Russia

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

EU remains careful with oil price caps
The EU has expanded its embargo on Russian crude oil to all oil products as planned and introduced an additional price cap – albeit with a long transition period. An exception has been made for Croatia. continue reading →
EU prepares tenth sanctions package against Russia
The EU is preparing a tenth sanctions package against Russia. It should be in place before the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, EU diplomats said in Brussels. The Commission wants to collect initial proposals over the weekend in the so-called confessional procedure with the 27 EU states. […] continue reading →
Ivana Karásková – China’s Influence over Central and Eastern Europe
China’s role in Central and Eastern Europe has changed. Not for the better, according to Ivana Karásková. Karásková is a China Research Fellow and project coordinator at the think tank Association for International Affairs (AMO) in Prague. She originally wanted to become a journalist and report from around the world. But after graduation, she was […] continue reading →
EU Commission proposes additional sanctions package against Russia
The European Commission wants to put further pressure on Russia with a ninth package of sanctions. “Russia continues to bring death and devastation to Ukraine,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “We stand by Ukraine and we are making Russia pay for its cruelty.” The eight sanctions packages introduced by […] continue reading →
Western Balkans Summit: ‘new impetus’ for accession process
At the Western Balkans Summit in Tirana, the EU demonstrates that it is finally taking the geopolitical importance of the region seriously. In addition to a new commitment to the enlargement perspective for the six countries, there are also concrete initiatives to bind the Western Balkans more strongly to the EU. continue reading →
EU Commission wants to force Russia to pay reparations
The EU Commission wants to use frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank to force Russia to pay reparations after a possible end to the war against Ukraine. Officials said Wednesday that the re-release of the funds could be tied to a peace deal that includes Russian reparations. Some €300 billion in central bank reserves […] continue reading →
Western Balkans summit: EU calls for clear commitment
The six states in the Western Balkans are to make a clear commitment to the European Union in the face of geopolitical tensions. “Cohesion with the EU is a clear sign of the partners’ strategic alignment, more than ever as Russia escalates its war in Ukraine,” reads a draft of the final declaration of the […] continue reading →
Kremlin accuses EU Parliament of hatred of Russia
In response to Russia’s condemnation as a state sponsor of terrorism, the Kremlin has accused the European Parliament of “unbridled Russophobia and hatred of Russia.” There is a “huge deficit of professionalism” in the EU Parliament, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday on Russian state television, according to the Itar-Tass agency. He added that the […] continue reading →
Borrell: not the time for peace talks
Washington and Moscow are talking to each other again about the war in Ukraine. But in Brussels, there are hardly any signs of willingness to talk. The EU is siding more uncompromisingly than ever with Ukraine, as two meetings of foreign and defense ministers show. continue reading →
Iran: EU sanctions against IT company Arvan Cloud
The EU is breaking new ground in its sanctions policy. The latest sanctions package, which the EU foreign ministers adopted in Brussels on Monday in response to the ongoing wave of repression and serious human rights violations in Iran, also includes punitive measures against an IT company with ties to Germany for the first time. […] continue reading →
Jan Jänsch on grain agreement: ‘We can’t relinquish anything’
The fragile grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires at the end of the week. However, there is no alternative to exporting via the corridor, and the delivery target is even secondary, says Jan Jänsch, Head of Grain Trading at Baywa in an interview with Timo Landenberger. He calls on the EU to provide greater support for domestic production. continue reading →
Shanghai trade fair cancels video speech by EU Council President Michel
Chinese authorities have not shown a pre-recorded critical opening speech by EU Council President Charles Michel at the major Shanghai trade fair. Michel’s spokesman, Barend Leyts, confirmed the incident, saying the EU Council President had been invited to speak at the 5th Hongqiao Forum (CIIE) in Shanghai. The video should have been shown on Friday […] continue reading →
G7: Fixed price cap for Russian oil
In response to the Ukraine war, the G7 countries are pressing ahead with plans for a price cap on Russian oil. Together with Australia, the US, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Canada, and Japan agreed to set a fixed price cap for seaborne oil supplies, according to insiders. In doing so, they decided against the […] continue reading →
Nord Stream 1: 250 meters of pipeline damaged
According to the operating company, 250 meters of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea gas pipeline have been damaged. According to preliminary investigation results, there are two craters on the seabed, each three to five meters deep, Nord Stream AG announced on Wednesday. They are located about 248 meters apart. The intervening section of Line […] continue reading →
Three agreements planned at Western Balkans summit in Berlin
Three agreements will be signed at a Western Balkans summit in Berlin on Thursday. There is “justified hope” that the six governments of the region will sign agreements on the mutual recognition of identity cards, university diplomas and professional qualifications, government circles in Berlin said on Tuesday. All three points are seen as important building […] continue reading →
Borrell condemns grain blockade
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell criticized Russia’s renewed blockade of Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea. The decision jeopardizes “the main export route of much needed grain and fertilizers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine,” the EU foreign policy chief wrote on Twitter on […] continue reading →
Is a new grain supply bottleneck looming?
The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine continues to have a severe impact on global food supplies. After the situation was recently mitigated, it now threatens to worsen again. Among them, the continuation of the naval blockade. continue reading →
Leslie Schübel – Russia at distance
Until the end of February, Leslie Schübel was still living in Moscow, where she had just finished her German-Russian double master’s degree. Last September, the program’s new students were personally welcomed by the Russian foreign minister. “On February 24, I woke up and saw: Bombs over Kyiv. And I don’t know if anything has ever […] continue reading →