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Foreign Policy

  • Russian Strikes on Ukraine’s Energy Threaten Trilateral Peace Talks

    2026-02-04

    Ukrainian and Russian negotiators kicked off a second round of U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Both sides described initial conversations as productive, without elaborating on any specific progress made. At the heart of talks remains Moscow’s demand that Kyiv surrender significant swaths of its territory.

  • How the U.S. and India Finally Reached a Deal

    2026-02-04

    Gor is very influential in the White House, and he has the ear of the president. The deal that he helped finalize could serve as a springboard for additional progress. It could even enable a much-delayed Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit.

  • What Will the U.S. Critical Minerals Summit Mean for Africa?

    2026-02-04

    Northern Ethiopia's Tigray region saw significant renewed fighting last week for the first time since the Tigray war ended in 2022. Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended a state of emergency until the end of this year. Ghana’s multidimensional poverty rate fell to 21.9 percent in the third quarter of 2025.

  • The American Teen Caught in Israel’s Prison System

    2026-02-04

    Mohammed Ibrahim was arrested last February in the occupied West Bank. He was held without charge for nine months before a global lobbying effort secured his release. He lost 33 pounds during his time in prison and is now being treated for scabies.

  • Iran’s Despair Is U.S. Policy

    2026-02-04

    Trita Parsi: U.S. sanctions were deliberately designed to crush Iran's economy. She says the intent was to drive the economy into the ground and decimate the Iranian middle class. Parsi says without sanctions, meaningful reform was impossible.

  • The Philippines Brokers South China Sea Talks

    2026-02-04

    The Philippines wants to conclude negotiations on a South China Sea code of conduct this year. Thailand is leading the charge for ASEAN to soften its position on the junta in Myanmar. The annual Hindu festival of Thaipusam commemorates when Lord Murugan received a sacred spear from the goddess Parvati.

  • NATO’s Leader Is Totally Lost

    2026-02-04

    The claim that Europe lacks the basic wherewithal to mount an effective defense is false. Europe does face collective action problems and national jealousies. Appeasing Trump isn’t working. An increasingly capable Europe would be a more valuable partner.

  • A Sphere for Me but Not for Thee

    2026-02-04

    Donald Trump wants an American sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere. He has followed through by working to eject Chinese companies from operating ports in the Panama Canal. Trump's National Defense Strategy identifies America’s second priority as deterring conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

  • NATO Is Thinking About Defense Spending Wrong

    2026-02-04

    Italy has met NATO's 2 percent defense investment pledge until 2024. But resources reaching its armed forces are less substantial than headline figures suggest. Public opinion remains skeptical about raising defense spending. Addressing this gap would require sustained investment in university and think tank projects.

  • The End of U.S. Military Aid to Israel?

    2026-02-04

    Israel is by far the biggest recipient of U.S. military aid over the past 80 years. Advocates say it provides critical support for a small, embattled American ally. Critics say that, today, Israel is rich enough to pay for its own defense.

  • Showering Trump With Flattery Is a Risky Political Strategy

    2026-02-04

    Many conservative leaders in Latin America are ditching traditional diplomatic channels to play to U.S. President Donald Trump. This caudillo courtship reflects the deeply personalized nature of Trump’s approach to power. While flattery and fealty may benefit some Latin American countries, the strategy could undermine the region's long-term strategic interests.

  • Europe Is Finally Treating Its PTSD

    2026-02-04

    Historian Karl Schlögel said that Europeans have been “spoiled by times of relative peace. The long peace preceding WWI is a parallel with today’s situation in Europe. Like WWI and the Iran-Iraq War, the front line hardly moves.

  • Russia Has Turned Sports Into a Weapon

    2026-02-04

    The 2026 Winter Olympic Games kick off in Italy on Feb. 6. There will be no participation from Russian teams and very limited participation from individual Russian athletes competing as “neutrals” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is continuing the ban imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Politico

  • Europe’s conservatives gather again as leadership pushes to tighten central control

    2026-02-05

    The EU aims to reduce reliance on America in areas such as technology, energy, payments and defense. A rising death toll and graphic images trumped diplomatic caution, forcing capitals to back the terror listing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

  • Trio of Spanish regional elections spells trouble for Sánchez

    2026-02-05

    First up on Sunday is Aragón, nicknamed the ‘Spanish Ohio’ as it tends to predict which way national politics are heading. The prime minister is already reeling from corruption and sexual harassment scandals in the Socialist party.

