Polityka

It is very unlikely that Russia will turn off the gas tap to countries such as the Netherlands, Germany or Italy, says Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans. "The Kremlin prefers to keep the big boys on its side because that is the only source of income it has left," said the Dutch commissioner on the TV program Buitenhof.more

Russian President Vladimir Putin will lose power and go to a sanatorium next year - said former head of the British MI6 intelligence service Richard Dearlove, quoted by the New York Post.more

The party of French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance (LREM) will win the parliamentary elections in June together with the coalition partners, according to a poll for the daily "Le Monde" of the Ipsos / Sopra Steria / Cevipof institutes.more

"It was a great event for me that I was the first president since the beginning of the war, invited here to appear before the Verkhovna Rada and represent the Republic of Poland, all my countrymen, the entire Polish nation" - said President Andrzej Duda yesterday in Kiev summing up his visit to Ukraine.more

The World Economic Forum (WEF) begins today in Davos, Switzerland. In talks about the most important world problems, incl. the war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and economic crises will be attended by nearly 2,500 people - politicians, business representatives, NGOs and scientists.more

The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in the Hamburg district of Steilshoop was attacked on Saturday night - the building was pelted with stones and containers with paints in the colors of the Russian flag. Tires were set on fire near the building, making it difficult for the services to reach the place.more

"There is nothing more bitter, Gerhard Schroeder made a mistake," wrote the RND portal yesterday in a comment, "not in some detail, but in an issue that is central to his entire political life. The ties with Putin have caused irreparable damage to both Schroeder and Germany as a whole."more

The chances of a coup in Russia are now greater than before the country's aggression against Ukraine, says Naunihal Singh, who has investigated around 500 coups around the world. According to the author of the book "The Takeover of Power", the risk for Vladimir Putin will increase with the problems related to the war in Ukraine and the increasingly tougher sanctions by the West.more

British Foreign Minister Liz Truss announced that she would like to send modern weapons also to Moldova to protect the country from the threat of Russian invasion, and revealed that talks are underway on this subject.more

A man has been found guilty of being a member of a banned fascist group. Alex Davies, 27, from Swansea, was accused of being a member of National Action (NA), after it was banned in December 2016.more

The secretary general of the Elysee Palace, Alexis Kohler, announced yesterday the composition of the new French government. The current ambassador to Great Britain Catherine Colonna was appointed the new head of diplomacy. Elizabeth Borne took office on Monday.more

The British Foreign Office today accused Russia of using food as a weapon and called on it to immediately end its blockade of Ukrainian ports.more

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski yesterday about continued military aid to the country and the threat to food security from the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, Downing Street reported.more

Fiona Hill, who was Donald Trump's Russia adviser, had the opportunity to meet Vladimir Putin in person - she sat across from him at dinner. One of the things she remembered was that Putin smelled strange, as if he had come out of a dry cleaners. He also gave the impression of someone who needed corrective glasses, as his co-workers handed him fiches with directions written in large print.more

Ministers are facing growing calls to bring forward large increases in benefits and the state pension which will be paid from next April.more

If former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder continues to work for Russian companies, the European Union should impose sanctions on him, the European Parliament has demanded. Even the Brussels activists of the German SPD are in favour of the draft resolution, the German media reported yesterday.more

One of the infamous characters in the scandal surrounding Downing Street parties during the covid restrictions, former private secretary to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is to become Britain's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sky News revealed yesterday.more

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was pleased that Finland and Sweden had officially applied for NATO membership. This is a historic day, he said.more

The British government has withdrawn from the idea of limiting all crimes committed for political reasons in the conflict in Northern Ireland - yesterday it tabled a bill stipulating a statute of limitations only for those who will cooperate with the reconciliation committee.more

Turkey is threatening to block Sweden and Finland's admission to NATO in order to obtain concessions, possibly such as limiting Helsinki and Stockholm's support to the Kurds, or lifting the embargo on the supply of certain types of weapons to Ankara, assesses the Associated Press.more

An unnamed Conservative MP arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault has been released on bail pending further enquiries. The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday a man was in custody over allegations dating back to between 2002 and 2009.more

The British government will submit a bill which will introduce changes to the Northern Ireland protocol, as announced by the British Foreign Minister Liz Truss.more

Too technocratic, not politically empowered enough, too cold - these are how the French political class and media describe newly appointed French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, long considered one of President Emmanuel Macron's favorites for the post.more

Recent successes of Ukraine in its war with Russia make the leaders of France, Germany or Italy begin to consider a victory of the Ukrainians as possible and fear that such a "humiliation" of Russia would create new political problems. Therefore, some countries are quietly advocating such a solution to the conflict that would allow Moscow to "save face" - writes the Politico portal.more

Britain strongly supports Sweden and Finland's request to join NATO, which will strengthen Europe's security and should happen as soon as possible, British diplomatic chief Liz Truss said in a press release issued yesterday.more