Germany is asking the European Union (EU) to take much stronger steps to punish Russia for its ongoing war against Ukraine. Thorsten Frei, the chief of staff to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has urged Europe to move “out of our comfort zone” and make decisions that will truly challenge Russia’s economy and leadership.

For about 30 hours, the illusion of transatlantic unity over Ukraine was maintained. But US President Donald Trump’s response to a proposal from Russia’s Vladimir Putin shattered that.

A leading economist has been telling EU finance ministers that Russia’s economy is under growing strain as its invasion of Ukraine drags on.

The West has been applying pressure on Russia to end the war for three years, since Putin’s initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Europe is on track to replenish its depleted natural gas storage network using almost no Russian pipeline supplies for the first time ever. But the region's plans to completely phase out Russian gas still look like a daunting challenge.

By Jeanna Smialek Reporting from Brussels The European Union approved a new package of sanctions on Russia on Tuesday, targeting covert oil exports, days after the top E.U. official announced ...

Trump is deeply agnostic about the fate of Ukraine, and is ready to recognise a Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe – the US-Ukrainian “minerals” deal does not change this fact.

They are considered one of the world’s most dangerous, and indiscriminate, weapons. Yet five European countries have turned their backs on an international treaty on the use of landmines, citing the growing threat from Moscow.

The 1998 crisis worsened the situation, as a global recession and falling commodity prices led to fiscal imbalances and doubts about Russia’s ability to service its debt and uphold the fixed exchange rate. The central bank raised interest rates to 150% to try and stabilise the rouble, but this failed.