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☆ What activist hedge fund Starboard wants from Pfizer
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Alex Nicoll | Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Activist hedge fund Starboard has taken a stake in drug giant Pfizer. AdvertisementActivist hedge fund manager Jeff Smith outlined his concerns about drugmaker Pfizer on Tuesday but stopped short of offering a solution — saying that's a job for the board of directors. He also shared a version of the presentation his hedge fund Starboard presented to Pfizer officials at a meeting last week. "We all get measured by our track record," Smith told the crowd. The track record is not great during this period of time in the pharma industry."

Persons: execs, —, Jeff Smith, Smith, Pfizer, It's, I'm Organizations: Pfizer, Service, 13D, pharma Locations: Manhattan, Central, Olive Garden

☆ 4 trends to watch this bank earnings season
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Expect lots of questions about how lower rates will affect business going forward. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo will kick off earnings on Friday, followed by Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Bank of America on Tuesday. Related storiesHere are the top four things to look for this bank earnings season. AdvertisementGoldman Sachs CEO David Solomon described a "more challenging macro environment, particularly in the month of August," and said the bank's trading business was "trending down close to 10%." In good news, the compensation expert Johnson Associates sees bonuses up this year across the board, an analysis that's reflected in part of Wall Street's earnings results so far this year.

Persons: Wells Fargo, —, Daniel Pinto, Wells, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, What's, David Solomon, Solomon, Pinto, Banks, Johnson Organizations: JPMorgan, Service, JPMorgan Chase, Federal Reserve, Citi, Bank of America, Investment, LSEG, Renaissance, Barclays Financial Services Conference, Lending, Fed, Wall, Barclays

☆ What Jamie Dimon thinks about junior bankers with hush-hush private-equity jobs
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Last week, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon lashed out at investment bankers in training who quietly accept future-dated jobs with buyout firms. In the past, such recruiting tactics often took place after newbie investment bankers got some experience under their belts. Related storiesLast year's private-equity recruiting cycle kicked off while many bankers were still in training for their first full-time jobs after college. In August, JPMorgan issued a warning to incoming investment bankers about the risks of accepting hush-hush jobs with private-equity firms, including potential termination. AdvertisementIn the August letter, JPMorgan warned that future-dated jobs with a private-equity firm could present conflicts of interest for the bank.

Persons: —, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, hadn't Organizations: Service, JPMorgan, Georgetown University, Street's, Business, Georgetown

☆ Von der Leyen names European Commission's new top team
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a press conference, on the day of a European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium March 22, 2024. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday named Spain's ecological transition minister Teresa Ribera as the bloc's next antitrust commissioner while Estonia's Kaja Kallas will be in charge of foreign policy. All commissioners will report to German conservative von der Leyen, who this summer was handed a second term as EU chief executive by member states after her political camp won the most votes in EU elections. A second Trump presidency could sharply alter Western unity on supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion and up-end EU trade relations with the world's biggest economy. There was some drama on Monday on the next Commission's line-up, when France picked Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne as its new candidate after the incumbent, Thierry Breton, abruptly quit with tough words for von der Leyen.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Teresa Ribera, Estonia's Kaja, Andrius, Stephane Sejourne, Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic, Ribera, Denmark's, Margrethe Vestager, der Leyen, Trump, Thierry Breton, von der Leyen Organizations: European Union, EU, French, Big Tech, U.S, Ukraine Locations: Brussels, Belgium, China, France

☆ How Trump vs. Harris is playing out on Wall Street ahead of the debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. For Wall Street bankers, traders, and executives, the election also stands to affect their jobs and business prospects, from US trade relations to demand for megamergers. To see where Wall Street's top leaders stand ahead of Tuesday's debate, Business Insider scoured the Federal Election Commission website for individual donations from Wall Street leaders between 2023 and August. The data showed donations from leaders across investment banking, private equity, and hedge funds, including Blackstone and Evercore. See below to find which Wall Street tycoons are voting for which candidate in 2024 presidential election, in alphabetical order:

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris —, Richard Haass, Goldman Sachs, Trump, China —, Morgan Stanley, Harris, Joe Biden's, Biden Organizations: Service, Foreign Relations, Business, Centerview Partners, Wall Street, megamergers, Blackstone, JPMorgan, Citi, Bank of America Locations: China

☆ Could a $1.4M portrait found in a Maine attic be a long-lost Rembrandt?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The auction house believes this to be the highest sum ever paid for an artwork at a Maine auction. Thomaston Place Auction GallerieLost from the recordsRembrandt scholar Gary Schwartz said a potential buyer had earlier sought his opinion on the Maine portrait. 03:09 - Source: CNNArt historian Volker Manuth, who authored publisher Taschen’s 2019 monograph “Rembrandt: The Complete Paintings,” told CNN he was also approached by a potential buyer of the Maine portrait. But inclusion in a major catalog, or the backing of a big auction house, can increase a painting’s value manyfold. Schwartz suggested that, should the Maine portrait receive similar endorsement, it might be revalued at up to $5 million.

Persons: Kaja Veilleux, ”, Veilleux, Rembrandt —, Rembrandt, Kaja, Gary Schwartz, “, Schwartz, ” Schwartz, “ Rembrandt, Volker Manuth, Taschen’s, ’, reattributed, Rembrandt ”, Sotheby’s, Winter Organizations: CNN, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Academy of Fine Arts, Radboud University, Research, Christie’s, New York Times Locations: Camden , Maine, Thomaston, Europe, Maine, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Netherlands, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Vienna

☆ Jain Global ends its first month of trading slightly down as Citadel, Millennium eke out small gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Bradley Saacks | Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Big hedge funds like Millennnium and Citadel continued to eke out small gains in July. Bobby Jain's new fund, which started trading last month, fell slightly. AdvertisementBobby Jain's new hedge fund fell slightly in its first month of trading amid a disappointing month for the larger stock market. Jain Global, which started trading on July 1 with $5.3 billion in commitments, ended the month down roughly 0.65%, according to people with knowledge of the firm's results. Rival multistrategy funds like Ken Griffin's Citadel and Izzy Englander's Millennium Management eked out small gains in what was largely lackluster month for stocks.

Persons: Bobby Jain's, —, Ken Griffin's, Izzy Englander's Organizations: Citadel, Service, Jain, Management, Business

☆ Europe has shown it's less afraid of calling Putin's bluff than the US and getting Ukraine what it needs to fight Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Many European countries have also given more as a proportion of their GDP than the US has. AP Photo/Peter DejongIn early 2023, France became the first Western country to promise to send Ukraine Western armored combat vehicles. European countries have also led in letting Ukraine use Western weapons to hit military targets in Russia. But there are still hangups, and some European countries want partner support for Ukraine to go much further. He said that for most Americans, "if you ask them to name five European countries, they probably wouldn't be able to do it."

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, George Barros, Russia doesn't, Ukraine's, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Peter Dejong, Bradleys, Abrams, Davis Ellison, John Hamilton, Russia didn't, Ellison, Donald Trump, Mark Cancian, Kaja, Andrew Kravchenko Barros, Ingrida Šimonytė, Putin, Barros, It's, forwardness, Philip Ingram, Ingrida Simonyte, Denys Shmyhal, it's, Getty Images Ingram, Biden, JD Vance, it'll Organizations: Service, Kyiv, Business, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Mirage, AP, Ukraine Western, US, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Storm Shadows, The Hague, Strategic Studies, Army Tactical Missile, Russian, NATO, Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Eastern, Estonia's, Lithuanian, REUTERS, British Army, Ukrainian Governmental Press Service, Anadolu, Getty Images, Republican, America, GOP, Ukraine, Prosecutor's, Getty, White Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Europe, United States, Russian, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, European, Sweden, France, Paris, Kharkiv, Poland, Germany, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Borodianka, Ukraine's Kyiv, Ukrainian

☆ Blackstone just raised the stakes on its AI gamble
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Alex Nicoll | Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Blackstone has been positioning itself to benefit from the AI boom with data centers. Founder Steve Schwarzman set a new lofty new goal in an earnings call Thursday. He said Blackstone aims to be the biggest investor in AI infrastructure in the world. AdvertisementIt's not surprising when AI, a topic of du jour across corporate America, comes up in an earnings call. "Blackstone is positioning itself to be the largest financial investor in AI infrastructure in the world," the Blackstone's chairman and CEO said in the call.

Persons: Blackstone, Steve Schwarzman, —, laud Organizations: Service, Blackstone, Business Locations: America

☆ Welcome back to Wall Street earnings season
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But for now, we're turning to Wall Street in our big story, as big banks gear up to report their earnings. The big storyEarnings to watchMomo Takahashi/BIJust like that, it's Wall Street earnings season once again. Wall Street banks have been waiting for M&A, IPOs, and other fee-generating corporate dealmaking to come roaring back for two years. In May, the CEO shocked Wall Street by saying he plans to step down in the next five years . Will banks start charging for everyday consumer products like checking accounts?

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Sen, Peter Welch, Biden, Momo Takahashi, Wells, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Kaja Whitehouse, Jamie Dimon's, Kaja, Jefferies, Jamie Dimon, Wall, Marianne Lake, We're, Larry Fink, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Neil Dutta, Tesla's, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Rich Guy, Alyssa Powell, Andrei Cojocaru, David Zaslav, isn't, Joe, Zaslav, Jordan Parker Erb, Lisa Ryan, Joe Ciolli, Hallam Bullock, Annie Smith, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Democrat, Democratic, Hollywood, NATO, Business, showtime, JPMorgan, Citigroup, BlackRock, Bank of America, Getty, Warner Bros, Discovery, Air Lines, PepsiCo, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: New York, Chicago, London

☆ Private equity is booming. How to get a job in the finance industry's newest 'it' sector.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Getty Images; Shutterstock; BIThe traditional path to private equity starts with an investment banking job out of college. In 2023, private equity firms started reaching out in July before junior investment bankers finished their summer training. But at its core, private equity is in the business of making money by buying and running companies. Samantha Lee/InsiderA small group of headhunters and other advisors hold power over the private equity recruitment process. More on private equity pay and hiring:Have private equity's 'Hunger Games' recruiting tactics gone too far?

Persons: —, Blackstone, Apollo isn't, Goldman Sachs, it's, David Wurtzbacher, Wurtzbacher, Wharton, Graham Weaver, you've, Samantha Lee, We've, Jon Gray, Drew Angerer, Skye Gould, Steve Schwarzman, Jonathan Gray, Gray, Thoma Bravo, Atlantic's, Carlyle, Warburg Pincus, Wharton's, Axel Springer Organizations: Service, Apollo, KKR, Business, Getty, CPA, BI, Alpine Partners, Alpine's, Harvard Business School, Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Alpine, of Foreign Labor, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Harvard, Games, Wall, Citadel, headhunters, dealmakers, Private, PJT Partners, Centerbridge, of Michigan Locations: San Francisco, UPenn, Carlyle, Blackstone, Axel

☆ EU leaders pick von der Leyen for second term as Commission chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

European Union leaders agreed to nominate Ursula von der Leyen of Germany for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU's powerful executive body. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another right-winger, voted against von der Leyen and did not vote for Kallas, diplomats said. Von der Leyen's nomination still needs approval from the European Parliament in a secret ballot - widely seen as a trickier proposition than her endorsement by EU leaders. "It is a matter of convincing - if possible - a broad majority for a strong Europe," von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen hails from the centre-right, Costa from the centre-left and Kallas from Europe's liberal group.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa, Kaja Kallas, Charles Michel, Giorgia Meloni, von der Leyen, Costa, Meloni, Viktor Orban, Von der, Von der Leyen, there's, Kallas Organizations: Union, European Commission, Estonian, European, Italian, Kallas, EU, Kyiv, U.S Locations: Germany, Brussels, Portuguese, Hungarian, Europe, Ukraine, Russia

