UK far-right riots and Elon Musk's role

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, shares his perspective on European politics from the Adriatic Sea.

What are the risks inherent in the fact that Elon Musk is de facto encouraging the right-wing thuggery that we see in the UK at the moment?

Well, I think the risks are, primarily, there for the reputation of Elon Musk. A lot of people have reacted against the fact that he's seen as de facto encouraging what is far-right violence and far-right thuggery. It's a difficult situation in the UK, and I think everyone, particularly those that have responsibility via social media, should try to make whatever they can to calm things down, not the other way around.

What’s going to be the likely effect of the Ukraine incursion into the Kursk region on the Russian war effort?

I think it's far too early to judge the nature of that particular attack or incursion. It's clearly something done with fairly qualified military units. It evidently caught the Russians by surprise, and it's fairly obvious that Putin is disturbed by it. But exactly what kind of military significance it will have one or two or three weeks down the line, that remains to be seen.