European Citizen

European Citizen

@jerry78.bsky.social

🌍 European Citizen | Advocating for a global alliance to advance humanity, defend human rights & tackle climate injustice. 🧭 Geopolitics | 🌱 Climate Action | ⚖️ Social Fairness

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EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

Trump floated Orbán as joint U.S.-Russia-China candidate for UN Secretary-General

eualive.netTrump floated Orbán as joint U.S.-Russia-China candidate for UN Secretary-GeneralSources from three countries confirm that Trump administration officials have advocated for former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a candidate for United Nations Secretary-General and even originated the idea of positioning him as a joint U.S.-Russia-China choice, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial board report published on Sunday. The plan has not received a final decision. A State Department official acknowledged that the concept “sounds crazy at first,” but officials indicated that prior conversations suggested Russia and China would be receptive, and that alignment among the three permanent Security Council members on a UN outcome usually prevails. The same official described Orbán as the “dream candidate for MAGA conservatives,” citing his opposition to large-scale immigration, liberal nongovernmental organizations, and what the official characterized as entrenched centres of power in Hungary’s judiciary and media. Orbán has shown interest but has been reluctant to enter without confidence of winning; an announcement could be deferred until after U.S. midterm elections. Secondary accounts of the reporting state that the official estimated Orbán could secure eight Security Council votes “comfortably,” with ten potentially within reach. The selection process is already well advanced. Current Secretary-General António Guterres of Portugal, from the Western European and Others Group, completes his second term on 31 December 2026. Under the UN Charter, the Security Council recommends a candidate by at least nine of 15 votes with no veto from any of the five permanent members (United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom); the General Assembly then appoints. Informal straw polls through mid-October produced no candidate acceptable to all permanent members. An informal geographic rotation convention – not codified but long observed – points toward a nominee from Latin America and the Caribbean, which last held the post with Javier Pérez de Cuéllar ending in 1991. Eastern Europe, the regional group that includes Hungary, has never produced a Secretary-General; in the 2016 cycle many states argued it was the group’s turn, yet the Council selected Guterres instead. Consecutive selections from European countries (even across the distinct Western and Eastern groups) would therefore run against both the prevailing expectation of a Latin American candidate and the broader pattern of avoiding back-to-back appointments from the same broad geographic area. Orbán’s path faces high barriers. Even with U.S., Russian, and Chinese support, France or the United Kingdom could block him with a veto. Neither has stated a public position on the idea, but France, a permanent member that has emphasized the Secretary-General’s role as a guardian of Charter principles, the rule of law, and a “moral voice,” is widely viewed as likely to object. Orbán’s record as a long-serving illiberal leader who cultivated ties with Moscow and Beijing, clashed repeatedly with the European Union, and adopted hard-line migration policies would make French acquiescence politically difficult domestically and within the EU. Britain faces similar pressures. Orbán lost Hungary’s April 2026 election after 16 years in office; the new government has signalled investigations into alleged abuses from his tenure. He was photographed in Paris in late October on a family holiday timed around the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian uprising, visited the Père-Lachaise cemetery monument to Imre Nagy and other 1956 figures, and told a Hungarian journalist who approached him to leave him alone, saying he would comment once back in Budapest. While a late-entry candidate backed by three permanent members could theoretically scramble the field – existing front-runners such as Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan have led straw polls without securing universal permanent-member acceptance – the combination of veto risks, regional expectations favoring Latin America, and Orbán’s polarizing profile makes his selection improbable under ordinary conditions. Caption: Fidesz party leader and former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban holds a press conference in front of the party’s headquarters, in Budapest, Hungary, 22 July 2026. EPA/ROBERT HEGEDUS

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Reuters
@reuters.com

People in Belgrade celebrated following Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic speech conceding defeat to a student-led protest movement in a historic election that ends his long grip on power and heralds a new political era in the Balkan country. reut.rs/4zkXvww

European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

Who is behind the violence in France and Italy: undocumented migrants, legal residents, or citizens born to immigrant parents? We need evidence, not assumptions. And if many are citizens, what then? Strip them of nationality? Cutting immigration won't solve that problem.

