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Alberto Nardelli
For Alberto Nardelli's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Soldiers during a live-fire exercise in Weiden, Germany
WORLD / Politics
Mar 5, 2024
Germany faces pressure to tighten security after Ukraine details exposed
One official described the lapses that led to the leak as expected from people who have never had security briefings but not from military officials.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2023.
WORLD
Feb 24, 2024
Europe’s east is losing faith in its west over arming Ukraine
The mood in diplomatic circles is that, should Russia ultimately win its war in Ukraine, Western Europe will not be forgiven.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2024
Russia may launch nuclear weapon into space this year, U.S. tells allies
Moscow is said to be developing a space-based capability to knock out satellites using a nuclear warhead, in violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday. Many were alarmed by Trump’s comments that he would "encourage” Russia to attack U.S. allies that didn’t pay into NATO, but European leaders were already pondering the prospect of an alliance without the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024
Once-bitten Europe is better prepared for Trump’s NATO tirades
The EU is quietly preparing an impact assessment of the November U.S. election — particularly the scenario in which Trump wins.
A farmer throws an egg aimed at police officers as farmers from Belgium and other European countries use their tractors to block the area outside the European Parliament, as they protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation, in Brussels, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024
How farmers, football and fatigue got Viktor Orban to cave on Ukraine
Angry farmers' noisy protest against burdensome EU regulations robbed Hungarian leader of a good night's sleep.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024
EU breaks deadlock on €50 billion for Ukraine after Orban caves
The deal is crucial for Ukraine, which has warned that its coffers are emptying as it grapples with a weapons shortage.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, speaks during the Summit on Methane and Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases on day three of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023
EU takes tough line to China to level economic playing field
The EU fears China's weakened economic recovery may drive an uptick in exports
Valdis Dombrovskis, trade commissioner for the European Union, at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Oct. 13.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2023
EU says lack of U.S. clarity on tariffs sank trade announcement
Valdis Dombrovskis, an executive VP at the European Commission, said the U.S. had previously agreed to work toward removing the measures.
French President Emmanuel Macron, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then-U.S. President Donald Trump during a photo opportunity at a NATO leaders summit in the U.K. in 2019.
WORLD
Sep 29, 2023
Europe is trying to ‘Trump proof’ the transatlantic relationship
Trump, 77, holds a commanding lead over his rivals in the contest for the Republican nomination, despite his mounting legal troubles.
Visitors inspect a BYD electric sedan at a motor show in Munich
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2023
Did Europe just start a trade war with China over electric cars?
The EU launched a probe into Beijing’s financial support for the EV industry amid fears that Chinese exports are putting auto jobs at risk.
Ukrainian servicemen fire small multiple launch rocket systems toward Russian troops near a front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Aug. 19.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2023
Ukraine’s slow offensive buoys Putin and worries allies
More than two months into its counteroffensive, Kyiv has so far managed to make only tactical advances against heavily dug-in Russian forces.
The remains of a missile that dropped cluster bombs at a housing complex in Sloviansk, Ukraine
WORLD
Aug 18, 2023
Unexploded missile suggests Moscow is rushing weapons to the front
The discovery adds to other evidence that Moscow is under pressure to fire missiles as soon as they roll off manufacturing lines.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2023
Macron is trying to get back on the right side of history — and NATO
The French leader has shifted gears, aiming to speed the eastward expansion of both NATO and the European Union by clearing a pathway to membership for Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2023
G7 tells 'Global South' that a just peace requires Russia leaving Ukraine
The gathering took place against the backdrop of an attempted mutiny in Russia but focused on the war in Ukraine and its future.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 23, 2023
Ukraine reports slow counteroffensive progress as its forces attack supply lines
Kyiv said its forces have advanced up to a kilometer on the southern front.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 23, 2023
Russia pressuring India and others amid financial crackdown push over Ukraine
The Kremlin is said to be threatening to upend defense and energy deals unless partners help block expected moves aimed at financially isolating it over the invasion.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 29, 2023
Europe takes tougher stance toward China in boost to U.S. policy
Countries such as Germany and Italy are following the Netherlands’ example and studying export and investment controls adopted by the U.S.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 19, 2023
Russian memo said war leaves Moscow too reliant on Chinese tech
A previously unreported assessment suggests that some senior officials are worried that Chinese companies may pose a risk to the country’s information security and networks.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 19, 2023
Macron driving diplomatic efforts toward talks between Russia and Ukraine
The French president has tasked his foreign policy adviser to work with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to establish a framework for the talks, sources have said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2023
Macron wants China’s help to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table
On his recent trip to China, the French president fell short of his goal to convince Xi to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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