Latest news with #RaffaeleMarchetti
Al Jazeera
02-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
What's bringing China and the EU closer?
The two sides are marking 50 years of relations this month, holding talks and pledging deeper cooperation. China and the European Union are marking 50 years of diplomatic relations this month. At the core of their partnership is trade. They are the second and third biggest economies in the world after the United States. The Chinese foreign minister is visiting EU headquarters this week as he seeks closer ties in what he has called a 'volatile' world. Under President Donald Trump, the US has increasingly turned to sweeping tariffs to get what it wants. Although Beijing and Brussels are hoping to improve their economic ties, they have disagreements on a number of issues. So what will that mean for global trade and the economic order? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Karel Lannoo – CEO, Centre for European Policy Studies Victor Gao – vice president, Center for China and Globalisation Raffaele Marchetti – director, Center for International and Strategic Studies at LUISS University in Rome
Euronews
19-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Much remains to be agreed on Ukraine ceasefire with Putin, Trump says
Worried by global instability, countries from Europe to Asia are drastically increasing their military spending in an attempt to become more self-reliant. At a time when US involvement overseas appears to be waning under President Donald Trump, some countries worry that Washington's 'America First' approach could embolden the actions of nations like Russia and China elsewhere in the world. Given such uncertainty, Germany, Italy and Japan are among those trying to bolster their defence capabilities. However, these three countries, who formed the Axis alliance in World War II, are hindered by their pasts, said Raffaele Marchetti, professor of international relations at LUISS University of Rome. 'The goal of the post-war peace treaties was to get rid of hegemonism, militarism and aggressive adventurism in the culture of these three countries.' 'Germany, Italy and Japan have become so-called civilian powers. Nowadays, it is really difficult for these countries to adopt a combat-ready mentality,' he added. Experts told Euronews that these G7 countries, which are all non-nuclear states, will continue to depend on the US for nuclear deterrence against their adversaries. Last week, Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to set aside a constitutional debt brake, allowing the country to unlock hundreds of billions of euros for defence and infrastructure projects. This came as German defence spending hit 2% of the country's GDP, three years after outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to boost the army through 100 billion euros of investment. The gaps in the country's defence capabilities are significant, according to a recent German parliamentary report. It suggested that the Bundeswehr — the German army — would need to recruit tens of thousands of military personnel by 2031. Germany also needs to modernise its weaponry, as much of its equipment has deteriorated since the end of the Cold War. The parliament's budget committee has doubled its planned purchases of cutting-edge air defence systems and battle tanks. Despite its plans to grow its army, Germany is still bound, at least rhetorically, by decades of anti-militarism, according to Jaques-Pierre Gougeon, the director of the German Observatory at the Paris-based IFRI think tank. Following the end of World War II, Germany, which was divided into East and West, had to comply with strict military limitations. When Friedrich Merz, the centre-right politician who is expected to succeed Scholz as chancellor, recently announced his massive military investment plan, he spoke about 'teilnahme' (participation) with his country's allies. 'It is a deliberately chosen wording to cope with a culture built on the anti-militarism of the Germans', said Gougeon, who saw Merz's speech as aimed more at an internal than foreign audience. 'The Bundeswehr (German army) can grow only in a strict European political context. Its rearmament is more about a common EU financial effort,' he added. French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken about the possibility of extending his country's nuclear deterrence to Germany and other EU partners, who would help financially with its enlargement. However, some Europeans believe the current approach is better, despite the Trump administration's threat to reduce the role it plays in European security. 'One nuclear umbrella is better than two, because then there's no ambiguity about which nuclear umbrella is protecting you,' said Tobias Cremer, a German Social Democrat who is part of the European Parliament's recently created Security and Defence Committee. 