Month: December 2024

The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland have announced that their countries will adhere to the European Union’s decision to revoke the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomats. The decision is linked to the political crisis in Georgia and the official suspension of European integration by Tbilisi, according to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle countries (Germany, France, and Poland) – Annalena Baerbock, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Radosław Sikorski – expressed their serious concern over the political crisis that emerged in Georgia following the parliamentary elections on October 26 and the Georgian Dream party’s decision to freeze the EU accession process.

“The cause of this crisis lies in the political course chosen by Georgia’s ruling party and its departure from the European path,” the ministers stated.

Officials from Germany, France, and Poland emphasized that they had repeatedly urged the Georgian government to change its course and return to EU integration by adopting European norms and values and implementing reforms.

The ministers also strongly condemned acts of violence against protesters in Georgia, as well as attacks on media representatives and opposition leaders, which have been documented in recent weeks.

According to the foreign ministers of several EU countries, the political course of repression and retreat from democracy chosen by the ruling Georgian Dream party has led to the deterioration of our relations on both European and national levels and a reduction in our support and cooperation with the Georgian authorities.

“Therefore, we will comply with the EU decision to revoke the visa-free regime for Georgian holders of diplomatic and service passports and will consider additional measures at both the EU and national levels,” the joint statement said.

The statement also highlighted that, according to the OSCE/ODIHR report, the parliamentary elections held on October 26, 2024, in Georgia – a candidate country for EU membership – were marred by widespread violations of electoral procedures.

The foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle countries called on the Georgian authorities to engage in a national dialogue with all stakeholders to resolve the political crisis and to hold new elections.

“We reaffirm our commitment to supporting the democratic and European aspirations of the Georgian people,” the ministers added.

As previously reported, on December 27, 2024, the US imposed financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, for undermining Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic future in favor of Russia.

Earlier, the US had sanctioned Georgia’s Interior Minister, Vakhtang Gomelauri.

In mid-December, Lithuania imposed sanctions on an additional 17 Georgian politicians and officials. Before that, Estonia sanctioned the Georgian Prime Minister and 13 other officials.

It was also reported that on December 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to developments in Georgia and announced forthcoming sanctions.

In 2024, Russian forces captured 4,168 square kilometers, primarily consisting of fields and small settlements in Ukraine and the Kursk region. At the same time, the Russian army lost 427,000 soldiers, according to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts from the Institute noted that the Russian military command primarily prioritized efforts to capture the remaining territory of the Donetsk region and establish a buffer zone in the northern Kharkiv region in 2024, but was unable to achieve these objectives.

The Institute pointed out that, according to Western and Ukrainian sources, Russia had planned to seize all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by the end of 2024. However, the slow progress of Russian forces in early and mid-2024 forced the Russian military command to reassess its plans and set the capture of Pokrovsk as the main offensive objective for the remainder of the year.

The ISW reminded that throughout 2024, Russian forces captured four medium-sized settlements: Avdiivka, Selydove, Vuhledar, and Kurakhove. The largest of these had a pre-war population of over 31,000. However, in December, Russian progress slowed.

“Russian forces would require just over two years to seize the remainder of Donetsk Oblast at their 2024 rates of advance, assuming that all their advances were confined to Donetsk, that they can seize large urban areas as easily as small villages and fields,” the ISW report states.

Instead, the Institute for the Study of War believes that to execute such plans, Ukrainian forces must first prevent Russian troops from advancing in their priority sectors. Therefore, Western support remains critically important for Ukraine’s ability to stabilize the front line in 2025.

Frontline situation

On December 31, 188 combat clashes occurred at the front. The enemy is most actively storming the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on four fronts in the Donetsk region.

The Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated that the delayed provision of sufficient weapons by Western countries and the prolonged suspension of restrictions on strikes with Western missiles against Russian targets allowed the Kremlin to reorganize its army for a prolonged war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian military officials noted that Russian losses during the assaults could reach up to 2,000 soldiers per day.

French President Emmanuel Macron has described the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as threats to his country’s security, unity, and economy. He also warned that election manipulations in Georgia, Moldova, and Romania pose a danger to European democracy, according to Macron’s New Year address to the French people and Reuters.

The French leader delivered a New Year’s speech, marking the end of a tumultuous 2024 for him. Earlier in the year, he shocked the nation by calling for early elections. This move backfired, creating a hung parliament with a significant rise in ultra-right-wing lawmakers, weakening Macron’s power.

“Lucidity and humility force (me) to recognise that at this stage, this decision has produced more instability than peace, and I fully own up to that. The dissolution caused more divisions in the Assembly than solutions for the French people,” the president said, clearly accepting his fault after the elections.

Macron justified his decision to call for early elections following a poor result in the European elections by the need to clarify the political situation. However, he lost his working majority and spent two months forming a minority government, which ultimately collapsed in December – marking the first time this has happened in France since 1962.

As a result, France was unable to approve its 2025 budget by the end of the year, and Macron was forced to appoint his fourth prime minister of the year in December – centrist veteran François Bayrou.

Use of referendums

Macron also opened the door to the use of referendums in 2025. Without explicitly using the word, he stated that he would ask the French people to decide on crucial issues, though he did not specify which ones.

“I want us to act with 2050 in our sights. We will have choices to make, for our economy, our democracy, our security, our children,” he said.

The French Constitution grants the president the power to initiate referendums.

In the past, Macron has also used citizens’ assemblies – gatherings of randomly selected citizens without any binding powers – to suppress uprisings, such as the yellow vest protests.

Tariff war with the US

Regarding international issues, in which he retains broad diplomatic and military powers, Macron stated that the European Union must stop being naive when it comes to international trade, as the bloc faces the threat of rising tariffs from newly elected US President Donald Trump.

“We must say no to trade rules enacted by others and that we are the only ones to still comply with, say no to everything that makes us more dependent on others, without tradeoffs and without preparing the future,” he said.

War in Ukraine is a threat to security

Macron also stated that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are not distant conflicts. According to him, these conflicts directly concern France and pose a threat to its security, unity, and economy.

He referred to recent events in Syria, election manipulations in Moldova, Georgia, and Romania, as well as terrorist attacks in Europe, as signs of a threat to European democracy.

Macron emphasized that terrorist attacks in Europe and on their borders demonstrated that security and the proper functioning of democracies could never be taken for granted.

The president is convinced that, for this reason, Europe must stop delegating its security and defense to other countries. At the same time, France must continue investing in military rearmament to guarantee its sovereignty.

The French president also urged EU partners, who often rely on the US security umbrella, to do more for their defense.

Situation in France

On December 23, France formed a new government led by Prime Minister François Bayrou. Eight ministers from the previous cabinet retained their positions in the new government.

Throughout the ongoing full-scale war, France, alongside the UK, has been actively providing military assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Recently, it was revealed that a pro-Russian hacker group targeted the portals of several French cities in retaliation for France’s support of Ukraine.

France became one of three countries to send financial aid of 150 million euros to Ukraine. The funds will be directed towards the production of weapons.

Meanwhile, the French Air Force carried out strikes on Islamic State positions in Syria.