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EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

Violence flares in Paris after largely peaceful protests across France

eualive.netViolence flares in Paris after largely peaceful protests across FranceHundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in France on Saturday, with largely peaceful rallies giving way to clashes ​in Paris and Marseille as night fell despite a huge security operation aimed at preventing a repeat of last week’s unrest. The Interior Ministry said 410,000 people ‌took part in protests nationwide, though unions said the true figure was twice as high. The main demonstration took place on the southeastern fringes of Paris, where at least 110,000 people turned out to denounce rising living costs and growing inequality. The atmosphere deteriorated sharply after the rally ended. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at a group of around 500 hooded youths before they eventually dispersed on a cold, rainy evening. In France’s second city, Marseille, youths set fire to rubbish ​bins to block roads, and hurled rocks and bottles at security forces. Police said several stores, including two jewellery shops, were ransacked. Clashes also flared in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Rennes, Nantes and Toulouse. “In almost ​every march we saw the formation of these high-risk groups. They broke away from the main body and sought to commit acts of ⁠violence,” said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, accusing far-left activists and criminal gangs of seeking to foment trouble. Paris in lockdown Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, 10,000 more than a week earlier, ​after conceding they had underestimated the scale of the unrest on 17 October. Nunez told reporters the violence was less intense than a week ago, when looters and vandals went on the rampage. “What ​changed was anticipation,” he said. He also said far-right activists had sought confrontations with leftist groups in the southern cities of Nice and Montpellier, opening a potential new front in the disturbances. Much of central Paris took on the appearance of a city under lockdown, with shopkeepers boarding up storefronts, museums closing their doors and more than 20 metro stations shut. Business groups urged retailers to remain closed after thousands of shops and businesses were damaged or ​looted across France last weekend. “There are hardly any customers, so it’s not really worth staying open,” said Oskar, manager of a Kiton boutique in Paris. Several of the capital’s best-known cultural institutions, ​including the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Paris Opéra, closed for the day as a precaution, leaving tourists frustrated. “Everything’s boarded up and we’re not quite sure where we should be,” said Xavier Dolliole, ‌a tourist from ⁠the U.S. city of New Orleans. Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris rally, predicted the protests would continue until President Emmanuel Macron, whose mandate expires next year, addressed the social malaise in France, one of the world’s richest nations. “Given the current situation, I ⁠think he will come to understand that this will happen again every week. There is still time for (Macron) to give in. After that, the only thing left to him will be the exit door,” Mélenchon told reporters. Far-right party holds congress Many demonstrators accused the government of overreacting to last week’s turmoil, as soldiers were dispatched to patrol the Champs- Élysées, a grand boulevard lined with luxury shops and restaurants. “We shed tears for shops, not for the people ⁠who are being impoverished all year round,” said Clara Lebbadi, a 22-year-old arts student. “My friend and I almost didn’t come because we were scared, but we came precisely because it’s important not to let repression win,” she added. The first authorised march on Saturday passed off peacefully in Orléans, around 120 km south of Paris, where demonstrators rallied against Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, which is ⁠holding a party congress in the city. A shooting west of Paris on Friday heightened tensions. A gunman suspected of acting out of Islamophobic hatred killed one person and wounded four others, including a 12-year-old girl. Macron says Paris suburb shooting that killed one person was terrorist and racist act “We have come to tell the far right, face-to-face, that we are not afraid,” said Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of Saint-Denis and a member of Mélenchon’s France Unbowed party. Protests ripple across Europe The nationwide disorder began with small student demonstrations in suburban Paris last month to denounce school conditions. It swiftly broadened into a wider protest against the government’s economic policies and inspired demonstrations in neighbouring countries. On Saturday Belgian police used tear gas and pepper spray as they clashed in Brussels with anti-government demonstrators, with protests also taking place in a number of Italian cities for a second weekend, and in Albania. Thousands of protesters marched in major Italian cities on Saturday against rising living costs, war and government policies, with demonstrations remaining largely peaceful in Milan but turning violent in Turin, Rome and Bologna amid a heavy security presence including soldiers. Portuguese police cleared a large housing-crisis protest camp in Lisbon’s Rossio Square early on Sunday, making several arrests after demonstrators had pitched more than 100 tents following a Saturday march by thousands opposing easier evictions and the end of rent caps. Around 25,000 people marched peacefully through central Madrid on Saturday demanding stronger guarantees for Spain’s public pension system amid rising living costs and ahead of a snap parliamentary election next month. Thousands of mostly young protesters clashed with police in Tirana on Saturday in the latest anti-government rally over poor school conditions, the cost of living and corruption, demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation after weeks of unrest that began with opposition to a luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner. Albania student protests turn violent as anger at government grows With Reuters, with additional reporting by EUalive Caption: Black blocks clash with police during a demonstration against the high cost of living in Bordeaux, France, 24 October 2026. According to the prefecture, about 15,500 people attended the march, which proceeded despite a ban on demonstrations in parts of the city centre. Authorities deployed around 70,000 police officers and security personnel nationwide to prevent a repeat of the unrest that erupted during demonstrations the previous weekend. EPA/GUILLAUME PINON

