On stage at the Kremlin: Putin and Lavrov’s de-escalation dance

On stage at the Kremlin: Putin and Lavrov’s de-escalation dance

Press play to listen to this article Russian President Vladimir Putin and his trusty foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, signaled on Monday that there would be no imminent military strike on Ukraine and that they were prepared to continue diplomatic dialogue with the West, led by the United States. Coming after the US warned that a … Read more

Scholz, Zelenskiy play down talk of NATO membership for Ukraine

Scholz, Zelenskiy play down talk of NATO membership for Ukraine

Press play to listen to this article KYIV — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought Monday to tamp down tension with Russia by suggesting that NATO membership for Ukraine was not on their agenda. At a press conference in Kyiv, Scholz and Zelenskiy played down the likelihood of Ukraine joining the … Read more

German leader ventures to Ukraine and Russia amid warnings of war

German leader ventures to Ukraine and Russia amid warnings of war

Press play to listen to this article BERLIN — Even before Washington warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was facing a daunting double mission to Kyiv and Moscow this week. In Ukraine on Monday, his main task is to pacify national leaders angry at Berlin’s refusal to … Read more

German President Steinmeier re-elected

German President Steinmeier re-elected

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier what elected to a second five-year term Sunday by a special assembly of lawmakers and state-nominated delegates. The position of president in Germany is largely symbolic, but its holder is nonetheless the country’s highest authority. This year’s assembly casting votes included former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and BioNTech co-founder Özlem Türeci. … Read more

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

France And Germany Respond To The Meta Threat: “We Could Live Without Facebook”

France And Germany Respond To The Meta Threat: “We Could Live Without Facebook”

meta: Exactly 24 hours ago we told you that meta threatened (again) to leave Europe: meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, warned that it might have to withdraw many of its products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, from the European market if the The company can no longer transfer the data of European … Read more

European ‘freedom convoy’ eyes major protest in Brussels

European ‘freedom convoy’ eyes major protest in Brussels

You might want to reconsider going for a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day in Brussels — as the city is likely to be completely paralyzed. A coordinated pan-European convoy of anti-vaccine protestors is expected to descend on Brussels on February 14. Brussels police are gearing up should the demonstration turn violent as others have done … 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

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 heads east on risky peacemaker mission

Macron heads east on risky peacemaker mission

Press play to listen to this article PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is taking an almighty gamble by styling himself as the world leader who can strike a peace deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Monday. If he pulls it off, he’ll be the hero who prevented the invasion … Read more