Paul Varakas’ Post

How do the #EUElections2024 impact the EU position on the Israel/Hamas war and the prospect for peace? Some of my thoughts as I shared with Sunniva Rose from The National News.

Several European Union leaders have expressed their approval of the start of EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola stated that the vote was a proud moment for Ukraine, Moldova, and Europe. She added, "We have kept our promises, made history, and now we will write the future together." Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called the "historic" decision an achievement "against all odds." She mentioned that "Ukraine and Moldova have done their homework and are ready to take the next steps towards joining our European family." Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda described the move as "a victory of all Europe," and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that this was a "clear signal" that their future lies within the EU. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar noted that the outcome was "certainly quicker than any of us expected" because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room instead of blocking the decision. "In fairness to Prime Minister Orban, he made his case very strongly. He disagrees with this decision and is not changing his opinion, but he decided not to use the veto power," Varadkar said. "I have to say, I respect the fact that he didn't do that because it would have put us in a very difficult position as a European Union," the Irish leader added. Meanwhile, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo suggested that Orban "didn't use his veto because he realized that it would be indefensible." Source: DW Assessment This is a positive step forward for the European Union (EU) as it aligns with their tradition of countering Russian influence in Europe. However, it's important to note that this doesn't guarantee membership for the countries involved and the process will take a considerable amount of time. Moreover, Russia is likely to increase its information warfare against both countries and there's a risk of military action in Moldova. This could become a critical issue for Europe if Ukraine fails to get the support it needs and is unable to expel Russia. If Russia wins in Ukraine, it could turn its sights towards countries like Georgia or Moldova due to the military infrastructure it has built, enabling it to continue its expansionist objectives. Like, share, and subscribe! If you want to support us, please follow the link in our bio to buy us a coffee (or beer) or contact us to discuss your intelligence requirements. #russia #moldova #eu #nato #thebloc 

💬We see that the war in Ukraine has brought us closer to the EU, - former Moldovan Prime Minister Gavrila Former Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita has expressed her belief that the war in Ukraine has accelerated her country's rapprochement with the European Union. She believes that the European path was natural for both Ukraine and Moldova. "If you look at the election programme, we said that we would apply for EU membership by the end of the mandate in 2024, in fact, in 2025. We believed that applying for candidate status was a natural next step to our Association Agreement and the Association process itself. We have always talked to the EU about how our neighbours should not mean our exclusion from the status of a potential candidate, and now we have seen that the war in Ukraine has brought us very close to our European partners, and this applies to the architecture of the entire European project. That is why it is important for Europe that Ukraine wins, so we did not consider it a difficult path, we did not consider it a change of course," the former Prime Minister explains. 👀Espresso | Get involved

A hipocrisia de Macron: Why is Macron suddenly pro-Ukraine? Fear of Le Pen Its an old ruse to deploy foreign policy for domestic purposes. France has a long history in that vein. General de Gaulle was adept at using popular domestic anti-Americanism on the world stage to embarrass pro-Nato political forces at home; François Mitterrand exploited the early 1980s Euromissile crisis with the Soviet Union to humiliate and isolate the French Communist party. Emmanuel Macron’s startling declaration that the West should not rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine is less a Damascene conversion than a strategy to stymy the Rassemblement National’s runaway 10 point poll lead for June’s EU elections. Macron has doubled down on his new-found international bellicosity by stating that there were ‘no limits’ to French support for Kiev A charitable soul might characterise President Macron’s support for Ukraine over the last two years as patchy. Whereas the US and Britain were supporting Ukraine before the Russian invasion, Macron refused even to accept Anglo-American intelligence that an invasion would take place, then blaming France’s director of military intelligence, whom he duly sacked. There followed the misguided and fruitless ‘negotiations’ with Putin and numerous declarations that France was avoiding escalation by denying Ukraine tanks or long-range artillery. This was interspersed with repeated injunctions not to ‘humiliate’ Russia. The upshot is that French military support for Ukraine is ranked around 15th, way behind the USA, Germany and the UK, according to the respected German Kiel Institute. So why has President Macron suddenly swerved to paint himself as the West’s champion of support for Ukraine? There are three reasons. First, to fill the vacuum left by both the US and the UK’s leaders’ absorption with forthcoming elections. Second, to revert to his old ideal of melding a European defence community as platform for the European elections. Finally, and most importantly, to embarrass the Rassemblement National in the European elections, not to mention their predicted victory in the 2027 presidentials. https://lnkd.in/dUQVAzf3

On June 25, the #EuropeanUnion officially started #accession #negotiations with #Ukraine and #Moldova - a move lauded by many officials as a marker in the history of EU accessions. Both countries have made rapid progress on structural reforms mandatory to join the bloc over the last two years. In December 2023, EU government leaders had already stated the talks could start if the two former Soviet republics did some additional homework. "This is a truly historical moment for my country," said the Deputy Prime Minister of #Ukraine, Stefanishyna Olga, who noted that the start of talks gives #Ukrainians "the moral power to continue withstanding" Russia. #Moldova, a former Soviet republic, is holding presidential elections in October. The country's pro-Western authorities frequently accuse the Kremlin of interfering in its internal affairs. #Russia also has troops stationed in the breakaway region of #Transnistria. While acknowledging and praising the progress made by both countries, some pointed out that the opening of talks is the symbolic #start of the #membership #process. This process is likely to take years - and may never lead to membership. "The path ahead will be challenging," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. European Council President Charles Michel pointed out that #Ukraine and #Moldova will have to continue carrying out "substantial #reforms" to #comply with the 33 #chapters that make up the #accession #process. 

3 key questions answered by Ian Bremmer: - Will Zelensky's US visit lead to more aid for Ukraine? - Will Prime Minister Tusk's return to power help make Poland a leader in Europe? - Is Prime Minister Sunak on the rocks in Britain? World #In60Seconds

My latest article on Peevski - Bulgaria's deep state leader and the repercussion for its EU and NATO membership The lack of an objective assessment of Mr Peevski’s role and actions by our key EU partners, a role he is now playing with the help of Mr Borissov, is tantamount to selling them a deeply corrupt Bulgarian hybrid version of Euro-Atlanticism that pays lip service to common EU and NATO policies and values while supporting major Russian energy projects and guaranteeing substantial cash flows to Moscow’s war machine. In both the short and long term, the surge in Russian pipeline gas sales via Bulgaria does not bode well for the EU’s and NATO’s ability to project power in the Balkan and the Black Sea region. Appeasement will not work, hardball politics will. https://lnkd.in/dxCq5mZP