A $106 billion EU emergency loan is now on its way to Ukraine, following the fall of Hungary's strongman Viktor Orban, who was holding it up. However, as a condition of the loan, Kyiv is obliged to re-open the war-damaged Druzhba pipeline, which sends Russian oil through Ukrainian territory to Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Germany. Kyiv is cooperating in getting the pipeline operational again—but is meanwhile drone-bombing Russian oil facilities on the Baltic and Black seas, in hopes of diminishing how much petrol Moscow will have to export through that pipeline. The strikes have caused "apocalyptic scenes" in the Black Sea port of Tuapse—air thick with toxic fumes, a huge column of smoke blotting out the sun, black rain falling from the sky. Russia, unwilling to sacrifice its own oil revenues but seeking to punish Europe for backing Ukraine, has announced that it will cut off the flow of oil from Kazakhstan through the Druzhba pipeline. (PRI, Al Jazeera, Reuters, E&E News, The Moscow Times)

The European Union took a significant step toward adopting a Trump-like approach to migration when the EuroParliament approved a new law March 26 expanding the power of security agencies to track, detain and deport migrants. Amnesty International criticized the revised "Return Regulation" as "punitive" and a threat to fundamental rights. The law also allows for people to be deported to countries other than their country of origin—a controversial policy used by the Trump administration. Greece, an EU member, is even working directly with US officials to ramp up deportations.

EU foreign ministers must use their upcoming meeting with Nikolai Mladenov, director-general of the Board of Peace (BoP) and "High Representative" for Gaza, to ensure that Palestinians' rights are among the board's highest priorities, Amnesty International urged in a statement Feb. 23.

European troops have landed in Greenland amid tense talks between the country's autonomous government, officials from Denmark, and the United States. President Trump has continued to insist the two-million-square-kilometer Arctic island should belong to the United States—despite pre-existing security agreements and a (previously) strong relationship with Denmark that grants the US significant military access to the territory. Beyond Trump's ego, there are reasons related to climate change that explain why Greenland is becoming of political interest. The territory's strategic location has become even more so in recent years as the Greenland ice sheet and surrounding sea ice have retreated significantly: The ice sheet lost 105 billion tonnes in 2024-25, according to scientists. This has disastrous implications—ice helps cool the planet, and its melt will lead to rising seas. But it also allows ships and submarines more freedom of movement, making military planners nervous.

Greenland party leaders issued a joint statement Jan. 9 asserting that the autonomous territory rejects the US calls for acquisition. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four other party leaders stated: "We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders."

Amnesty International on Dec. 18 urged all states to prevent the Portuguese-flagged Holger G vessel, carrying munition components bound for Israel, from docking at their ports. Having departed from India on Nov. 16, the cargo is destined for Israel's biggest arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, and its subsidiary IMI Systems.

The former Wales leader of right-wing populist political party Reform UK, Nathan Gill, was imprisoned on Nov. 19 after pleading guilty to accepting bribes from Kremlin-linked figures. The Central Criminal Court sentenced Gill to 10 years and six months imprisonment under Section 2 of the Bribery Act of 2010. Gill pleaded guilty to those eight counts in September after entering non-guilty pleas in his preliminary hearing on March 14.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Oct. 13 called on Italy to revoke its migration cooperation agreement with Libya, saying the arrangement "has proven to be a framework for violence and suffering, and should be revoked, not renewed." The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the countries, first signed in February 2017, was part of Italy's broader strategy to tighten its national borders. Under the agreement, Italy has provided technical, logistical and financial support the Libyan Coast Guard, enabling the force to intercept tens of thousands of people at sea and return them to Libya. However, NGOs have consistently documented how intercepted refugees and asylum seekers are routinely detained in inhumane conditions, where they face torture and other degrading treatment.