Cooperation in the energy sector, which has long been a key pillar of Russia-China economic relations, has assumed even greater importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For the Kremlin, the sale...

On 15 December, President Petr Pavel formally nominated the government of Andrej Babiš, formed following the elections to the Chamber of Deputies held on 3–4 October (see ‘Parliamentary elections in t...

During its summit on 18–19 December, the European Council did not agree to grant Ukraine the so-called reparations loan based on frozen Russian assets. However, a decision was taken to provide Kyiv with an interest-free loan of €90 billion, financed through joint EU borrowing on financial markets and backed by the EU budget headroom. Reaching unanimity within the European Council on this issue was made possible by excluding the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary from the financial guarantees for the EU-incurred loan.

On 18 December, President Donald Trump signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2026 fiscal year, after it received bipartisan support in Congress, passing the House of Re...

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Following talks with Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk on 12–13 December, the US President’s Special Envoy for Belarus, John Coale, announced the lifting of the embargo on Belarusian potash fertilisers, ...

The budget for next year, signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on 10 December, provides for revenues of 2.9 trillion hryvnias (approximately $68.7 billion) and expenditures of 4.8 trillion hryvnias ...

In the first week of December, Chancellor Friedrich Merz undertook a two-day visit to Jordan and Israel – his first since assuming office. In Jordan, he met King Abdullah II, to whom he expressed supp...

On 11 December, the government led by Rosen Zhelyazkov submitted its resignation, which the parliament approved the following day. The decision came in the wake of what was likely the largest protest ...

On 3 December, the European Commission added Russia to the EU’s list of high-risk countries – commonly referred to as the ‘blacklist’ – deemed to have strategic deficiencies in their frameworks for co...

During a press briefing on 11 December, President Volodymyr Zelensky provided an update on the current state of negotiations over the US-backed peace plan. It is currently based on a 20-point agreemen...

On 9 December, the Lithuanian government declared a nationwide emergency due to the threat to civil security posed by Belarusian smuggling balloons, which have been active for the past two months. The...

The federal budget for 2026, adopted by the Bundestag, envisages expenditure of €524.5 billion – €21.5 billion more than in 2025 (see ‘Germany’s budget: increased investment and debt’) – made possible...

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The sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia’s two largest oil companies on 22 October carry significant consequences for those Central European countries that have maintained their energy tie...

On 4 December, the Trump administration released a new National Security Strategy, signalling a profound redefinition of the United States’ role in the world and a shift in the objectives and assumpti...

Thirty years after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remains a state mired in persistent institutional crises. The country’s existing political and constitutional model...

According to preliminary results from the snap parliamentary elections held in Kyrgyzstan on 30 November, candidates formally standing as independents but closely linked to President Sadyr Japarov are...

In 2025, Turkey reoriented its policy towards Libya, drawing both politically and militarily closer to its former rival, Khalifa Haftar – the leader of the Libyan National Army, which controls the eas...

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From 15–17 November, the seventh consultative meeting of the five Central Asian leaders was held in Tashkent. During the meeting, they announced, among other initiatives, the ‘New Central Asia’ plan, ...