This week, we bring you the latest from Vilnius as NATO leaders wrap up a crucial meeting of the defense alliance, plus all the news from Strasbourg as MEPs clash over an EU proposal to protect biodiversity.
Joining our host Suzanne Lynch from the Lithuanian capital is Jan Cienski, who breaks down the outcomes of the summit — including the latest on Ukraine’s membership ambitions and the thorny question of security guarantees. He also explains Turkey’s crucial role in unblocking Sweden’s bid to join the alliance and how the Turkish leader managed to link this decision to the country’s bid for EU membership. Here’s more from Suzanne and our colleague Jacopo Barigazzi.
Then we turn to Strasbourg where POLITICO’s Louise Guillot unpacks the outcome of one of the biggest legislative battles in recent memory over the EU’s nature restoration law — pinning business and farming industries against environmentalists and conservationists. She explains how this vote was a political blow for MEP Manfred Weber, leader of the center-right EPP Group in the European Parliament who tried to block the legislation, and what it indicates about Europe’s broader green ambitions.
Finally, we discuss the optimum outcome from the war in Ukraine — both for Ukraine and Europe — with the authors of a new Chatham House report, Orysia Lutsevych and James Nixey. The report is called “How to end Russia’s war on Ukraine” and can be found here.
