Andrea Palasciano

The EU Is Entering a Crucial Week to Show Trump It’s Not ‘Weak’ The European Union faces an inflection point this week as it strives to prove it’s a geopolitical force.

❗️In case missed our story *yesterday*:
EU has 2 crucial deadlines this week: Ukraine funding & Mercosur deal
Failure on either front would prove Trump EU leadership is “weak”.
Annus horriblis keep getting worse
-w @albertonardelli.bsky.social @ @afpal.bsky.social
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

UK Seeks Firmer EU Support for Joining €150 Billion Defense Fund The UK is pressing the European Union to more clearly back British participation in a €150 billion ($170 billion) defense fund after the first draft of a proposed security pact was largely silent on t...

Exclusive with @alexwickham.bsky.social

The UK is pushing for a more ambitious EU defence and security pact after a 1st draft offered only limited specifics and didn’t reference UK access to the EU’s defence fund, according to UK officials and documents seen by Bloomberg.

EU Plans Workaround to Sideline Hungary in Russia Sanctions The European Union is exploring ways to extend its sanctions against Russia without needing the support of all 27 member states.

The Commission is weighing if it can convert the sanctions into trade measures, which don’t require unanimous consent. The next batch of sanctions to be extended in July includes the immobilized assets of Russia's central bank.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEWS
The EU is exploring ways to extend its sanctions against Russia without needing the support of all 27 member states, which would allow it to overcome opposition from Hungary.

Our latest

THREAD: For International Women’s Day, making my favorite kind of list: amazing journalists you should follow!

@sasilink.bsky.social @jpaynenews.bsky.social @kateabnett.bsky.social @afpal.bsky.social @terischultz.bsky.social
@alexowski.bsky.social
@paolatamma.bsky.social
@lauramdubois.ft.com

Europe confronts its military dependence on the US www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... via @afpal.bsky.social @albertonardelli.bsky.social

Europe’s Defenses Risk Faltering Within Weeks Without US Support If attacked, Europe’s ammunition stockpiles could run low within days and rearming will take years.

Lacking troops, air defenses and ammo, Europe’s front-line defenses are only equipped to repel an invasion from Russia for weeks at best without the US, defense officials told us. Even a reduced presence would also have an impact. Read our deep dive:

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Pistorius delivers the strongest rebuttal of the US on Ukraine so far to rapturous applause. “We need to shape the reality we live in before it shapes us”
“Germany will remain the largest supporter of Ukraine on this continent”
“The transatlantic alliance must not take anything off the table”

Spellbound crowd listening to JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference

Hegseth Urges 5% Defense Spending for Europe, Maybe Not for US NATO members in Europe should bear more of the costs of collective defense, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday, echoing President Donald Trump’s call for allies to spend 5% of their GDP o...

Hegseth reiterated Trump’s demands for 5% of GDP spending on defense, but didn’t seem so sure the US should do the same

Pete Hegseth shook things up at NATO.

Fearing Trump-Putin Carve-Out, Europe Demands Ukraine Role European leaders blindsided by Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin insisted they shouldn’t be sidelined after the US president said he’d agreed to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine with his R...

Europeans’ worst fears coming true: Trump is negotiating directly with Putin and they’re not at the table.

Trump's Ukraine Move: How the US is Reshaping Europe's Security Podcast Episode · Bloomberg UK Politics · 02/13/2025 · 13m

Very dense days at NATO for Hegseth’s explosive first visit. Summed it up in this podcast episode. Now on to the MSC in Munich!

Dense day for defense in Brussels. There’s an informal “defense retreat” for EU leaders that hasn’t yielded much yet. Also Starmer and Rutte had a chat over at Nato

Knock knock - Here for all things defense, security, foreign policy. Will chronicle here (but mostly on @bloomberg.com)