'We have a plan A, this plan has worked for 80 years, and it is both in our interest and in the American interest that this plan A, which is the NATO nuclear deterrent, remains in place,' he said. According to Cremer, 'the EU is not to replace the European pillar of NATO, but the two need to work very, very closely together'. Italy shares the same concerns as Germany about the US decreasing its military role in Europe. There are currently around 120 US and NATO installations in Italy. Rome's defence spending sits below Germany's as a percentage of its economy. Currently, Italy puts 1.59% of its GDP towards its military, well below the level Trump wishes NATO members to spend. As part of its planned improvements, the Italian weapons producer Leonardo has struck a deal with its German counterpart Rheinmetall to produce a common heavy tank. Italy, Japan and the UK are also planning the production of a sixth generation war plane. The joint venture will be run between the UK's BAE system, Italy's Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. As for nuclear deterrence, Italy, like Germany, must rely on US nuclear protection, said Marchetti, of the LUISS University of Rome. '(For the Italians), having more European strategic autonomy doesn't mean getting rid of the US nuclear shelter,' he explained. Japan's government has recently said it will increase military spending from 1.6% to 2% of GDP by 2027. One area that Tokyo, which has China, Russia and North Korea as neighbours, plans to improve on is its air defence systems. US military presence in Japan remains crucial, with more than 50,000 American troops based there, including on the island of Okinawa. The American nuclear deterrence is the backbone of Japan's security system, as its population is strongly anti-nuclear due to the past traumas of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan does not benefit from collective defence like in Europe, as the Indo-Pacific region is more fragile politically and militarily, despite intense economic interdependence, according to Silvia Menegazzi, the founder of the Study Centre on Contemporary China. "For its security, Japan badly needs US protection and this is why NATO has been increasing its partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,' she said. US President Donald Trump on Monday said that "much remains" to be agreed upon with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, ahead of a highly anticipated phone call centring on a ceasefire in Ukraine. "Many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains," Trump said. Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that he and Putin will speak on Tuesday morning about the proposal for a 30-day interim pause in fighting in the region. The Trump administration has been generally optimistic that it can secure Russian backing for the ceasefire agreement, which Ukraine has already agreed to. "We're going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace. And I think we'll be able to do it,' Trump told reporters on Monday. Earlier on Monday, the US president said that Washington and Moscow had already discussed land, power plants, and "dividing up certain assets" between Russia and Ukraine as part of a deal. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that US and Russian officials have discussed the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. "There's a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow," Leavitt said on Monday. The power plant has been caught in the centre of the crossfire since Moscow invaded and seized the facility shortly afterwards — sparking alarm from international bodies that fighting around Europe's largest nuclear power plant could lead to a potential nuclear catastrophe. In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Putin of deliberately prolonging the war. "The implementation of this proposal could have begun long ago. Every day in wartime is a matter of human lives," Zelenskyy said. Putin so far said last week that although he agreed to the "idea" of a ceasefire, there were unanswered questions — such as the fate of Ukrainian soldiers in the region of Kursk — that needed to be discussed before Moscow could back the proposal. He has also raised questions about how a potential ceasefire could be monitored, and ruled out the idea of placing NATO peacekeeping troops to ensure peace. It is unclear how far advanced discussions into the ceasefire deal are, with Witkoff — who travelled to Moscow to meet with Putin last week — declining to answer specifics on the agreement in an interview with CNN. "I am really hopeful we are going to see some progress here," Witkoff said, suggesting that "the four regions" were of critical importance to discussions. The UK and France have encouraged Putin to agree to a deal. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Zelenskyy demonstrated the "courage" to accept a deal, declaring it was "up to Russia to prove that it truly wants peace." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday after a call with international leaders that Putin should agree to a ceasefire if he were "serious" about peace. "My feeling is that sooner or later Putin is going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussions," Starmer said. Rwanda has severed all diplomatic ties with Belgium, amid fraught relations between the countries over fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). All Belgian diplomats must leave Rwanda within 48 hours, the Rwandan foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. The ministry added that the decision would "safeguard" its own national interests. "Belgium has clearly taken sides in a regional conflict and continues to systematically mobilise against Rwanda in different forums," it claimed. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called Rwanda's move "disproportionate", saying that his country would respond in kind. All governmental cooperation agreements between the countries would be cancelled and Rwandan diplomats would not be welcome in Belgium, he said. Kigali has been criticised by countries including Belgium for backing the M23 rebels, who in recent months have seized Goma and Bukavu, the two largest cities in eastern DRC. Their offensive has left scores dead and thousands displaced. M23 is one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in eastern DRC, a mineral-rich area close to the border with Rwanda. The group's fighters claim they are protecting the rights of the region's ethnic Tutsis. However, the DRC's government has accused Rwanda of supported the rebels in a bid to control land in the area. Belgium has also accused Kigali of undermining the DRC's territorial integrity. As a result of the row, Rwanda announced last month that it was suspending its 2024-2029 bilateral aid programme with Belgium, claiming Brussels was sabotaging the country's access to "development finance". At the time, Prévot said that Belgium would continue to raise awareness in pursuit of a "peaceful solution to the conflict in the east of the DRC". The severing of the countries' diplomatic ties came on the same day that the European Union announced sanctions against nine people — including five Rwandans — in connection with violence in the DRC. On Monday, the DRC said it would attend peace talks with the M23 group in Angola.
Euronews
18-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Why Germany, Italy and Japan still depend on US nuclear deterrence
Worried by global instability, countries from Europe to Asia are drastically increasing their military spending in an attempt to become more self-reliant. At a time when US involvement overseas appears to be waning under President Donald Trump, some countries worry that Washington's 'America First' approach could embolden the actions of nations like Russia and China elsewhere in the world. Given such uncertainty, Germany, Italy and Japan are among those trying to bolster their defence capabilities. However, these three countries, who formed the Axis alliance in World War II, are hindered by their pasts, said Raffaele Marchetti, professor of international relations at LUISS University of Rome. 'The goal of the post-war peace treaties was to get rid of hegemonism, militarism and aggressive adventurism in the culture of these three countries.' 'Germany, Italy and Japan have become so-called civilian powers. Nowadays, it is really difficult for these countries to adopt a combat-ready mentality,' he added. Experts told Euronews that these G7 countries, which are all non-nuclear states, will continue to depend on the US for nuclear deterrence against their adversaries. Last week, Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to set aside a constitutional debt brake, allowing the country to unlock hundreds of billions of euros for defence and infrastructure projects. This came as German defence spending hit 2% of the country's GDP, three years after outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to boost the army through 100 billion euros of investment. The gaps in the country's defence capabilities are significant, according to a recent German parliamentary report. It suggested that the Bundeswehr — the German army — would need to recruit tens of thousands of military personnel by 2031. Germany also needs to modernise its weaponry, as much of its equipment has deteriorated since the end of the Cold War. The parliament's budget committee has doubled its planned purchases of cutting-edge air defence systems and battle tanks. Despite its plans to grow its army, Germany is still bound, at least rhetorically, by decades of anti-militarism, according to Jaques-Pierre Gougeon, the director of the German Observatory at the Paris-based IFRI think tank. Following the end of World War II, Germany, which was divided into East and West, had to comply with strict military limitations. When Friedrich Merz, the centre-right politician who is expected to succeed Scholz as chancellor, recently announced his massive military investment plan, he spoke about 'teilnahme' (participation) with his country's allies. 'It is a deliberately chosen wording to cope with a culture built on the anti-militarism of the Germans', said Gougeon, who saw Merz's speech as aimed more at an internal than foreign audience. 'The Bundeswehr (German army) can grow only in a strict European political context. Its rearmament is more about a common EU financial effort,' he added. French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken about the possibility of extending his country's nuclear deterrence to Germany and other EU partners, who would help financially with its enlargement. However, some Europeans believe the current approach is better, despite the Trump administration's threat to reduce the role it plays in European security. 'One nuclear umbrella is better than two, because then there's no ambiguity about which nuclear umbrella is protecting you,' said Tobias Cremer, a German Social Democrat who is part of the European Parliament's recently created Security and Defence Committee. 