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EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

Violences en France : "Voir l'ultragauche derrière les casseurs semble être une erreur"

fr.euronews.comViolences en France : "Voir l'ultragauche derrière les casseurs semble être une erreur" Après les violences du 17 octobre, le gouvernement a pointé du doigt l'ultragauche. Mais le rôle de ses militants dans les débordements reste à établir. Auprès d'Euronews, deux experts soulignent que les violences et les pillages observés sur le terrain ne correspondent pas à leur mode opératoire. #EuropeNews

European Citizen reposted

Olga Nesterova
@onestpress.onestnetwork.com

Politico: Czech President Petr Pavel says a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was “quite close” – until Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel.

European Citizen reposted

POLITICO Europe
@politico.eu

The EU is working on closer ties with both Canada and the U.K. It is also looking for partners to help plug the €70 billion funding gap Ukraine faces next year. 🔗 vist.ly/5pbme

European Citizen reposted

European Leadership Network (ELN)
@theeln.bsky.social

NATO still lacks a dedicated Black Sea strategy. But a new regional security arrangement is emerging from below. The ELN's Maria Branea argues that growing cooperation between Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria could lay the foundations for a durable security model, with Ukraine closely integrated.

europeanleadershipnetwork.orgA new Black Sea security arrangement is emerging from belowNATO still lacks a dedicated Black Sea strategy. In its absence, growing practical cooperation between Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria could provide the foundation for a durable regional security arrangement – backed by NATO and the EU – with Ukraine closely integrated. ELN Policy and Research Coordinator Maria Branea details how a new regional security arrangement is now emerging from below.

European Citizen reposted

EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

La pression de l'inflation pousse les Européens dans la rue: l'UE peut-elle aider ?

fr.euronews.comLa pression de l'inflation pousse les Européens dans la rue: l'UE peut-elle aider ?L'inflation de la zone euro est montée à 3,8 %, son plus haut niveau depuis plusieurs mois, et les Européens descendent dans la rue pour réclamer un allègement face à la flambée des coûts de l'énergie, de l'alimentation et du logement. Regardez la vidéo. #EuXl
European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

Deeply concerned about the situation in France. Regardless of political views, there's always a minority ready to exploit legitimate protests to spread chaos, harming others and undermining the very causes they claim to defend. Extremism fuels extremism. Nothing good comes from that.

