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.

The European Union is ready to take the lead in supporting Ukraine. However, Europe hopes that elected US President Donald Trump will not stop supporting Ukrainians, states Top European Union diplomat,

Central European gas flows have adapted to the halt of Russian supplies through Ukraine on Jan. 1, as increased shipments to the region from Germany and Italy make up the shortfall, data from network operators showed on Monday.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said he wasn’t ruling out the resumption of gas through Ukraine after a deal between Kyiv and Moscow expired at the beginning of this year.