How growing Kremlin-friendly bloc in Europe is playing into Putin's hands with Georgia joining Hungary and Slovakia and pro-Moscow parties making gains across the continent

As Russia's warfare successful Ukraine rumbles steadily toward a 3rd bitter wintertime of misery, galore of Kyiv's European partners are reiterating their unwavering support successful nan look of Moscow's aggression.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared Britain, France and Germany will backmost Ukraine for 'as agelong arsenic it takes' aft gathering French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz successful Berlin earlier this month.

Volodymyr Zelensky conscionable yesterday said nan Nordics were forming a caller 'format of cooperation' dubbed 'Ukraine + Northern Europe' that will spot Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland rotation retired caller support packages alongside ironclad negotiated backing.

And Poland and nan Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are agreed successful what they spot arsenic a superior Russian threat connected their borders, ramping up their defence spending and afloat sympathetic to nan Ukrainian cause.

Yet contempt specified wide support, Ukraine's friends person been powerless to forestall an unsettling upwind sweeping successful from nan East and tilting immoderate European members toward nan Kremlin.

Some European nations are already comfortably successful nan Kremlin's orbit.

Despite their EU membership, 2 of Ukraine's neighbours are led by politicians who person openly railed against Europe's condemnation of Putin amid nan Ukraine war.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is possibly Russia's staunchest advocator successful Brussels.

He says his bully relations pinch Putin make Hungary nan 'only federation that tin speak to everyone', and paints himself arsenic a good placed intermediary betwixt East and West.

But his behaviour has suggested otherwise.

Just 1 time aft Hungary assumed nan EU's rotating presidency successful July, Orban declared that Volodymyr Zelensky must bid his troops to laic down his weapons and participate contiguous negotiations pinch Moscow.

He has visited nan Kremlin connected aggregate occasions to clasp talks pinch Putin and has routinely blocked, delayed aliases watered down EU efforts to rotation retired support packages for Kyiv, prompting EU main Ursula von der Leyen to bid apical EU officials to skip a bid of meetings successful Hungary.

Budapest has besides refused to supply immoderate worldly assistance to Ukraine arsenic its equipped forces conflict valiantly to clasp disconnected nan Russian advance.

The EU's apical diplomat, Josep Borrell, has stated Orban 'does not correspond nan EU' erstwhile he travels to Russia - and issued nan aforesaid connection connected Monday aft nan Hungarian President announced he would caput to Georgia to congratulate nan pro-Russian authorities connected an predetermination triumph marred by claims of tampering this past weekend.

Alongside Orban stands nan President of Slovakia, Robert Fico.

The 60-year-old narrowly escaped decease earlier this twelvemonth aft being changeable astatine near-point-blank scope by a would-be assassin arsenic he stepped retired of a authorities meeting.

When interrogated by police, nan shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula told investigators that he regarded Fico's authorities 'as a Judas toward nan European Union' and said his determination to artifact assistance to Ukraine was nan superior motivator of his attack.

Populist Fico has agelong had a knack for pursuing sentiment polls and shaping his policies and campaigns accordingly, analysts say.

He has enjoyed a agelong and storied governmental profession skilfully weaving betwixt pro-European mainstream and nationalistic anti-Brussels and anti-American stances erstwhile it served him to do so.

But he has embraced much utmost positions complete nan past 4 years and tilted powerfully toward Russia, opposing sanctions and threatening to veto immoderate early NATO rank induce for Ukraine.

And he has expressed admiration for Orban, describing him arsenic 'one of those European politicians who do not fearfulness to openly take sides nan interests of Hungary and Hungarian people.'

Putin holds different state conscionable southbound of Hungary successful President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia. 

While overmuch of Europe dramatically reduced their reliance connected Russian state pursuing nan outbreak of warfare successful Ukraine, Serbia was only excessively happy to support connected guzzling Moscow's supplies.

Earlier this month, Vucic and Putin enjoyed a lengthy telephone telephone to people nan 80th day of nan liberation of Belgrade from fascism amid World War II by Stalin's Red Army.

'We person had a long, good, unfastened and meaningful conversation,' nan Serbian president said. 'We besides talked astir those who are anemic [pro-Western] leaders.'

'I particularly thanked him for helping... to unafraid capable earthy state quantities from Russia to Serbia this winter,' he said.

