Eastern Europe / News
Trump’s ‘America First’ is the same as Hitler’s ‘Deutschland über Alles,’ says Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has risked provoking ire in the White House by comparing former US President Donald Trump’s “America First” slogan to Nazi Germany’s “Deutschland über Alles”.
Kaliningrad becomes an energy island after Baltic States cut Russian grid connection
The Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea has become an energy island after the Baltics States cut themselves off from the Soviet-era BRELL power grid on February 8, thus becoming vulnerable to sanctions.
Hungary’s atomic energy watchdog orders partial halt of construction at Paks NPP expansion site after incident
Hungary's National Atomic Energy Authority has ordered a partial halt to construction at the Paks II nuclear power plant after a section of the southern wall of the excavation pit collapsed.
Trump, Putin hold first call – New York Post
President Donald Trump claimed that he has held his first telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office, the New York Post reported on February 8.
Trump threatens Russia with even more sanctions
The Trump administration is preparing to intensify economic sanctions against Russia in an effort to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, according to retired General Keith Kellogg, the US president’s special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Baku moves to close Russian cultural centre as diplomatic tensions rise
Azerbaijan’s increasingly assertive stance on Russian matters marks a shift from its previous balancing act between Moscow and the West.
Germany looks to repurpose Nord Stream 2 for green gas project
German authorities are considering re-tasking the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to deliver green hydrogen or natural gas from Finland.
US, Ukraine and Russia all soften their positions ahead of mooted ceasefire talks
Leaders in the US, Russia and Ukraine have all softened their positions slightly in the last week, making the start of ceasefire talks in the coming months more likely.
Azerbaijan releases Russian 'golden judge' despite Moscow’s extradition request
Azerbaijan typically complies with such extradition requests, but relations with Russia have deteriorated recently.
Russian military in Ukraine riding on donkeys amid vehicle shortage
The Russian military in Ukraine is using donkeys and horses to transport ammunition due to a severe shortage of vehicles, war correspondents have claimed.The development follows previous confirmed reports of Russian troops resorting to civilian cars.
Kyrgyzstan resists Russian pressure to give sanctions-busting firms lenient treatment
Kyrgyz bank is latest entity to join US sanctions list.
Azerbaijan claims possession of Russian missile fragment extracted from doomed AZAL Flight 8243
Cautiously worded Kazakh government report on tragedy, meanwhile, stops short of identifying “foreign metal objects”.
Fidesz in panic mode ahead of release of explosive documentary on Orban family’s wealth
Investigative outlet Direkt36 has released a trailer for its upcoming documentary on the Orban family’s business empire, sparking accusations from the government that the film is part of a foreign smear campaign.
Zelenskiy said he is open to face-to-face negotiations with Putin
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was open to face-to-face negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reversing his earlier stance of refusing to meet with the Russian leader.
Russia’s Mir cards remain an open question in India
Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar has expressed optimism about Indian financial institutions adopting Moscow’s Mir payments system and Russian banks adopting New Delhi’s RuPay payments system
British teen killed by Russian drone minutes into first Ukraine mission
An 18-year-old British volunteer fighting for Ukraine was killed by a Russian drone just minutes into his first frontline mission. James Wilton, from Huddersfield, had no prior military experience and travelled to Ukraine aged 17 to join the fight.
Serbia requests delay of sanctions on oil company NIS
Serbia has formally requested the US to delay sanctions on its Russian-owned oil company, Naftna Industrija Srbije, for a minimum of 90 days, citing concerns over the company’s critical role in regional energy stability.
Azerbaijan launches border security operation amid rising tensions with Russia
The timing of Azerbaijan's large-scale Border Shield operation raises geopolitical questions.
Missing money, delayed arms deliveries and demands for mining deals, Ukraine's relations with Trump are off to a rocky start
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has complained that Ukraine has only received $75bn out of a pledged $177bn of aid pledged by the US to support Ukraine last year and he doesn’t know where the missing $100bn money is.
Bomb blast kills pro-Russian paramilitary leader in Moscow
A bomb explosion in a luxury residential complex in Moscow has killed Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Russian paramilitary leader from eastern Ukraine, in what authorities are treating as a targeted assassination.