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Earth and minerals are loaded onto trucks at an open-pit mine near the frontline in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

Europa, , , ,

As Washington pushes for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Kyiv is also under pressure to sign a minerals deal that would grant the US access to its valuable raw materials.

The European Commission, in fear of losing out in the race to secure Ukraine’s rare earths, has made Kyiv a rival offer: a ‘win-win partnership’ to develop its minerals, building on existing cooperation and positioned as ‘mutually beneficial’ in contrast to Washington’s focus on extracting wealth as payment for its war support.

But rather than competing for access to Ukraine’s minerals, the US and the EU should pursue a joint US-EU-Ukraine minerals partnership.…  Seguir leyendo »

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth at NATO headquarters on February 13, 2025 (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)

EuropaUnión EuropeaDefensa y Seguridad, , ,

President Donald Trump’s comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month provided brief respite from fears he might sell out Ukraine to Russia. The president had seemed to place responsibility for opening negotiations to end the war in Ukraine on Russian President Vladimir Putin, rather than Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That suggested that perhaps he was on Ukraine’s side after all.

The past week has stripped away any such illusions. US Defence Secretary Pete Hesgeth outlined US policy towards Ukraine (changed 24 hours later) at a NATO defence ministerial. Hesgeth proposed to concede territory to Russia, keep Ukraine out of NATO, and exclude US troops from guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainian soldiers take part in a casualty simulation training exercise operated by Britain's armed forces, as part of the Interflex programme, in southern England, on 22 August 2024. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images.

EuropaUnión EuropeaDefensa y Seguridad

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer this week joined EU heads of government for a dinner in Brussels – the first British leader to do so since Brexit. On the menu: transatlantic relations and defence.

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has further increased doubts about US commitment to European security and reignited European countries’ concerns about their ability to defend themselves. It has also complicated the response to these issues. Most EU countries rightfully want to keep the US engaged in European security. One way of doing so is by purchasing more American weapons. The other is by allowing third country participation in EU defence industrial programmes – something France broadly opposes.…  Seguir leyendo »

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Bundestag on June 26, 2024 in Berlin, Germany - with former finance minister Christian Lindner seated behind him. (Photo by Michele Tantussi/Gett

EuropaUnión Europea

As Europeans were still processing Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US presidential election, an acrimonious break up occurred 4000 miles east of Washington DC.

Reports had been circulating for weeks about the fragile state of Germany’s ‘traffic light’ coalition government led by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, consisting of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party, and liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).

The expectation had been that the coalition would hold on for a few more weeks and might even be given a new lease of life by Trump’s re-election. Instead, it collapsed on the day Trump’s win was confirmed.…  Seguir leyendo »

A woman places a poster depicting US President-elect Donald Trump, in the ethnically divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica on 6 November 2024, following Trump's victory in the US presidential election. Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images.

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior,

As the US presidential election result became clear, European leaders followed a similar formula when congratulating President-elect Trump. They offered their congratulations, mentioned previous good working relations with the US (special points for a nod to long-standing relations), and – most importantly – emphasized the need for this to continue for the benefit of the citizens of both their country and the US.

The formula was a telling sign of the political bartering most European heads of state expect with Trump back in the White House. The exception, of course, were Trump’s European allies who were simply ecstatic.

Transatlantic illiberalism

Trump’s growing number of European allies and the increase of illiberalism and populism is perhaps the most worrying development for Europe.…  Seguir leyendo »

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks to the media on the first day of the 2023 NATO Summit on 11 July 2023 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

InternacionalOTAN

When Mark Rutte takes over from Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary-general on 1 October, he will have big shoes to fill. Taking office in 2014, Stoltenberg led NATO during a turbulent time and stewarded the alliance through many challenges. He also oversaw NATO expansion as four countries joined during his tenure, and helped the alliance redefine its purpose in the face of a resurgent threat from Russia, as evidenced through its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Stoltenberg now passes the baton to former Dutch prime minister Rutte. Nicknamed ‘Teflon Mark’ because of his ability to shake off any political crisis, he is broadly seen as a consensus builder and coalition maker, having governed with broad ranges of political parties as prime minister.…  Seguir leyendo »

Servicemen stand in an armoured vehicle during the commencement ceremony of the EU Battle Group's duty in 6th Logistics Battalion in Krakow, Poland. Photo by Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

EuropaUnión EuropeaDefensa y Seguridad

Russia’s war on Ukraine has thrown Poland into the spotlight as an emerging but serious actor on European defence. Spending 4 per cent of its GDP on defence, it is one of the few European states that exceeds NATO’s 2 per cent target.

Located on NATO’s eastern flank and with living memory of life under Soviet rule, Poland is well aware of the threat Russia poses – to all of Europe – and has been warning allies for years. In recent months, this threat has become all the more apparent as European states fight increased disinformation efforts, acts of sabotage and arson attacks from Russia or Russia-sponsored operatives.…  Seguir leyendo »

A view of damaged building amidst rubble after the Russian missile attack in Myrnohrad, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on 16 July 2024. Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Europa

The UK is hosting the European Political Community (EPC) summit this week at Blenheim Palace.

