Are the signs in Eastern Europe pointing to peace? On the surface, one could interpret several recent trends in this way. On one hand, Ukraine is under enormous pressure, both on the battlefield and on the international stage.

The increase was from a very low base in 2023, when Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe plummeted by 55.6% to 28.3 bcm as Moscow's relations with the West sharply deteriorated due to the Ukraine conflict.

The situation with European countries that buy Russian gas is very complicated and requires increased attention, the Kremlin said on Monday after talks the previous day between President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

A major contract governing the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine will come to end on January 1, with significant implications for Moscow’s exports to some European Union countries. “The end of the transit contract will mark an important shift because gas via Ukraine governed by the contract currently accounts for half of Russia’s remaining