Escalation Not Peace

Kyiv suburb, Photo by t.me/kievreal1

Russia’s Largest Aerial Onslaught on Ukraine Marks Escalation, Not Peace In a devastating escalation of its war against Ukraine, Russia launched its largest aerial assault since the unprovoked invasion began in 2022. Between May 24 and 25, Russian forces fired 367 drones and missiles at targets across Ukraine. This massive attack clearly indicates that Moscow…

New Sanctions on Russia and Belarus

Photo by MDSUMAR28 on Unsplash

Photo by MDSUMAR28 on Unsplash MEPs in Brussels have backed increased tariffs on fertilisers and certain Russian and Belarusian agricultural goods. The move, taken in a vote on Thursday, seeks to reduce EU dependency on those imports. The parliamentary plenary has endorsed the EU Commission proposal to increase by 50% EU tariffs on agricultural products…

Ukraine’s Enduring Struggle

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash As Europe marks the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we are reminded of Ukraine’s critical role in securing victory over Nazism – and of the striking parallels between that historic struggle and today’s war against Russian aggression. Once again, Ukraine finds itself on the front…

Orbán’s Catatonic Agenda

Photo by Joshua Fuller on Unsplash

Photo by Joshua Fuller on Unsplash Viktor Orbán has long been regarded as an outlier in the European Union, but in recent years, his government’s actions have represented more than mere political dissent. Orbán is executing a deliberate strategy that challenges the unity and principles of the Western alliance. While maintaining formal membership in the…

Lüneburger Heide

Photo by Galt Museum & Archives on Unsplash

Photo by Galt Museum & Archives on Unsplash On 4th May in 1945 General Sir Bernard Montgomery and Admiral Hans-Georg Friedrich Ludwig Robert von Friedeburg signed the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces (including the navy and naval vessels) in North West Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands at a camp in Lüneburger Heide in…

Assessing Russia’s Latest Peace Proposal

Photo by Valeria Nikitina on Unsplash

Photo by Valeria Nikitina on Unsplash On April 30, the Kremlin once again signalled its alleged readiness to negotiate an end to its war of invasion of Ukraine. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that Moscow is open to talks without preconditions, provided they occur directly with Kyiv rather than via Washington. The statement came…

Hungary: Russia’s Back Door to Dodge Sanctions

Photo by Ivan Rohovchenko on Unsplash

Photo by Ivan Rohovchenko on Unsplash As the European Union maintains a unified stance on countering Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Hungary continues to chart a divergent course that increasingly aligns with Moscow’s interests. While Hungarian authorities insist on preserving pragmatic economic ties with Russia, the reality is more complex – and potentially more…

Crimea is not a Bargaining Chip

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash As discussions on the future of the war in Ukraine intensify in Western capitals, one dangerous idea continues to resurface: the notion that peace might be achieved by conceding Crimea to Russia. This argument ignores international law and basic justice and risks undermining the security architecture Europe claims to…