Russia

The Biden administration’s new sanctions target Russia’s oil giants Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, shadow fleet vessels, and opaque traders. Oil prices surged, while European equities slid as investors fear tighter küresel supply.

However local emergency services in some regions cancelled events, saying it was too hazardous for worshippers to cut bathing holes in icy ponds and rivers

France’s Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the aircraft was targeted as it monitored vessels during a NATO observation mission off Sweden,

Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, the Russian and Iranian presidents, announced closer ties between their nations at an event in Moscow.

Three lawyers who represented late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were sentenced to up to 5,5 years in prison. A verdict that reflects escalating Kremlin repression.

Moldovan citizens will vote this year in parliamentary elections. There is a risk that their vote will derail Chisinau’s European course. Only time will tell how Europe will react, Vitalie Cojocari writes.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Ukraine’s capital on Thursday with a pledge to help guarantee the country’s security for a century, days before Donald Trump is sworn in as U.S. president.

The Moscow-controlled breakaway region of Moldova will receive gas as a “humanitarian gesture” from the Kremlin, while the rest of the country will remain cut off after Russia halted supplies on 1 January, citing alleged unpaid debts.

The EU Court agreed on the need to restrict trade with the Moscow-based mobile operator, as it could be helping the Russian army with its invasion of Ukraine.

Hanoi is seeking to revive its nuclear programme in order to achieve energy self-sufficiency and meet its 2050 greenhouse gas emissions goals.