🇪🇺💥
#Russia
’s invasion of
#Ukraine
has prompted a significant rewrite of the
#EU
's upcoming military strategy
#StrategicCompass
, with the security threat of Moscow's aggression becoming a 'red thread' throughout the latest version, seen by
@EURACTIV
:
🇪🇺 Europe’s heart beats in Tbilisi tonight as 🇱🇹🇱🇻🇪🇪🇮🇸 foreign ministers address a crowd of thousands of people gathered in front of
#Georgia
’s Parliament building.
Diplomatic seating arrangements are not chance or ‘an accident’, they’re an exertion of power. Failure to provide an equal seat to
@vonderleyen
is a synonym of
@RTErdogan
’s game towards Brussels & state of women’s rights in
#Turkey
.
#NATO
allies have agreed to hold an Article 4 consultation on
#Russia
’s new war with
#Ukraine
.
Article 4 calls for consultation over military matters when “the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened”.
"Why is our continent held hostage by one nation?",
@ZelenskyyUa
says addressing
#GLOBSEC
, calls for unblocking
#Russia
’s blockade of the Black Sea causing global food crisis, more weapons, cutting all trade links with Moscow.
🇷🇺
#Russia
’s government seems to be blocking internet country-wide now.
GlobalCheck service reports only 25% Russians can reach Google News and 0% can reach Twitter. Some other news sites down as well.
🇺🇦 Good morning from Kyiv, where concerns over a potential invasion by
#Russia
and tens of thousands of troops amassed at
#Ukraine
’s border keep growing. DM me!
Wow.
#EU
’s chief diplomat
@JosepBorrellF
scolds bloc’s ambassadors gathered in Brussels: “I need you to report fast, in real time on what is happening in your countries. I want to be informed by you, not by the press. (…) The reports come sometimes too late.”
🚨 Personal news: I am excited to say I'm taking over as Global Europe Editor
@EURACTIV
, expanding our coverage of the currently most exciting beat in town. Stepping into the shoes of
@GeorgiGotev
, a big thank you for all guidance and trust over the past five years! 1/3
#NATO
summit just ended, leaders adopted this language on 🇨🇳: "
#China
's stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order", warn of Beijing “rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal”, but calling for "constructive dialogue".
🇪🇺 LATEST:
#EU
has been working on the second package of sanctions following
#Russia
’s invasion of
#Ukraine
, which could include a range of far-reaching measures. Here's what we know before
#EUCO
:
💥 BREAKING: Extraordinary
#EU
Foreign Affairs Council scheduled for later tonight 20:15 EST on the sidelines of
#UNGA
to discuss latest developments on
#Ukraine
, we’re told.
‼️ And here we go, list of countries that support the
#Ukraine
peace summit in
#Switzerland
communiqué - notably absent from it are Brazil🇧🇷, 🇮🇳 India, 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia, 🇲🇽 Mexico, 🇮🇩 Indonesia, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇹🇭 Thailand.
🇪🇺🇺🇦 The
#EU
is expected to commend
#Ukraine
on its progress on membership-bound reforms and send a strong message to
#Russia
, according to a draft summit communique seen by
@EURACTIV
, but member states remain divided over the speed of accession.
🇩🇪🇫🇷 Joint visit by German Foreign Minister
@ABaerbock
and French counterpart
@JY_LeDrian
to Kyiv to take place on 7-8 February. Both will also visit the contact line in the east of
#Ukraine
, where Kyiv has been battling with Russian-backed separatists for almost eight years.
Also the only reaction of
@eucopresident
should have been to demand equal representation as this was clearly about symbolism. Especially, because it wouldn’t have been unusual to have both
#EU
institutions equally represented:
🇪🇺🇬🇪 Good early morning from Tbilisi, where protests continued overnight against government’s Kremlin-style ‘foreign agent’ law. Stay tuned
@Euractiv
for more as
#Georgia
’s European future is at stake.
Last night Belarusian soldiers tried to destroy a Polish border fence near Czeremcha (115km south of Kuznica). Some of them were blinding Polish soldiers with stroboscopes and lasers while the others were ripping out fence posts and tearing down concertina wire using a vehicle.
🇪🇺🇺🇦 Good morning from Kyiv where
@vonderleyen
arrived this morning days before
#EU
’s executive is to publish its enlargement report & likely recommend accession talks w/
#Ukraine
. Visit also aimed to reassure
@ZelenskyyUa
Western support is not wavering amid
#Israel
-Hamas war.
