It's Monday. There's a political crisis in France. We've got a live blog going if — like us — you're wondering WTF just happened. www.politico.eu/article/fran...

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unveiled key members of his new government today, ending weeks of uncertainty following his appointment last month.

France’s new armed forces minister is France’s old economy minister, namely Bruno Le Maire

Turns out, some EU members are more directly threatened by Russia than others and their different threat perceptions affects their openness to common spending on counter drone measures. www.politico.eu/article/ursu...

Emmanuel Macron is currently working on "updating" France's nuclear doctrine and will make a speech about it in early 2026. www.faz.net/aktuell/poli...

East-West divide on EU's drone wall The project is backed by frontline nations including Baltic states and Poland, but criticized by France, Germany and Italy. www.politico.eu/article/fran...

The European Commission yesterday proposed four key defense projects — including a drone wall to block Russian aerial aggression.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed skepticism about the concept of a “drone wall” to protect eastern countries against Russian aerial incursions — a project currently being pushed hard by the European Commission. www.politico.eu/article/germ...

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pours cold water on the drone wall at the @warsawforum.bsky.social: "We won't have a drone wall in 3 or 4 years."

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur says at the @warsawforum.bsky.social that Estonia "had to unclassify some of the radar information to show that Russia is lying" about violating the country's airspace.

I am at the @warsawforum.bsky.social with @jancienski.bsky.social — come say hi if you’re around!

The European Commission will work on technical and financial details to build a drone wall to protect Europe against Russia, after a series of airspace violations by Moscow's warplanes and unmanned aerial vehicles.

FCAS latest — France is now also floating a plan B in case talks with Germany fail on the next generation fighter jet: Build the warplane alone www.politico.eu/article/fran...

What are NATO’s rules of engagement? How can they be changed? Why didnt NATO shot down the Russian warplanes last week? Read our explainer, with @victorjack.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/nato...

How is NATO balancing deterrence and defense in responding to Russia’s repeated airspace violations? Read this @politico.eu article by @laukaya.bsky.social with my take ✈️ @rusi.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/nato...

Donald Trump caught officials off guard with his most pro-Ukraine statement to date — a bold assertion that Kyiv can not only win its war against Russia, but also take back every inch of territory it’s lost.

Russia's repeated violations of NATO airspace in the past few weeks are raising a difficult question for the alliance: Whether to respond by shooting down Russian aircraft.

Pouring fuel to the FCAS fire anyone? www.politico.eu/article/dass...

🚨 BREAKING: Three Russian fighter jets flew into Estonian airspace today in a serious escalation on NATO’s eastern border. Read the developing story: ow.ly/rBwh50WZpov

Russia has significantly escalated strikes on Ukraine since President Trump took office, data shows, defying his call for peace by increasing the range of buildings hit, including civilian ones.

The German military is pressing for a dramatic expansion of its ranks by 2029 and beyond as it looks to become Europe's dominant army, according to a classified memo obtained by POLITICO.

Denmark has chosen the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system over US Patriots, in a massive win for Paris and a blow to Donald Trump.

NATO isn’t ready yet for Russia’s drones. More than three years after the war in Ukraine started, allies don’t have cost-effective counter-measures to deal with cheap Russian attacks. www.politico.eu/article/russ...

Denmark has chosen the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system over the US Patriot. Massive win for Paris and first clear consequence of Trump's European policy on arms sales. www.fmn.dk/da/nyheder/2...

Revealed: Apple is teaching its AI to adapt to the Trump era www.politico.eu/article/appl... By @heroceane.bsky.social

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants the EU to help front-line countries monitor and defend their borders against potential Russian aggression — backing a long-standing request from Poland and Baltic nations. www.politico.eu/article/von-...

Newly appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will have to hit the ground running, taking the reins of government just as protesters seek to bring France to a grinding halt.

I am old enough to remember that Hungary originally abstained on the SAFE regulation (as the only EU country). Buy Orban is certainly not one to say no to EU money if it comes without rule of law conditionality.

