Brussels reacted warmly to the results of a poll showing interest among Canadians in joining the European Union — before clarifying that the idea is a nonstarter. politico.eu/article/canadi…

Life expectancy in the European Union has risen to its highest level ever recorded, according to figures released by Eurostat today. ow.ly/tQ8i50Vi6qU

NATO chief Mark Rutte has opened the door to restoring Russia relations after the Ukraine war. politico.eu/article/nato-s…

After nine months on the Breaking News desk, I joined POLITICOEurope’s Defense team this week. Follow us with Laura Kayali and jacopo barigazzi for the latest scoops in this booming field!

Budapest has opened the door to using AI facial recognition to identify people attending LGBTQ+ Pride events. Now, the EU is looking into whether Hungary’s plan is illegal — marking the first real test of EU's AI rules. Our story with Pieter Haeck here: politico.eu/article/hungar…

Germany is by far the largest defense spender in Europe, according to SIPRI study, as the continent rearms to face down the threat from Russia. But even Berlin's spending boost falls short of what Russia is pouring into its military. Read more here: politico.eu/article/german…

Ukrainian security services arrested two Ukrainian nationals it said were working for Hungarian military intel near the 🇭🇺–🇺🇦 border. “Agents were also searching for weak spots in land and air defense” in western Ukraine, security services allege: politico.eu/article/ukrain…

Checking in from Denmark, where I'll be reporting with my colleagues from the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. Let me know if you're in the area to catch up - and follow POLITICOEurope for our coverage!

🇺🇦’s President Zelenskyy is traveling to Turkey to negotiate with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, his chief of staff said at #cds2025 Yermak added that if Putin refuses to come, it will be "the last signal" that Russia "doesn't want to end the war": politico.eu/article/ukrain…

What happens if the govt hijacks state media? I dug deep into the underlying data from the new Reuters Institute Digital News Report and found some striking figures. In 🇭🇺, trust in the openly pro-Orban public broadcaster plummeted to 23% this year.

💌A Szeretünk Brüsszel? adásában arról vitatkoztak, hogy vajon beavatkozik-e az Európai Bizottság a magyar belpolitikába. 🎙️Vendégek: Lattmann Tamás, Tóth-Bíró Zsófia és Csongor Körömi A műsorvezető Sándor Zsíros 📺l.euronews.com/GMn #SzeretünkBrüsszel #BrusselsMyLove

Canada signed a major defense deal with the EU, with the aim is to shift Canada's security relationship away from the U.S., and to allow Ottawa to take part in new European defense spending programs. Our reporting with Yurii Stasiuk and jacopo barigazzi: politico.eu/article/canada…

More than 70 MEPs will attend Budapest Pride on Saturday, despite the 🇭🇺 govt's claim that the event is illegal. However, organizers found a legal loophole, rendering Viktor Orbán's efforts to ban the LGBTQ event ineffective. Read here w/ Max Griera : politico.eu/article/orban-…

European countries are lining up for NATO's new program that pays the U.S. for weapons to be sent to Ukraine. On Monday, Ministerie van Defensie pledged €500 million, and then today, Denmark, Sweden and Norway announced a joint package. Read more here: politico.eu/article/nether…

Although Slovak PM Robert Fico promised “not a single bullet” to Ukraine, Slovakia’s weapons industry is sending arms to the frontline en masse. In 2024, Slovakia's arms exports grew to €1.15 billion – 10x the amount before 2022. Read more here: politico.eu/article/slovak…

Donald Trump said he got “very angry” after Ukraine damaged a Russian oil pipeline that supplies his friend, Hungary's PM Orbán. “Viktor — I do not like hearing this," Trump wrote according to a letter published by Orbán's Fidesz party. Read more here: politico.eu/article/donald…

“Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about Ukraine?” Mark Rutte asked at IISS News 's defense summit, and added it’s not up to Russia to decide if Western troops can be sent to Ukraine as part of any peace deal ending the war. Read more here: politico.eu/article/nato-r…

Andrej Babiš, the frontrunner in the Czech elections wants to cancel Prague’s ammo initiative, as it costs “too much taxpayer money.” However, the government argues that canceling the program would harm 🇨🇿’s reputation – and jeopardize supplies for Kyiv. politico.eu/article/czech-…