Earlier this year, Italy was shaken by the emergence of a new far-right party, Futuro Nazionale, a political force born out of a split within the ruling Lega. In the more than six months since its founding, Futuro Nazionale has rapidly climbed the opinion polls. Given Italy's important positioning within the European Union and its role in supporting Ukraine, the phenomenon of this newly created party deserves attention. Roberto Vannacci and the founding of the party Futuro Na

Why do France's presidential elections matter for Ukraine? France's next presidential election is due in spring 2027. Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent president who has been in office since 2017, will be ineligible to stand again and so France is guaranteed a new leader next year. The French Republic is currently an important partner in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, and the country's political system is structured in such a way that the president largely determ

When Icelanders asked themselves what the European Union had to offer them, they concluded that the economic and security benefits of EU membership were not as obvious as the negative consequences for their identity and sovereignty. On 29 August, Icelanders rejected the resumption of EU accession negotiations: 52.8% against, 47.2% in favour, on a turnout of 82.5%. The margin was just under 13,000 votes. The result almost mirrors Brexit (51.9% against 48.1%) and the Norwegian

The prospect of Russia escalating its war onto EU and NATO territory is drawing growing attention in political circles and the media. This article examines why the Kremlin might choose to escalate, what it hopes to achieve, and what Europe and NATO can do to prevent Moscow from carrying out its plans. The purpose of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow on 25 August remains somewhat unclear, but an American belief that Russia is considering a military operation again

Since assuming the presidency in 2017, Emmanuel Macron has energetically promoted the idea of European ‘strategic autonomy,’ a concept deeply rooted in French international relations theory. It envisages, among other things, the expansion of pan-European collective security mechanisms that would ultimately minimise the role of the United States. Despite the general difficulty of implementing this concept, Paris made substantial progress on one of its key aspects in March 2026

Among the first meetings Péter Magyar held after his parliamentary election victory were those with representatives of the Hungarian minorities in Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. According to László Gubík, the leader of the ethnic Hungarian political party in Slovakia ‘Hungarian Alliance’, the incoming prime minister gave assurances that the policy of supporting ethnic Hungarians beyond Hungary's borders would continue. And indeed it has: on 21 April, in a phone call

Throughout Trump’s second term, his administration’s policies towards Ukraine, russia, and transatlantic alliances have been unpredictable and sometimes contradictory. The recently-released National Security Strategy attempts to outline a coherent vision for America’s new relationship with the world. The two-and-a-half pages on Europe are perhaps the most notable part of this vision, with the document’s harshest criticism reserved for its closest allies. Europe is portrayed a