the EU despite his recent criticism of Brussels, and Beppe Grillo, the comedian-turned-politician and leader of the...