European Commission President and EPP lead candidate standing for re-election, Ursula von der Leyen greets delegates before giving a speech at the congress of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party at the Estrel Berlin Hotel in Berlin, on May 8, 2024. The European Union's three main political groups have come to an agreement on who will hold the bloc's top jobs, three officials told CNBC, leading to disgruntlement from some lawmakers in the continent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to remain in her post for a second five-year term under a deal struck Tuesday by EU leaders from the center-right European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists and the Liberals, the sources told CNBC. The commission president is in charge of the EU executive arm and holds responsibility over regulating the world's single market, proposing new legislation, and directing the bloc's policy agenda over the next five years. "There's an understanding between the three main parties," one of the three EU officials told CNBC.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Kaja Kallas, Antonio Costa Organizations: EPP, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, CNBC, European, EU, European People's Party, Socialists, Liberals, Estonian, European Council Locations: Berlin, Portuguese

☆ The Kremlin is accused of waging a 'shadow war' against the West with incidents of Russian sabotage on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Daniel Kochis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If true, the loss of a Polish shopping center by means of Russian arson would be shocking on its own. As NATO advances toward the July summit, it's become clear that more comprehensive discussions on addressing the Russian sabotage campaign must take place. Some of the earliest identified acts of Russian sabotage occurred in 2014 at ammunition depots in the Czech Republic killing two and causing $42.5 million in damage. Bulgaria has played a crucial role in supplying ammunition and shells to Ukrainian forces, especially in the early stages of the war. Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty ImagesWeapons and training facilities aiding Ukrainian forces are frequent targets.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, MAXIM SHEMETOV, Kaja Kallas, it's, Hannah Beier, Ozempic, Abrams, Matthias Merz, Russia, John MacDougall, Daniel Kochis Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters Estonia's, West, NATO, Scranton Army, BAE Systems, Denmark's Novo Nordisk, BAE, US Army, Getty Images, Energy, NATO Pipeline System, Deutsche Bahn, Investigators, DB, Getty, Kremlin, Ukraine, Center, Hudson Institute, United Locations: Polish, Poland, Wroclaw, Lithuania, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Estonia, Czech Republic, Vrbětice, Bulgaria, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Norwegian, Baltic, Bellheim, Germany, Czech, Europe, Berlin, France, Washington, Eurasia, United States, NATO

☆ Memorial Day weekend marred by severe weather — and it's not over
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Memorial Day weekend was marred by severe storms across the US. Scientists blame the heat and say the severe weather will continue. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementMemorial weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and this year it was marred by a series of severe weather incidents that scientists say could continue as temperatures rise. Severe weather, including thunderstorms and tornados, swept across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky over the holiday weekend, destroying buildings and killing over 20 people, according to the Associated Press.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, tornados, Associated Press, Business Locations: Maryland , Texas, Texas , Oklahoma , Arkansas, Kentucky

☆ A few NATO countries are lobbying the rest to be bolder when it comes to sending their own soldiers to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewSome NATO countries are encouraging their allies to be bolder when it comes to sending their own soldiers to Ukraine. Many NATO countries have aided Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, by providing weaponry and training of troops. However, some Western and Ukrainian officials believe that training Ukrainian soldiers on their own territory would be more efficient, the FT reported. Instructors from the Norwegian Home Guard train alongside Ukrainian soldiers in Norway in August 2023. Kallas said that even if NATO soldiers were attacked by Russia while in Ukraine, it wouldn't automatically trigger Article 5, NATO's collective defense clause.

Persons: —, Kaja Kallas, Jonathan Nackstrand, Kallas, It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kaja, Andrew Kravchenko Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Antoine Gyori, Ingrida Šimonytė Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Financial Times, Norwegian Home Guard, Getty, Ukraine, Estonia's, AP, Russia, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Norway, AFP, Europe, Zhytomyr, France, Western, Lithuanian

☆ Jane Street ordered to share what it sued Millennium to protect: its trade secrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Jane Street was ordered to turn over trade secrets to hedge fund Millennium as part of a lawsuit . Jane Street claims Millennium and two former traders stole an "immensely profitable" options trade. Jane Street will seek a protective order to block the trade from being revealed to others. AdvertisementA Manhattan federal judge ruled that proprietary trading giant Jane Street must turn over the details of the super-secretive and profitable trade that it claims were stolen by Izzy Englander's Millennium hedge fund. Manhattan federal judge Paul Engelmayer set a deadline of Thursday, May 23 for Jane Street to hand over details of the trade, which the firm has called "immensely profitable."

