EU nears deal to restock Ukraine’s diminishing ammo supplies – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. BRUSSELS — The EU is finalizing a €2 billion deal to jointly restock Ukraine’s dwindling ammunition supplies while refilling countries’ stocks, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.  The plan has two major elements. First, the EU will spend €1 billion to partially reimburse countries that … Read more

China leaves EU playing catchup in race for raw materials – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. There aren’t many places on Earth as far removed from the political scheming of the European Union’s rain-soaked headquarters in Brussels as Chile’s Salar de Atacama.  Its rugged, otherworldly landscape to the west of the Andes mountains spans 1,200 square miles of salt … Read more

France pushes protectionism in Ukraine defense plan – POLITICO

[ad_1] As Russia’s war in Ukraine puts a heavy strain on EU arms, there’s infighting in Brussels over how best to reload. The latest skirmish is focused around a procurement fund intended to ramp up production of arms in Europe. POLITICO has learned that key committees in the European Parliament — namely, the committees for … Read more

Sunak and Macron hail ‘new chapter’ in UK-France ties – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. PARIS — Vegetarian sushi and rugby brought the leaders of Britain and France together after years of Brexit rows. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday held the two countries’ first bilateral summit in five years, amid warm … Read more

Who blew up Nord Stream? – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Nearly six months on from the subsea gas pipeline explosions, which sent geopolitical shockwaves around the world in September, there is still no conclusive answer to the question of who blew up Nord Stream. Some were quick to place the blame squarely at … Read more

Sanctions on China loom large as von der Leyen to meet Biden in US – POLITICO

[ad_1] BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Washington next week, with China’s potential supply of weapons to Russia expected to be high on the agenda of a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.  Her trip next Friday, confirmed by the White House, comes as EU officials are taking a … Read more

NATO on the precipice – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS — The images tell the story. In the packed meeting rooms and hallways of Munich’s Hotel Bayerischer Hof last weekend, back-slapping allies pushed an agenda with the kind of forward-looking determination NATO had long sought to portray but just as often struggled to … Read more

The environmental scars of Russia’s war in Ukraine – POLITICO

[ad_1] One year of war in Ukraine has left deep scars — including on the country’s natural landscape. The conflict has ruined vast swaths of farmland, burned down forests and destroyed national parks. Damage to industrial facilities has caused heavy air, water and soil pollution, exposing residents to toxic chemicals and contaminated water. Regular shelling around … Read more

Russians hunting property in Finland hit a new wall of suspicion – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. KANKAANPÄÄ, Finland — In October, three Russian citizens arrived in the border town of Imatra and filed the paperwork to buy a rambling former old people’s home outside the small town of Kankaanpää, a five-hour drive away in Finland’s southwestern reaches.  The applicants … Read more

‘Oh my God, it’s really happening’ – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Kaja Kallas had been dreading the call. “I woke at 5 o’clock,” the Estonian prime minister recalled recently. The phone was ringing. Her Lithuanian counterpart was on the line.  “Oh my God, it’s really happening,” came the ominous words, according to Kallas. Another … Read more