Belgium's Prime Minister Announces Investigation into Suspected Russian Interference in Europe-wide Elections

Published: 12 April 2024 at 11:12

Politics

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has launched an investigation into suspected Russian interference in Europe-wide elections scheduled for June. The country's intelligence service has confirmed the existence of a network attempting to undermine support for Ukraine.

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De Croo Government (Wikipedia)

The De Croo Government is the incumbent Federal Government of Belgium, led by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo since 1 October 2020.

Alexander De Croo (Wikipedia)

Alexander De Croo (born 3 November 1975) is a Belgian politician and businessman who has served as the prime minister of Belgium since October 2020.De Croo was born in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, and studied business engineering at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel before attaining an MBA at Northwestern University in the United States. He worked for Boston Consulting Group before starting his own company, Darts-ip, in 2006. De Croo became involved with the Belgian political party Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (Open VLD), of which he was chairman from 2009 to 2012. From 2012 to 2020, De Croo served in the governments of Elio Di Rupo, Charles Michel, and Sophie Wilmès as a deputy prime minister of Belgium.During his tenure as deputy prime minister he served as the Minister of Pensions from 2012 to 2014, as Minister of Development Cooperation from 2014 to 2020, and as Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2020. On 1 October 2020, over a year after the 2019 federal elections, the De Croo Government was formed to replace Wilmès' minority government, with De Croo as prime minister.

Prime Minister of Belgium (Wikipedia)

The prime minister of Belgium (Dutch: Eerste minister van België; French: Premier ministre de Belgique; German: Premierminister von Belgien) or the premier of Belgium is the head of the federal government of Belgium, and the most powerful person in Belgian politics.Although Leaders of Government (French: Chefs de Cabinet) had been appointed since the independence of the country, until 1918 the king of the Belgians often presided over the Council of Ministers, so the modern era of the "Premiership" started after World War I with Léon Delacroix. The political importance of the Crown has decreased over time, whereas the position of prime minister has gradually become more important.Alexander De Croo, a member of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats and son of prominent politician, Herman, was appointed as new prime minister on 1 October 2020. He succeeded Sophie Wilmès.

Putin mocks Ukraine peace talks, asserts Russia's interests must be considered

Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked the upcoming Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland, stating that Moscow will not accept any plans that ignore its interests. The Swiss government announced a high-level international conference in June to address the conflict, acknowledging the importance of Russia's involvement. Putin criticized the lack of invitation for Russia in the talks but emphasized openness to negotiations while rejecting any unrealistic schemes. He reiterated Russia's deployment of troops in Ukraine in 2022 to protect national interests and prevent perceived security threats from Ukraine joining NATO.

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