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Ukraine prepares foreign-investment screening for defence sector amid Fire Point deal reports
Ukraine is drafting legislation to screen foreign investment in strategic sectors, including the defence-industrial complex, as the government seeks to attract capital for weapons production while increasing oversight of who takes stakes in sensitive assets. Hanna Hvozdyar, a deputy minister…
March launch for EU SAFE defence lending, with early tranche planned
The European Union is preparing to make the first payments under its Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence loans in March 2026, in what officials describe as an attempt to accelerate joint procurement and address shortages in key military capabilities.…
After the Paris Declaration: Can Europe Deploy Troops in Ukraine?
Europe’s discussion of a multinational military presence in Ukraine has intensified after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on 6 January produced a “Paris Declaration” on security guarantees for Ukraine. Issued by France, the declaration sketches…
Neutral, Rich, and Defenceless: Switzerland’s Strategic Failure
In the cloistered corridors of Switzerland’s defence circles, a blunt admission this weekend by the outgoing head of the armed forces should have echoed far beyond the country’s mountains and lakes. Lieutenant-General Thomas Süssli — a soldier accustomed to discretion…
Germany logs 1,000-plus suspicious drone flights as security agencies tighten defences
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has recorded more than 1,000 suspicious drone flights so far this year, with military sites, airports and other critical infrastructure among the most frequent targets, according to comments by BKA president Holger Münch reported…
From NATO ‘Overreach’ to Territorial Concessions: How the New US Strategy Risks Leaving Ukraine and EU Exposed
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy sets out a markedly different approach to Europe, NATO and the war in Ukraine, placing “ending the perception of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance” among Washington’s priorities and pairing it with sharp…
MEPs Demand “Military Schengen” to Harden Europe’s Defences Against Rising Russian Threat
MEPs from the European Parliament’s Transport and Defence Committees have pressed for a “military Schengen” across the EU — a sweeping reform designed to dramatically speed the movement of troops and equipment in the event of a crisis sparked by…
Europe’s Quiet Defence Revolution: Why the EU’s Surging R&D Spending Marks a Turning Point
At first glance, the European Union’s latest figures on defence research and development (R&D) might seem like little more than another set of spreadsheets from Brussels. Yet the reality behind them tells a far more consequential story—one of a continent…
Brussels Retreats: The €6.7bn Price-Tag on UK’s Seat at EU Defence Table Is Slashed
In a dramatic turn of events, Brussels has quietly whittled down its demand for British entry into its €140 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence fund — from a staggering €6.7 billion to a much more palatable €2 billion.…
Trump signals approval for sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump has said the United States will sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, signalling a major shift in Washington’s approach to sharing its most sophisticated combat aircraft with the kingdom and opening a fresh debate in…