Persons: Jane Street, —, Izzy Englander's, Paul Engelmayer Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Manhattan

☆ It may look like Trump scared NATO back into readiness — but it's probably all down to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NATO states' increased defense spending in recent years has little to do with Trump, experts told BI. NATO spending has indeed accelerated since Trump entered politics. It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do itTrump's demands of NATO allies also weren't a departure from existing US policy. Threatening partners is "bananas"Trump's transactional take on NATO collective defense is ultimately reasonable, Bury said — but encouraging other countries to attack NATO allies is "bananas." AdvertisementIf US allies are spending more money on NATO defense, it's not because Trump is goading them, but because they're concerned about increasing global instability.

Persons: Trump, it's, —, Kaja Kallas, Mark Rutte, Edward Hunter Christie, Hunter Christie, William Alberque, Russia hadn't, hadn't, Alberque, Patrick Bury, Barack Obama, didn't, Joe Biden, Bury, Vladimir Putin Organizations: NATO, Trump, Service, Estonia's, Dutch, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK's University of Bath Locations: Russia, ”, NATO, Crimea, Trump, South Korea, Japan, United States, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: Trump’s making America irrelevant to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He formerly was a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for The New York Times in Europe and Asia and for CBS News in Paris. CNN —Madeline Albright famously called America the “indispensable nation.” Is former President Donald Trump making America the irrelevant nation? The first steps toward a new direction for such a Europe — without America — are already being taken. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu/Getty ImagesVon der Leyen has also said that upping European defense production would be a top priority for her second term — not to mention sorting through vastly divergent budgets of the various countries. Still, as a bloc, Europe at about 85 billion euros ($92 billion) has already passed the United States at 66.2 billion euros ($71.6 billion) in total commitments to Ukraine.

Persons: David A, Madeline Albright, Donald Trump, Alexey Navalny’s, Vladimir Putin, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Joe Biden, ” haven’t, Mette Frederiksen, ” Frederiksen, Ursula von der Leyen, Europe’s, Christine Wormuth, Peter, Paul, Kaja Kallas, Dursun, Leyen, Emmanuel Macron’s, Macron, David Lammy, unflinchingly, who’s, ” Kallas, Alar Karis, ” Karis, we’re, Der Spiegel, ” Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, Trump, Republicans, NATO, Security, Danish, America, Africa Command, Getty, Germany’s Kiel Institute, US, Union, Munich Security Conference, British, Labour Party, Estonian, Politico Europe, Kremlin, “ Locations: Europe, Asia, Paris, America, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, “, United States, Munich, Berlin, Brussels, Poland, Estonian, Anadolu, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, France, Russia’s, Sweden, Britain, German

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. plans to announce a "major sanctions package" on Friday, seeking to hold Russia responsible for the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said the country, which borders Russia, successfully thwarted a "hybrid operation" by Russia's security services on its territory. Russia's Federal Security Service has reportedly detained a woman with dual Russian-U.S. citizenship on suspicion of treason, Russian media reported Tuesday. The woman, believed to be a 33 year-old resident of Los Angeles, was arrested in the Urals mountain city of Yekaterinburg. She was reportedly arrested on suspicion of treason for raising funds for Ukraine's armed forces.

Persons: John Kirby, Alexei Navalny, Kaja Kallas Organizations: White, Russia, Internal Security Service, ISS, Federal Security Service Locations: U.S, Estonia, Russia, Los Angeles, Yekaterinburg

☆ Estonia thwarts ‘shadow war’ attack, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tells CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Estonia has thwarted a Russian-directed influence operation on its territory, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has told CNN. The Estonian Internal Security Service arrested 10 individuals, including both Russian and Estonian nationals. “There’s a shadow war going on against our societies,” Prime Minister Kallas told CNN. “The aim of Russia’s influence operations is to influence our democratic decision making. The Kremlin is also directly involved in shaping Russian influence operations in neighboring countries, according to Presidential Administration documents leaked last year.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, ” Kallas Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Estonian Internal Security Service, ”, Intelligence, SVR, Administration, Moldovan, NATO, European Union Locations: Estonia, Russian, Russia, –, NATO, Europe, Baltic States, Moldova

