Displaying items by tag: Europe

On 18 December a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland finally erupted, spewing glowing orange jets of lava surrounded by billowing clouds of red smoke. The population of Grindavík, a small fishing town nearby, had been evacuated in November after a series of small earthquakes. The government said the eruption did not present a threat to life; there were no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland, as this type of eruption does not usually produce much ash. Icelandic police have warned tourists to ‘think four times’ before attempting to get close to the eruption, after they had to rescue an exhausted hiker by helicopter. Iceland’s president, Guðni Jóhannesson, said: ‘Our priorities remain to protect lives and infrastructure. We wait to see what the forces of nature have in store. We are prepared and remain vigilant.’ The meteorological office said on 20 December that the power, seismicity and deformation of the eruption had decreased.

On 20 December, a major drone attack by Russia was stopped by Ukraine, whose air force claimed to have shot down 34 out of 35 of the Iranian devices. The drones were sent over in several waves over a seven-hour period. The attack comes amid claims by Ukraine that Russian troops are suffering from an outbreak of so-called ‘mouse fever’. The disease causes people to bleed from their eyes, vomit several times a day, and experience extreme temperatures and headaches. Volodymyr Zelensky was boosted by news that Germany will provide 88.5 million euros to help strengthen his country’s energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks. He has been asked by the military for an extra 500,000 troops to join the million or so already in uniform. Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to increase the number of Russian troops by 170,000, to a total of 1.32 million. See

On 12 December Vladimir Putin asserted that peace will elude Ukraine until Russia achieves its unchanging objectives, despite nearly two years of heightened tensions with the West due to the ongoing conflict. During a lengthy year-end news conference, Putin offered some insight into Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine. He dismissed the idea of a second wave of reservist mobilisation, stating that there are already 617,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine, including 244,000 conscripts supporting professional military units. He emphasised Russian military advances in Ukraine, while accusing Kyiv of sacrificing its troops to gain Western aid. Putin, who has been in power for nearly 24 years, held this press conference as Ukraine seeks more US aid amid a faltering counteroffensive and waning Western backing. It was the first time he had faced questions from Western journalists since the conflict began. He also took questions from ordinary Russian citizens; reportedly at least two million questions were sent in.

On 12 December, Armenia and Azerbaijan took a significant step forward by exchanging prisoners. This move follows years of conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan annexed in September, resulting in most of its population fleeing to Armenia. The exchange, facilitated by the International Red Cross, involved the release of 10 Azerbaijani prisoners and the return of 15 Armenian captives. This act of goodwill was welcomed by the EU and the USA, who have been trying for years to persuade the two countries to sign a peace treaty. The exchange follows another positive move, an announcement on 7 December by Azerbaijan that it would not object to Armenia hosting COP29 in 2024: see

A budget crisis in Germany has struck at the heart of the ambitions of the ruling Green Party within the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The crisis centres around a significant budget shortfall, partly caused by the Greens' ambitious climate policies and the economic impact of the Covid pandemic. The Greens had planned to invest heavily in green initiatives, but the financial constraints have forced them to reconsider and scale back their plans. The crisis has also highlighted tensions within the coalition, with the Greens pushing for increased borrowing to fund their projects, while others are concerned about the country's fiscal stability. Chancellor Scholz faces the challenge of finding a balance between green policies and economic responsibility.

Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz, has submitted a resolution opposing Ukraine's accession talks with the European Union (EU). Fidesz, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, cited concerns about the treatment of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, particularly regarding language rights and education. The resolution calls for a halt to Ukraine's EU accession process until these issues are resolved. Hungary has been critical of Ukraine's policies towards its Hungarian minority for years, and this move adds to the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Ukraine has been seeking closer ties with the EU, but Hungary's opposition could complicate those efforts. On 7 December, Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff called for a meeting between Orban and Zelensky, in an attempt to resolve the problem before next week’s meeting of EU states.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has warned against underestimating Russia's determination to continue the war. The EU has delivered 300,000 of its promised 1 million shells to Ukraine, with calls for closer alignment of Ukrainian and NATO arms production. Ukraine reported killing five high-ranking Russian officials in an air strike, and claimed that Russian casualties have reached 327,580. Ukrainian air defences successfully intercepted 21 Iranian-made Shahed drones heading towards a region where an airbase is located. Meanwhile, Russia escalated attacks in the Donetsk region, intensifying artillery fire, airstrikes, and ground infantry attacks. British intelligence indicated the potential use of 500kg cluster bombs. Russia also claimed control of the village of Khromove, near the city of Bakhmut.

The ‘Elgin Marbles’ are ancient Greek sculptures taken from the Parthenon in Athens and currently housed in the British Museum. The British government argues that the marbles are a part of world heritage, while Greece has called for their return to their homeland. The argument has flared up with the visit of the Greek prime minister to the UK. When he raised the issue in a TV interview, Rishi Sunak cancelled their scheduled meeting, claiming that he had reneged on his promise not to campaign publicly about their return. The Greek foreign minister, at a NATO meeting, has said their claim is based on ‘history’ and ‘justice’. This issue highlights the broader question of repatriating cultural artefacts taken during colonial times.

Geert Wilders, a controversial populist leader in Europe, is poised for victory in the Dutch general election. His Freedom Party (PVV), which, amongst other things, advocates bans on mosques, the Quran, and Islamic headscarves in government buildings, secured 37 out of 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. This marks a significant achievement in his career, which has primarily focussed on criticising Islam and mainstream politics. This unexpected win has positioned the PVV as a prominent political force. The left-wing coalition under Frans Timmermans came second with 25 seats, while the ruling VVD, led by outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte, won a disappointing 24 seats. The election signifies a drastic shift from the previous poll two years ago when PVV won only 17 seats. Despite Wilders' success, many remain sceptical about his ability to form a coalition and become the Dutch prime minister due to his divisive rhetoric and extremist positions. The Netherlands is now poised for a complex negotiation to determine the country's leadership.

In an unexpected virtual appearance at the G20 summit, Vladimir Putin called on world leaders to ‘stop the tragedy’ of the war with Ukraine but bizarrely ignored his own role in starting the conflict. In February 2022, after weeks of growing aggression near the Ukrainian border, the Russian president ordered his forces into Ukraine. He claimed it was important to ‘demilitarise’ the country and made baseless neo-Nazi allegations about the Ukrainian government to justify the invasion. Ukraine has only agreed to peace negotiations if Russia agrees to hand back all of the land which it has illegally annexed since 2014 - including the Crimea peninsula, which Putin claims now belongs to Russia. He also broke international law by illegally annexing four other regions in eastern Ukraine in September 2022. In his G20 appearance, Putin also tried to deflect attention from the war by focusing on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, for which he has tried to position himself as a potential mediator.