Central Europe

New Polish President Makes NATO Bases in Central Europe a Priority for Warsaw Summit

By Guardian, AP, and Irish Times

From Guardian:  The Conservative politician Andrzej Duda has been sworn in as Poland’s new president, immediately calling for a stronger Nato presence in his country to counter a perceived military threat from Russia.

What Ukraine Can Learn From Poland

By Oksana Khomei

When the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, both Poland and Ukraine were poor. Since then, the Polish economy has boomed, while Ukrainians are poorer than they were twenty-four years ago. Poland got its reforms right in the 1990s, and now plays a significant role in Ukraine’s reform process. This is evident in the close relations […]

Slovak Intelligence: Russian Spies Increase Activities in EU, NATO

By AP

Slovakia’s spy agency [SIS] says Russian agents have significantly increased their activities in Slovakia and all other NATO and European Union countries in connection with the crisis in Ukraine.

From Chile to the Czech Republic: Diplomats Debate the Future of the Nation-State

By Larry Luxner

Five Washington-based foreign ambassadors shared the stage with US officials June 29 to discuss the 2015 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR)—a report that deals with complex issues such as the rise of non-state actors. Thomas Perriello, QDDR Special Representative since his February 2014 appointment by Secretary of State John Kerry, unveiled the study at […]

Poland’s Sikorski Urges Tougher NATO Stance Against Russia

Two days after resigning as the Speaker of Poland’s Parliament following an eavesdropping scandal, veteran Polish politician Radosław Sikorski said his country and the United States must jointly stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s provocations in Ukraine. Speaking June 12 at the Atlantic Council’s Wrocław Global Forum 2015, Sikorski thanked the US government for […]

Poland Says Next NATO Summit Should Invite Macedonia, Montenegro to Join

By Wiktor Szary, Reuters

The former Yugoslav republics of Macedonia and Montenegro should be invited to join NATO when it holds its next summit in Warsaw in 2016, Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Friday.

Polish Leaders Urge Solidarity for Ukraine

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Officials stress they don’t seek confrontation with Russia Top Polish officials June 12 exhorted the transatlantic community to show solidarity with countries bearing the brunt of Russia’s aggression, but stressed that they do not seek a confrontation with Moscow. “The European response to the situation in the east can be driven as much by our […]

NATO Publics Reluctant to Provide Military Aid to Allies Under Attack

By Katie Simmons, Bruce Stokes, and Jacob Poushter, Pew Research Center

Going forward, most NATO members are willing to provide economic aid to Ukraine and offer it NATO membership.

NATO Spearhead Troops Practice Fast Deployment in Poland

By AP and Allied Command Operations

From Monika Scislowska, AP:  Hundreds of NATO troops with heavy equipment began a military exercise in Poland on Tuesday, testing the alliance’s rapid response readiness in the face of new security challenges on its eastern flank….