🇪🇺 NEW: The
#EU
should set up a body to tackle mass circumvention of the bloc’s sanctions against
#Russia
centrally from Brussels, Dutch Foreign Minister
@WBHoekstra
said:
As part of the top job package,
#Spain
’s incumbent FM
@JosepBorrellF
is the designated pick to replace HRVP
@FedericaMog
. But skeletons in his closet might impact the shape of the
#EU
’s future foreign policy. | My Brief for
@EURACTIV
🇪🇺🇲🇰🇦🇱 After Skopje resolved a long-running dispute with Bulgaria,
#Albania
and
#NorthMacedonia
received green light to start accession talks that could ultimately lead to
#EU
membership. Here's all you need to know about their next steps in the process:
🇪🇸🇪🇺 Buenas noches from
#Toledo
.
@eu2023es
clearly wins the
#Gymnich
game. Prettiest
#FAC
view so far in the past 6 years reporting on foreign affairs councils.
💥
#EU
is set to discuss the ban on
#Russia
’s access to
#SWIFT
in the coming days after the last holdout among the EU27,
#Germany
, dropped its opposition, allowing the bloc to step up sanctions against Moscow following its invasion of
#Ukraine
:
🇹🇷🇪🇺
#Turkey
has submitted a participation request for the
#EU
’s
#defence
project on military mobility, despite tense ties with
#Greece
and
#Cyprus
. While the request is under review, EU diplomats are split over Ankara’s possible participation. |
@EURACTIV
Quite the burn by
@ExtSpoxEU
, when asked about
@MedvedevRussiaE
’s latest threats: “He is the eternal Nr. 2, we thank him for always sharing his mental state with us: he would need assistance but I doubt that
#Russia
’s healthcare system has the resources."
🇫🇷 French election first round initial projections, by Belgian broadcaster
@RTBF
, since French media are bound by election silence:
Macron: 24%
Le Pen: 24%
Melenchon: 19%
Zemmour: 8%
Pecresse: 8%
Turnout: 73-76%
Key demand of
#Draghi
’s report is a call for a “new industrial strategy for Europe”, raising investments by €800 billion/year to fund reform to stop the
#EU
falling behind the
#US
and
#China
.
Grim warning included: "For first time since Cold War, we must genuinely fear for our
💥 We've got our hands on the latest draft of the EU's
#StrategicCompass
, the bloc's shiny new
#defence
and security document, which will be discussed for the first time by
#EU
foreign ministers in
#FAC
next week:
🇩🇪💥Major shifts in
#Germany
’s foreign policy continue: Berlin commits to more than
#NATO
’s 2% GDP spending goal and wants to create a special fund to invest €100 billion in its desolate
#Bundeswehr
.👇🏼
On
#EU
candidate status,
@vonderleyen
says it is “not only our strategic interest, but our moral duty that we make sure
#Ukraine
joins our Union.” Gets a lot of
#GLOBSEC
applause, right audience here, but does Western Europe hear this?
“Ukrainians must win this war and
#Putin
must understand this is a massive strategic failure for him,”
@vonderleyen
tells
#GLOBSEC
, adding that this war “must come with a massive price tag for the aggressor”.
#EUelections2019
Very good mood outside the
@Europarl_EN
in
#Brussels
. A crowd of mainly young people sings “Stand by me” by Ben E. King to set a sign against
#populism
as first exit polls indicate the far-right has not scored as high across Europe as initially feared.
“You have to be on 24 hours reaction capacity. (…) I want you to be more reactive. We are in a crisis and you have to be in a crisis mode,”
@JosepBorrellF
adds.
It all looks like that it’s only
#Germany
and
#Hungary
opposing to ban
#Russia
from
#SWIFT
. If Berlin removes its veto, the case might be a done deal.
🇺🇦
#Bucha
and
#Borodyanka
on the outskirts of
#Kyiv
until recently were occupied by
#Russia
's forces, from which images of murdered civilians sent shockwaves around the world. Our dispatch for
@EURACTIV
the liberated suburbs look for justice:
🇪🇺 To overcome growing pains of
#EU
foreign policy-making, the bloc should have its own European Diplomatic Academy, where future
#EEAS
diplomats will be trained on the basis of common values and interests, according to a proposal seen by
@EURACTIV
. More:
🇺🇸 Ahead of NATO-
#Russia
Council,
@Julie_C_Smith
repeats red line that any suggested changes to
#NATO
's open-door policy are 'non-starters'. “In consultations, it has become crystal clear that not a single ally is willing to budge or negotiate on the open door policy.”
#Ukraine
⚠️ Here we go on
#EU
’s
#defence
ambitions in the new
#MFF
proposal: €8 billion for the European Defence Fund
#EDF
(from €13 billion under the initial Commission proposal) and €1,5 billion for military mobility (initially €6.5 billion).
Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies and a southern neighbor, is denying a request for its troops to join the offensive in Ukraine, officials say.
