Belgium

Pete Hughes arrives at NATO headquarters in Brussels and speaks of the need to strengthen the Alliance. The US Secretary of Defense will participate in the Ramstein meeting, which is being convened by the UK for the first time.

Pete Hagesse will visit Europe on February 10-17 and participate in the Ramstein meeting. At the meeting, he will reaffirm the US desire for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.

The UPL has approved new dates and times for the matches of the 19th, 20th and 21st rounds of the championship at the request of the national team's coaching staff. The matches of the national team's base clubs in round 21 have been postponed to March 11.

Spain's ambassador to Belgium was fired after he fell asleep at a meeting during a speech by the foreign minister. Minister Albares, nicknamed the “Little Napoleon,” is known for his tough leadership style and frequent dismissals.

The Flemish nationalist party N-VA will form the new government of Belgium along with four other parties. It is expected that N-VA leader Bart De Wever will become Prime Minister of the center-right cabinet.

Due to a technical failure in Belgium's air traffic control system, Robert Fico's plane returned to Bratislava. The meeting with representatives of the European Commission on gas transit and other issues was canceled.

Coca-Cola is recalling batches of drinks due to elevated chlorate content in Belgium, the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, France and Luxembourg. Products in cans and bottles sold since November may pose a health risk.

Raja Nainggollan was arrested as part of an investigation into drug smuggling through the port of Antwerp. The footballer is in a temporary holding cell, and his club, Lokeren, confirmed that he was absent from training.

The EU will not include a ban on Russian LNG imports in the new sanctions package. Instead, it will present a roadmap for a gradual phase-out of Russian energy by 2027.

The President of Ukraine met with the leaders of Belgium and France at the Economic Forum in Davos. They discussed investments, economic support, agricultural and energy development.

A Belgian royal decree dating back to World War II could help preserve frozen Russian assets in the event of a Hungarian veto. Orban threatens to block the extension of EU sanctions, waiting for Trump's position.

The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada said that Poroshenko tried to leave on January 15 to attend the EPP meeting, which ended on January 14. Stefanchuk said that he did not know the legal purpose of such a trip.

Belgium's three largest trade unions announced a 24-hour strike on January 13 over cuts to social benefits of €3 billion. Transport is expected to stop and mass protests involving 50-100 thousand people are expected.

The office of the Belgian Prime Minister received a letter containing the toxic substance strychnine. The employee who opened the envelope was hospitalized, and similar letters were also found in the office of the Minister of the Interior.

In Switzerland, starting from January 1, 2025, it will be illegal to cover your face in public places. Violations are subject to a fine.

On New Year's Eve, riots broke out in Brussels, during which 60 cars were set on fire and rescuers were attacked. Police detained 159 people and recorded more than 1,700 incidents across the city.

Telegram channels of Russian state media have become inaccessible in European countries due to violations of local laws. The blocking affected RIA Novosti, RT, Rossiya 1 and other channels in seven European countries.

In 2024, we launched 18 new Ukrainian-language audio guides to cultural sites around the world. We also donated hundreds of Ukrainian books to libraries in 8 countries as part of the Ukrainian Bookshelves project.

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, announced his abdication on October 3, 2025. The throne will pass to his son, Grand Duke Guillaume, who has already been appointed as a representative viceroy.

Due to powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections, the aurora borealis is expected to be seen on December 25 in the high-latitude regions of the United States. The phenomenon may recur in two weeks due to the return of an active sunspot.

European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has called for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine. The EU is reassessing the risks of such a move amid a possible reduction in US aid.

NATO has officially accepted the coordination of Western military assistance to Ukraine from the United States through the new NSATU mission in Wiesbaden. The mission will include 700 personnel with bases in Belgium, Poland and Romania.

The official set up a charitable foundation in Belgium and raised funds allegedly for Ukrainian equestrian sport. Out of 790 thousand euros of donations, he appropriated 4 million hryvnias for his own needs.

Belgium plans to increase the number of troops in NATO to 1,500 in 2025. The country will also send F-16s to Iceland and return troops to the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

Pavlo Ostrikov's You Are Space won the Golden Eye and the Ciné+Frisson prize at the Paris International Fantastic Film Festival. The festival has been one of the key events for genre film fans since 2011.

After the fall of the Assad regime and its flight to Russia, European countries have been massively suspending consideration of asylum applications from Syrian citizens. These countries include France, Germany, Britain, Sweden, and others.

French Ambassador Gael Veyer said that Ukraine's accession to NATO would end the war and strengthen Europe's security. However, the decision must be shared by all NATO member states.

The government has allocated a record UAH 2. 7 billion for the construction of protective shelters in educational institutions of the Kharkiv region. The new shelters will have a dual purpose and will be equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable stay.

Six winners of the Radio Dictation 2024 were announced, including one participant who wrote a text without errors. A total of 12,000 entries were submitted from Ukraine and 33 countries.

Germany will transfer 650 million euros worth of military assistance to Ukraine, including IRIS-t air defense systems, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. The package will also contain 6,500 Helsing missiles and 4,000 drones.