https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 22:18:13 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL In this week's Wider Europe briefing, Rikard Jozwiak drills down on how to prevent Russian combatants from entering the EU and how Brussels is planning to prolong the rights of Ukrainian refugees. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-eu-russian-soldiers-brussels-ukraine-conscripts/33791349.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-eu-russian-soldiers-brussels-ukraine-conscripts/33791349.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:19 +0200 Wider EuropeRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: EU enlargement as Ireland takes over the EU presidency. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-ireland-eu-presidency-enlargement/33787181.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-ireland-eu-presidency-enlargement/33787181.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:56:07 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesGeorgiaMoldovaUkraineMontenegroSerbiaKosovoNorth MacedoniaHungaryThe Rundown Stories You are listening to the audio version of the Wider Europe newsletter, published on June 23, 2026, read by an AI-generated voice of RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak. https://www.rferl.org/a/33787242.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33787242.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:55:10 +0200 Wider Europe Ukraine opens EU accession talks -- now comes the hard part. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-russia-sanctions/33781601.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-russia-sanctions/33781601.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:43:27 +0200 Wider EuropeThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak is drilling down on two issues: a damning rule-of-law assessment for Serbia and the latest Franco-German EU enlargement proposal. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-rule-of-law-eu-enlargement-french-german-plan/33776111.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-rule-of-law-eu-enlargement-french-german-plan/33776111.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:14:28 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesMoldovaRussiaUkraineMontenegroSerbiaKosovoNorth MacedoniaThe Rundown Stories Hungarian and Ukrainian diplomats reached a deal on Hungarian minority rights late on June 3, allowing Ukraine and Moldova to finally start de facto accession talks with the European Union later this month, after two years of Budapest vetoing this step under its previous government. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moldova-to-start-eu-accession-talks-after-breakthrough--minority-rights/33772673.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moldova-to-start-eu-accession-talks-after-breakthrough--minority-rights/33772673.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:09:53 +0200 NewsMoldovaUkraineThe Rundown Stories A number of European Union member states are pushing the European Commission to put forward legislation that makes it easier to deny tourist visas to Russian citizens over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-tougher-rules-russians-tourist-visas/33772574.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-tougher-rules-russians-tourist-visas/33772574.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:22:48 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope In this week's Wider Europe newsletter, Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: Why the EU isn’t naming a Russia envoy and the upcoming EU-Moldova summit. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-envoy-gerhard-schroeder-putin/33770809.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-envoy-gerhard-schroeder-putin/33770809.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:59:12 +0200 Wider EuropeMoldovaUkraineThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: more EU sanctions on Russia, and the US pressuring EU countries to allow Belarusian potash exports. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-russia-sanctions-belarus-potash-exports-jozwiak/33764597.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-russia-sanctions-belarus-potash-exports-jozwiak/33764597.html Tue, 26 May 2026 12:02:43 +0200 Wider EuropeBelarusRussiaUkraineRussia Invades Ukraine US officials have proposed that Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine lift sanctions on Belarusian potash to allow the transit of the agricultural product – a major source of hard currency revenue for Minsk --- through their territories. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-fertilizer-potash-exports-us-sanctions-eu/33762526.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-fertilizer-potash-exports-us-sanctions-eu/33762526.html Fri, 22 May 2026 15:03:29 +0200 NewsBelarusRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, drills down on two issues: the terrorist threat Russia poses to the EU, and Brussels’ expanded mission to Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-russian-threats-eu-mission-ukraine/33759598.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-russian-threats-eu-mission-ukraine/33759598.html Tue, 19 May 2026 12:02:20 +0200 Wider EuropeRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A leaked EU threat assessment seen by RFE/RL warns that terrorism and violent extremism “pose a significant threat to the EU,” citing heightened risks from Afghanistan and Iran as well as negative spillover effects from the war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/leaked-eu-report-rising-terror-risk-iran-afghanistan-russia/33758305.html https://www.rferl.org/a/leaked-eu-report-rising-terror-risk-iran-afghanistan-russia/33758305.html Sat, 16 May 2026 13:21:43 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown HeadlineEurope Has the moment arrived to start Ukraine’s EU accession talks? https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-ukraine-moldova-eu-accession/33754585.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-ukraine-moldova-eu-accession/33754585.html Tue, 12 May 2026 12:55:54 +0200 Wider EuropeThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: Montenegro edging closer to the European Union; and more sanctions on Russians for the deportation of Ukrainian children. https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-eu-accession-progress-russia-sanctions-ukrainian-childreeurope-/33750255.html https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-eu-accession-progress-russia-sanctions-ukrainian-childreeurope-/33750255.html Tue, 05 May 2026 12:08:02 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesRussiaUkraineMontenegroThe Rundown Stories The Armenian capital, Yerevan, will get a rare opportunity to be the center of global attention when dozens of world leaders -- and the NATO chief -- gather in the south Caucasus for two European-led summits beginning this week.  https://www.rferl.org/a/yerevan-armenia-summit-europe-pashinyan-starmer-ukraine/33748205.html https://www.rferl.org/a/yerevan-armenia-summit-europe-pashinyan-starmer-ukraine/33748205.html Mon, 04 May 2026 01:22:17 +0200 ArmeniaUkraineWider EuropeThe Rundown Stories EU ambassadors gave a green light to both a 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine and the latest round of sanctions on Russia, but another decision went largely unnoticed: the creation of a working group to draft Montenegro’s EU accession treaty. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-step-montenegro-accession/33747077.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-step-montenegro-accession/33747077.html Fri, 01 May 2026 15:44:11 +0200 NewsMontenegroEuropeNews Analysis What was missing from the EU sanctions on Russia https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-sanctions/33744221.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-sanctions/33744221.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:58:13 +0200 Wider EuropeThe Rundown Stories European Union ambassadors have given a green light to a 90 billion euros ($106 billion) loan for Ukraine for this and next year, after Hungary and Slovakia lifted their vetoes following the resumption of operations on the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-loan-ukraine-aid-package-druzhba-hungary-slovakia/33737963.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-loan-ukraine-aid-package-druzhba-hungary-slovakia/33737963.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:30:04 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope The EU goes full-in on Armenia with mission and summit   https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-eu-armenia-mission-summit/33736474.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-eu-armenia-mission-summit/33736474.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:08:12 +0200 Wider EuropeArmeniaThe Rundown Stories This week, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: What will happen with NATO after a few tough weeks https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-future-rutte-trump-meeting-ukraine/33731398.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-future-rutte-trump-meeting-ukraine/33731398.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:39:07 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesUkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope