Politico Europe
August 2026
Modi implores tense Putin to end Ukraine war
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a visibly uncomfortable Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine for the sake of humanity during a meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Monday
Thank you very much, prime minister. We are moving forward along this path,
Focus areas for Russia-India friendship remain energy, innovation, space, fertilizers and people-to-people linkages,
Poland suspects foreign involvement in drone-plant arson attack
WB Electronics, whose factory caught fire shortly in the early hours of Monday, is one of Poland’s largest private defense companies
Von der Leyen set to deliver major speech on Europe’s space policy
Germany’s far right eyes small eastern state as springboard to national power
If there are people whom we know we cannot work with, for example because of political statements they have made in the past, then we obviously cannot fire them,
I’d like to call this a tension — on the one hand, taking swift action, but on the other hand, of course, governing well and building bridges,
If we can achieve this in Saxony-Anhalt and make it work in Saxony-Anhalt, then citizens will naturally see that the world won’t come to an end, but that things might even get better,
We have received significant support from the party leadership,
Weidel is exploiting him and the state of Saxony-Anhalt to gain more power in Berlin,
We have to legitimize AfD policies through a practical example. That is our task,
We also have the legal department, which is, of course, active as well. And it has prepared for situations where our political opponents might, for example, try to obstruct our work in government,
French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann’s path to the Elysée faces surprise hurdle
They include three MPs with relatively modest profiles and Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate in the 2007 presidential election
I know primaries can have a galvanizing effect. That’s probably what the participants are hoping for. But they can also fuel divisions,
Sánchez takes rare swipe at Spain’s king over Ceuta crisis
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared to criticize King Felipe VI on Monday over his lack of involvement in the ongoing migration crisis in Ceuta, chiding the monarch for his failure to visit the city
This crisis can only be resolved with cooperation,
There are more than enough reasons and motives for the head of state to visit Ceuta and Melilla,
Even politicians have the right to rest, but I can assure you that the prime minister does not disconnect.”
What would Morocco gain from these kinds of tactics?”
A lot of people think I’ve been governing for a long time, but I’ve only been in power for eight years,
Israel, Greece seal €3B ‘Achilles Shield’ defense deal
The “Achilles Shield” deal represents the largest defense export agreement in the history of relations between the two countries, combining David’s Sling, BARAK MX and SPYDER interceptors with Israeli-made radars and a national command system designed to counter ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones
This is the largest defense export deal in the history of Israel-Greece relations, and one of the largest in the history of the State of Israel,
France, Germany make pitch to overhaul EU foreign policy
Let’s face it … EU foreign policy only works if Member States want it,
A big institutional change right now is not realistic,
The EU would have more leverage globally if we’d better align the tools we have — from diplomacy to visa policies, trade, aid and EU missions — in pursuit of European interests. The HRVP [Kallas] can provide that strategic direction, given her link to the Council,
EU places ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox under its strictest platform rules
China will stop Russia from going nuclear, Finland’s Stubb says
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Stubb in Helsinki on July 5, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and European security among the issues discussed
Stay calm, stay cool, stay collected, stay vigilant. Don’t dramatize, prepare for the worst in order to avoid it.”
I had the foreign minister of China visiting me this summer, and I raised the issue,
Russia wants us Europeans to sit here and discuss: Will Russia escalate? Will Russia use nuclear weapons? Will Russia attack NATO and Europe
You can’t sort of press mute. You have to open the discussion,
I’m sure we are approaching the day when it would be useful for Europeans to be in more direct contact with Russia,... especially because we need to avoid misunderstanding.”