🇪🇺🇧🇦 SCOOP:
#Bosnia
and Herzegovina is likely to be granted
#EU
candidate status this week,
@EURACTIV
has learned, following a European Commission recommendation in October as the bloc has started to give heed to the region’s strategic importance:
🚨🇫🇮🇸🇪 BREAKING:
#Turkey
,
#Finland
and
#Sweden
just signed a trilateral memorandum set to be a "joint commitment to safeguard common security." Way seems free for Madrid summit to make a decision of both joining
#NATO
.
🇪🇺 NEW: The European Commission's current deputy DG for enlargement negotiations,
@kmathernova
is set to become the bloc’s new ambassador to Kyiv, according to an internal note seen by
@EURACTIV
. Another signal of support for
#Ukraine
’s accession efforts.
🇪🇪🎙️ There's no point in talking to Putin if we really want him to understand he's isolated,
#Estonia
's PM
@kajakallas
told
@EURACTIV
about largely unsuccessful French phone diplomacy with Moscow. We spoke about
#Russia
,
#EU
treaty change and
#sanctions
👇🏽
#Georgia
’s President
@Zourabichvili_S
assured 🇱🇹🇱🇻🇪🇪🇮🇸 FMs who came on a mission to Tbilisi she would veto the controversial ‘foreign influence’ law, though the step is unlikely to stop it from entering into force. Latest:
A not so subtle message from
#Ukraine
’s foreign minister towards
#France
, who is currently the main obstacle for the
#EU
moving forward with track 2 of its recently agreed ammunition plan:
The inability of the EU to implement its own decision on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine is frustrating. This is a test of whether the EU has strategic autonomy in making new crucial security decisions. For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives.
#BREAKING
🇧🇪
#Belgium
's National Security Council puts the country on
#coronavirus
lockdown from noon Wednesday until 5 April. People only allowed to leave houses for the supermarket, doctor, or work (if home office impossible). Police will enforce measures.
#StayHomeBelgium
Several hundreds of people gathered to protest against
#Russia
‘s war in
#Ukraine
right now in front of
@RusMission_EU
in Brussels. People shout ‘Stop
#Putin
’ and ‘Freedom’, demand
#EU
and
#NATO
to act. Sea of 🇺🇦 flags joined by numbers of
#EU
, Eastern European ones.
Full
@JosepBorrellF
quote for reference: “Putin believed that he was going to conquer
#Ukraine
, he failed. He believed that he was going to divide us, he failed. He believed that he was going to weaken the transatlantic relationship, and he failed. Now, he has to stop the war.”
Breaking:
@vonderleyen
announces new
#EU
-
#NATO
joint declaration to be presented by the end of this year. Looks like the collaboration between the two organisations starts getting serious.
#SOTEU
If I would get a coin every time someone still describes - any - Eastern European country to me as ‘post-Soviet’, I would be very rich by now. Honestly, it’s been THREE decades now, get over it.
#Eurovision
winner
#KalushOrchestra
released their official video, shot in Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and Hostomel, all of which were bombed and occupied during
#Russia
's invasion of
#Ukraine
. They dedicated it to mothers protecting their children.
🇪🇺🇺🇦 Good morning from Kyiv where
@eucopresident
arrived to mark 10th anniversary of
#Maidan
protests. Visit also meant as reassurance, comes before decisive Dec
#EUCO
where
#EU
leaders will decide on
#Ukraine
accession talks, but likely face struggle over financial/military aid.
🇬🇪
#Georgia
must repeal its ‘foreign influence’ law as it could be used to silence critical voices and "does not meet the European requirements of democratic law-making,"
@coe
's top constitutional law body said.
💥
#Ukraine
’s
@ZelenskyyUa
tells
#EU
leaders: “We have intercepted the plan of destruction of
#Moldova
by the Russian intelligence. This document shows who, when and how it’s going to break the democracy of Moldova and establish the control over Moldova."
🇺🇦 Back in Kyiv as
#Ukraine
marks two years of
#Russia
’s full-scale war. According to Putin, Kyiv should have fallen within 72hrs. It didn’t. As the country keeps fighting back, European efforts face a decisive phase. Meanwhile, we journalists do what we do best - keep reporting.
#Poland
’s PM
@MorawieckiM
is calling (in quite strong words) for an urgent
#EU
summit since current sanctions “are not working” and calls to cut all trade relations with
#Russia
👇🏼
Dość lawirowania i fałszywych gestów. Dość! SANKCJE NIE DZIAŁAJĄ. Odciąć tlen od rosyjskiego ludobójstwa!
Enough of the avoidance tactics and false gestures. Enough! Sanctions don't work. Cut Russian genocide off from its air supply!
☕️ Your Sunday read: The
@saintjavelin
meme, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding a
#Javelin
anti-tank missile, has become the symbol of
#Ukraine
’s resistance and an unlikely source of funding. I spoke to
@ItsBorys
about it and you can read it here: