Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said Kosovo was "annexed" and "stolen" from Serbia by the international community and that comparisons between Belgrade and Moscow should not be made, while also trying to defend Russia's point of view.

Turkey is the main point of dissonance in the unity of the Western Alliance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to retired admiral James Stavridis.

Milanovi said this to journalists in Petrinja, talking about the war in Ukraine and the similarities between Crimea and Kosovo and Metohija.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The EU extends economic sanctions against Russia until July 31

Germany apologized yesterday for using a leopard emoji  to mock Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Twitter, which offended Africans, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.

Germany's foreign ministry joked with Russia's foreign minister during his tour of Africa, tweeting that he was not there to look for leopards but was trying to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

German authorities will send "Leopard 2" tanks to Ukraine and allow their export by other countries, said the spokesman of the German government.
Germany's decision paves the way for Poland, Spain and Norway, which have previously announced they are ready to send tanks.

The war in Ukraine is a storm raging in Europe's east. But its consequences will be felt in the south. The Eastern Mediterranean is likely to be affected in a variety of ways, with particular implications for Greece and its neighbors. Russia's presence and actions are one element in this equation. The effects of the war on the global order and the aspirations of regional powers are another.

The new year offers an opportunity to take stock of the many changes in Europe over the last year - a year marked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ELIAMEP's George Pagoulatos joins Thanos Davelis with the view from Athens on the evolving shifts in Europe over the last year and the challenges they pose for the West. 

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

A group of 11 NATO countries pledged new military aid to Ukraine

A group of 11 NATO countries, including Britain and Poland, pledged new military aid to support Ukraine's war with Russia on Thursday, a day before a key arms meeting for Kyiv scheduled for Friday in Germany.

For years, the United States has insisted that Crimea is still part of Ukraine. Yet the Biden administration has held to a hard line since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, refusing to provide Kyiv with the weapons it needs to target the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has been using as a base for launching devastating strikes.