| | | | |  | | By Cristina Gallardo | Presented by the Renew Democracy Initiative | Follow Cristina on Twitter | Send tips and insights to cgallardo@politico.co.uk Good morning and welcome to this Wednesday’s edition of Global Insider! I’m Cristina Gallardo, POLITICO’s foreign affairs and defense reporter in the U.K., born and raised in Spain, now bringing you the latest global news from London. The U.K. and the EU heralded the beginning of a “new chapter” in their relationship as they struck a long-sought deal on Monday to reduce the burden of post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland. The so-called Windsor Framework has been warmly received so far — but its loudest critics in the unionist community of Northern Ireland are yet to pass judgment.
| | | | A message from the Renew Democracy Initiative: Putin is waging a war against freedom, and the people of Ukraine are his latest target. We must remain committed to providing military and humanitarian support for Ukraine to ensure freedom and democracy prevail. Supporting Ukraine now will ensure that Russia can't threaten us later. Join us in telling Congress to hold Putin and Russia accountable for war crimes. | | | | | | Here’s a detailed explainer of the deal. COURTING THE UNIONISTS. The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland walked out of the power-sharing institutions in the province last year in protest at the Northern Ireland protocol, and as a result, the province hasn’t had a functioning executive since May. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hopes the DUP will bless the new arrangements and return to the power-sharing regional institutions. But the prime minister hinted Tuesday that the Windsor Framework agreed with the EU could be imposed on Northern Ireland whether the unionists agree or not. RECAP. Under the Northern Ireland protocol, part of the Brexit divorce agreement, Northern Ireland had to align with EU single market rules to ensure friction-free, borderless trade with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member. However, this meant there had to be customs checks between the rest of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. U.S. BACKS NEW DEAL. President Joe Biden endorsed the Windsor deal as an “essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened.” WHY DOES THIS MATTER? Although the new arrangements are yet to come into force, the deal is expected to lead to the resolution of other Brexit disputes between London and Brussels, including Britain’s participation in EU research and innovation schemes and the implementation of a financial services memorandum of understanding left in a drawer for months. It could also help Sunak to tackle the sluggish growth of the British economy — boosting the governing Conservative Party’s electoral prospects ahead of the next general election, which party officials say will likely take place in the second half of 2024. BUT BUT BUT Officials say it could be weeks — or even months — before the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland gives its verdict, and its approval is not a given. The British parliament is also expected to get a vote on the new deal, which could throw a spanner in the works. THE INSIDE STORY. POLITICO interviewed more than a dozen U.K. and EU officials, politicians and diplomats, who revealed how the Brexit world changed completely after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s departure — and how an “unholy trinity” of little-known civil servants masterminded a seismic shift in Britain’s relationship with the Continent. Read our ultimate Brexit tale here.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT IN CHINA. One of the Kremlin’s closest allies, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was welcomed in Beijing Tuesday for a three-day state visit. The agenda includes a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and the signing of agreements deepening cooperation in trade, technology and education. Lukashenko’s trip comes amid U.S. warnings that China is considering supplying military aid to Russia, which Beijing denies, and after the Chinese government released a 12-point proposal for ending hostilities in Ukraine. Talking up China. In an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua the day before the meeting, Lukashenko stressed China’s position on the world stage. “Today not a single issue in the world can be solved without China,” he is quoted as saying. “No one can contain China or stop its development.” U.S. THREATENS CHINA WITH SANCTIONS. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday warned Beijing would face “implications and consequences” if it decided to provide military aid to Russia. “We will not hesitate, for example, to target Chinese companies or individuals that violate our sanctions, or otherwise engaged in supporting the Russian war efforts,” he said. RUSSIA REFUSES TO RETURN TERRITORIES TO UKRAINE. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Tuesday said Russia is open to negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, but stressed Moscow would “never compromise” on what he described as “territorial realities” and would not renounce its sovereignty claims over the four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia in September — Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk. NATO EXPANSION LATEST. Hungary will today start the ratification process to let Finland and Sweden join the alliance, with a debate due to kick off in the parliament in Budapest ahead of a vote expected in the second half of March. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warned in an interview Friday that “while we support Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO in principle, we first need to have some serious discussions.” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said talks with Helsinki and Stockholm over their NATO membership bids would resume on March 9.