European Citizen reposted

EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

Trump exempte la Russie de nouvelles sanctions, alors que Moscou cible les infrastructures énergétiques ukrainiennes

lemonde.frTrump exempte la Russie de nouvelles sanctions, alors que Moscou cible les infrastructures énergétiques ukrainiennesLe président des Etats-Unis a gelé l’application d’une loi prévoyant de lourdes sanctions contre les importateurs d’hydrocarbures russes. Après l’accord annoncé le 11 octobre pour acheter du gazole à la Russie, Donald Trump multiplie les parades pour montrer qu’il est sensible au coût de la vie, grande préoccupation des Américains en amont des Midterms, le 3 novembre.

European Citizen reposted

EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

Scarred Limoges town hall becomes symbol as Lecornu denounces “ultragauche” after hijacked protests

eualive.netScarred Limoges town hall becomes symbol as Lecornu denounces “ultragauche” after hijacked protestsThe charred remains of Limoges’ historic hôtel de ville will stand as a lasting symbol of the damage inflicted when ultra-left casseurs and opportunistic criminals hijacked a day of nationwide protests on 17 October 2026. Hôtel de Ville de Limoges. Architecte: Charles-Alfred Leclerc (1843-1915) grand prix de Rome. Inauguré en 1883. Inscrit Monument historique en 1975. pic.twitter.com/ZD5OTcUcCu — Nicolas Milovanovic (@MilovanCavor) October 17, 2026 French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu responded with a sharp denunciation, accusing organised far-left groups of turning peaceful demonstrations into organised violence as a potential “warm-up” ahead of the 2027 presidential election In Limoges, masked individuals attached to the procession burned police vehicles outside the 1883 town hall (inspired by Paris’s Hôtel de Ville and listed as a historic monument), smashed windows, forced entry and set the building alight. The blaze spread rapidly. Prefect Maurice Barate later described the structure as “largely lost”: the roof collapsed onto lower floors (except the west wing), two-thirds of the façade disappeared, and the campanile collapsed. He called it a “catastrophe patrimoniale” and a “deliberate act by casseurs, not demonstrators.” People – elected officials, municipal police and staff – had been inside; none were injured, though some accounts described threats against officers who had taken refuge there. Mayor Guillaume Guérin (Les Républicains) reacted with visible emotion: “There are no words to condemn what happened, it is so abject. It is a situation of chaos for the country… They destroyed a building that the people of Limoges love, but they have not destroyed the public service. It is a monument that is burning, but not the Republic.” He promised criminal proceedings and service continuity from temporary premises. Local media reported around 5,000 participants in the Limoges march, of whom the prefect said several hundred were “radicalised and extremely violent.” Shops were looted and the A20 motorway was briefly blocked, with additional police cars burned. The Limoges attack was the most visually dramatic incident in a day that drew roughly 550,000 participants nationwide according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez (organisers claimed around 800,000), including about 110,000 in Paris. Approximately 400 people were arrested, the large majority adults rather than students. Sixty officers were injured. Other flashpoints included the occupation and defacement of Marseille city hall, arson at a government tourism office in Lyon, damage to the prefect’s official residence in Bordeaux, looting of shops in several cities, and repeated clashes involving fireworks, projectiles and black-bloc tactics. Nuñez attributed the organised violence to ultra-left groups that formed hooded detachments of hundreds (sometimes more) within or on the margins of marches, with opportunistic delinquents joining for theft and destruction. 