Serbia presently holds EU campaigner status, but though Vucic aspires to subordinate nan likes of Orban and Fico arsenic a personnel of nan bloc, he has routinely declared his guidance to sanctioning Russia and speaks fondly of his narration pinch Putin. 

This play brought different occurrence for nan Kremlin successful Europe arsenic Georgia's pro-Russian 'Georgia Dream' statement narrowly emerged victorious from a hotly disputed predetermination connected Saturday.

Orban decided to sojourn Tbilisi to congratulate Georgia Dream contempt wide claims of predetermination rigging via ballot stuffing, elector intimidation and ballot buying.

The US and EU person some urged a afloat investigation into reports of violations successful nan voting, though it has not alleged nan predetermination was rigged.

But Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili refused to admit nan predetermination results, claiming her federation had fallen unfortunate to a 'Russian typical operation'.

She besides called connected citizens to return to nan streets to protestation what she called a 'total falsification' aimed astatine pulling Georgia backmost into Moscow's orbit.

The Georgian Dream statement was established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a erstwhile Prime Minister and billionaire who for illustration galore oligarchs amassed a luck successful Russia during nan 1990s pursuing nan breakup of nan Soviet Union.

It claims it wants to forge up pinch EU rank successful spite of efforts to build beardown ties pinch Russia.

But Ivanishvili's statement has go progressively authoritarian complete nan past year.

It passed respective pieces of authorities adopting akin strategies to those utilized by nan Kremlin to ace down connected state of speech.

These included a rule dictating that individuals, media organisations and NGOs that person much than 20% of their backing from overseas must registry arsenic 'foreign agents' and different curbing LGBT rights.

Both drew beardown disapproval from Western countries but were praised by Russian officials.

The move prompted nan EU to suspend indefinitely Georgia's exertion to subordinate nan bloc. 

Natia Seskuria, Founder of Tbilisi-based deliberation vessel RISS and Associate Fellow astatine London's RUSI deliberation tank, said Georgia could good beryllium plunged into a 'deep and prolonged governmental crisis' should Georgian citizens return to nan streets successful ample numbers.

She besides assessed nan predetermination results arsenic a 'significant victory' for nan Kremlin.

'The Kremlin is straight willing successful Georgia losing EU integration aspirations.

'Even if nan EU recognises nan predetermination results but nan state ends up successful a governmental situation and pinch nary prospects of nan Government committing to nan EU requirements, it is highly improbable that Georgia will beryllium capable to beforehand connected its European integration path,' she said.

In nan Czech Republic, a akin displacement toward pro-Russian sentiment has emerged pinch erstwhile Prime Minister Andrej Babis gaining traction successful nan polls. 

Incumbent President Petr Pavel and nan authorities of Prime Minister Petr Fiala are some successful support of Ukraine's plight.

But Babis - who leads nan nation's 'Action of Dissatisfied Citizens' (ANO) statement - has positioned himself arsenic a staunch nationalist and state to Hungary's Orban and Slovakia's Fico. 

The billionaire agriculture tycoon turned leader has attracted important support by railing against nan EU's stance connected Ukraine and touting anti-migration rhetoric, claiming Europe's overseas argumentation should beryllium recalibrated. 

And his party's policies, erstwhile cautiously centrist, now telephone openly for a Czechia focused connected 'self-preservation,' according to Babis, and outright cull nan imaginable of Ukraine 1 time winning EU membership. 

A monolithic swell of support for nan ANO successful caller location elections would propose Babis has a bully chance of storming to powerfulness successful adjacent year's parliamentary elections.  

Pro-Russian sentiment has moreover extended arsenic acold West arsenic Austria and Germany, wherever hard-right parties specified arsenic Austria's Freedom Party and Germany's AfD, some of whom espouse a overmuch softer European stance connected Russia, person enjoyed immense gains arsenic of late.

Although it was yet incapable to shape a coalition, nan Freedom Party (FPOe) secured a historical triumph successful nationalist elections past month.

Herbert Kickl, nan party's leader, has helped to bring nan FPOe from nan fringes into nan governmental mainstream, focusing his run connected an anti-immigration message and vowing to execute a much 'homogenous' nation.

He has besides expressed disdain for Europe's backing of Ukraine.

Earlier successful September, nan far-right statement Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrated their ain 'historic success', pinch nan statement winning almost a 3rd of nan ballot successful nan eastbound authorities of Thuringia.