Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

The European Union is prepared to take a leading role in supporting Ukraine if U.S. backing wanes, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Jan. 9 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, German media outlet Tagesschau reported. "If the United States is not ready for it, the European Union is ready to take the lead," Kallas said.

Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary over the war with Russia and the expired gas transit deal continue to increase online.

Tensions with Russia continue to escalate as the Ukrainian president shifts tactics and asks allies for help on the ground.

In the first trading day after Ukraine ceased the flow of Russian gas and oil, benchmark natural gas prices in Europe surged 4%.

Ukraine's leader says partners sending ground troops would help "force Russia into peace," as America's European allies ponder Trump's next move.

Peter Magyar, the opposition challenger to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told Reuters he would keep Hungary firmly anchored in the European Union and NATO if he wins elections due in early 2026 and would strive for "pragmatic relations" with Russia.

Ukraine received its first 3 billion euro ($3.09 billion) tranche of the European Union's portion of a loan agreed by the Group of Seven members and backed by the earnings from frozen Russian sovereign assets,

Ukraine received its first 3 billion euro ($3.09 billion) tranche of the European Union's portion of a loan agreed by the Group of Seven members and backed by the earnings from frozen Russian sovereign assets,

Britain's biggest gas supplier said Friday UK storage levels are "concerningly low" owing to high demand caused by freezing weather and after Ukraine ended Russian gas transit to Europe.

The average global surface temperature for 2024 exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels threshold set by the Paris Agreement for the first time, according to the European Union's climate watchdog.