Eastern Europe 

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Latest news on Eastern Europe (East Europe), covering Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, the Balkans and the Baltic states, plus EU enlargement, NATO, the Russia-Ukraine war, security, energy, the economy and the former Soviet states.

Eastern Europe stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and is home to well over 100 million people. Capitals such as Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia, Bratislava, Kyiv, Minsk and Tbilisi drive its politics. Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltic states joined the EU and NATO in 2004.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reshaped the region. NATO has reinforced its eastern flank, defence budgets have risen sharply, and drone incursions into allied airspace are closely watched. Ukraine and Moldova are negotiating EU membership, while Georgia's path has stalled amid criticism over democratic standards.

Challenges are many. Governments debate energy independence from Russian gas, inflation, ageing populations and emigration, while Brussels and Budapest clash over rule of law, funding and sanctions. Belarus remains closely tied to Moscow, and Moldova faces pressure from disinformation and the Transnistria dispute. Bulgaria adopted the euro in 2026, a milestone for the region.

Culture is a major draw, from Prague, Budapest and Kraków to Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, with folk music, film, literature and historic old towns. Millions of Ukrainians have found shelter across the region, and local communities, charities and volunteers have shaped a remarkable human response.

The region's history spans the Habsburg, Ottoman and Russian empires, two world wars and the Iron Curtain. The 1989 revolutions, including Solidarity in Poland and the Velvet Revolution, ended communism, and the Soviet collapse in 1991 created new states. Wars in the Balkans and EU enlargement followed.

Our NewsNow feed on Eastern Europe brings together the latest headlines from reliable sources on politics, security, the economy and daily life across the region. It is a comprehensive, up-to-date way to follow Eastern European news, from Kyiv to Warsaw and Budapest.