'We have a plan A, this plan has worked for 80 years, and it is both in our interest and in the American interest that this plan A, which is the NATO nuclear deterrent, remains in place,' he said. According to Cremer, 'the EU is not to replace the European pillar of NATO, but the two need to work very, very closely together'. Italy shares the same concerns as Germany about the US decreasing its military role in Europe. There are currently around 120 US and NATO installations in Italy. Rome's defence spending sits below Germany's as a percentage of its economy. Currently, Italy puts 1.59% of its GDP towards its military, well below the level Trump wishes NATO members to spend. As part of its planned improvements, the Italian weapons producer Leonardo has struck a deal with its German counterpart Rheinmetall to produce a common heavy tank. Italy, Japan and the UK are also planning the production of a sixth generation war plane. The joint venture will be run between the UK's BAE system, Italy's Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. As for nuclear deterrence, Italy, like Germany, must rely on US nuclear protection, said Marchetti, of the LUISS University of Rome. '(For the Italians), having more European strategic autonomy doesn't mean getting rid of the US nuclear shelter,' he explained. Japan's government has recently said it will increase military spending from 1.6% to 2% of GDP by 2027. One area that Tokyo, which has China, Russia and North Korea as neighbours, plans to improve on is its air defence systems. US military presence in Japan remains crucial, with more than 50,000 American troops based there, including on the island of Okinawa. The American nuclear deterrence is the backbone of Japan's security system, as its population is strongly anti-nuclear due to the past traumas of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan does not benefit from collective defence like in Europe, as the Indo-Pacific region is more fragile politically and militarily, despite intense economic interdependence, according to Silvia Menegazzi, the founder of the Study Centre on Contemporary China. "For its security, Japan badly needs US protection and this is why NATO has been increasing its partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,' she said. US President Donald Trump on Monday said that "much remains" to be agreed upon with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, ahead of a highly anticipated phone call centring on a ceasefire in Ukraine. "Many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains," Trump said. Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that he and Putin will speak on Tuesday morning about the proposal for a 30-day interim pause in fighting in the region. The Trump administration has been generally optimistic that it can secure Russian backing for the ceasefire agreement, which Ukraine has already agreed to. "We're going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace. And I think we'll be able to do it,' Trump told reporters on Monday. Earlier on Monday, the US president said that Washington and Moscow had already discussed land, power plants, and "dividing up certain assets" between Russia and Ukraine as part of a deal. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that US and Russian officials have discussed the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. "There's a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow," Leavitt said on Monday. The power plant has been caught in the centre of the crossfire since Moscow invaded and seized the facility shortly afterwards — sparking alarm from international bodies that fighting around Europe's largest nuclear power plant could lead to a potential nuclear catastrophe. In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Putin of deliberately prolonging the war. "The implementation of this proposal could have begun long ago. Every day in wartime is a matter of human lives," Zelenskyy said. Putin so far said last week that although he agreed to the "idea" of a ceasefire, there were unanswered questions — such as the fate of Ukrainian soldiers in the region of Kursk — that needed to be discussed before Moscow could back the proposal. He has also raised questions about how a potential ceasefire could be monitored, and ruled out the idea of placing NATO peacekeeping troops to ensure peace. It is unclear how far advanced discussions into the ceasefire deal are, with Witkoff — who travelled to Moscow to meet with Putin last week — declining to answer specifics on the agreement in an interview with CNN. "I am really hopeful we are going to see some progress here," Witkoff said, suggesting that "the four regions" were of critical importance to discussions. The UK and France have encouraged Putin to agree to a deal. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Zelenskyy demonstrated the "courage" to accept a deal, declaring it was "up to Russia to prove that it truly wants peace." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday after a call with international leaders that Putin should agree to a ceasefire if he were "serious" about peace. "My feeling is that sooner or later Putin is going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussions," Starmer said.
