Eurasia

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised to send Ukraine heavy weapons, including air defence systems, though Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was quick to dash hopes of speedy delivery. Speaking in front of the Bundestag on Wednesday (1 June), Scholz said Germany would provide Ukraine with a modern Iris-T air defence system …

The Netherlands and Germany will drill for gas in the North Sea together, with production expected to start in 2024, the Dutch government has announced. According to the Dutch government’s website, production will take place in the North Sea, about 19 kilometres north of Schiermonnikoog and Borkum. A pipeline is …

Turkey, reportedly on the verge of yet another military incursion into Syria, appears up to other fun and games as well. The so-called “terrorists” to whom Erdoğan is referring are Kurdish politicians, political activists, and refugees who live in Sweden and Finland. In particular, those who engage in advocacy for …

How Neutrality Can Bring Security—and Satisfy Both Russia and the West At this stage of the war in Ukraine, as Russia steps up its offensive in the Donbas and more revelations of the atrocities committed by its forces emerge, the prospect of any kind of negotiated peace between Moscow and …

An annual U.S.-led naval exercise in the Baltic region that starts this weekend could allow Finland and Sweden to demonstrate their maritime prowess, potentially underscoring the contributions they might make as NATO members. Both countries long have been participants in Baltic Operations, or BALTOPS, but this year Sweden hosts opening …

Four medium-range rocket systems will be included in the latest $700 million U.S. military aid package after continued calls by Ukrainian officials for the weapons, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said Wednesday. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, can strike targets roughly 50 miles away and …

Europe lurched closer to an energy crisis on Tuesday after the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to major buyers including Shell. A Telegraph report said: Russia’s state-owned gas supplier, Gazprom, said supplies to Shell in Germany as well as to Ørsted in Denmark will be cut off on Wednesday after …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of Israelis and Palestinians “working to maintain calm and de-escalate tensions,” during a phone call on Tuesday evening with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a readout from the State Department. Blinken also “underscored the importance” of the Palestinian Authority …

Small but tech-mighty Estonia was one of Europe’s leading destinations for cryptocurrency companies. But the Baltic nation is now getting tough on how it regulates its digital assets and will bring in new rules this month, which some say could deter Estonia’s thriving start-up scene. The country’s new rules come …

Inflation in the eurozone hit a new record of 8.1 per cent in May, up from 7.4 per cent in April, amid soaring energy and food prices fuelled in part by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The preliminary estimate published on Tuesday by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, is the …