—🇪🇺/🇷🇸 UPDATE: EU Council President Costa backs Serbia’s reform path after Vucic-Putin meeting in Moscow.

Costa reiterated support for Serbia’s EU accession, citing Vucic’s clear commitment to reforms on electoral law, media freedom, and anti-corruption despite his visit to Russia.

📰 Source: AP News.

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—👑🇷🇴 NEW: Presidential frontrunner George Simion signals political backing for monarchy restoration in Romania via constitutional reform.

Simion declared openness to reinstating the monarchy, stating "some people in Romania would like to return to the monarchy... I would agree with that," and emphasized it would occur only with parliamentary majority support. He confirmed AUR seeks a constitutional change to enable this.

A 2023 INSCOP survey found that 56.4% of Romanians believe the country's situation would have improved if the monarchy had been restored after 1989; however, only 35.4% would vote to reinstate it.

❔ Do you think more Romanians would now support restoring the monarchy? And if so — would you back someone like Georgescu founding a new dynasty as King Georgescu I?

Let us know your opinion! You can reach out to our bot @Balkanic_Bot.

📰 Source: Daily Romania.

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—🇭🇷/🇩🇪/🇺🇦 NEW: Croatia transfers 30 M-84 Yugoslav tanks to Germany for future delivery to Ukraine.

Ukrainian media report the tanks will be refurbished in Germany before being sent to Ukrainian forces; Berlin reportedly offered a discount on Leopard 2A8 tanks in return.

📰 Source: About Serbia in Russian channel.

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—❗️🇷🇺/🇺🇦/🇹🇷 BREAKING: Low-level Russian delegation to meet Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul; neither Putin nor Lavrov attending.

The Kremlin confirmed its Istanbul team includes Medinsky, Galuzin, Fomin, and Kostyukov—without senior figures. Ukrainian President Zelensky is en route to Ankara, ready for talks "in any format," while US envoys Witkoff and Rubio also travel to Turkey. Trump will not participate.

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—👏🇷🇸 WATCH: Serbian President Vučić receives standing ovation upon return from Moscow.

📰 Source: Isabella Liberman on X.

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REPORT:
🇪🇺❌🇷🇺🇦🇪🇹🇷🇷🇸🇻🇳🇺🇿-EU Approves 17th Sanctions Package Against Russia — AFP

The latest measures target:

➡️Over 100 oil tankers tied to Russia’s shadow fleet,

➡️Firms from third countries like the UAE, Turkey, Serbia, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan accused of aiding Russia in bypassing sanctions.

—🇷🇴/🇵🇱/🇭🇺/🇨🇿 ANALYSIS: Romanian and Polish electoral outcomes could trigger the formation of a new Central European nationalist alliance.

If George Simion wins in Romania and Nawrocki in Poland, leaders in Bucharest, Warsaw, Budapest, and Prague could form a 4-nation bloc (\~80 million people) challenging German influence and aiming to halt federalist tendencies within the EU.

📰 Source: Dariusz Matecki, a Polish MP affiliated with the Law and Justice party (PiS) and known for his strong nationalist and conservative positions.

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—🇷🇴 NEW: Călin Georgescu confirms support for Simion, calls him his “younger protégé”.

Georgescu stated he is “ready to work for his country” when asked if he would accept Simion’s offer to become Prime Minister under a sovereignist government.

📰 Source: Wallachian Gazzete channel.

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—🇮🇹🇷🇴 NEW: Italian Major General Roberto Vannacci publicly endorses George Simion for Romanian presidency.

Vannacci urges Romanians to support Simion, stating: “Vote George Simion for president, because he wants to defend the national identity and values of Romania. To have a strong Europe, we need a Romania that is equally strong.”

📰 Source: Daily Romania.

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—🇷🇴/🇲🇩 BREAKING: George Simion urges Romanian institutions to investigate alleged large-scale electoral fraud of diaspora votes in Moldova.

He called the Romanian MFA, the Permanent Electoral Bureau, and the Permanent Electoral Authority over concerns of a coordinated attempt to override the Romanian citizens’ vote in Moldova.

📰 Source: George Simion on X.

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—🇷🇴 Sovereignist momentum grows as top European leaders endorse George Simion for Romanian presidency.

Confirmed supporters of Simion include:

🇪🇸 Santiago Abascal
🇫🇷 Marine Le Pen
🇮🇹 Giorgia Meloni
🇵🇱 Andrzej Duda
🇭🇺 Viktor Orbán
🇮🇹 Matteo Salvini
🇮🇹 Roberto Vannacci

📰 Source: Daily Romania.

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—🇷🇴/🇮🇹 NEW: Romanian nationalist leader George Simion met Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini in coordinated push against EU centralization.

Simion declared intent to "defund EU institutions" and "return power to the nations," signaling deepening ties between nationalist parties ahead of EU elections.

📰 Source: Daily Romania.

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