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Jan 10, 2022 โ€ข 15 tweets โ€ข 5 min read โ€ข Read on X
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Amid the noise of the pandemic, one issue has been ringing alarm bells across Europe and the West: Russiaโ€™s military build-up on the Ukrainian border.

US intelligence has warned that Russia may be preparing an invasion, but Moscow denies it. Image
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Many ask what Putinโ€™s real intentions are and whether, if Russia does attack, what NATO and the West can do to respond in a sufficiently robust manner. Image
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท The crisis has called into question Western unity. It has also put the spotlight back on NATO in particular, two years after President Macron famously called the transatlantic military alliance "brain dead". Image
๐Ÿ“œ In December, Moscow set out its security demands in a proposed treaty with the US and an agreement with NATO.

Essentially, it wants guarantees that NATO will halt its expansion after it sent troops to countries vulnerable to Russia following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Image
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Some experts put Russia's intentions in starker terms.

For historian Franรงoise Thom, a specialist on Russia, Moscow's demands amount to "an orchestrated blackmail". Image
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Moscow is also demanding that Ukraine not be offered NATO membership, and a draft treaty with the US banning it from sending forces to areas such as the Baltics and the Black Sea.

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ NATO leaders promised future membership to Ukraine and Georgia back in 2008. Image
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ So how should NATO respond to Russia?

"Obviously, Ukraine and Russia are aware that there is no real option of any military involvement from NATO's side,โ€ said Peter Dickinson, a specialist on Ukraine at the Atlantic Council. Image
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ "NATO is revealing little of how it would react to Russian territorial aggression," says Geoffrey Van Orden of the Gold Institute for International Strategy, noting that the alliance has pledged "political and practical support" for Ukraine. Image
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Politicians say that NATO must be united against Russian aggression, but such unity has been lacking in recent years.

When in 2019 he labelled NATO "brain dead", Emmanuel Macron accused the alliance of lacking a clear political strategy in the multipolar post-Cold War world. Image
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France has recently though become more of a spearhead for a unified European defence plan.

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ As France takes over the EU presidency, Macron has called for "a stronger and more capable European defence" that contributes to transatlantic security and is complementary to NATO. Image
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ Others are not so optimistic, with Peter Wahl of the alter-globalisation organisation Attac, arguing that European aspirations for enhanced military autonomy are unrealistic and an example of "Brussels' wishful thinking". Image
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Itโ€™s also difficult because, when it comes to Russia, the EU and its member states speak with multiple voices.

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Whereas the likes of France, Germany and Italy promote dialogue with Moscow, Poland and the Baltic states want stronger sanctions. Image
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Geoffrey Van Orden of the Gold Institute for International Strategy says the need for Western unity is urgent, and "Ukraine needs tangible support". Image
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ How should NATO and the West respond to Russiaโ€™s military build-up near Ukraine?
Read in full: ๐Ÿ‘‡ cutt.ly/RIqkAjV

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More from @euronews

Oct 12, 2022
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ When Viktor Orban made his first posts on Twitter this week, one of them gave us a clue as to why Hungary's PM has chosen now to join the social media platform. cutt.ly/jBmFtD6
๐Ÿ“ฑ With Hungarians generally preferring Facebook, there is seemingly little domestic motivation for Orban to join the rival platform.

cutt.ly/jBmFtD6
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Experts have told Euronews Orban's arrival points to the fact he is keen -- amid the fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine and a long-running dispute with Brussels over access to EU funds -- to influence opinion in the Anglo-Saxon world.

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Oct 11, 2022
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ When party leaders faced each other last week in the first TV debate of Denmark's election, they disagreed along familiar party lines.

But there was one subject which united left and right: a controversial plan to outsource asylum seekers to Rwanda.
cutt.ly/BBcy0ug
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง Although there is no formal agreement yet between the two countries, that is clearly the direction of travel, with the whole scheme looking very similar to a policy the UK government is trying to get off the ground - so far, unsuccessfully.
โš–๏ธ Opponents argued that it is illegal and inhumane to send people thousands of miles to a country they donโ€™t want to live in, and so far no flights have actually left the UK for Rwanda after legal interventions at the European Court of Human rights.
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Sep 16, 2022
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง The funeral on Monday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will see the biggest gathering of royalty this century - perhaps ever - in London.

So who is attending the funeral, and how are they related to Queen Elizabeth II, if at all? Here's our guide. ๐Ÿ‘‡ cutt.ly/AVwLXaF
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will be representing Belgium at the funeral.

King Philippe's ancestor is King Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, who was also Queen Victoria's uncle. And Queen Victoria was Queen Elizabeth II's great-great-grandmother.
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Denmark's Queen Margrethe II will be attending the funeral with her son Crown Prince Frederik.

Queen Margrethe II was a third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and were descendants of both Queen Victoria and also King Christian X of Norway.

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Sep 15, 2022
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Hungary is no longer a full democracy, MEPs have declared in a non-binding but highly symbolic report.

Instead, it should be considered a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" in which elections are regularly held without respecting democratic norms.
cutt.ly/cC4cu3X
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ In their resolution, MEPs point the finger directly at Prime Minister Viktor Orbรกn and condemn his government's "deliberate and systematic efforts" to undermine the EU's core values.

cutt.ly/cC4cu3X
๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ They raise concerns about a long list of fundamental rights they believe to be under threat, including the electoral system, the independence of judiciary, media pluralism, LGBTIQ rights and the protection of minorities.

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Sep 14, 2022
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ Ursula von der Leyen delivered on Wednesday her annual State of the Union speech, unveiling the main political priorities for the next working year.

Here are the main takeaways.
cutt.ly/uC1YhdH
โ€œSanctions are here to stayโ€.

๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Von der Leyen said Russian industry is in โ€œtattersโ€ because of the sanctions the EU has slapped on Moscow over the Ukraine war.

She assured that the EU wonโ€™t relent in its sanctions, despite fears that it might have to due to the energy crisis.
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ The Commission chief also unveiled several proposals to align Ukraine with the single market, including by extending the European free-of-charge roaming area, and support its reconstruction, with โ‚ฌ100 million to rebuild damaged schools.
cutt.ly/uC1YhdH
Read 14 tweets
Sep 14, 2022
๐Ÿ”ดWatch Live | War in Ukraine, inflation, energy crisis, pandemic...

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen sets out her priorities for next year.

#SOTEU

ICYMI: ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ Here's our roundup of what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual #SOTU address:

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ The EU has "risen to the occasion" on the Ukraine war, she said.

"Our response was united, determined and immediate and I think we can be proud of that."
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia's industry "is in tatters", VDL said.

She argued that since sanctions have been imposed, three-quarters of Russia's banking sectors were cut off from international markets, the production of cars fell by 75%.
Read 11 tweets

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