In Ukraine, even peace accords can be a Russian weapon

In Ukraine, even peace accords can be a Russian weapon

Press play to listen to this article In their frenzied diplomatic effort to dissuade Russia from a new invasion of Ukraine, Western leaders are pinning renewed hope on the long-stuck Minsk peace accords. The Minsk agreements, first negotiated in 2014 and 2015, were intended to bring an end to the war with Russian-backed separatists, then … Read more

EU offers more talks, pushes de-escalation in letter to Russia

EU offers more talks, pushes de-escalation in letter to Russia

The EU is ready to continue formal talks about Russia’s massive troop build-up along the Ukrainian border, the bloc said in a letter for Moscow, calling once again on the Kremlin to pull back its military. The letter, a draft of which was seen by POLITICO, represents the EU’s collective response to a recent memo … Read more

Why Germany pipes down when talk turns to Nord Stream 2 sanctions

Why Germany pipes down when talk turns to Nord Stream 2 sanctions

Press play to listen to this article To many of Germany’s allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s refusal to state plainly what appears obvious — that Russia would lose a new gas pipeline to Germany if it invades Ukraine — is utterly baffling. Even some within his own governing coalition are flummoxed. “There is no reasonable explanation … Read more

Poland braces for ‘up to a million people’ fleeing war in Ukraine

Poland braces for ‘up to a million people’ fleeing war in Ukraine

Press play to listen to this article WARSAW — Poland is preparing for a massive influx of refugees if Russia attacks Ukraine. “We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario and [we have] been taking steps so as to be prepared for a wave of up to a million people,” Deputy Interior Minister Maciej … Read more

Australia to open borders to vaccinated travelers this month

Australia to open borders to vaccinated travelers this month

SYDNEY — Australia said on Monday it will reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers this month, ending two years of misery for the tourism sector, reviving migration and injecting billions of dollars into one of the world’s biggest economies. The move effectively calls time on the border closure component of Australia’s response to the Covid-19 … Read more

Olaf Scholz’s hard lessons in German leadership

Olaf Scholz’s hard lessons in German leadership

Press play to listen to this article BERLIN — Chancellor Olaf Scholz is finding out the hard way that there’s a lot more to leading Germany than being an Angela Merkel tribute act. Scholz meets Joe Biden at the White House on Monday as part of a US trip intended to repair the battering that … Read more

Macron vows ‘de-escalation’ but hints at concessions to Putin

Macron vows ‘de-escalation’ but hints at concessions to Putin

Press play to listen to this article PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is optimistic he can secure a de-escalation over Ukraine when he travels to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, but hinted that Western countries could have to make concessions to the Kremlin. His bullish prognosis of a diplomatic … Read more

Ukraine links arms with Turkey, Poland and UK as NATO membership remains distant

Ukraine links arms with Turkey, Poland and UK as NATO membership remains distant

Press play to listen to this article Bowing to the reality that Ukraine won’t join NATO anytime soon, Kyiv is putting in place a collection of smaller security pacts with regional military powers, including Turkey and Poland, as well as the UK, as it seeks help facing down Russia now and in years ahead. The … Read more

For Ukraine, less ‘imminent’ threat is still very real

For Ukraine, less ‘imminent’ threat is still very real

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is prepared to keep talking, and that he expects visits from European leaders to Moscow soon — after he gets back from the opening of the Winter Olympics on Friday in Beijing. The Biden administration is no longer saying an attack on Ukraine is “imminent.” But even as the … Read more