Eurotopics.net

Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukrainian pipelines to Europe at the end of the year after Kyiv refused to negotiate an extension of the transit deal with Moscow as long it continues to wage war against Ukraine. Only small amounts were still being supplied via this route anyway. Gazprom's only remaining pipelines run through Turkey to Hungary and just a couple of other countries.

Ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, lack of progress in the fight against climate change, uncertainty over the new US presidency: Europe will also face major challenges in 2025. Commentators discusses how the EU should position itself.

Elon Musk, multibillionaire and future head of the US Department of Government Efficiency under US president-elect Donald Trump, has made an election appeal endorsing the right-wing populist AfD in an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper, triggering a wave of criticism aimed at both Musk and the paper. Early parliamentary elections are due to take place in Germany on February 23. European commentators are at odds over the op-ed.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico surprised both friends and foes with a visit to Moscow shortly before Christmas. His country is in a predicament because Ukraine is refusing to extend a deal allowing the transit of Russian gas via its territory to Slovakia for 2025. Following his visit to Putin, Fico said he would cut off Slovakian power supplies to Ukraine if it continued to refuse transit. He also offered his country as a venue for peace negotiations with Ukraine to Putin.