Cristina Maza

The elimination of USAID is a moral atrocity and all involved made a choice to enable, and then lie about, ending the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

“I lost my son because of the funding cuts. It is not only me—many more children in other camps have also died helplessly from hunger, malnutrition and no medical treatment.”

“These US cuts to humanitarian aid are assisting the military in their genocidal policy of starvation against the Rohingya.”

Down to the wire. My new life awaits.

Still publishing my weekly reading list as I prepare to fly ✈️

open.substack.com/pub/lazolett...

Exclusive | U.S. to Provide Ukraine With Intelligence for Missile Strikes Deep Inside Russia The expanded intelligence-sharing with Kyiv is the latest sign that President Trump is deepening support for Ukraine as his efforts to advance peace talks have stalled.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure.

www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Changing the rules will be difficult for EU Council President Costa, as it would require unanimity and, consequently, the support of those the change would be designed to circumvent.

This change would allow Ukraine and Moldova to begin the reforms necessary to demonstrate progress on EU standards, and would enable the EU to bypass opposition to opening new chapters from countries like Hungary.

Costa seeks to bypass Orbán’s veto on Ukraine’s EU membership bid Brussels’ rules requiring all 27 member countries to agree on new entrants will face scrutiny at a summit this week in Copenhagen.

Under Costa’s proposal, negotiating clusters—key legal steps on the path to EU membership—could be opened with the assent of a qualified majority of EU member states rather than a unanimous agreement.

Closing a cluster would still require all the EU capitals.

www.politico.eu/article/anto...

Secretive Program That Keeps Ukraine’s Weapons Firing Is Suddenly in Doubt

The Czech-led ammunition program has been a significant lifeline for Ukraine.

Now, Andrej Babiš's right-wing populist ANO party is threatening to kill it if they win elections this week.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/w...

The last two weeks. Reading and writing amidst moving boxes.

A look at all I’ve been reading and writing while preparing to move these last weeks. substack.com/@lazoletters...

German defence minister warns against growing Russian threat in space German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned on Thursday about the growing threat posed by Russian space activities, citing concerns over two Russian satellites shadowing Intelsat satellites used by German forces and others.

At a space conference in Berlin, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius raised concerns about two Russian satellites shadowing Intelsat satellites used by German forces.

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

I'll have more announcements soon on what comes next!

But for now, my email is c.maza @ protonmail dot com. I'll try to answer all emails when I'm not buried in moving boxes. ✈️

Some personal news:

After four rewarding years reporting on foreign policy and defense for @nationaljournal.com
in Congress, I am leaving to move back across the Atlantic and begin a new chapter in Berlin, Germany.

So grateful for all my colleagues and the work I've done in D.C.

Western militaries aren’t prepared for the reality of drone warfare Europe is lagging behind the U.S, but no major Western military can compete with Russia and Ukraine on drone innovation.

From Ukraine to Sudan, from Colombia to Myanmar, inexpensive commercial drones are changing the face of warfare, and conventional Western militaries are failing to meet the moment.
@cmaza.bsky.social reports (unlocked):
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729666/wes...

Moldova Elections: Russia's Secret Plan to Hack the Vote Documents seen by Bloomberg show that tactics include recruitment of Moldovan voters abroad, organizing protests and a disinformation campaign.

Russia plans to intervene in Moldovan elections and disrupt the Moldovan government’s plan for EU membership, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.

The docs show that Russia intended to employ Moldovans abroad to vote and stage disruptive protests.

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

This paper is very good and all the think tankers and foundation people (especially leadership and Comms) should take it to heart. It also makes me feel very tired

Babiš is on track to return as Czech prime minister. The president can say ‘no.’ Right-wing populist Babiš is tipped to win October’s election, but the president is weighing barring him over his business interests and ambivalence toward NATO.

Populist right-winger Andrej Babiš is the hot favorite to win the Czech general election next month, but the president, Petr Pavel, is weighing barring him over his business interests and ambivalence toward NATO.

www.politico.eu/article/czec...

Left-Wing Group Too Disorganized For FBI Agents To Infiltrate

Left-Wing Group Too Disorganized For FBI Agents To Infiltrate https://theonion.com/left-wing-group-too-disorganized-for-fbi-agents-to-infi-1848923025/

I am already sick of all these creepy AI avatars (who are, of course, always female).

Albania's government debuts its AI ‘minister’ to parliament Prime Minister Edi Rama has introduced an AI-generated bot which he has called a government minister in the Albanian parliament

An AI-generated government “minister” was debuted in the Albanian parliament on Thursday, with Prime Minister Edi Rama presenting the bot as a symbol of his government’s push for transparency and innovation.

abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

56% of Germans believe that Russia will attack eastern NATO countries.
In Dec 24 a (small) majority still believed they wouldn’t.

ZDF Polit-Barometer

😂

Is this my future?

Absolutely not the point of this post, but 5 Emmys?! Andor was fine, but....5 Emmys?!

Q&A with Salome Zourabichvili Georgia's fifth president discuses democratic backsliding in her country and how the country’s ruling party is moving away from the West.

In this free Q&A, @Cmaza.bsky.social talks to Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili about democratic backsliding in the country and how the country’s ruling party is moving away from the West.
Read here:
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729618/qa-...

Apologies for the radio silence. I'm busy moving to Germany.

Some personal updates, and an explanation for my recent silence, for those who are curious.

lazoletters.substack.com/p/apologies-...

"This portrayal of the DSA as a speech-censorship tool doesn’t fully correspond to the reality of how the law is drafted."

Thanks to @cmaza.bsky.social for including my perspective on the U.S administration's fixation with EU regulation.

www.nationaljournal.com/s/729535/jd-... @eff.org

Apologies for the radio silence. I'm busy moving to Germany.

Some personal updates, and an explanation for my recent silence, for those who are curious.

lazoletters.substack.com/p/apologies-...

J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, and MAGA’s new obsession with European regulation The opposition to Europe’s tech laws is a symptom of Silicon Valley’s oversized influence in the White House.

The president’s views on EU tech regulations are setting up Washington for a showdown with Brussels that many officials in Europe would desperately like to avoid.
@cmaza.bsky.social reports (unlocked):
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729535/jd-...

The famine that no one is talking about Starvation is a weapon of war in Sudan, where fighting, natural disasters, and the withdrawal of U.S. aid have helped create the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The deadly conflict in Sudan is receiving very little attention on the global stage, despite tens of millions of people suffering from food shortages.
@cmaza.bsky.social reports (unlocked):
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729479/the...

Children with brain cancer