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine is igniting an old debate in Brussels over debt
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Munich, GERMANY — Should we borrow from global markets as one combined entity and raise new debt together? That's the question hanging on the shoulders of EU officials as they promise to spend more on defense amid Russia's onslaught in Ukraine. However, in 2020, the 27 members of the European Union decided that the best way to deal with the financial and extraordinary impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was to jointly raise debt. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an interview with Bloomberg that joint bonds would be a good way to boost the bloc's defense capacities. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was also very clear he would not support joint debt at the EU level.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Olaf Scholz, GERMANY —, Alexander de Croo, Kaja Kallas, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Mark Rutte Organizations: European Union, CNBC, Munich Security Conference, Estonian, Bloomberg, Munich Security, Dutch, EU, MSC Locations: Paris, France, Munich, GERMANY, Ukraine, Belgium, Brussels, Russia

☆ 'It is urgent': European leaders appeal for greater support for Ukraine as Russia makes major gain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, speaks on day two of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized a waning sense of urgency among delegates at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as Moscow's full-scale offensive nearly enters its third year. "The sense of urgency is simply not clear enough in our discussions," Frederiksen told a lunchtime session. Denmark has now donated its entire artillery to Ukraine, Frederiksen said, urging other countries to do the same as the war marks its second anniversary on Feb. 24. The policymakers were speaking at the 7th Munich Ukrainian Lunch, hosted on the sidelines of the MSC by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum and Ukrainian non-profit the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Persons: Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's, Frederiksen, Putin, Radosław Sikorski, Victor Pinchuk, Tobias Billström, Bakhmut, Nikolay Denkov, Denkov, Genya Savilov, Hillary Clinton, —, Niall Ferguson, Clinton, Petr Pavel, Kaja Kallas, Alexander De Croo, Bulgaria Nikolay Denkov Organizations: Munich, Bloomberg, Getty, Kyiv, MSC, Yalta European Strategy, Victor, Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Sweden's, Moscow, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Bradley, Afp, Former, U.S, CNBC Locations: Munich, Germany, MUNICH, Ukraine, Danish, Denmark, Poland, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russia, Europe, U.S, Donetsk, Western, Czech Republic, Republic of Estonia, Belgium, Bulgaria

☆ Belgian PM Backs EU Bonds to Boost Defence Spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Andrew GrayBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Joint European Union borrowing could help fund higher defence spending but governments would still have to make tough political choices to sustain it, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. To succeed, proponents will need to convince those traditionally sceptical of EU joint borrowing such as Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic nations. European defence spending has been on an upward curve since Russia first invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014. NATO said on Wednesday it expected defence spending by its European members would grow by $33 billion this year to $380 billion. Last year, NATO estimated Belgium would spend 1.13 % of GDP on defence in 2023, second lowest among NATO members.

Persons: Andrew Gray BRUSSELS, Alexander De Croo, Donald Trump, Kaja Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel, De Croo, Croo, Thierry Breton, Andrew Gray, John Irish, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Belgian, NATO, Estonian, European, Reuters, Munich Security Conference, Nordic, European Defence Fund, EU Locations: European, Ukraine, Munich, Germany, Netherlands, EU, Russia, Crimea, Belgium, Europe, France, Paris

CNN —Russian authorities on Tuesday launched criminal proceedings against Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, charges the leader of the Baltic state alleged were politically motivated. The Kremlin accused Kallas, Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys of destroying or damaging monuments to Soviet monuments in memory of Soviet soldiers, Russia’s state-run Tass news reported. Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Kallas announced that Estonia would remove all of the country’s Soviet monuments from public spaces. A report by the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said Russia may consider doubling the number of troops stationed on its border with the Baltic countries and increasing those on its frontier with Finland, which joined NATO last year. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also on Tuesday delivered his annual foreign policy speech, which included fiery anti-Russian remarks and a full-throated backing for Ukraine.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Peterkop, Simonas, Dmitry Peskov, ” Kallas, ”, Vladimir Putin, Margus Tsahkna, Joshua Berlinger Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Kremlin, State, Lithuanian Culture, Russia, Soviet Union, European Union, NATO, Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, Ukraine Locations: Baltic, Estonian, Ukraine, Estonia, Russia, Siberia, Soviet, Finland, “

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