EU politics
Euronews – Europe’s arms imports nearly double, France overtakes Russia as world’s second-largest exporter
New statistics on European arms imports and exports make for grim reading for peaceniks. Read the article HERE.
Russia
Geopolitics
Al Jazeera – Russia claims German military leak proves Western involvement in Ukraine
The leak of a conversation among German officers about the consequences of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine raises more questions than answers about the motive of the leak. Read the article HERE.
EU politics
Euractiv – Commission ready to place arms orders for member states, von der Leyen says
We should be worried about the European Commission taking over European defence policy, especially with Ursula Von Der Leyen at the helm for another five years. Read the article HERE.
Energy
Victoria Myznikova – In Russia, too, capital is painting itself green
“Given its powerful oil oligarchs, it’s easy to assume Russia is the quintessential climate denier. Yet the rise of corporate ESG policies in the country suggests Russian capital wants to greenwash just as much as […]
Media
Alex Lo – When celebrated dissidents find the grass isn’t greener on the other side
Ai Weiwei joins a long line of dissenters such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Liu Xiaobo who became disenchanted by the West. Alex Lo has been a South China Morning Post columnist since 2012, covering major […]
Energy
Shweta Sharma – Europe buying Russian oil via India at record rates in 2023 despite Ukraine war
‘India is benefiting from importing cut-price Russian oil amid European sanctions – and also selling that same oil to EU markets at full price once it has been refined’. In The Independent. Read the article […]
EU politics
Riley Beggin – Report: Putin privately signals interest in ceasefire in Ukraine
European press have completely ignored this story, but the NYT reported on 23 December that Putin was prepared to talk about a ceasefire in Ukraine, and had previously made an offer in Autumn 2022 as […]
EU politics
Armenia and the Tragedy of Great Power Politics: An Interview with Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan
An in-depth interview examining the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic cleansing in the context of the geopolitics of the South Caucasus region. James W. Carden is a journalist and former advisor to the US State Department Cross-posted from […]
Geopolitics
Thomas Fazi – Israel’s mixed blessing for Ukraine
The war is not going well for Ukraine, and American politicians are distracted and increasingly resistant to hand over aid. Peace talks with Russia now look inevitable. Read the article HERE.
EU politics
Anna Matveeva – Nagorno-Karabakh: crisis in the Caucasus could destabilise the whole of Eurasia
In three days, nearly 30,000 Armenians have fleed Nagorno-Karabakh, with the Armenian President among those they are most angry with. Anna Matveeva is visiting Senior Research Fellow, King’s Russia Institute, King’s College London. Cross-posted from […]