Europe – Page 8 – Prologue Journal

A Pro-Ukraine Activist Is Accused by Slovakia’s Leader of Trying to Topple Him

New York Times A woman who runs a pro-Ukraine group has been accused by Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia of plotting to topple him as part of his campaign against organizations he says are funded from abroad. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/world/europe/slovakia-activist-fico.html

Ukraine Rejects U.S. Demand for Half of Its Mineral Resources

New York Times President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly faulted the American offer, which is tied to continued aid, because it did not include security guarantees. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/world/europe/ukraine-minerals-us-deal-rejected.html

British Couple on World Motorcycle Tour Is Detained in Iran

New York Times The couple last posted online from Iran in early January. Britain’s foreign office confirmed their detention after Iranian reports about British nationals accused of “security crimes.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/world/europe/british-couple-detained-iran.html

Vance and Musk Attack German Consensus on Nazis and Speech

New York Times Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk have challenged decades-long approaches to political extremism that were designed to prevent another Hitler. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/world/europe/vance-musk-nazis-afd-munich.html

A Quick, Quiet Trip to Belarus Signals a Turn in U.S. Policy

New York Times After years of the U.S. trying to isolate Russia’s closest ally, a meeting with Belarus’s president points to better relations, raising hopes of loosening his repression and his embrace of Moscow. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/world/europe/belarus-us-prisoners-diplomacy.html

Even in Death, the Kremlin Views Navalny as an Enduring Threat

New York Times Russian authorities have zealously prosecuted people with links to Aleksei A. Navalny’s organization inside Russia in the year since he died. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/world/europe/navalny-russia-death.html

German Chancellor Rebukes Vance for Supporting Party That Downplays Nazis

New York Times At the Munich Security Conference, Olaf Scholz accused the U.S. vice president of unacceptable interference in Germany’s coming elections. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/world/europe/scholz-vance-munich-germany.html

Zelensky Says Ukraine Is Unlikely to Survive the War Without U.S. Support

New York Times His comments came on the first day of the Munich Security Conference, where anxious European officials had hoped to learn more about U.S. plans to broker peace talks. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/world/europe/zelensky-nbc-meet-the-press.html

Vance Shocks Europe With Support for Far Right, in Message Familiar to U.S.

New York Times The vice president’s speech in Munich, expressing support for far-right, anti-immigration parties and criticizing suppression of conservative voices, was a global extension of his core political themes. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/us/politics/vance-far-right-germany-munich-afd.html

High Above Chernobyl, Workers Grapple With Ice, Fire and Nuclear Fears

New York Times After an apparent drone strike blew a hole in the protective shell, there is an urgent need to patch what covers the wreckage of the world’s worst nuclear accident. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/world/europe/chernobyl-drone-blast-scene.html