300 shops ransacked Authorities and local media reported large-scale looting, with around 300 shops ransacked across France as opportunistic delinquents and ultra-left casseurs exploited the marches. In cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes and others, groups smashed windows and emptied stores ranging from supermarkets, phone outlets and sportswear shops to luxury boutiques. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and the prime ministerdeplored the pillaging, describing it as the work of “opportunistic delinquents” who joined organised ultra-left violence; Lecornu said the economic toll “will be heavy, everywhere in the country” and ordered ministers to stand by affected traders while ensuring those responsible are identified and prosecuted. Lecornu’s statement on X was unequivocal: “Peaceful demonstrations have their rightful place in our Republic. Arson, looting and attacks have no place at all. Today, far-left groups organised acts of violence in several French cities; some criminals joined them to loot and destroy… To those who clearly want to turn this violence into a ‘warm-up’ ahead of the presidential election, I say this clearly: we will not be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence. The instructions given are clear: prevent acts of violence, protect property and people, arrest those responsible and bring them to justice. We will go through with the ‘casseurs-payeurs’ bill. Public money is scarce: it must finance our public services, not endlessly repair what vandals destroy. It is up to them to bear the cost.” He also praised police and gendarmes for facing “violence of extreme intensity.” President Emmanuel Macron echoed the line: “There is no place for violence in our Republic. Those who smashed, attacked prefectures and shops, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished… We will all stand together against the sowers of chaos who seek only to bring down our institutions.” The 17 October mobilisation combined high-school and university student anger over under-resourced schools, teacher shortages and facilities (a movement running for weeks, with earlier blockades and clashes), trade-union and cost-of-living protests, and residual Yellow Vest energy on the anniversary of the 2019 movement. Most marches remained peaceful, but authorities and Lecornu had warned in the preceding days that the dynamic had shifted from a student movement into “urban violence,” with ultra-left infiltration systematically escalating the ends of processions. Lecornu has repeatedly accused La France Insoumise of instrumentalising the anger to “sow chaos” ahead of 2027; Jean-Luc Mélenchon participated in the Paris march, criticised police tactics and exchanged sharp public messages with the prime minister blaming each other for the disorder. The Limoges ruins now join a longer list of public buildings damaged in recent weeks of unrest. Whether the “casseurs-payeurs” legislation advances and how the political fallout plays into the pre-presidential climate will shape the next phase. For the moment, the image of the burning historic town hall – watched by hundreds of shocked residents – has become the defining picture of a day that began with legitimate grievances and ended with organised destruction. Nationwide protests in France hijacked and marred by black bloc violence Caption: Videograb: the bell tower of Limoges City Hall has collapsed after a massive fire engulfed the historic building, set ablaze by masked extremists
European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

