I've been working on this story for 16 years, on and off. Now it's finally out, as a podcast beautifully produced by @Claire_Crofton for @RadioNational and a written piece from me. Listen: Read:

I had a little time today to reflect on the death of Sir Mike Jackson, commander of NATO's Kosovo Force for the first few months of my time in Pristina. Post here:

Spoke to Jens Stoltenberg today on his last full day as NATO boss:.

Delighted to say @liliebayer is joining @Reuters European foreign and security policy team. Lili starts on Oct 1, working with me, top colleagues @sasilink @IrishJReuter & the ace Brussels bureau & our unbeatable global network. Looking forward to welcoming her aboard!.

Fyi I BlueSky guy.

RT @IrishJReuters: Never mind the half pipe, here come the Olympic bagpipes. With creative input by our resident S….

RT @Reuters: 🔊 Donald Trump's vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, has been open about his opposition to military aid for Ukraine. Listen….

Trump's choice of JD Vance as his VP pick will worry many Ukrainian and European leaders. On Putin in Munich in Feb: "There are a lot of bad guys all over the world. And I'm much more interested in some of the problems in East Asia right now. ". Story:

RT @IrishJReuters: Biden was the focus, but another struggling leader was also trying to keep some skin in the game at Nato . #Macron tri….

Sun sets on another summit. Read all about it on ⁦@Reuters⁩

Exclusive from @sasilink on eve of NATO summit:. NATO will need 35-50 extra brigades under new defence plans.

Q: When is a mission not a mission?. A: When 32 NATO countries are struggling to find a name for their new Ukraine effort, reflecting sensitivities over NATO's role in helping Kyiv. 👇.

A look at the implications for Europe as the second round of the French election approaches, with @reutersPhilB & @MichelReuters 👇.

First pow-wow for the new Team Europe. And this time everyone's on the sofa.

Also: we're only at half-time here (if even that far):. Von der Leyen still needs approval from the European Parliament. Meloni still has leverage as her MEPs can be very valuable. There won't be a formal deal but it's a secret ballot. Even a few fratelli might be handy. (3/3).

As for Meloni, the abstention is a perfect symbol of her approach since coming to power:. Half-in, half out of the centrist camp that runs the EU. So in that sense not surprising or necessarily hugely consequential. (2/3).

On von der Leyen/Meloni:. For what it's worth, I doubt von der Leyen will want to punish the EU's third-largest country/economy or even give the impression of doing so. That would not be smart politics, apart from anything else. (1/3).

RT @Reuters: 🔊 NATO chooses Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next secretary general. Listen to @andrew_r_gray on the Reuters World Ne….

Operation Placate Meloni seems to be well under way at EU summit. On top jobs, Polish PM Donald Tusk tells reporters: ."There is no Europe without Italy and there is no decision without Prime Minister Meloni.".

All done - Rutte selected as next NATO boss.

If all goes to plan, tomorrow should be R-Day at NATO - Mark Rutte will be formally chosen as next boss. He'll take over in October from Jens Stoltenberg, who at times seemed like the eternal secretary general & will step down after a decade in post.