LORNE COOK

EU lawmakers seal a deal to rubber-stamp one of the bloc’s most right-leaning executives

European Union lawmakers have rubber-stamped a new team of policy commissioners for the next five years to head one of the bloc’s most rightward-leaning executive branches ever.

NATO and the EU press China to help stop North Korea’s support for the war on Ukraine

NATO and the European Union are ramping up pressure on China. They want Beijing to persuade North Korea to stop sending troops to Russia in support of its war on Ukraine.

EU top jobs hearings stalled by political infighting over hard right alliances

The process of vetting candidates for some of the European Union’s top jobs has bogged down in acrimony. The biggest political faction in the bloc’s parliament, the European People’s Party, is accused by critics of collaborating with the hard right.

Biden is sending aid to help Ukraine keep fighting next year, Blinken says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is determined in its final months to help Ukraine keep fighting its war with Russia next year.

EU top diplomat nominee strongly backs Ukraine and underlines China’s links to the war

The nominee for the European Union’s next top diplomat says the bloc must commit to Ukraine for the long-haul even as the war’s costs mount. Former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also urged the U.S. to clearly understand China’s role in it.

EU lawmakers grill candidates who will drive policy for the next 5 years

Nominees for some of the European Union’s top jobs are facing parliamentary hearings. EU lawmakers are starting to vet would-be commissioners to oversee Europe-wide policies ranging from agriculture to trade for the next five years.

Lawmakers are vetting the EU chief’s new team. It might be tough but she has the right on her side

The influence of nationalist and populist parties on the European Union will be on public display next week when lawmakers vet new members of the bloc’s increasingly powerful executive branch.

The EU is imposing duties on electric vehicles from China after trade talks fail

The European Union says it will impose duties on imports of electric vehicles from China on Wednesday after talks between Brussels and Beijing failed to find an amicable solution to their trade dispute.

North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to likely fight against Ukraine, Pentagon says

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh says North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and likely fight against Ukraine within “the next several weeks.” Singh said Monday that some of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy says 10,000 North Koreans could join Russian forces in Ukraine as he pushes ‘victory plan’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a “world war.”

NATO shows no sign of letting Ukraine join soon and wants more details about its ‘victory plan’

NATO is showing no sign it would be willing to invite Ukraine to join its ranks anytime soon. The 32 member countries of the world’s biggest military alliance are seeking more information about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan” for ending the war with Russia.

NATO will start an annual nuclear exercise as Russia threatens Ukraine’s Western backers

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance will hold its annual nuclear exercise next week.

EU countries vote to impose duties on China EVs ahead of an end-of-October deadline

European Union countries have voted to impose duties on imports of electric vehicles from China, as talks continue between Brussels and Beijing to end the standoff before an end-of-October deadline.

The UK and EU vow to mend their Brexit battered ties. They will set a new agenda and hold summits

The United Kingdom and the European Union say they will strengthen their relationship after the damage caused by Brexit.

NATO’s new chief makes Ukraine support a top priority and says he will work with any US president

The new head of NATO is vowing to help shore up Western support for war-ravaged Ukraine and says he can work with whoever is elected president of the United States, the alliance’s most powerful member.

As the Ukraine war enters a critical period, the EU moves ahead without the US

The war in Ukraine is entering a critical period as the European Union enters a new era. The EU has decided to take more responsibility for what it sees as an existential threat to security in its neighborhood.

The EU is failing to dissuade African migrants despite spending billions, auditors say

The European Union’s financial watchdog says the bloc is failing to draw lessons about how to discourage unauthorized migration into Europe from Africa.

Zelenskyy’s victory plan sets Ukraine’s terms in a desperate war against Russia

The victory plan that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present to the White House this week asks the Biden administration to do something it has not done in two and a half years of Russia’s full-scale invasion: take swift action to support Kyiv’s campaign.

Hungary refuses to pay fines for breaking EU asylum rules. Brussels is taking the money anyway.

The European Union has begun the process of clawing back hundreds of millions of euros in funds meant to go Hungary.

A French member of the European Commission resigns and criticizes President von der Leyen

An influential French member of the European Union’s powerful executive branch has resigned. Thierry Breton posted his resignation letter on social media on Monday.

Mario Draghi has solutions for Europe’s sluggish economy. Will EU governments listen?

A long-awaited report on how to rescue Europe’s economy from weak growth and red tape is in. The question is, how much of its recommendations will actually be enacted by the often slow-moving politics of the European Union?

The EU buys too much defense equipment abroad, especially from the US, a major report says

European Union countries are buying too much of their defense equipment abroad, much of it U.S.-made, and failing to invest in joint military projects, a landmark report is warning.

The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus

The European Union’s top migration official is seeking answers from Hungary about a work visa program open to citizens from Russia and Belarus.

EU ministers take a very public swipe at Hungary over a lack of respect for the bloc’s values

Senior government ministers from Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium have taken a public and potentially embarrassing swipe at Hungary.

EU urged to rethink ties with Israel over Gaza and impose sanctions against some ministers

Ireland and the European Union’s top diplomat have urged the bloc to review its relations with Israel as the death toll mounts in Gaza and the West Bank.

EU’s top diplomat ramps up pressure on Ukraine’s backers to permit strikes on targets inside Russia

The European Union’s top diplomat is pressing Ukraine’s international backers to lift restrictions on the use of weapons they provide so the country’s armed forces can strike military targets inside Russia.

Ukraine’s Kursk attack surprised Russia and perhaps some of its backers

Ukraine has stolen the initiative from Russia with its cross-border offensive into the Kursk region. But its Western backers have so far refrained from cheering or criticizing the move. Mostly, they’ve been curiously silent.

Hungary’s Orbán faces backlash over his rogue ‘peace mission’ meetings with Western adversaries

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made a Trumpian vow to “Make Europe Great Again” during his country’s six-month presidency of the European Union.

Jens Stoltenberg will wrap up a NATO summit for a final time at the helm

Jens Stoltenberg has said farewell to U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts after chairing his last NATO summit.

Ukraine is on an ‘irreversible’ path to NATO. But only after war with Russia ends

The 32-members of NATO are formally declaring that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership in the Western military alliance, offering a bare but more binding assurance of protection once its war with Russia ends.