Jennifer Rankin

First #EU-#CentralAsia summit starts today. EU leaders should not turn a blind eye to Central Asian states’ repressive practices. Rights protections and the rule of law are essential to secure the EU’s own interests. theguardian.com/world/2025/apr… @vonderleyen @eucopresident

My respect for President Zelensky was already huge. I’m now in awe at how he’s taking on Putin and Trump at the same time. This man’s principle and above all his courage is something that all other european leaders, north, south, east and west should reflect on and learn from

My colleague @julianborger on "the new world where the foreign policy of the most powerful country on Earth has been rapidly reorganised around the fragile ego of a sullen and resentful old man" theguardian.com/world/2025/feb…

"Poland says it is under attack from its eastern neighbour, and its razor-wire fence reflects EU’s harsher migration stance" @JenniferMerode reports from the Poland-Belarus border. theguardian.com/world/2025/feb…

The shocking story of the tiny children taken from their mothers in Belgium's colonies because they were mixed race. Now five women have taken the Belgian government to court, alleging crimes against humanity. theguardian.com/world/2024/dec…

Why the Guardian is no longer posting on X theguardian.com/media/2024/nov…

German chancellor Olaf Scholz to address Bundestag for the first time since collapse of his government - live theguardian.com/world/live/202…

@JorgeLiboreiro I like this idea, although I also remember the time a small group of MEPs (group leaders) questioned Mark Zuckerberg and completely missed the chance to probe his answers.

@JenniferMerode Too many MEPs are given time to ask. It’d be more useful if a smaller group of MEPs were selected so they could follow up and press harder, creating a more cross-examination atmosphere.

The Kaja Kallas hearing was a missed opportunity, as these sessions are. So many repetitive questions from MEPs, almost no follow ups, so the person at the front repeats their talking points. Not a criticism of KK, but the hearings don't work as they should do.

@EULondonMark She was very assured and fluent, with a few spontaneous jokes, but she was never really put on the spot.

@JenniferMerode Kellas was very good though, I thought? Wooden scripted intro but then very good spontaneous (sounding!) answers....

@fbermingham The depressing thing is that they were just as bad before social media.

@JenniferMerode Fully agreed. It seemed like a lot of MEPs were gathering clips to post on social media rather than looking for substantive answers.

China must face ‘higher cost’ for backing Russia - the Kaja Kallas hearing. theguardian.com/world/2024/nov…

@irishagreement Agree, all pre-cooked in advance and too many MEPs want their Q to be a mini speech. Very little collegiality even within the same group.

@JenniferMerode Watched the Sefcovic session and each MEP who got to ask a question had their prepared question probaly agreed with their party, committee or group etc so they could not adapt to what he had said in previous answers and it was very repetitive.

after 3 hours of grilling the new EU foreign policy chief Kallas in the EP there have been several questions on Africa, Latin America, even Arctic - fine. and the final question was finally about Balkans - perhaps THE place where 🇪🇺 has the biggest influence. priorities...

Kaja Kallas references historian Timothy Snyder in her hearing with MEPs. "In order for a country to become better it has to lose its last colonial war." The EU has to do everything to ensure "Russia loses its last colonial war".

Dear EU delegations! Do you know that the Dorothea Hotel in Budapest, where you might be staying, is owned by the son-in-law of PM Orbán? @direkt36 has found out that @HU24EU has highly recommended Dorothea Hotel to delegations coming to the #EPC and informal #EUCO summits 🫴

A grim moment for #Kyiv. A second Trump presidency means the probable end of US military assistance to Ukraine. The country's troops are already outgunned on the battlefield, with Russia advancing at the fastest rate since 2022. East - most of Donetsk oblast - may be lost in 2025

Congratulations from Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, following victory for Maia Sandu in Moldova's elections. Silence from Viktor Orbán. theguardian.com/world/2024/nov…

Deflated mood tonight at the anti-government protest in Tbilisi. Many said they had hoped for more support from the EU, instead they received a visit from Orban. The momentum is not with the opposition. My report theguardian.com/world/2024/oct…

Remember Hungary's Sovereignity Protection Office? They've just published their "findings" on investigative portal @Atlatszo, conluding their activities "pose a sovereignty protection problem for Hungary, and the extent of the damage caused by their activities is considerable" 🧵