The economies of Europe seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place - that is, between record-high inflation and a potential recession.

As it has become increasingly evident with each passing week, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced nearly every country in Western Europe to reevaluate its security doctrines.

After summits with NATO and the G7, the European Union resolved on Friday to jointly purchase and store gas, hydrogen, and liquid natural gas (LNG).

A coalition of Western allies - including the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom - unleashed a flurry of sanctions against

As the world crawls farther into the 21st century, Western Europe has seemingly begun to realize two certainties: that Russian influence will continue to have a destabilizing presence on Europe for decades to come, and that the catastrophic threat posed by climate change must be confronted with unprecedented urgency.

Austria became the first European democracy to institute a sweeping vaccine mandate for nearly its entire adult population on Friday. The move is regarded as a bellwether for other countries struggling to increase vaccination rates as the coronavirus pandemic enters its third year.