Europe's rush to rearm to face off the threat from Russia means countries will have to buy weapons from the US as well as boosting their own arms industries, Lithuania's defense minister told us.

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The EU will not attempt to fully ban Russian liquefied natural gas purchases in its latest sanctions package, two EU diplomats told us, defying pressure to outlaw imports of the supercooled fuel.

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Hamas has handed over the first of eight hostages expected to be released from Gaza today to Israel.

In exchange, Israel is set to release 110 Palestinian prisoners.

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👋 Hey! We’re joining forces with the Munich Security Conference in an inaugural partnership — and we’re opening the doors to the POLITICO Pub.

Join us there for in-depth coverage and analysis of the world’s leading international security forum Feb. 13-16. Cheers!

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Moscow has joined Washington in calling for Ukraine to hold elections, sparking concern in Kyiv as it attempts to fend off Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion.

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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told the European Union to “step up” when it comes to supporting Ukraine ahead of a meeting with EU leaders to talk security.

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Russian armed forces have reportedly killed an "alarming" number of captured Ukrainian troops, the United Nations’ Human Rights Monitoring Mission said today.

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Ukraine’s military is strained, with soaring numbers of ill-trained and exhausted soldiers going AWOL and a difficulty in recruiting new troops.

That’s a problem for Kyiv as it tries to demonstrate to US President Donald Trump that it makes sense to continue backing Ukraine.

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Sahra Wagenknecht, a longtime icon of Germany’s far left who is leading her own party into this month’s election, says Donald Trump may be the key to ending the war in Ukraine.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply criticized US President Donald Trump’s proposal to tie future military aid for Ukraine to access to its rare earth resources, calling the move "very egotistic, very self-centered."

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President Vladimir Putin signed a decree yesterday establishing a Russian version of the Eurovision Song Contest, after the country was excluded from the continental competition nearly three years ago.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen privately suggested triggering an emergency clause to allow countries to increase defense spending, four European Union officials told us.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Ukraine should be given nuclear weapons once the hot phase of the war with Russia is over.

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Ukraine has been stressing for months that its rich deposits of everything from titanium to graphite could help US President Donald Trump beat China in the global race for resources.

This week, Trump took the bait.

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US President Donald Trump’s proposal to turn the war-torn Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East” was met with condemnation in the Arab world.

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Poland is NATO’s top military spender for two reasons: to keep America close and Russia at bay, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told us.

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Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede called for an early election on March 11, amid geopolitical tensions caused by US President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island.

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Discussions between Moscow and Washington are ongoing and have started to ramp up, Russian leader Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

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Europe’s Baltics are bracing for cyberattacks as they plan to decouple from a Soviet-era joint power grid with Russia and Belarus in 10 days’ time.

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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has sacked the boss of space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, the Kremlin announced today, as the once world-beating program falls behind its competitors in the space race.

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