Global news organisations are reporting that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early morning hours of Thursday, 24 February, bombing targets across the country and sending in troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared martial law in his country. Promising that the world will hold Russia accountable,
United Nations Security Council members condemned Russia’s order to deploy troops to Donetsk and Luhansk after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared them independent, on Monday. Speaking on state television, Putin said “I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago – to
As the stand-off between Russia and Ukraine continues, for countries within Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) it has spurred a flurry of activity, including troop movements among members of the NATO alliance to bolster their defenses. The Baltic News Network writes that Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that a
Slovakia’s failure to approve judicial reforms and a “court map” could curtail its access to EU recovery plan funds, writes Euractiv. Out of the four proposals considered by the country’s lawmakers, only one, having to do with district courts’ headquarters, made it to a second reading in the
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the prospect of Russian forces invading Ukraine remains a real threat, a “very high” one in the coming days. “Every indication we have is they’re prepared to go into Ukraine,” said Biden, who warned that Russia could employ a “false flag”
Russian forces did not invade Ukraine today, confounding earlier US intelligence statements this was likely to happen on Wednesday. The Kremlin mocked Western media who had declared today the “invasion date”, France 24 reported.
Nevertheless US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed scepticism regarding the Russian Defence Ministry claim that
As some countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) relax Coronavirus restrictions, others remain cautious, with Czechia in the first camp, while Estonia is in the second. As Czechia lifts the requirement to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and mass gatherings, Estonia has u-turned on a similar plan
NATO has sent troops to Lithuania, which the country’s head of state says should be permanently stationed in the Baltic country. A rotating contingent of soldiers “would be the best boost to security and deterrence that NATO could provide – not only to Lithuania, but to the whole region”, President
The European Commission (EC) unveiled legislation designed to double Europe’s share of the semiconductor industry yesterday. The so-called Chips Act addresses supply-chain shortages in the EU’s tech sector. Having assigned EUR 11 billion for the package, the EU aims to raise EUR 43 billion overall and gain a
The European Commission (EC) will withhold approximately EUR 15 million in EU funding from Poland for its refusal to pay fines issued by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). For months Warsaw ignored an ECJ order to pay a daily fine of EUR 500,000 for its refusal to shut
A group of four European budget airlines have allied to lobby against them shouldering the bulk of the cost of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) aviation fuel reform. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air say they support climate goals for every flight from Europe – not just internal EU
The Czech Republic and Poland made good today on promises made in yesterday’s settlement of the Turow mine dispute. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed that Czechia withdrew its complaints regarding the Polish mining operation to the Court of Justice of the European Union, while Warsaw had already paid
Czechia and Poland signed an agreement regarding the environmentally damaging lignite mine in Turow, western Poland, on Thursday. Under the deal, Poland will contribute EUR 45 million towards new infrastructure in Czech regions over the border from the facility, and also monitor the mine, build groundwater barriers and establish a
Europe’s largest airline Ryanair has announced plans to restore all of the flights from the Croatian capital of Zagreb that it suspended last month, while commencing services from Zagreb to Bratislava, Lviv and Corfu.
Ryanair launched its base in Zagreb, where it hosts three aircraft, last year and after
Soaring natural gas prices last year disrupted the long-term trend of renewable energies and gas replacing coal in Europe, according to a report by the think-tank Ember released today. “Legislation is the only way to guarantee that coal plants are closed by 2030; volatile gas prices have made it clear