France faces a perfect storm: social unrest, rising living costs, debt and soaring bond yields. Similar to Western Europe. The paradox? Much of the protest comes from the left, while the far right leads the polls. Could Europe’s social unrest end up producing the opposite of what protesters want?

European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

Moroccan warships entered Spanish waters. Spain’s PM confirms it, calls it an isolated incident, and moves on. Morocco is a strategic partner, yes. But how far can that partnership stretch before cooperation starts looking like coercion?

European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

It should go beyond just claiming “cut off support” The far-right defends nacionalism strongly, but Russia is a menace for all countries. I wonder how Marine Le Pen propose to face it. I find the answer to that question more interesting that the headline of “cutting off aids or getting out of EU”

POLITICO Europe@politico.eu

Marine Le Pen has vowed to cut off financial support for Ukraine if elected French president, citing France’s strained public finances. That would be a “very dumb decision,” Dutch PM Rob Jetten has warned as he arrived at the EU leaders’ summit. Live 👉 vist.ly/5nggv

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EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

As Ukraine struggles with Starlink and U.S. satellite data, Europe has no quick fix

eualive.netAs Ukraine struggles with Starlink and U.S. satellite data, Europe has no quick fixAs Ukraine reported problems with Starlink satellite internet terminals ​and US data that warns of Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv also faced the harsh reality that its European allies cannot offer ‌any ready-made alternatives. Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday the functioning of Starlink’s military-grade service Starshield had been interrupted when terminals were moving at high speed, hampering Ukrainian drones for attack missions and air defence. Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, for the second night running, Ukraine had received no warning from its partners of a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. The reasons for the difficulties were not ​immediately clear but followed another souring of relations between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine, after Trump announced a deal to waive sanctions on Russian diesel ​and called for Zelenskyy to be replaced. Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine. Elon Musk said the speed limits that disrupted Ukraine’s military Starlink/Starshield terminals were not imposed by him or SpaceX but are set by the U.S. military, which owns and controls the Starshield systems, with the final decision resting with the U.S. president. European countries have voiced strong support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy. But the problems with vital data highlighted that ​Ukraine and Europe depend heavily on U.S. systems for both low-orbit satellite communications – provided by SpaceX via Starlink – and space-based infrared sensing that feeds into early-warning systems. A U.S satellite ​constellation called the Space-Based Infrared System provides early missile warnings. “That is fairly unique and … what basically that can detect is the heat generated by missiles as they’re launched,” said Marc DeVore, an associate fellow at think tank Chatham House. “There is nothing equivalent in Europe.” No simple Starling swap As for Starlink, Europe does not have a ready-made alternative that Ukrainian soldiers could ​attach to their drones, although European governments and companies are working on long-term options. Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat soared on Wednesday following news of Ukraine’s difficulties with ​Starshield, fuelled by investor bets that European providers could benefit from growing strains between Washington and Kyiv. But Christian Freiherr von der Ropp, an independent satellite consultant, said Eutelsat’s OneWeb network was not ‌well suited ⁠to wartime use. “Its current constellation remains rooted in an outdated architecture and technology conceived a decade ago, without any evolution of its underlying design,” he said. “Capacity and performance constraints, combined with the cost, weight, bulk and power consumption of its user terminals, limit its suitability for frontline applications.” A spokesperson for Eutelsat told Reuters that the company continued to provide connectivity services in Ukraine through its low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit networks with its partners. It declined to comment further “given the sensitive nature of ​the situation.” Von der Ropp also said switching ​networks would require replacing thousands of ⁠terminals, as Starlink and Starshield terminals use proprietary technology and could not simply connect to OneWeb. Bohdan Sas, co-founder of Ukrainian defence technology startup Buntar Aerospace, said the sudden interruption to Starshield services “highlights to almost every end user both in Ukraine and abroad ​you can’t rely solely on one solution that can be switched off.” “You need to have some kind of sovereign capabilities,” ​he added, so that “you ⁠are not subject to somebody’s mood today.” Fears of over-reliance on U.S. defence technology have grown in Europe in recent years, as Trump has threatened to quit the NATO military alliance just as European leaders see Russia posing the greatest threat to the continent in decades. European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at a conference hosted by Politico in Brussels on Wednesday ⁠that the ​continent was “quite dependent on American space capabilities.” “The answer to that situation is to develop our own capabilities,” ​he added, mentioning the European Union’s planned satellite constellation IRIS² and urging European countries to work together. But that project is years from becoming operational even if everything goes according to plan, causing frustration among ​European government officials. Germany is developing its own military satellite constellation. With Reuters, with additional reporting by EUalive Caption: Partially destroyed apartment buildings at site of a Russian bombardment on a residential area, in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, 14 October 2026. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES), Russian forces struck six apartment buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city, injuring at least four people and leaving human remains at the scene. EPA/MARIA SENOVILLA
European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

Consistent with last year’s behavior…No surprises even though it is outrageous.

