Ukraine strikes on Russian bridges becoming painfully precise (Ukraine Battlefield Update, Day 1,581)Ukrainian drones and Western missiles methodically shred Russian supply lines from Crimea to Voronezh, forcing Moscow’s generals to scrambling to patch up damaged bridges.
The EU Commission insisted that the meeting primarily concerned returning Afghan nationals with a criminal history and who pose a security threat. But refused to provide any details of the meeting, leaving questions unanswered on who was paying the Taliban trip, where it was taking place, whether any women would be present, and what the Taliban wanted in return
Half of Crimea goes dark after Ukraine cuts electricity, as well as fuel (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,580)Kyiv is probing Russia’s weakened defences and testing the reach of Western cruise missiles in a bid to raise the Kremlin’s economic and military costs.
The EU-Moldova summit amounted to a review Moldova’s progress in reforms on the path to European integration, particularly on the rule of law, fundamental rights, and the fight against organized crime, as well as aligning legislation with the EU acquis.
Keir Starmer’s efforts to rebuild bridges with the EU, after six hostile Conservative PMs, will be one of the defining legacies of his time at Number 10. But what can we expect from his successor?
Crimea faces ’energy desert’: Authorities completely stop fuel sales and cancel tourist season (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,579)By smashing ferries, fuel depots and key roads feeding Crimea, Kyiv is testing whether it can strangle Russia’s Black Sea stronghold faster than Moscow can rewire its supply network.
The EU Commission on Monday refused to respond if any of its own delegation would include female staffers in order to conform with male-only events – as per Taliban tradition.
What UK voters can learn from the Irish gay-rights movement on how to avert a Farage nightmareIf it seems insane that a man of Farage’s low calibre might lead the world’s fifth largest economy, it would be on trend for recent British prime ministers, who plumbed nadir (Johnson) after nadir (Truss).
Tea with Putin in Sochi, Peskov in New York, oligarch sponsors in Dubai, and other ways the Russian elite captured the global chess circuit – an insider’s guide by Peter Heine Nielsen, the coach of chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
Return hubs rallied mass support in the EU Parliament, and are now being pushed ahead by most European leaders at the council summit – though not everyone is onboard
EU leaders have nudged the European Commission to draft legal texts to restrict imports from Israeli settlers, following three months of inertia, which diplomats said caused “frustration”.
Russian internet exploded after Moscow airstrikes, war channels demand nuclear revenge on Kyiv (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,576)With Ukraine knocking Moscow’s key refinery offline for days, Russians are watching their own infrastructure burn, as hardliners fantasise about wiping Kyiv off the map in revenge.
Ministers say that Global Gateway should be a ‘core element’ of the bloc’s development offer – but have urged the EU Commission to be more transparent in how projects are selected.
Shocked Russians watched worst attack on Moscow since the start of war (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,575)Unprecedented drone assault on Moscow hit capital’s fuel lifeline and underlined how Ukraine is reshaping the battlefield by striking deep into Russia.
The EU’s successful push back on a US pricing plan for critical minerals and more commitments on sanctions and defence support for Ukraine were the main breakthroughs at the French-hosted G7 summit – which is followed immediately by an EU summit.
As Alexander Lukashenko ties his political future to Vladimir Putin and Russia’s wartime economy, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya argues that many Belarusians are waiting for a Ukrainian victory to challenge his grip on power.
The EU has denied that foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas will attend Dialog, the secretive society event hosted by German-American billionaire and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, after a leak revealed her name on the list of attendees.
Russia jamming Starlink and dirties own fuel to blunt Ukraine’s advances (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,574)Ukrainian drones hammer Russian fuel convoys and frontline towns like Kostyantynivka edge toward collapse while Moscow’s commanders scramble between jamming Elon Musk’s Starlink and rewriting its defeat near Kyiv.
The European trade deficit with China amounted to €360bn in 2025, or roughly €1bn a day. The commission and a growing group of member states want to take stronger measures to save European industries.
Bent on reducing arrivals to ensure its newly-minted asylum rules can more easily deliver results, the EU Commission is promising more support for regimes across northern Africa.