News & Events

For the first time since 1917, Ukraine is celebrating Christmas on 25 December. The move is more than just a change of date from 7 January – the date for Christmas in the Julian calendar, which Russia uses. It’s the continuation of a significant cultural shift, to eradicate Moscow’s influence in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has threatened Europe and the US with “serious consequences”, including tit-for-tat financial seizures or even a break in diplomatic relations, if Russian assets held abroad are given to aid the Ukrainian budget and war effort.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that there is no current basis for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and that Kyiv’s proposed peace plan was absurd as it excluded Russia.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed a major European Union aid package for Ukraine on Friday and warned he could still halt Kyiv’s accession to the bloc after membership talks won EU approval.

The European Union decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. But hours later, Viktor Orbán used his veto power to block a €50-billion aid package for the war-battered nation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the US to back more aid to Kyiv, with a plea that some lawmakers said has changed few, if any, minds.

Russia plans to run next year’s presidential election in the four regions of Ukraine that it annexed in 2022.

Some politicians, in Ukraine and elsewhere, question whether the country should hold a vote, despite legal restrictions.