The two developments are viewed as a direct challenge to the delicate geopolitical balance that Serbia’s Vučić has spent more than a decade crafting, whereby he has signaled approval of Western values and EU policies while also maintaining strong ties with Russia and China. “We love Moscow and Washington, and everyone in the world, but … Read more
“Recent moves to delay and dilute vital regulatory protections reflect a worrying trend where ‘competitiveness’ is repeatedly used as a pretext to weaken essential safeguards against financial risks,” he said. Now, with Donald Trump returning to the White House in a matter of weeks, the future of the rules looks uncertain — which creates a … Read more
Speaking to POLITICO, Moldova’s national security advisor, Stanislav Secrieru, accused Russia of “weaponizing” its energy exports “to destabilize Moldova economically and socially, weaken the pro-reform government ahead of the elections, and manufacture political demand for the return of pro-Russian forces to power.” According to Secrieru, Moldova — which has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine … Read more
“Halting gas transit via Ukraine will have a drastic impact on us all in the EU — but not on the Russian Federation,” Slovak Prime Minister Fico said in a New Year’s address posted on social media. Fico — who is friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting him in Moscow in a surprise visit over … Read more
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is threatening retaliatory measures against Ukraine if Kyiv stops Russian gas transit to Slovakia as of Jan. 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week said his government “would not prolong the transit of Russian gas” once the current contract expires at the end of this year. Zelenskyy accused Fico of … Read more
Four other telecommunications cables between Finland and Estonia and between Finland and Germany were also damaged. “We’ve decided to send our navy close to Estlink 1 to defend and secure our energy connection with Finland,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in a post on X. Speaking on a morning local radio show, Pevkur said … Read more
A preliminary investigation into “a serious regulatory offence” has been launched and the cargo will be detained, Rakshit added. The European Commission described the incident as “the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure. “The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s … Read more
Peskov added it could be “easily assumed” that energy ties will be on the agenda. The diplomatic trip came as Slovakia and Hungary seek a deal to avoid being cut off from Russian gas when a key transit agreement with Ukraine expires at the end of 2024. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three … Read more
“We constantly ask for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry,” the official said, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the sensitive row. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert “Fico is among those who block those sanctions … and is one of the key blockers of [Ukraine’s] bid to join NATO, too.” Fico, who along with Hungarian Prime … Read more
Serbian oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) faces financial sanctions from the United States as soon as next month because of its Russian ownership, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said late Friday. The U.K. and the EU would likely follow the U.S. in introducing sanctions against the company, Vučić said in an interview with Serbian broadcaster Informer … Read more
