WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE Eu - The Friday Five - euobserver - Friday July 31, 2026.

 

The Friday Five Editor-in-chief picks her favourite stories of the week. From Mar‑a‑Lago to Moscow: how Trump’s FBI chief is shredding allies’ faith in US intelligence The FBI chief Kash Patel is heading to Moscow, where he is to be hosted by the Russian security service, the FSB. Nothing wrong with that in principle: under the previous administration the then CIA chief Bill Burns regularly acted as message-carrier to the Kremlin. But news of the visit comes as allies’ trust in American spookdom is hitting new lows, warns Edward Lucas. [Interview] Putin is ‘already at war’ with Europe, Kasparov says Europe fears escalation with Russia, but by clinging to an “old world” mindset it may be quietly losing a war it refuses to acknowledge. Europe’s queer ‘conversion’ therapy crisis is an invisible trauma for victims, but a difficult practice to ban The EU Commission stands by its vow that “there is nothing to ‘cure’ in LGBTIQ+ people,” yet so-called ‘conversion’ practices still continue unregulated in 18 member states despite recent campaigning. But will a ban on such practices be enough? Trump’s US troop cuts in Europe envisage ‘Nato 3.0’ – but also leave a risky ‘transition gap’ The US has formally launched a review of its military presence in Europe, aiming to push allies to take greater responsibility for defence. While the move could accelerate Nato’s Europeanisation, it could also create a dangerous “transition gap” before the continent’s capabilities are ready. US and Israeli pressure over Karim Khan could rewrite the rules and weaken the International Criminal Court While an internal panel cleared Karim Khan of misconduct, US and Israeli pressure has pushed ICC governments toward a politically charged removal vote that quietly rewrites the court’s own rules.   Copyright © 2026 EUobserver.com. All rights reserved.