SAFE: The European Commission published a tentative allocation of the €150 billion loans-for-weapons scheme among EU countries. Poland, Romania, France and Hungary are set to receive the biggest sums — respectively €43.7 billion, €16.6 billion, €16.2 billion and €16.2 billion.

Qui est Sébastien Lecornu ? Le « survivant » politique de la France – et peut-être le prochain Premier ministre. septembre 4, 2025 5:02 pm CET Par @laukaya.bsky.social @politico.com www.politico.eu/article/seba...

France's prime minister is likely to be ousted — again — and political turmoil risks delaying the country's pledge to boost defense spending, amid increasing worry about the Russia threat and Donald Trump's commitment to European security.

Donald Trump vowed today to keep American troops in Poland, adding he could even increase their numbers. “We’ll put more there if they want,” Trump told journalists at a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. “They’ll be staying in Poland.” www.politico.eu/article/dona...

I dug into the Israeli entities that have received EU funding. Here’s what I found - www.irishtimes.com/world/middle...

Growing international instability is prompting France and Germany to break a decades-old taboo by opening talks on how France’s nuclear deterrent could underpin Europe’s security.

France and Germany will open a "strategic dialogue" on how French nuclear weapons can contribute to Europe's security. www.politico.eu/article/fran...

Europe must assert hard power or become a ‘hunted animal,’ France’s top general warns August 28, 2025 3:43 pm CET By @laukaya.bsky.social @politico.com This article is also available in: French. www.politico.eu/article/euro...

The British government has blocked Israeli officials from attending a major defense conference in London amid continued criticism of the campaign in Gaza.

Europe must assert hard power or become a "hunted animal," France’s chief of defense, General Thierry Burkhard, warns in an interview. Europeans need to unite to "achieve the critical mass needed to have influence and avoid being sold off by the slice." www.politico.eu/article/euro...

Read every word. Europe needs to act more forcefully in a fragmented and violent world. More forcefully politically in the first place, but in real political terms and defense as well ↘️ www.politico.eu/article/euro...

“Wu added that the parade would also feature new tanks, autonomous vehicles for ground, naval and air use and electronic warfare equipment such as directed energy weapons and electronic jamming systems.” on.ft.com/45SMaXl China military parade to show off hypersonic missiles and autonomous weapons

Le mouvement de Mélenchon estime que le reporter Olivier Pérou, auteur du livre-enquête «la Meute» avec Charlotte Belaïch de «Libération» n’est pas le bienvenu à ses «Amfis» de rentrée. Une interdiction d’accès qui n’était pratiquée, jusqu’ici, que par l’extrême droite. ➡️ bit.ly/47GrsMF

Trump’s EU arms sales boast doesn’t add up. European countries already buy almost two-thirds of their weapons from the U.S. — and there’s little chance the new trade deal will shift that by much. With Chris Lunday www.politico.eu/article/dona...

While France and Germany must address many questions about Europe's next-generation fighter jet by year-end, both say they are committed to advancing the program.

FCAS: Next-gen fighter jet developed by France, Germany and Spain faces "moment of truth" in coming months, Sébastien Lecornu told reporters during a trip to Germany this week.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken hit back at Dassault CEO Éric Trappier over the French executive's refusal to let Belgium participate in a European next-generation fighter jet project.

⚫️ La Direction de l’AFP partage l’angoisse exprimée par la SDJ quant à la situation effroyable de ses collaborateurs dans la bande de Gaza ⬇️

The European Commission has allocated at least €131 billion for defense and space in the next 2028-2034 EU budget. It's included in a wider €410 billion so-called competitiveness fund to boost the bloc’s industries, including strategic technologies.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou confirmed today that the country’s defense budget will increase by €6.5 billion next year — while there will be €43.8 billion in spending cuts in other areas.

France will boost defense spending to €64 billion in 2027, French President Emmanuel Macron announced today, without saying where the money will come from.