Diplomacy

Poland’s Anti-Ukrainian Violence Is Part of a Wider Battle for Europe

Analysis, Diplomacy, Strategy

Violence against Ukrainians in Poland is rising just as European support for Kyiv becomes more contested. Across Germany, France, Britain and other European countries, opposition to military aid, sanctions and continued financial support is moving from the political margins towards mainstream debate. The forces driving it differ sharply from country to country, from genuine domestic

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Col (Ret.) Björn Nobel (left), Former officer in the Swedish Navy; Carl Bildt Former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister – and Major General Vahur Karus Chief of Staff of the Joint Headquarters Estonian Defence Forces. (Image: NDR)

Estonian Defence Chief Warns Russia Could Briefly Seize Tiny NATO Territory to Fracture the Alliance

Diplomacy

Russia may not need a large-scale invasion to challenge NATO. Instead, it could deliberately occupy a small piece of allied territory for only a few days, forcing the Alliance into a politically divisive crisis while exploiting nuclear deterrence to complicate any military response, Estonia’s Chief of Staff warned. TALLINN — Russia could deliberately seize a

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Carl Bildt in Tallinn, at the Swedish Embassy, on June 2nd, 2026. (Image: NDR)

Bildt: Putin Is Repeating His Ukraine Playbook Against Armenia

Diplomacy

Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt has warned that Russia is using against Armenia “exactly the same” pressure tactics it employed against Ukraine before the 2014 conflict, as Moscow seeks to prevent another former Soviet republic from moving closer to the European Union. TALLINN — Russian President Vladimir Putin is repeating against Armenia the threats

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Traces of Patriot SAM system missiles in the sky over Kyiv after a Russian combined missile strike in July 8th, 2024 (Image: Shutterstock)

Europe’s Bid for an Independent Missile Defence

Analysis, Diplomacy

Europe has launched its first dedicated anti-ballistic missile coalition with Ukraine at its centre, marking the continent’s most ambitious attempt yet to build a sovereign shield against Russia’s growing missile threat. Turning declarations into production lines, interoperable systems and credible deterrence will prove the coalition’s defining challenge. On 13 July 2026, Ukraine and nine European

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Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev claims victory in the parliamentary elections on election night, 19 April 2026: (Image: Shutterstock)

Bulgaria’s Radev shock turns Sofia into Europe’s newest weak hinge

Diplomacy, Politics

Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria won the Bulgarian elections by campaigning against corruption and promising a more transactional, less confrontational approach to Russia, framed as “Bulgarian realism”. Radev has opposed Bulgarian military aid to Ukraine and has been described as Moscow’s man. While Hungarian voters turned away from the increasingly Moscow-aligned Viktor Orbán, the Bulgarian electorate

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered statements at a joint press conference held after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Palace, 5 July 2024, Moscow, Russia.

NATOs Eastern Flank Tested: Hungary’s Russia Deal Sharpens Fears of Internal Vulnerability

Diplomacy, Espionage, News

Hungary’s deepening ties with Russia, capped by a sweeping 12-point cooperation plan, are exposing widening fractures inside NATO and the EU just as the country heads into a pivotal election. With Western actors accusing one another of interference and Moscow quietly expanding its influence, the outcome in Budapest could shape both Hungary’s direction and the

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Kaja Kallas (screenshopt of Zurich discussion)

Kaja Kallas: Russia Has to Lose Its Last Colonial War

Diplomacy, News

If we want lasting peace, we cannot reward aggression. Because if aggression pays off, then aggression will continue, reminded, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Zurich. Historically, empires change only when they lose their final colonial war, she said. In an interview in Zurich, discussing Russia’s negotiating tactics and

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20260213 MSC, Munich Security Conference, Bayrischer Hof - Conference Hall: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Standing at the podium, he delivers remarks on pressing international security issues, with the MSC logo visible in the background. Photo: Marc Conzelmann/MSC

“Diese Ordnung … gibt es so nicht mehr”: Merz Declares the Post-War World Order Dead and Munich Turns Into a NATO Stress Test

Diplomacy

The 62nd Munich Security Conference opened in Munich on 13 February 2026 with a mood of damage inspection. In the gilded halls of the Bayerischer Hof, Germany’s chancellor declared the post-war order effectively over, Washington defended the alliance while attaching conditions, and Europe’s leaders quietly began planning for scenarios once considered unthinkable. What was once the anchor of transatlantic

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