Andrius Kubilius

After claiming key posts, including EU foreign policy and defense in Ursula von der Leyen's new commission, eastern European countries most wary of Russia look set to carry more sway.

As Moscow's war on Ukraine grinds on through a third year, some of Kyiv's staunchest supporters have risen up the pecking order as Brussels has reshuffled its deck.

The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday (16 September) making a clear distinction between the Russian people and the regime of President Vladimir Putin, which it described as a "stagnating authoritarian kleptocracy led by a president-for-life surrounded by a circle of oligarchs".