Ukraine has entered the future. What will it be?

Azerbaijan is deliberately scaling back its relations with Russia, using the crash of AZAL’s passenger plane over Grozny on December 25, 2024, as a catalyst to distance itself from Moscow. In a clear signal of deteriorating relations, Baku has officially notified the Russian government of its decision to terminate the operations of “Rossotrudnichestvo,” Russia’s cultural and humanitarian agency, within Azerbaijan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested utilizing Ukraine's gas infrastructure to facilitate the transit of Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe, signaling a potential geopolitical shift in regional energy flows as Kyiv aims to bolster its role as a key energy transit hub beyond 2024.

Tensions between Russia and several former Soviet republics have reached a boiling point, with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan increasingly diverging from Moscow’s leadership. Over recent weeks, the three countries have openly criticized Russian officials' actions, signaling a shift in regional dynamics.

Russia still accounted for 15% of the EU's total gas imports in 2023, behind Norway and the US at 30% and 19% respectively, and ahead of North African countries at 14%, according to data from the European Commission.