3 European leaders, Pope Francis receive New Year telegrams from Putin

The leaders of three European countries as well as Pope Francis received New Year telegrams from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Dec. 30.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were among those "warmly congratulated… on Christmas and the upcoming New Year 2025," Moscow said.

While most European countries remain on frosty terms with Russia since the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a handful have retained varying degrees of positive diplomatic relations.

Orban has maintained close ties with Moscow despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, frequently criticizing EU sanctions on Russia and blocking military aid to Kyiv.

Serbia has maintained friendly relations with Moscow, and is heavily reliant on Russian gas, consuming around 2.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually, of which Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom provides around 2 billion.

Erdogan has aimed to maintain positive relations with both Russia and Ukraine.

Turkey has facilitated the flow of Russian oil to the European Union since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, enabling the Kremlin to circumvent the bloc’s sanctions.

At the same time, Erdogan has publicly supported Ukrainian sovereignty, and his administration has given significant aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

While not on the official list, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico had also received a message from Putin.

Under Fico's leadership, Slovakia took a sharp foreign policy turn, halting military supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak Armed Forces' stocks and adopting more Russian-friendly rhetoric.

Fico also recently announced he had accepted the Kremlin's invitation to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next May.

The Pope has earned a controversial reputation in Ukraine with remarks that relativized the responsibility of Russia’s war, encouraging Ukrainians to have the "courage" to negotiate for peace.

During Sunday prayer on Dec. 15, Pope Francis referred to Russia and Ukraine as "brothers," while reiterating calls for peace in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

"They are brothers, cousins. Let them come to an understanding. War is always a defeat. Peace to the whole world," the pope said during a visit to the French island of Corsica.

As a precursor to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin repeatedly framed its invasion as an effort to reunite the two nations as "one people," relying on numerous false historical claims.

In the lead-up to the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin invoked biblical imagery, describing the two countries as a "brotherhood" and comparing their relationship to that of Cain and Abel.

Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian helicopter with anti-air missile in first strike of its kind

During a battle in the Black Sea off the Western tip of occupied Crimea, the special unit Group 13 launched SeeDragon missiles from the Magura drone.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

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