OPINION: Thinking Out Loud – What Day 1 of 2025 has Already Brought

Greetings on day one of the New Year. Already, the new annual chapter in our lives has brought some noteworthy events, signaling what could be an unpredictable year.

As 2025 dawned, there were no surprises from Russia’s barbaric mode of addressing the outside world while others were celebrating, nor any signs of peace, joy, family reunification, and international solidarity.

This morning, Russia launched another 100 or so drones and rockets at Ukraine, targeting, among other places, the center of the capital, Kyiv.  

So, more deaths, injuries, destruction and plain terror from a criminal state that has set itself the additional task of heading an anti-Western crusade.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, the New Year was welcomed in with the same mundane rhetoric about Russia being entitled to do as it wants, throw its weight around, kill, destroy, grab, threaten and interfere. Despite its colossal human losses in its war against Ukraine, the shame and isolation it has brought, along with economic losses, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shrill slogan of “Let’s Make Russia Great Again” – at the expense of everyone else – explains and justifies everything.

By contrast, Ukrainians and the outside world watched a stirring New Year’s address by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which every Ukrainian, whether they like him or not, could be proud of. This was an exhausted Zelensky – energized for the special moment and at his best again – speaking directly to the nation and not mincing words.

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Inspiring and promising: there would be no let-up in Ukraine’s resistance against its mortal enemy, in seeking just terms of a peace settlement that will factor in guarantees for Ukraine’s sovereignty and security.

It was a clear and solid message to both the new teams in Washington and those in Brussels: Ukraine at the start of 2025 is tired, bleeding, but far from defeated. Will Ukraine’s friends heed the message and step up their vital support against the biggest bully on the block and menace to all democratic states?

It was also reassuring to note that Zelensky expressed solidarity with the Belarusians whom, alongside the Georgians and Moldovans, are seeking to protect democracy and independence from rapacious Russia. These nations are partners in the common fight against Russian imperialism and in in the interests of pursuing a secure European future.

Today also saw a major historic moment – the end of Russian gas flowing westward across Ukraine to its long-standing European customers.

For yes, Ukraine has stuck to its word and halted the transportation of Russian gas on the expiry of the existing contract. For so long, Russia had used energy as a political weapon to blackmail not only Ukraine but much of Europe, too.  Now it has finally lost this huge market, at least until Russia is transformed into a law-abiding member of the international community and is ready to refrain from using the supply of energy as a means of extortion and political influence.

Not all in Europe are willing to accept that dependence on Russian energy had to be stopped. Pro-Russian Hungary and Slovakia, both members of the EU, are still signaling they want to have it both ways: funding from the EU while playing footsie with Russia and undermining the EU’s unity at this perilous moment. Their selfish “pragmatism” does not warrant much sympathy.

So, as we saw today, it’s a case of solidarity with the rest of Europe and Ukraine or pay the price. On the first day that Hungary relinquished its problematic presidency of the EU, it was implicitly presented a preliminary bill for its sabotage tactics accompanied with the underlying message that hypocrisy of the sort it had shown would not be tolerated. Hungary was officially denied a billion euros of EU funds that had been frozen, ostensibly because of corruption – the first time the bloc has enforced such a move. So, this was a welcome New Year message from Brussels.

And the icing on the cake is that Poland has today assumed the six-monthly rotating presidency of the EU Council. And Poland, as we know, is no pro-Russian Hungary or Slovakia, but a strong supporter of Ukraine. It has a distinct role as the key central-eastern European state in shaping the EU’s stance and policies.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.