Since January 1, when the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine stopped, in Austria and Slovakia has sharply increased gas extraction from storage facilities, and Austria and the Czech Republic have resumed fuel imports through Germany.

Ukraine’s decision to end the gas transit deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom has been hailed by President Volodymyr Zelensky as one of Moscow’s biggest defeats. Today, the transit of Russian gas is zero.

Even so, according to polls, the FPÖ will do still better if snap elections are held. Kronen Zeitung, Austria’s largest-circulation tabloid, published a poll on January 5th that put the FPÖ at 37% of the vote, which would give them around 40% of the seats in parliament. That should focus the minds of the ÖVP ’s negotiators. ■

With transit routes through Ukraine for Russian gas cut off, a few EU countries now need to rethink their gas supply. For others – including Germany and Switzerland – the impact will be minimal.

Austria's OMV Romanian unit has struck a deal to supply Germany's Uniper with gas from its Black Sea project from 2027, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Europe seeks new ways to boost energy security after cutting ties with Russia.

The ongoing conflict has highlighted the importance of diversifying gas supplies to build resilience against geopolitical risks.

Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Wednesday (8 January) he had secured Slovakia's gas supply during a visit to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, just before Ukraine halted the transit of gas from Russia at the start of 2025.

It is usually customary to sum up the results of the outgoing year in the last days thereof. I will try to do this after the New Year holidays have already passed. If you can describe the past year in one phrase,

The Austrian far-right FPÖ’s likely return to government raises concerns about the erosion of liberal democracy.

As today’s war rages in Ukraine’s east, a row over the graves is tearing at the country’s relations with Poland, one of its key allies in Europe. Poland has long accused Ukraine of playing down the scale of the massacres,

In the first trading day after Ukraine ceased the flow of Russian gas and oil, benchmark natural gas prices in Europe surged 4%.