Boss of Orbán-backed MCC Brussels quits, saying staff have not been paid
Balázs Orbán stepped down in June, accusing the new government of dismantling the organization — which had around 7,000 students and 300 staff
Without the contractually agreed resources, our colleagues cannot function and are facing serious economic hardship,
The state is not going to finance … Mathias Corvinus Collegium institutions,
I feel that the only way the achievements of MCC Brussels can be rescued and its legacy further developed is to terminate my contract for severe cause with immediate effect, so that I have the freedom to promote the values that MCC Brussels stood for,
What Iceland’s ‘no’ means for the EU
Iceland has voted no to restarting membership talks with the EU in a referendum held over the weekend
The Trump-shaped problems awaiting Andy Burnham, ranked
Downing Street is privately exploring the possibility that he visits the White House on the same trip, depending on Trump’s availability
It’s a different phase of the relationship. It’s less shuttling over to Washington all the time … it’s not the same sort of theater, needing to be in the Oval constantly, in the way that Starmer had to be.”
If there were easy additional baubles to provide, they would have been found by now,
Germany is poised to enter one of its most dangerous moments yet
Iceland’s parliament will ‘discuss’ withdrawing EU bid after failed referendum
The Commission respects the choice of the Icelandic people. Iceland remains a close partner of the European Union,
We will discuss with the parliamentary foreign affairs committee how best to close this chapter. We do not intend to make any firm decisions on that,
The coalition will emerge significantly weakened domestically, having staked considerable political capital on securing a mandate to reopen these negotiations,
The real reason Iceland rejected the EU
The sheer volume of misunderstandings, or of information that simply doesn’t hold up, is enormous,
It has been a joy to see so many people engage actively with this debate,
For the No camp, everything came down to a single issue,... Icelandic fisheries, and how they would fit into the Common Fisheries Policy, where decisions are shared with 27 other countries.”
We’re going to win,
The only thing that could change that might be some external shock — a shift in the EEA agreement, say,
The No side sold the referendum as though it were already about membership itself, rather than about resuming negotiations,
There are simply too many question marks,
Russia preparing ‘massive strikes against Ukraine’s energy facilities’
Ukraine needs greater air support,
In total, this week alone, the Russians have launched nearly 2,000 strike drones, more than 1,600 aerial bombs, and 31 missiles of various types,
Icelanders say no to restarting talks to join the EU
Russia plans new ground attack on Kyiv, Ukraine warns
Russian forces previously attempted a ground attack on Kyiv at the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, launched in part from nearby Belarus, but were ultimately repelled by the Ukrainian military
Trump-shaped ecstasy pills can be fatal, Dutch drug institute warns
Germany plans to blame Russia for Leipzig attack as tensions with Putin escalate
Tougher measures were needed, such as intensified sanctions or even more extensive arms deliveries to Ukraine
The Chancellery does not engage in speculation. The only thing that matters is the official attribution made by the federal government at its own discretion and after weighing all the results of the investigation.”
The strategy is to pull out all the stops. We are deploying every possible sanctions regime,
The drone attack in Leipzig, among other things, shows that we are also facing very real threats,
Russia kills dozens as drone hits ammo warehouse near homes in Ukraine
Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions,
Ousted Ukrainian defense chief Fedorov takes advisory role with Italy
I thanked Guido for his personal support and offer to become his adviser on defense innovations,
My main focus remains unchanged,
What it’s like to live through Kyiv’s constant air raids
Such statements by a Russian official calling for war crimes and demanding unbearable living conditions for civilians should lead to an ICC arrest warrant. As for ‘raised hands’ — the only reason to raise them is to give Tolstoy and his fellow war criminals the middle finger,
You think we are calling for some kinds of atrocities, while we are aiming to demoralize the public to such an extent that they come out with their little paws raised to meet our troops,
As Mr. Tolstoy said, this is a tactic of deliberate exhaustion of civilians, pushing the rear to accept a war outcome unfavorable to the state,
The country’s defense spending is constantly growing, and this requires maximum mobilization of domestic resources,
France opens door to fighter jet cooperation with Sweden
We’re both looking for aircraft that are fairly similar, fairly small,
Dassault builds its own aircraft, and Saab builds its own: two competitors with fairly similar approaches who respect one another. There was cooperation in the past,