A Slovak student receiving an award at the presidential palace for placing in a mathematics competition has refused to shake hands with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has invited the Ukrainian president to a meeting to resolve the gas transit issues following the latest exchange of harsh statements with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has instructed far-right Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl to begin coalition talks to form a government with the Austrian People's Party following a meeting on 6 January.

The United States will make additional announcements about security aid for Ukraine in the coming days.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has shared images of the aftermath of a Russian strike on Lithuania's honorary consulate in Kherson, calling for increased support for Ukraine to secure victory.

Roderich Kiesewetter, defence spokesperson for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), believes that there is no alternative to the deployment of German soldiers in Ukraine after the war.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said that the Alliance will increase its presence in the Baltic Sea following an incident involving damage to electric cables.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is convinced that Russia's war against Ukraine will end in 2025 either through peace talks or the destruction of one of the warring parties.

Andrus Merilo, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, believes that Russia, as the aggressor country, has achieved its goal because it has sent a signal to the world about the "normalcy" of occupying the territory of another state.

Moldova has been allowed to increase its quota for electricity imports from the EU amid a possible shortage that will arise if Russian gas supplies to Transnistria, a Russian-backed breakaway region, are cut off.

On Monday, the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved the extension of the authorisation for the transfer of military aid to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has stated that the weakness, dependence and short-sightedness of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's energy policy pose threats to the whole of Europe.

The New York Times reported that US intelligence believes that Pyongyang was the first to suggest that North Korean troops participate in the war on the side of Russia, not the Kremlin.

A protest took place in front of the Slovak government building in Bratislava on Monday in response to Prime Minister Robert Fico's trip to Moscow, where he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, has expressed confidence that Ukraine will have an additional opportunity to achieve a just peace immediately after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.