Photo by Vas on Unsplash A top level delegation of MEPs, MPs and other officials is in Taiwan this week in order to “express solidarity” with the nation. The trip comes amid mounting tension between Taiwan and China. There are concerns in some quarters that China is set on a military showdown with Taiwan which it (China) claims…
Less than a week ago, Russia held a so-called “presidential election” that once again confirmed that Putin’s rule poses a real threat to millions of people both inside and outside Russia. On 22 March, Russia launched one of the largest attacks on Ukraine, using 151 aerial attack weapons: 63 strike UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type,…
Photo by Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash The third high-level meeting of the EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue has taken place in Kyiv. The meeting on 21 March focused on efforts to keep Ukraine’s exports and imports moving via the Solidarity Lanes, improving connectivity, safety and security as well as sustainability. Reaction to the meeting came from the EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean. The…
Welcoming the Secretary General of NATO to Azerbaijan on 17 March, President Ilham Aliyev said that the NATO-Azerbaijan partnership has more than 30 years of good partnership. Azerbaijan participated in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Afghanista and is today modernizing its defense capability demonstrating a high level of professionalism. During many years of our discussions,…
Russia should bear “criminal responsibility” for the death of dissident Alexie Navalny, according to MEPs. The claim, by the Greens, came on the day Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya , made a speech to the EU parliament plenary session in Strasbourg. Her husband died in suspicious circumstances in a Russian jail over a week ago. Sergey…
Photo by mahdi rezaei on Unsplash Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of murdered Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei, has made an emotional appearance in the European Parliament. Fighting back tears in an address to a packed plenary in Strasbourg on 28 February, she accused the Russian mafia state, led by President Vladimir Putin, of having orchestrated her husband’s killing. She…
Cybersport is not out of politics: “Games of the Future” as a way of spreading propaganda messages to young people. Russia has repeatedly used sports and art for political purposes. Cybersport is no exception. By organising cybersport events, the Russian authorities not only want to show the world that they are not internationally isolated but…
The EPP Group says it is “shocked” to learn of the death of Alexei Navalny, the 2021 Sakharov Prize laureate. The death of the Russian dissident in prison was announced on Friday and led to condemnation across the world. Reacting, Manfred Weber, a German MEP and Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament,…
Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash The total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine in the next ten years is $486 billion (€452.8 billion), a new report says. This is up from $411 bn (€383 billion) estimated one year ago. This comes after almost two years of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. This damage is the assessment…
Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash A leading think tank has welcomed news that leaders of the EU-27 have agreed an extra 50 billion euros support package for Ukraine within the EU budget. The decision was made at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on 1 February. The move was greeted by Zsuzsanna Vegh, associate researcher at the…