  • Are you smart enough to work for the EU?

    2026-02-05

    Take our test and see if you’ve got what it takes to get a job in the institutions. Take the quiz below to find out if you are a good enough employee. The test is based on a text-to-speech algorithm.

  • How Europe could lose the war over Greenland

    2026-02-04

    French President Macron wants the ban in place from Sept. 1. The move follows outrage and regulatory pressure over online sales of sex dolls. The Danish territory is vulnerable to the power wielded by the U.S. administration.

  • Le Pen’s fighting spirit fades as presidential dream slips away

    2026-02-04

    The far-right leader is appealing her conviction last year for embezzlement. The ruling looks set to keep her out of the 2027 presidential race. The new legislation will take effect after a constitutional review.

  • Meloni’s face painted over at Rome basilica

    2026-02-04

    The Italian prime minister’s image appeared on a fresco and then suddenly vanished, earning the rector of the basilica a lecture on the rules of restoration. The defendant was found guilty of membership in an extreme-left criminal organization in a case many German leftist lawmakers view as highly politicized.

  • Greek authorities launch investigation into incident that killed 15 migrants

    2026-02-04

    A coast guard vessel had its camera switched off when it collided with a boat carrying migrants. Lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter tells POLITICO the attack “fit a Russian pattern of using targeted acts of sabotage against militarily relevant and critical infrastructure”

  • French police arrest 2 Chinese citizens over alleged attempt to access military data

    2026-02-04

    The far-right leader is appealing her conviction last year for embezzlement. The ruling looks set to keep her out of the 2027 presidential race. The duo are accused of trying to capture sensitive French data using Starlink from an AirBnB they had rented.

  • EU sports chief slams call by football boss to lift Russia ban

    2026-02-04

    Glenn Micallef said Russia poses ‘real security risks’ in a statement blasting FIFA. Ukraine’s foreign minister dismissed Gianni Infantino as a ‘moral degenerate’ over the suggestion.

  • Hungarian court sentences German to 8 years in assault on neo-Nazis

    2026-02-04

    The Italian prime minister’s image appeared on a fresco and then suddenly vanished, earning the rector of the basilica a lecture. The defendant was found guilty of membership in an extreme-left criminal organization in a case many German leftist lawmakers view as highly politicized.

  • For Starmer, the clock is ticking

    2026-02-05

    The French prime minister scored an unexpected win, but he will be hard-pressed to secure the crucial support needed to green-light his budget. The steady erosion of the norms Europe has come to rely on will only be compounded by its weak leadership.

  • The last US nuclear weapons treaty with Russia is dying

    2026-02-03

    The National Defense Strategy, a dramatic shift from previous administrations, reinforces many of the military moves already undertaken by the president. The designation could have sweeping impacts on U.S. policy toward China as well as the Trump administration’s military buildup in the Western Hemisphere.

  • Trump administration favored Germany’s far right in Washington visit

    2026-02-05

    Emergency EU meeting set for Sunday afternoon to plan a response after Trump announced 10 percent tariffs on allies opposed to his designs on Greenland. U.S. State Department officials told the German embassy it refused to meet with center-left German lawmakers.

  • EU agrees €90B lifeline for cash-strapped Ukraine

    2026-02-04

    Governor Mārtiņš Kazāks faces stiff resistance for a coveted spot on the European Central Bank’s six-strong executive board. Eurozone finance ministers will pick the winner behind closed doors in a secret ballot on Jan. 19.

  • EU Parliament fails to reach deal on US trade pact

    2026-02-04

    A plenary vote on removing tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and lobster is now likely in March. Talks collapsed at the end of 2023 amid disagreements over quotas of beef and lamb.

LRT

  • Polish party alleges discrimination over school mergers in Lithuania’s Trakai district

    2026-02-04

    Polish-speakers make up about 30% of Trakai District’s population. Two Polish-language schools in the district have lost their independent legal status. Since September last year, the Andrzej Stelmachowski Primary School in Senieji Trakai has operated as a branch of Tra Kai Gymnasium. The Longin Komołowski GymnasIUM in Paluknys is set to become a branch. Trakai District Municipality rejected allegations of discrimination. It said decisions were based on objective criteria such as student numbers, educational opportunities and the need to ensure sustainable, high-quality education. The reorganisations were envisaged in a 2022–2026 plan for restructuring the district's school network.

