LORNE COOK

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

EU cautiously agrees roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria in wake of Assad’s downfall

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to begin lifting sanctions on Syria, but insist that the measures should be reimposed if they see any abuses by the country’s new rulers.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrives at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

NATO chief says Russian victory over Ukraine would have a costly impact on alliance’s credibility

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned that a Russian victory over Ukraine would undermine the dissuasive force of the world’s biggest military alliance and could cost trillions of dollars to restore the organization’s credibility.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrives to deliver his speech during the presentation of the programme of activities of the Polish Presidency, at the European Parliament, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)

EU needs to end its military dependency on the US and arm itself ‘to survive,’ says Tusk

The European Union cannot rely on the United States to defend it and must increase military spending and security preparedness to deter Russia from targeting more of its neighbors after Ukraine, senior officials have warned.

A Polish border guard looks east into Belarus at the crossing point Połowce-Pieszczatka in Polowce, Poland, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Lorne Cooke)

Poland wants the EU focused on security. Its border with Belarus highlights the challenges

Poland’s presidency of the European Union is firmly focused on security. The challenges and contradictions of defending the bloc and its values are stark at Poland’s border with Belarus, Russia’s ally in its war on Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, right, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the two countries reached an agreement on a longstanding source of tensions between them: the exhumation of Polish victims of World War II-era massacres by Ukrainian nationalists, in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Polish leader vows to use EU presidency to speed up Ukraine’s membership quest

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to use his country’s presidency of the European Union to push forward with Ukraine’s membership quest.

Estonian naval ships sail in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, as part of stepped-up NATO patrols in the region following suspected sabotage of undersea cables. (AP Photo/Hendrik Osula)

NATO announces a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a media conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)

EU’s executive branch denies cover up over the health of its president, Ursula von der Leyen

The European Commission is denying that it tried to cover up the state of health of its president, Ursula von der Leyen, who was hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Von der Leyen is the EU’s most high-profile political figure.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb meets with media to make comments on the Finland-Estonia electrical link Estlink cable disruption, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Friday Dec. 27, 2024. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP)

NATO will step up Baltic Sea patrols as Finland probes the possible sabotage of undersea cables

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the military alliance will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea area as Finnish investigators work to establish whether a ship linked to Russia sabotaged undersea cables there this week.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa as they arrive for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

EU leaders insist no decisions can be taken about Ukraine without Ukraine, or behind their backs

European Union leaders insist no decisions can be taken about the future of Ukraine without its consent or behind their backs.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO leader says he wants to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any peace talks with Russia

NATO’s secretary-general said Wednesday that he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia. Mark Rutte was holding talks with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders.

Georgian outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili delivers her speech at the European Parliament and appealed to the European Union to press her country's pro-Russia government to hold a new election amid a police crackdown on peaceful opposition protesters., Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)

Georgia’s outgoing president urges EU to use more leverage to back protesters

Georgia’s outgoing president wants the European Union to press her country’s pro-Russia government to hold a new election. The call by President Salome Zourabichvili on Wednesday came amid a police crackdown on peaceful opposition protesters.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rings a bell to signify the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Dec 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

EU to suspend visas for Georgian officials over the security crackdown on opposition protestors

The European Union will impose visa restrictions on Georgian diplomats and government officials over the crackdown on opposition protesters demanding a rerun of October’s contested elections.

European Union foreign ministers pose with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, center, as she chairs her first meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Dec 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

EU seeks assurances from Syria’s new leaders in exchange for dropping sanctions

European Union nations have set out conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria. They want guarantees from Syria’s new leaders that they are preparing for a peaceful political future where extremism and former allies Russia and Iran can play no role.

A woman, one of some 258 people, including Syrians, Egyptians, Bangladeshi, and South Sudanese, saved from the sea in two different rescue operations on Friday is disembarked in Salerno, southern Italy, from the Doctors Without Borders search and rescue ship Geo Barents Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Paolo Santalucia, File)

EU nations agree a crackdown on migrant smugglers. Some fear it may target people trying to help

European Union countries have agreed a draft law aimed at preventing and countering migrant smuggling, which critics say could be abused to target people or charity groups that try to help migrants in trouble.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO chief warns that Putin wants long-term confrontation with Europe after Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “wipe Ukraine off the map” and could come after other parts of Europe next.

Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, left, speaks with Luxembourg's Interior Minister Leon Gloden, center, during a round table meeting of EU justice and interior ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back

Some European Union countries are doubling down on their decision to rapidly halt asylum procedures for Syrian migrants in Europe.

Trucks queue next to a sign reading ''Republic of Bulgaria'', at Bulgarian-Greece border checkpoint Kulata, Bulgaria, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

EU lets Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone

The European Union ministers has agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone known as the Schengen area by lifting land border controls next year.

A light installation is projected onto the building of the European Central Bank during a rehearsal in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. (Photo/Michael Probst, File)

Europe’s economy needs help. Political chaos in France and Germany means it may be slower in coming

Europe’s economy has enough difficulties, from tepid growth to trade tensions with the U.S. Dealing with those woes is only getting harder due to the political chaos in the two biggest European countries, France and Germany.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, front center, speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO chief urges European allies to ramp up defense spending as Trump returns to White House

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is leading a fresh push for European countries to ramp up defense spending. It’s a shortcoming that President-elect Donald Trump used to berate U.S. allies during his first term in office, severely damaging trust.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a media conference prior to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels,Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO’s chief avoids talk of Ukraine’s membership. He says the priority is helping Kyiv defend itself

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has sidestepped questions about Ukraine’s possible membership in the military alliance. He says the priority must be to strengthen the country’s hand in any future peace talks with Russia by sending it more weapons.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a media conference at the end of an EU Summit at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

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 Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, delivers a statement with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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.

Spain's Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, nominee for European Union Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, attends her confirmation hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Nov. 13, 2024, rescue workers extinguish a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

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.

Estonia's Kaja Kallas, nominee for European Union High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, speaks during her hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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.

Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic, candidate for Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, speaks during his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rings a bell to signify the beginning of the weekly college of commissioners meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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.

FILE - Attendees take a close look at the Volkswagen ID.7 Vizzion, a new electric flagship sedan during a world premiere on the eve of the Auto Shanghai 2023 show in Shanghai, China, April 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

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.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a statement, after a meeting with a high level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed NATO diplomats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks to journalists during a press conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

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.”