标签： Europe

BRUSSELS — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces unprecedented internal strain as former U.S. President Donald Trump’s persistent assertions regarding Greenland’s acquisition challenge the alliance’s core principles. This geopolitical tension has escalated to the point where Danish leadership explicitly warns that military action against Greenland would fundamentally rupture NATO’s framework.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has become an unexpected flashpoint in transatlantic relations. Trump’s reaffirmed stance that “we’re going to have Greenland one way or another,” coupled with the White House’s refusal to dismiss military options, has created diplomatic alarm across European capitals. The administration justified its position as preventive measures against Russian and Chinese expansion in the Arctic.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen delivered a stark warning: “Should the United States militarily attack another NATO nation, everything ceases—including our NATO membership.” This declaration underscores the grave implications of intra-alliance aggression.

NATO’s historical context reveals why this situation proves particularly volatile. Established in 1949 by twelve nations to counter Soviet threats, the alliance has expanded to thirty-two members following Sweden’s 2024 accession. Its fundamental operating principle remains consensus decision-making, where each member holds veto power. The organization’s credibility rests upon Article 5’s collective defense pledge, invoked only once following the 9/11 attacks.

Legal analysts note that Article 5 would prove ineffective in a U.S.-Denmark conflict due to required unanimity. Instead, Denmark could trigger Article 4 consultations for sovereignty threats, though such talks don’t mandate military response. The alliance lacks established mechanisms for resolving armed conflict between members.

This scenario echoes the 2003 Iraq War division, where NATO members split between supporters and opponents of U.S. action. Current uncertainty surrounds which nations would endorse Trump’s Greenland position, highlighting the alliance’s fragility when confronted with internal power disparities.

The United States remains NATO’s dominant military and financial contributor, making coherent opposition challenging without American leadership. Daily operations continue under former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s diplomatic management, who maintains public neutrality while working to preserve U.S. engagement.

Rutte recently emphasized Arctic security consensus while denying NATO crisis over Greenland: “All allies agree on Arctic importance due to increased Russian and Chinese activity risks.” The organization’s military command, always led by a senior U.S. officer based in Mons, Belgium, continues standard operations amid these political tensions.

Hungary has extended political asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former Justice Minister, marking a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions within the European Union. Ziobro faces 26 criminal charges in his home country, primarily centered on allegations of embezzling approximately 25 million zloty ($7 million) from the state-controlled Foundation for Justice. These funds, intended for crime victim support and criminal rehabilitation programs, were allegedly diverted to purchase Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, which was then used to surveil political opponents.

Ziobro, who served as Justice Minister from 2015 to 2023 under Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, maintains his innocence, characterizing the charges as politically motivated persecution by the current government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In a statement on social media platform X, Ziobro declared he accepted Hungary’s protection to ‘fight against political banditry and lawlessness,’ accusing Tusk of conducting a personal vendetta.

This case represents the second instance of Hungary offering asylum to a former PiS official, following the 2023 grant to Ziobro’s former deputy, Michal Romanowski. Both cases involve allegations of corruption and abuse of power during their tenure.

The asylum grant challenges fundamental EU principles regarding judicial cooperation and mutual trust among member states. Hungary’s decision aligns with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s political strategy of positioning himself as a defender of national sovereignty against what he perceives as EU overreach. Orban’s government has faced similar criticism from Brussels regarding rule-of-law standards and judicial independence.

The Pegasus spyware scandal has had profound implications for Polish politics. Current Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and members of Prime Minister Tusk’s family were among those allegedly targeted by the surveillance program. Additionally, Ziobro’s controversial judicial reforms during his ministry triggered prolonged conflict with EU institutions, resulting in the freezing of EU funds for Poland and multiple rulings against the country by the European Court of Justice.

Legal experts note that if convicted in Poland, Ziobro could face up to 25 years imprisonment. His asylum status in Hungary effectively shields him from extradition, creating a complex legal and diplomatic standoff between the two EU member states.

In an unannounced diplomatic engagement, Pope Leo XIV convened with Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado during a private audience at the Vatican on Monday. The meeting, absent from the pontiff’s originally published schedule, was subsequently documented in the Holy See’s official daily bulletin without elaboration.

Machado’s appearance at the Vatican forms part of her extensive international tour across Europe and the United States, following her December reappearance to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. The opposition leader, like many of her political allies, has operated primarily from exile or under detention amid Venezuela’s prolonged political crisis.

The American-born Pope has maintained consistent diplomatic interest in Venezuela’s sovereignty following the controversial extraction of former President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces from Caracas. Maduro currently faces federal narcotics trafficking charges in New York courts. Pope Leo previously expressed profound concern regarding these developments while advocating for the preservation of human and civil rights throughout the Latin American nation.

Venezuela’s opposition movement, historically supported by both Republican and Democratic U.S. administrations, had committed to restoring democratic governance to the oil-rich nation by displacing Maduro’s regime. This objective suffered a significant setback when U.S. President Donald Trump permitted Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume executive control.

Machado, upon receiving the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, proposed dedicating the honor to Trump alongside the Venezuelan people. The American president has publicly expressed personal ambition for the prestigious award since returning to office.

WARSAW, Poland — In a significant development highlighting East European political tensions, former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro announced Monday that Hungary has granted him political asylum. Ziobro faces prosecution in Poland for alleged abuse of power during his tenure in the previous nationalist conservative government.

Ziobro served as a central figure in the Law and Justice (PiS) party administration that governed Poland from 2015 to 2023. That government systematically consolidated political control over judicial institutions through strategic judicial appointments and punitive measures against critics, including disciplinary actions and remote reassignments.

The current administration under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which assumed power over two years ago, has attempted to reverse these judicial reforms. However, these efforts have been consistently obstructed by two consecutive presidents aligned with the national right wing.

Prosecutors sought to lift Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity in October to pursue charges including alleged misuse of a violence victim support fund. Authorities claim these resources were improperly diverted to acquire Israeli Pegasus surveillance technology. Tusk’s government alleges PiS employed this sophisticated spyware to conduct illegal surveillance on political opponents—an accusation Ziobro denies, maintaining his actions were lawful.

Hungary, under the leadership of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has provided sanctuary to multiple politicians affiliated with Law and Justice who face legal proceedings in Poland. In an extensive social media statement, Ziobro declared he had ‘decided to accept the asylum granted to me by the government of Hungary due to the political persecution in Poland.’

The former minister further stated his intention to ‘remain abroad until genuine guarantees of the rule of law are restored in Poland,’ arguing that this approach allows him to more effectively combat what he describes as ‘mounting lawlessness’ in his homeland.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed in Budapest that authorities had granted asylum to ‘several’ individuals facing political persecution in Poland, though he declined to provide specific names.