BRUSSELS, Belgium — Ukraine has shown "remarkable commitment" to its bid for EU membership despite Russia's full-scale war, but must urgently reverse negative trends in the fight against corruption and step up rule of law reforms, the European Commission is expected to say in its draft enlargement report, seen by the Kyiv Independent. "Despite the very difficult circumstances the country finds itself in on account of Russia's war of aggression, Ukraine continued to demonstrate remarkable commit

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Commission is pushing to maintain momentum in Ukraine's EU accession bid despite political resistance from Hungary, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said. "The main issue now is that we need strong support also in the EU member states," Kos told a group of reporters, including the Kyiv Independent, ahead of the release of the EU annual review of the progress of candidate countries in their accession process set for Nov. 4. According to Ukrainian and Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium —  At a fraught EU summit on funding for Kyiv, leaders asked the European Commission to draw up legal options for a reparations loan backed by Russia's frozen assets, with a final proposal expected by the end of the year. The news follows weeks of political debate over how the reparations loan — which could eventually end up lending up to 140 billion euros to Ukraine, backed by Russian frozen central bank assets — could become a reality. The lack of a breakthrough now pushes

BRUSSELS, Belgium — On short notice, the upcoming EU Council meeting is set to become a scramble to contain and counter U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed pressure on Ukraine. Since the start of the week, European diplomats have been searching for a coordinated response to Trump's revived messaging that echoes Vladimir Putin's demand for Ukraine to capitulate and hand over territory in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. EU leaders, meeting in Brussels on Oct. 23, are expected to weigh in on a wide ra

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg — The EU is preparing to strengthen its authority to board and inspect tankers linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet and is negotiating with some of the flag and coastal states to take measures, according to a draft proposal by the EU's diplomatic service (EEAS), seen by Kyiv Independent. Moscow's covert network of tankers, which operate under false flags, obscure ownership, and often nonexistent insurance, deliberately sail in legal grey zones of international waters

BRUSSELS, Belgium — A general sense of skepticism prevails among European officials and diplomats over U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of planned Ukraine peace talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Hungary. "We can only commend all efforts leading to a ceasefire and long-lasting peace in Ukraine," a EU official, speaking on conditions of anonymity, told the Kyiv Independent. An EU diplomat noted that Washington appeared eager to capitalize on recent diplomatic moves in the Mid

BRUSSELS, Belgium – As the European Commission unveils its new Defense Readiness Roadmap on Oct. 16, one key of cornerstone proposals — the “European Drone Defense Initiative” — is likely to turn into a political battleground of its own. Initially conceived as a “drone wall” to shield Europe’s eastern flank after the recent Russian drone incursions exposing glaring vulnerabilities in Europe’s defenses, the plan has since broadened in both scope and ambition, aiming to protect the entire contine

The European Commission's plan of creating a "drone wall" on the union's eastern border has met a tough reality in Copenhagen — opposition from EU member states without a border with Russia. "Leaders broadly supported initial flagship projects that will strengthen Europe's security, including the European Drone Wall and the Eastern Flank Watch," European Council President António Costa said at a press conference after the informal EU Council meeting in Denmark. Yet, member states were not conv

HELSINKI, Finland — Finland's President Alexander Stubb says he believes Donald Trump is shifting from persuasion to pressure in his effort to end the war in Ukraine. "(U.S.) President Trump is working, if not around the clock, at least every day, trying to end the war," Stubb told a group of European media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, at his residence in Helsinki. "Having seen that carrots rarely work with the Russians, he has moved to the stick stage — and now it's just a questio

Europe's "Coalition of the Willing" summit on Sept. 4 struggled to gain Washington's support for its proposed plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine, and doubts remain over whether or not it can be implemented, European and Ukrainian officials have told the Kyiv Independent. After the Paris summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries are ready to send troops or contribute other support as part of guarantees, but only after a ceasefire. Macron also said that if Russia failed to

BRUSSELS — As the so-called Coalition of the Willing gathers in Paris on Sept. 4, European leaders are expected to hear from Washington what role the U.S. is prepared to play in providing security guarantees for Kyiv. For months, American officials have repeated that Europe must shoulder the bulk of the burden. Now, with a European blueprint nearly finalized at the technical level, officials in Paris say the plans are ready for use — provided Washington offers a backstop. “We are willing and a

Editor's note: This item has been updated to reflect additional developments on security guarantees from U.S. officials. BRUSSELS, Belgium — European leaders are set to meet to coordinate the next steps on security guarantees for Ukraine after high-level talks in Washington, as diplomatic efforts intensify ahead of a possible trilateral summit involving Kyiv and Moscow. Following the White House talks, they are expected to reconvene in multiple formats over the coming days to align positions b

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union said it was preparing the next sanctions package on Moscow ahead of looming US-Russia peace talks. The last-minute virtual talks came just ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15, which had spooked Kyiv’s Western allies as to what concessions Washington would be willing to make. "We will work on a 19th package of sanctions," EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Aug. 11, after an extraordinary