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Stories in this section cover the EU-27 countries plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and the Balkan Countries (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia).

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Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange but no progress made in peace talks
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Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange but no progress made in peace talks

17 May 2025
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelensky. Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.
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Leaders meet in Albania to debate European security concerns
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Leaders meet in Albania to debate European security concerns

16 May 2025
The leaders of 47 European countries and organizations are gathering Friday 16 May for a one-day summit in Albania’s capital Tirana to discuss security and defense challenges across the continent, with the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the top of the agenda. The theme of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Tirana is “New Europe in a new world: unity - cooperation - joint action.” The gathering will also address ways to improve the continent’s competitiveness and tackle unauthorised migration.
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Clashes in Montenegro over the inauguration of new Serbian Orthodox Patriarch
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Clashes in Montenegro over the inauguration of new Serbian Orthodox Patriarch

5 September 2021
The Balkan country of Montenegro seceded from neighbouring Serbia in 2006 after a referendum. However, around 30 per cent of the country's 620,000 inhabitants still consider themselves Serb. The main Montenegrin church also remained attached to the Serbian Orthodox tradition. The Serbian Orthodox Church is still the dominant religious institution in the Balkan country, with 70 per cent of Christians affiliated with it. This connection with Serbia regularly leads to tensions within the country.
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European Defence Ministers meet to discuss Afghanistan and how to respond to future crisis
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European Defence Ministers meet to discuss Afghanistan and how to respond to future crisis

2 September 2021
It seems that the crisis in Afghanistan has focused minds in Brussels. On Thursday (2 September) EU defence ministers are meeting to discuss the crisis and how to learn lessons from it. Hovering at the top of the agenda is the EU's own capacity - or more precisely lack of capacity -  to act in these and similar situations. But the meeting is "informal" and no decisions are expected until later in the year.
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