The EPC was created in 2022 in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a way to bring together all 47 European states to discuss shared political and security challenges. To put it more explicitly, it was designed as a way for the UK to remain plugged into European discussions while no longer being a member of the EU.

The grouping is still nascent. It is purposefully designed to be flexible and therefore lacks formal structures. Some have argued it has so far failed to deliver concrete outcomes.…  Seguir leyendo »

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban leave after delivering a joint press statement following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on 5 July 2024. Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images.

EuropaUnión Europea

On 1 July, Hungary took over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. The Council is where national ministers meet to negotiate and adopt EU laws and adopt the EU budget, among other things.

The role of the member state holding the presidency is to drive the legislative agenda by chairing Council meetings, ensure good cooperation with the other EU institutions, and ensure continuation of the EU policy agenda.

In theory, its powers are primarily focused on the day-to-day functioning of the EU. But barely two weeks in, it is already clear Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is looking to shake things up.…  Seguir leyendo »

Valves of gas pipeline are seen not far from Kiev on 4 March 2014. Photo by ANDREY SINITSIN/AFP via Getty Images.

EuropaUnión Europea

As host of last week’s G7 summit, Italy was thrown back into the spotlight. Its prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is positioning herself as a constructive leader who is both pro-EU and pro-NATO, in stark contrast with her pro-Russian stance before coming to power.

The Achilles heel of Italy’s relationship with Russia used to be Russian gas. Much like the rest of Europe, prior to 2022 Italy was heavily dependent on Russian gas imports, which made up as much as 40 per cent of its energy supply.

In line with many of its fellow EU member states, Italy has taken significant steps to reduce direct energy imports from Russia.…  Seguir leyendo »

Romania's President Klaus Werner Iohannis shakes hands with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban next to Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa in Brussels, 1 February 2024. Photo LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images.

EuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior

During an extraordinary summit in Brussels on 1 February, all 27 EU heads of state finally agreed a €50 billion (£43bn) support package for Ukraine through the Ukraine Facility, a new funding instrument. This is good news for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his administration who desperately need this money to keep the Ukrainian state running and pay wages to staff. The show of unity is also good news for the EU.

To be distributed over the next four years, the support package will consist of grants (€17 billion) and guaranteed loans (€33 billion). The financial grants will come from the revised 2021-27 European multiannual financial framework and should be approved by the European Parliament later this month.…  Seguir leyendo »

A Frontex official and a Finnish border guard stand near the closed Vaalimaa border station between Finland and Russia, on December 7, 2023 (Photo by Alessandro RAMPAZZO / AFP via Getty Images)

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Last week, Russia unilaterally terminated a Finnish-Russian border agreement dating back to 2012. While this move is largely symbolic as the agreement was suspended following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it nonetheless demonstrates Russia’s willingness to escalate tensions with its neighbour along its northernmost boundary with the EU and NATO.

It is the culmination of a period of instability on the border. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to an exodus of Russian nationals seeking to avoid conscription into the war effort – leaving via the Finnish border and other crossing points. Moscow responded by tightening its border controls to stem the flow.…  Seguir leyendo »

A solid bloc of Eurosceptic parties in power is cause for concern.

EuropaUnión Europea,

The Netherlands is yet another European state to have swung to the right after the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) won the largest number of seats in the national elections on Wednesday.

After Victor Orban’s long-standing reign in Hungary, far-right Giorgia Meloni took the lead in Italy, and Robert Fico’s pro-Putin party won Slovakia’s election, there is now a solid bloc of Eurosceptic leaning parties in power in Europe.

While each party has their agenda and they certainly do not hold monolithic views, the resurgence of the democratically-elected far-right in Europe is reason for concern.

Contentious issue of migration

To understand what drove Dutch voters to the Freedom Party, one only has to look at what brought the last Rutte-led government down.…  Seguir leyendo »

US soldiers from the 6th Marine Regiment participate in the international military exercise Cold Response 22, at Sandstrand, North of in Norway, a Norwegian-led exercise for NATO and partner countries. Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images.

ReflexionesNaturalezaInternacionalOTAN,

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing debates about how to strengthen defence and deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank will rightly dominate discussions and drive the Strategic Concept at the NATO summit in Madrid.

But it is also imperative the summit and the new Strategic Concept lay the groundwork for NATO’s sustained and long-term role in tackling climate change-induced security challenges. In 2021, NATO presented an ambition to become the leading organization in understanding and adapting to the impact of climate change on security.

It is expected to issue its first Climate Change and Security Progress Report in Madrid and it is crucial this maintains the same level of determination to prepare the alliance for climate-related instability.…  Seguir leyendo »

Protests against the reduction of the food basket provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees at Khan Yunis in the Southern Gaza Strip. Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images.

Internacional

An all-time peak in people needing humanitarian assistance was reached in 2020 – 243.8 million spread across 75 countries – and yet at the same time global humanitarian funding decreased to an unparalleled 52 per cent gap. COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing crisis situations, and advanced economies are not meeting their targets, in part due to the demands of the pandemic.

So while the needs are greater than ever before, so is the lack of funding. The UK recently cut aid spending temporarily from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent and other G20 countries such as Australia and Italy have also failed to meet their aid targets – in fact Australia has been pursuing a policy of decreasing aid spending.…  Seguir leyendo »