EUwatch 🇪🇺@euwatch.live

Dropping Ukraine, not just Zelenskyy

eualive.netDropping Ukraine, not just ZelenskyyDonald Trump is not simply turning against Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The pattern of the past days treats Ukraine itself as adjustable. After the latest call with Vladimir Putin, Washington has signalled that continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities could end American intelligence sharing and restrict European purchases of U.S. weapons. That is a different order of pressure from earlier complaints about Kyiv’s leadership. It raises the cost of resistance for the country that is already under greater strain, while Russia keeps the military initiative. The diesel arrangement fits the same logic more than any strategic gift to the Kremlin. Easing some restrictions on Russian fuel exports is presented in Washington as a way to increase supply and bring down pump prices in the United States ahead of the midterms. The revenue that flows to Moscow is real, but it is the secondary effect. The primary interest on display is domestic and immediate: lower energy costs for American consumers, and the political credit that comes with them. Pleasing Putin is not required for that calculation to hold. Starlink remains the other American lever still in private hands. Ukrainian sources reported that SpaceX tightened speed limits on terminals in motion, disrupting missions that depend on rapid movement. Whether the change was technical or arrived after pressure is not public. What is public is that the network can be adjusted by a single company whose owner has previously demonstrated the power to restrict it. Ukraine’s own satellite plans and European alternatives will not replace that density in the near term. Europe will continue financial and military support. It cannot, however, replace American early-warning and high-resolution technical intelligence at the same speed or coverage. The practical result is an uneven squeeze. Russia gains an economic cushion and faces fewer constraints on its energy revenues. Ukraine is asked to limit one of its more effective tools against the Russian economy while its early-warning and communications advantages sit under threat. Trump has said he wants the war to end quickly. The method now visible is to make continued resistance more expensive for Ukraine, in service of a narrower MAGA interest in fuel prices and electoral timing. Whether that produces a freeze closer to Moscow’s terms, or simply a longer war with thinner support, mostly depends on how far the restrictions are actually applied. Unfortunately. Caption: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departs the White House for Alaska, in Washington, DC, USA, 13 October 2026. President Trump is traveling to Alaska to campaign for incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, who is running for re-election in November 2026. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

Moroccan warships entering Spanish waters during the Ceuta crisis are another sign of a worrying trend: governments increasingly favour intimidation over diplomacy. This only fuels nationalist extremism. Political confrontation is replacing international cooperation.

European Citizen
@jerry78.bsky.social

Ask those who oppose immigration whether it is necessary (through regulation), and many will hesitate. Yet when migrants come from Africa or very different cultures, radical positions emerge. We spend more energy rejecting immigration than figuring out how to manage it and make integration work.

European Citizen reposted

The New York Times
@nytimes.com

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “Europe’s continuing financial and military support for Ukraine is seen as a barrier to victory” for Russia, Lawrence Freedman writes. “Putin is becoming more blatant in his warnings and brazen in his actions to get the Europeans to turn off their support.”

nyti.msOpinion | Putin’s Desperate, Dangerous Game in EuropeVladimir Putin wants Europe to turn off its support to Ukraine, and he’s becoming more blatant in his warnings.

