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France claims the lead in Ukraine intelligence as leak fears cloud the US role
PARIS — France is now providing “two-thirds” of the intelligence support Ukraine receives from foreign partners, President Emmanuel Macron said on 15 January, a claim that points to a significant rebalancing of Western support and to growing unease about the…
Europe’s defence spending soars as Readiness 2030 takes shape
European defence budgets have risen sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The latest consolidated EU figures show total defence expenditure by the 27 member states reached €343 billion in 2024, equivalent to 1.9 per cent of…
National Priorities and the Challenge of a Common European Defence Policy
The evolution of European Union defence policy is once again being shaped by forces largely beyond Brussels’ control, yet keenly felt within it. A confluence of geopolitical pressures, fiscal constraints and institutional debates is forcing the EU to confront longstanding…
Trump’s Arctic Ambitions Reveal a Dangerous Contempt for International Law
The parallels between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are no longer confined to temperament or rhetoric; they lie in a shared contempt for the constraints of international law when it proves inconvenient. Both men have treated sovereignty not as a…
Agents for a day: the financing networks driving Russia-linked sabotage across Europe
A fire in a warehouse, a scorched courier depot, a camera fixed to a lamppost on a supply route: many of the incidents now being investigated as Russian-linked sabotage in Europe are small in scale and, taken in isolation, look…
Royal Navy’s crewless helicopter could not have come at a more urgent moment
On a windswept airfield in Cornwall this week, Britain’s Royal Navy quietly crossed a threshold that has been years in the making. The maiden flight of Proteus, Britain’s first full-sized autonomous helicopter, was not merely a technical milestone. It was…
France leads small Nato mission to Nuuk amid US claims on Greenland
A small European Nato deployment has begun arriving in Greenland as Denmark and its allies move to underline their role in Arctic security amid renewed US pressure to take control of the territory. France confirmed that a 15-strong contingent had…
Central European Arms Powerhouse Czechoslovak Group Poised for Market Debut as Defence Boom Sweeps Continent
Czechoslovak Group, the fast-growing Prague-based defence conglomerate, has announced plans for a landmark stock-market listing. The move comes amid an extraordinary surge in defence spending across the continent, with governments renewing military procurement programmes and investors eagerly eyeing the sector’s…
Brussels proposes €90bn EU loan scheme for Ukraine covering 2026–27
The European Commission has proposed a €90 billion EU-backed loan for Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, splitting the package between budget support and military procurement and linking disbursements to reform and oversight conditions. The Commission says it wants the first…
Pentagon tests backpack-sized device linked to Havana syndrome in undercover buy
The US Department of Defense has spent more than a year studying a portable device obtained in a covert purchase that investigators believe may be capable of reproducing symptoms reported by personnel affected by “Havana syndrome”. CBS News reported that…