The Globalist

Why Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is so enamored with Vladimir Putin – and what the West should do about it.

In the run-up to the Ukraine invasion, Gazprom has conclusively proven that it is not a business but a politico-military enterprise – a central part of Putin’s war-making kit.

Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” movie is all you need to understand Gerhard Schröder, the former German Chancellor and close Putin crony.

How Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine are altering many previously long-held assumptions. Being criminal – and monstrous — is what Russia’s presumed “greatness” has been reduced to.

Reflections on a speech by Olaf Scholz that might have moved Germany from a Putin enabler to a leading democratic force in Europe.

What should the West do? Ukraine’s tough cards fighting Putin, why Russian mothers worry and the proper lessons from German history.

How serious is the UK government’s determination to act very firmly against Russian business interests in view of Putin’s constant transgressions?

The reaction to the appointment of Jennifer Morgan as a German deputy foreign minister betrays a lot of provincialism in Germany’s political culture.

The Biden administration is greatly irritated by the SPD’s submissive stance on Russia.

Sergio Mattarella stays on as president, Mario Draghi remains prime minister. For Italy and Europe, this is the least bad outcome of Italy’s presidential election.