| | | | A message from the Renew Democracy Initiative:   | | | | | | NIGERIAN ELECTION RESULTS. Bola Tinubu, leader of the governing All Progressives Congress party (APC) of Nigeria, won last week’s presidential election, the country’s electoral commission announced today, amid complaints of irregularities by the two main opposition parties, which rejected the result as fraudulent. According to the electoral commission, Tinubu obtained 36.6 percent or 8.79 million of valid votes, with Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party coming second with 29.1 percent or 6.98 million of valid votes. FRANCE FLOATS PLAN FOR MILITARY BASES IN AFRICA. French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Gabon, Angola, Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, after announcing France will transform its military bases in Africa into “academies” co-run by French and host armies. In a speech in Paris, he said there would be a “visible decrease” of French forces in Africa, but an increase in training efforts and equipment. Not leaving. Macron doubled down on the point that this “reorganization” is not a withdrawal from Africa, after hundreds of French troops were forced to leave Mali, Central African Republic and Burkina Faso over the past year. The Wagner Group of mercenaries linked to the Kremlin are active in Mali and CAR, and reports have suggested the group is seeking to get a footing in Burkina Faso as well. KOSOVO DEAL. After talks in Brussels on Monday, the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo agreed to a deal seeking to normalize their relations — though the details are yet to be finalized and the pact has yet to actually be signed, Reuters reported. What the deal says: Serbia, which regards Kosovo as a breakaway state, still won’t recognize its independence — but it will acknowledge its official documents such as passports and license plates. Belgrade also said it would not block Kosovo’s membership of international organizations. Kosovo pledged to “ensure an appropriate level of self-management” for its Serbian community. The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said he would convene another leaders’ meeting next month. FISHING SCARCITY TO FUEL GLOBAL TENSIONS. Declining fish stocks due to climate change and increases in catches could exacerbate conflicts in the South China Sea, according to a report published today by the Royal United Services Institute in London. There are historical tensions between Vietnam, the Philippines and China over fishing, but there’s potential for these to extend to Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, Lauren Young, a research fellow at RUSI told Global Insider.
| | | | LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today. | | | | | | | | KLEPTOWATCH UK NARROWS SCOPE OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE REGISTER. The U.K. has narrowed the scope of its planned U.S.-style foreign lobbying register to address concerns it could deter business investment and hinder press freedom. The government has put forward a host of amendments to the National Security Bill, several of which introduce changes to its planned Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, meant to shield British politics from malign foreign influence from hostile states like Russia, China and Iran. QATARGATE LATEST. The European Commission is facing demands for an inquiry after POLITICO revealed its top transport official took free flights from the Qatari government while his team was negotiating a major aviation deal vital to the Gulf state’s own airline. Henrik Hololei, the director general of the Commission’s transport department, flew business class for free on Qatar Airways nine times between 2015 and 2021. MOVES — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is creating a new role for an “ambassador for feminist foreign policy.” — The U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has appointed Peter Wilson as its director general for Europe, taking over from Julian Braithwaite. — Other U.K. appointments: Fern Horine will start as Britain’s ambassador to Moldova from October, while Guy Warrington will take over as the U.K.’s ambassador to South Sudan from March.
| | | Behind the scenes at the school turning Ukrainian gamers into drone pilots, by Veronika Melkozerova. From Lampedusa to Calabria: 10 years of immigration policy failures. The worst migrant-related catastrophe on Italy’s coast — the drowning of 368 people near Sicily in 2013 — marked a turning point in Italy’s political discourse, but a decade later nothing has changed, Spanish newspaper El País reports in its English edition. A war with China would be unlike anything Americans have faced before, by Ross Babbage for the New York Times. Thanks to editor Sanya Khetani-Shah and producer Sophie Gardner SUBSCRIBE to the POLITICO newsletter family:D.C. Playbook |Brussels Playbook |London Playbook |Paris Playbook |Ottawa Playbook |EU Confidential |D.C. Influence |EU Influence |London Influence |Digital Bridge |China Direct |Berlin Bulletin |Living Cities
| | | | A message from the Renew Democracy Initiative: Victory for Ukraine is victory for us all. As Putin continues to wage a senseless and brutal war on the people of Ukraine, the United States must remain committed to providing military and humanitarian support for Ukraine to ensure that freedom and democracy prevail.
The safety and stability of the free world is at stake. Supporting Ukraine now will ensure that Russia can’t threaten us later.
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