China’s Xi to meet Putin in Moscow, speak to Zelenskyy: reports – POLITICO

[ad_1] Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to reports by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. newspaper added that Xi would also call Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which will be the first time the two men will have had … Read more

And the Oscar for being snubbed goes to … Ukraine – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. KYIV — For Ukrainians, this year’s Oscars left a bitter taste in the mouth. For the second time in two years, the Academy did not grant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s wish to speak to the assembled Hollywood A-listers and millions of viewers. Why? Because it … 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

Zelenskyy open to considering some parts of Beijing’s proposals to end Ukraine war – POLITICO

[ad_1] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s efforts toward ending the war in Ukraine and said he would like to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss China’s proposals.   Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv Friday to mark the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion, Zelenskyy said he was open to considering … Read more

On eve of war anniversary, EU fails to finalize Russia sanctions deal – POLITICO

[ad_1] The EU has failed to sign off on a much-anticipated round of sanctions against Russia, leaving the bloc struggling to finalize a deal in time to mark the first anniversary on Friday of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Talks will now run into Ukraine’s official commemorations of its first year at war, casting into … 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

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

Belarusian leader, a key Putin ally, to pay state visit to China next week – POLITICO

[ad_1] Beijing announced on Saturday that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will travel to China on a state visit from February 28 to March 2. The announcement of the trip comes a day after Beijing, looking to play a role in mediating a resolution to the Russian war … Read more

The strengths and weaknesses of Volodymyr Zelenskyy – POLITICO

[ad_1] Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.  In the weeks leading up to Russia’s invasion, senior Ukraine opposition politicians and former ministers were brimming with frustration. They’d been imploring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with them — something he’d not done since his landslide election nearly two years before. They’d also been urging … Read more

How Boris Johnson’s departure paved the way for a grand Brexit bargain – POLITICO

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. LONDON — It was clear when Boris Johnson was forced from Downing Street that British politics had changed forever. But few could have predicted that less than six months later, all angry talk of a cross-Channel trade war would be a distant memory, … Read more