On January 30, the draw for the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 season playoffs took place in Switzerland. The matches will be held on February 19 and 26, and the winners will advance to the round of 16.
MHP became the first Ukrainian agricultural company to be an official partner of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The 2026 European Futsal Championship starts on January 21 and will be held in Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovenia. The Ukrainian national team has announced its final squad for the tournament.
The traditional Ukrainian Breakfast in Davos on January 22 will discuss ways to end the war and overcome challenges. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as the leaders of Latvia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Croatia, will participate.
Countries that have been waiting for years to join the EU are divided over plans to become members without full voting rights. Some insist on all the benefits, while others are happy to be at the negotiating table.
Hungarian energy company Mol Nyrt. is nearing a takeover of Serbia's sole oil refinery as U.S. sanctions force Russia's Gazprom Neft PJSC to sell its controlling stake. Hungary will ask U.S. authorities to lift sanctions on the Serbian refinery.
The sale of the Royal Romance yacht, owned by Viktor Medvedchuk, requires a final court decision in the "coal case. " The court proceedings are ongoing, and the decision on the sale is within the competence of ARMA and Croatian authorities.
The Prosecutor General's Office has taken all possible and legally stipulated measures to arrest, preserve, and subsequently sell the Royal Romance yacht. Further decisions depend on judicial procedures, the powers of ARMA, and international partners, and not on unilateral decisions of the prosecutor's office.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that Ukraine should not de jure abandon its territories, as this would be a reward for the aggressor. He recalled that the Coalition of the Willing initially proposed a ceasefire, followed by an agreement.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Russia is using Oreshnik missiles against Ukraine, particularly Lviv, to intimidate and deter support. He emphasized that NATO will not succumb to intimidation, and Ukraine's security is the Alliance's security.
Croatia has allocated its 15th aid package to Ukraine, totaling 500,000 euros, which includes 100 Vulkan 10 mobile metal-cutting machines. The country will also provide technical support to Ukraine's energy system by supplying transformers and other equipment.
Serbian company NIS, controlled by Gazprom Neft, received the first batches of oil for the refinery in Pančevo. This will allow the plant to operate at full capacity for at least nine days.
Since PURL was launched in August, 24 countries have joined it, and the total amount of contributions is $4. 3 billion. This allows for the purchase of American weapons, including missiles for Patriots, and strengthening Ukraine's defense.
The draw for the group stage of the 2026/2027 Nations League will take place on February 12, 2026, in Brussels. The Ukrainian national team will compete in League B.
A Croatian court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a seven-year-old schoolboy and injuring four others. The attack took place last December at a school in a suburb of Zagreb.
A drone, approximately two meters wide and equipped with a parachute, was found in a forest near the Romanian commune of Lerești. Police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of its appearance and origin.
New cases of leprosy have been detected in Croatia and Romania, with Croatia's being an "imported case" in a worker from Nepal, and Romania's involving two confirmed and two suspected cases among massage parlor employees. Medical professionals assure that the disease is highly treatable with antibiotics, and there is no risk of widespread transmission.
Russia has decided to terminate military agreements with 11 European countries, concluded in 1992-2002. These agreements regulated bilateral military cooperation after the collapse of the USSR.
The Danube Commission has decided to create a Register of Damages from Russian aggression on the Lower Danube. This will ensure systematic collection of data on the damages caused and their transfer to the Council of Europe and the EU for compensation.
The European Parliament has voted for a scheme that would allow women from countries with restrictive abortion laws to have free abortions in another EU member state. The European Commission is expected to decide on this proposal in March.
US sanctions against Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft, which came into force on November 21, could cause a structural reorganization of the global oil sector. This will lead to the forced sale of assets and the redistribution of ownership of fields and refineries around the world.
A poll has shown that almost half of Europeans consider Donald Trump an “enemy of Europe,” and more than two-thirds believe their country would not be able to defend itself in the event of a war with Russia. Most respondents support EU membership and believe that Brexit has harmed the United Kingdom.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held simultaneously in Canada, Mexico, and the USA for the first time, across 16 stadiums, with 48 teams participating. The final will be hosted at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and Ukraine will play in the qualification playoffs.
The Italian parliament unanimously approved a law on femicide, which provides for life imprisonment for the murder of a woman on the basis of gender. This decision was a response to the high-profile murder of Giulia Cecchettin, which caused mass protests and demands for changes in society.
Eurostat has published data for the first half of 2025, showing a significant gap in electricity and natural gas prices between European countries. Some countries pay several times more than their neighbors.
A number of European countries will receive additional support from the EU to overcome the growing migration burden. The new mechanism will become operational after the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum comes into force in mid-2026.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that Hungary's claims about the Janaf pipeline's inability to replace Russian oil are false. He emphasized that Janaf has sufficient capacity to supply all necessary crude oil to Hungarian and Slovak refineries.
Over $5 billion in US arms exports to support NATO allies and Ukraine have been delayed due to the government shutdown. This affects deliveries of AMRAAM missiles, Aegis combat systems, and HIMARS to Denmark, Croatia, and Poland.
Hungarian oil refiner Mol said it could source most of its oil from non-Russian sources, signaling a shift in tone ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Three climbers died and eight went missing after an avalanche on Mount Yalung Ri Himal in Nepal. Among the missing are five foreigners; search operations are ongoing.
