Eastern Europe / News
Russia’s GDP contracts in 1Q25 in real terms for the first time since the war in Ukraine started
Russia’s economy contracted by 0.3% quarter on quarter in 1Q25 in seasonally adjusted terms, marking the first quarterly decline since 2Q22, Vedomosti daily reports citing estimates by Raiffeisenbank.
Brazil's Lula stakes peace broker role in Moscow visit
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will arrive in Moscow later this week for talks with President Vladimir Putin and to attend Russia's Victory Day May 9 celebrations.
EU allies prepared to back Moldova’s EU accession bid without Ukraine if Hungary’s veto not lifted
EU member states most supportive of Ukraine are ready to move forward with accession talks for Moldova without Ukraine, if Hungary continues to block progress for Kyiv.
Hungarian Commissioner delays EU plan to curb Russian energy dependence
Hungary's EU Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi raised a last-minute objection to delay the approval of the EU's roadmap for ending the bloc's Russian energy reliance.
_and_Ukraine's_First_Deputy_Prime_Minister_Yulia_Svyrydenko_sign_minerals_deal_300425_1746078417.jpg)
US, Ukraine sign watered down minerals deal
The governments of Ukraine and the US have signed off on a watered down and much fairer minerals deal, giving US President Donald Trump a PR boost and ensuring Kyiv will continue to have some access to US support on April 30.
Putin and Lukashenko speak on Union State ties and united historical memory at Volgograd forum
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political and economic integration between their two countries.
Russia proposes joint aviation venture with Belarus as part of expanded industrial cooperation
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to establish a joint aviation enterprise with Belarusian specialists as part of deepening industrial cooperation between the two countries.
Poland imposes sanctions on MyPrice Russian discount supermarket chain
Poland has imposed sanctions on the MyPrice Russian discount supermarket chain, which recently returned to operate in two locatiosn in Poland.
BRICS seeks new global alignment at Rio ministerial summit
The expanded BRICS alliance has emerged as a potent diplomatic force at its foreign ministers’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on April 28 ahead of the July meeting.
Hungary and Slovakia warn EU against scrapping unanimity rule over Ukraine membership bid
The leaders of Hungary and Slovakia warned on April 28 against changing the European Union’s unanimity rule, after proposals emerged to bypass their opposition to Ukraine’s EU accession bid.
Putin declares three-day Victory Day ceasefire to mark 80th anniversary of end of WWII
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a second temporary ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine for the May 9 80th anniversary of the end of the WWII that will last three days.
.jpg)
Venezuela embraces Russian GLONASS in challenge to US satellite dominance
Russia is accelerating the expansion of ground correction stations for its GLONASS satellite navigation system across Latin America, with Venezuela set to become the latest country to host the technology within weeks.
Unemployed Iraqi engineers block Lukoil’s site in Basra
Unemployed engineers from northern Basra demonstrated today in front of the West Qurna 2 oil field operated by Russian company Lukoil on April 27.
Ukraine makes the US a counteroffer peace plan that starts with unconditional immediate ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has come back with a counterproposal to US President Donald Trump’s “final offer” to end the conflict in Ukraine that calls for a complete ceasefire before any other points can be discussed.
US postpones sanctions on Serbia’s NIS until June 27
Sanctions on NIS were first introduced by Washington on January 10 as part of a broader package targeting Russian-linked entities in response to the war in Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian agents accused of plotting attacks on exiled Belarusians in Lithuania
Lithuania’s domestic intelligence agency has accused Russian and Belarusian intelligence services of plotting to carry out violent attacks on Belarusian exiles residing in the country.
Sanctioned tycoon Usmanov wins another legal victory against German daily
Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov has won another legal victory in his campaign to clear his name after German newspaper Münchner Merkur was ordered to retract a series of articles that formed the basis for investigations and sanctions.
_1745777724.jpg)
Exhumations of Polish wartime victims begin in Ukraine after seven-year ban lifted
Polish experts began work to exhume victims of the World War II-era Volhynia massacres in Ukraine’s Ternopil region, the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage said on April 24.
Moscow slams Japan's Ukraine loan as 'treachery'
Moscow has in recent decades made repeated moves to bully Japan into remaining silent on a number of territorial issues, most famously over possession of the Kuril Islands east of Hokkaido.
Serbia’s Vucic to attend Moscow Victory Day parade despite EU warnings
Brussels has warned that Vucic’s presence at the May 9 parade could effectively end Serbia’s European integration process.