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EUwatch 🇪🇺
@euwatch.live

Bulgaria proposes six-way talks of Black Sea countries, including Russia

eualive.netBulgaria proposes six-way talks of Black Sea countries, including RussiaBulgaria on Wednesday proposed negotiations among the six countries bordering the Black Sea – Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey, to seek a moratorium on hostilities and turn the sea into a “zone of shared security”. The proposal, adopted after a five-hour meeting of Bulgaria’s Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS), goes beyond calls for stronger surveillance and military protection of the Bulgarian coast. It envisages Sofia helping to broker an arrangement that would include Russia, at a time when Moscow’s war against Ukraine escalates, while the Black Sea has become an increasingly contested security environment. The statement and proposals adopted after the CCNS meeting on “Current risks and threats to Bulgaria’s maritime security and critical infrastructure in the context of the war in Ukraine” were announced by President Iliana Iotova. “Bulgaria should take an active role in negotiations and finding consensus between the countries bordering the Black Sea – Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey – for a moratorium on hostilities in the Black Sea and for turning it into a zone of shared security”, Yotova said. She added that “the issue of the Black Sea, the risks, threats and security solutions should be presented at all European formats in which Bulgaria participates, most importantly at the upcoming EU Summit on 16 October.” The initiative raises questions about whether it was coordinated with Bulgaria’s EU and NATO partners and how it fits with their approach to the war and to possible talks for peace. Its language also appears to suit the Kremlin: a separate track of negotiations involving Russia as one of the key parties. That is particularly notable at a moment when NATO has been strengthening its security posture in the Baltic Sea. If Moscow sees its room for manoeuvre there narrowing, it could seek other forms of strategic leverage elsewhere – including the Black Sea. Against that backdrop, Sofia’s proposal for a negotiated “zone of shared security” could be interpreted as offering Russia precisely the kind of regional security arrangement it has long sought. The drones Bulgaria would not identify The CCNS meeting was called after Tuesday’s a large-scale rescue operation was launched following coordinated attacks involving maritime and aerial drones targeted two commercial vessels around 70 nautical miles from Byala, east of Cape St Atanas. It was described as the first attack against ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. Yet throughout the meeting, the origin of the drones was carefully left open. Prime Minister Rumen Radev insisted that Bulgaria could not accuse Russia without evidence. “We cannot claim that the strike was carried out by Russia without having evidence. This is a hypothesis, and when we talk about national security, we cannot work with hypotheses,” he said. He went further in rejecting a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine and Bulgarian services had established that the attack was Russian. Radev said Bulgarian security officials had given the CCNS “very clear reports” that there had been no communication with the Ukrainian side identifying the drone. “What Zelenskyy said, that is his responsibility,” he said. The Bulgarian government will seek coordination with Romania and Turkey and support from the United States for examining the area. Sofia has also asked the European Maritime Safety Agency to conduct, free of charge, an examination of debris from the sunken vessel. Only after such an investigation, Radev said, would Bulgaria be able to establish what type of drone was used and who carried out the attack. A divided security debate The reluctance to identify the perpetrator was one of the clearest points of disagreement at the CCNS. Ivaylo Mirchev of Democratic Bulgaria said there were “clear indications of Russian involvement” in the sinking of one vessel and the striking of another. His parliamentary group did not support the final statement because proposals for an immediate diplomatic note to Russia and a renewed Bulgarian call for a ceasefire and genuine peace negotiations were not accepted. Former prime minister Nikolay Denkov, representing We continue the Change, also called for the investigation to be completed, but appeared to reject the possibility of a Ukrainian attack, arguing that Ukraine would have little reason to strike vessels carrying its own grain from ports in Romania and Odesa. Movement od Rights and Freedoms (DPS )representative Stanislav Anastassov said the government had enough information to identify the perpetrator but should make that information public. The CCNS nevertheless agreed on a broad package of security measures, including faster acquisition of anti-drone systems, stronger maritime surveillance, protection of critical infrastructure and closer cooperation with NATO and the EU. The council also called for an EU framework for free and safe navigation in the Black Sea, consultations with Romania and Turkey, and technical and legal analysis by the UN’s International Maritime Organization. The meeting itself was convened by President Yotova, despite Radev’s opposition to the move. She said the attacks represented an escalation threatening freedom of navigation and economic security, and stressed that an immediate ceasefire was the strongest guarantee for Bulgaria’s security. Sources: EUalive’s partners BGNES and Segabg.com Caption: Participants in the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) following the meeting, as Vice President Iliana Iotova addresses the podium. / President’s Press Secretariat

European Citizen reposted

Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas.bsky.social

Replying to @kajakallas.bsky.social

We must firmly reject any form of antisemitism across Europe. Jewish communities must be able to live openly, safely and without fear. Hamas brought unspeakable suffering to the Israeli people and left devastation in its wake. Hamas must disarm so that the Gaza Peace Plan to move forward

European Citizen reposted

Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas.bsky.social

The 7 October attacks were a barbaric act of terror. Today, we stand with Israel in remembering every life taken and destroyed at the hands of the Hamas terrorists. Our thoughts are with the victims, the survivors, their families and all those who continue to carry the pain of that terrible day.