

Borrell in Morocco: Zero Tolerance for Any Involvement in EU Corruption Case
The EU foreign chief is in the unenviable position to have to consider the vital importance of Morocco, now implicated in the EU corruption scandal, to the bloc’s economy.
The EU foreign chief is in the unenviable position to have to consider the vital importance of Morocco, now implicated in the EU corruption scandal, to the bloc’s economy.
Even before Vladimir Putin’s announcement, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaïlo Podoliak described a possible truce as a “cynical trap” with an “element of propaganda.”
Following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of partial mobilization, leading European politicians have renewed their call for more sanctions. Only Viktor Orbán pleads for a removal of sanctions, as he claims they have hurt Europe more than Russia.
Stopping short of a complete visa ban on Russian citizens, the EU decided to suspend the existing agreement that eases visa issuance for Russians. Some Eastern European nations are now considering putting regional bans in place.
A U.S. State Department official expressed disappointment, saying that “Iran has, yet again, failed to respond positively to the EU’s initiative and … no progress was made.”
Tens of millions of tonnes of agricultural products have been stuck in Ukraine, creating a food shortage in the areas of the world that rely on Ukrainian exports, particularly Africa.
French President Emmanuel Macron was keen to display a smiling optimism by answering questions in English to international journalists in Versailles; a few minutes later, he was grave and serious in his address to French journalists, commenting in exactly the opposite terms.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took to Twitter upon hearing the outcome. She called it a “shame” and a “sham,” adding that “there can’t be any recognition of the ‘referendum’ and its outcomes.”
As the Russia-NATO standoff preoccupied Western leaders in late 2021, the worrying development did not receive the care it merited. At a meeting of EU foreign ministers last Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell at last presented their response.
Over the past couple of days, a deluge of events, press releases, and commentary touching on the Russia-NATO issue has buried news desks. It proved, however, highly revealing of the alliance’s internal cracks.