Slovakia blocks year-long extension of EU sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs
Bratislava seeks shorter renewal period and removal of specific names as EU diplomats race against 15 September deadline
Bulgaria
Munich Molotovs, Bulgarian passports: the cheap hands of a spy service that lost its embassies
A GRU officer caught with a detonator is a casus belli. A 28-year-old from the Balkans caught with a bottle is a crime story
Critical materials will not wait for the next Commission. SOTEU can still change that
State of the Union on 16 September is useful only if it is treated as a decision, not a podium
Turkey says it has Black Sea grain plan and is in contact with Russia, Ukraine
The Odesa region, home to Ukraine’s ports of Reni and Izmail, has recorded 300 air-raid alerts since the start of August
In Bulgaria’s presidential race, the real prize is the silver medal
The runoff opponent facing Iliana Iotova will show whether pro-European forces can become a genuine alternative to power
From Breitbart to Newsmax: Balkan leaders seek a shortcut to Trump
The latest example is North Macedonia's PМ Hristijan Mickoski, who used an interview with Breitbart to air а message aimed at Trump’s circle
Coalition of the Willing rallies in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day
UK’s Burnham co-chairs summit and transfers Storm Shadow technology as Zelenskyy awards special honour to the British people and leaders prioritise air defence
Why did the claim of pro-Russian Romanian MEP about Bulgaria massing troops to seize Dobruja gain traction?
In a video that has attracted hundreds of thousands of views, Diana Șoșoacă repeated her longstanding claim that Romania is a “country at war” with Russia, while alleging that Sofia has received “security assistance” from Moscow.
Analysis: Ankara charts the big routes, Sofia seeks the small money
How Turkey is turning Bulgaria into its European gateway - and why a costly Botaş gas deal sits at the heart of the new “strategic partnership”
Russia’s firefighting mission to Serbia puts Bulgaria in an awkward spot
Moscow sends an Il-76 to help extinguish wildfires in Serbia via Bulgarian aispace, invoking humanitarian urgency
When it comes to Western Balkans and the rule of law, best should not be the enemy of good
Accession delay invites rule of law backsliding, waiting-room fatigue and greater vulnerability to malign interference from the EU’s geopolitical rivals
FT: Iran eyes striking U.S. assets in Bulgaria and Cyprus if Trump escalates war
Bulgaria’s Bezmer air base and Britain’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus emerge as potential targets amid fears of a wider war
