Officials in Europe praised the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to activists standing up for human rights and democracy in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year has pushed Moscow's relationship with its western neighbors to a new low. Even before that, ties had been fraught over Russian President Vladimir Putin's backing for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and his repression of political opponents such as Alexei Navalny at home.
