The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has pleaded guilty to bribery charges relating to statements in favour of Russia while being an elected member of the European Parliament.

Gill, 52, from Llangefni on Anglesey, admitted eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019, but denied one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.

He served as a UKIP and Brexit Party MEP between 2014 and 2020, and was leader of UKIP Wales between 2014 and 2016, and then leader of Reform UK Wales between March and May 2021.

The court was told the guilty pleas were “satisfactory” because the bribery charges reflected the criminal activities.

He added: “I’m sure there will be some reduction, but by how much we don’t know.”

While some American policymakers have called for reducing U.S. troop numbers, the Pentagon has yet to reveal its plans. Officials in countries that neighbor Russia — which has repeatedly violated European airspace in recent days — are bracing for imminent drawdowns, with Estonian President Alar Karis telling POLITICO earlier this month that front-line nations needed to prepare for this possibility.

The main concern for European NATO allies, per Stubb, was that the U.S. continues to keep “essential equipment,” such as “air carriers” and radar, based on the continent. The U.S. currently has between 70,000 and 90,000 troops stationed in Europe — a number that increased under former President Joe Biden after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

‘Interpreting Zelenskyy’

In Finland — whose border with Russia is more than 1,300 kilometers long — the president is in charge of foreign policy as well as being commander-in-chief of the armed forces. As such, Stubb has been credited with playing an important role in speaking to U.S. President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine, including during a round of golf in March.

The outing was credited with helping to change Trump’s perspective on Ukraine, as it was shortly afterward that he started to speak and post more critically about Vladimir Putin and Russia’s role in the world — though Stubb was adamant about not claiming too much credit for influencing the American president.

“Under no circumstance do I want to inflame my own role,” he said. “I think Europe and the United States are playing well together under Trump — much better than they did in 2016. There is deep cooperation, especially with the big boys: France, U.K., Germany and Italy. And then I want to stress that President Trump has close relations with Secretary-General [of NATO] Mark Rutte and [European] Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.”

Amnesty International said, it’s “a dark day for Slovakia” in a press release.

European Democracy and Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath said in January, when the proposal to amend the constitution was announced, that “the primacy of EU law … is nonnegotiable.”

Since Fico returned to power in October 2023, Slovakia has cracked down on independent media and judiciary, along with LGBTQ+ and artists’ rights, following an “illiberal” playbook sketched out by Hungary.

The controversial amendment, which will come into force in November, was surprisingly approved by a narrow margin.

The government coalition, which initially lacked support to pass the change, gained 13 votes from the opposition conservative Christian Democrats and conservative-populist Movement Slovakia.

The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.