When a group of defense insiders gathered in Whitehall, the home of the British government, last month to discuss how prepared the United Kingdom and its allies were for a war they believe could come in the next few years,

China does not see Europe as a single political bloc but as a collection of states with varying strategic importance. Beijing aims to balance its approach between the US and the EU through economic and diplomatic means,

Polish leader Donald Tusk has warned that he will respond to incursions into his country’s territory. This raises the possibility of Warsaw shooting down a Russian jet in 2026. That would make EU leaders spring into action and jointly establish a 200 bln euro defence fund.

The European official said the man accused of coordinating a plot to put explosives in packages on cargo planes, for example, was recruited by Russian intelligence after involvement with smuggling guns and explosives. The man is linked to at least four other plots.