  • What is Lithuania spending its record-breaking military budget on?

    2026-02-04

    Defence spending this year amounts to about 5.38% of Lithuania’s GDP, a sharp increase from previous years. Lithuania had long pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence after joining NATO, a goal that took nearly 15 years to fully implement.

  • Lithuanian police detain 28 suspects, including 5 ringleaders, in smuggler balloon probe

    2026-02-04

    Authorities identify 28 suspects in a pretrial investigation into cigarette smuggling using balloons from Belarus. Five of the suspects are believed to have led the smuggling operation on the Lithuanian side. The suspects were detained Tuesday during a large-scale law enforcement operation.

  • Nemunas Dawn leader rented car to own party, raising conflict of interest suspicions

    2026-02-04

    Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn political party, rented a car to his own party under a contract worth 31,500 euros. Civil initiative Viešpirkiai said the case may not be isolated. Opposition Liberal Movement has formally asked the Central Electoral Commission to investigate.

  • One-third of Lithuanians see antisemitism as a problem – survey

    2026-02-04

    One-third of Lithuania’s population believes antisemitism is a problem in the country. Survey respondents identified the desecration of Jewish cemeteries as the most serious issue. More than half of those surveyed said people in Lithuania are well informed about Jewish history and traditions.

  • Baltic Sea ice covers about a quarter of surface

    2026-02-04

    Satellite images captured by a NASA satellite on January 29 show ice covering about 90,000 square kilometres of the Baltic Sea. While current ice coverage is significant, it remains well below the long-term historical average of around 170,000 sq km.

  • ‘Europe is undefendable’ without US, says Lithuanian FM

    2026-02-04

    Lithuania's foreign minister says Europe cannot defend itself without the United States. Kęstutis Budrys said Europe lacks sufficient conventional forces to deter or stop potential Russian aggression. He said turning away from the US in favour of deeper partnerships with China would be a serious mistake. Budrys is scheduled to attend an international ministerial meeting on critical minerals. He will also meet senior US administration officials, members of Congress and representatives of nongovernmental organisations and think tanks.

  • Epstein files and Lithuania: contacts with artists and Lithuanian ancestry

    2026-02-04

    correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Lithuanian woman shows they were close. Epstein was convicted of soliciting a minor for sex in 2008. He died in jail in August 2019 before his case went to trial.

  • Testing waters? Lithuanian officials signal possible shift in approach to Belarus

    2026-02-04

    Lithuanian officials have made public comments about easing sanctions or changing the country’s approach to the authorities in Minsk. Remigijus Motuzas, chair of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee, said discussions were underway about the substance of possible talks. He later withdrew the comments. Jurkonis said Lithuania should take concrete steps, such as supporting additional EU sanctions. The Social Democratic Party said any response to Minsk’s previous proposal for a vice-ministerial-level meeting would amount to legitimising the regime.

📊 VoxEU

  • Productivity, firm size, and why distortions hurt developing economies

    2026-02-05

    Firm-level productivity is much more uneven in developing countries than in advanced economies. In many cases, actual aggregate output is less than half what could be achieved with a more efficient allocation of labour. Restoring that link should be a central goal of productivity-enhancing reforms.

  • Europe’s public finances in a warming world

    2026-02-05

    Climate change affects our economy through two risk channels. Physical risks can damage capital stock, reduce labour supply and productivity. Transition risks entail structural changes in investment, production, and consumption patterns. These changes influence public budgets – shaping revenues and spending patterns.

  • Les droits de douane américains pourraient renforcer l'intégration ailleurs

    2026-02-05

    La figure 4 montre que les droits de douane américains réduisent le revenu réel des États-Unis eux-mêmes. Une intégration profonde est la seule réponse politique capable of contrebalancer les pertes de bien-être. Des barrières américaines plus élevées pourraient inciter les industries orientées vers l'exportation to obtenir un accès à d'autres marchés. Des analyses supplémentaires confirment cette dynamique.

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