Politics

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko attends a session of the Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 17, 2025.
Politics

Exclusive: Mounting concern in Brussels over Ukraine’s reform backslide

by Luca Léry Moffat

As Ukraine pushes for a fast-tracked entry to the EU, senior European officials say they are worried about progress on key reforms needed to secure the country’s European aspirations. Ukraine failed to complete 11 reforms in the last three months of 2025 required to unlock European funds, according to RRR4U, a consortium of Ukrainian think tanks, and is on track to miss more reforms in the first three months of 2026 — putting a total of five billion euros ($5.8 billion) of EU funding at risk.

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Ukraine secures $8.1 billion IMF lifeline as funding gaps loom

Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko welcomed the IMF decision, saying that, "It is very important for us that in the fifth year of full-scale war, amidst systematic attacks on the energy sector, Ukraine has guaranteed international financial support from partners and resources for the stable functioning of the state."

Orban's election campaign strategy — blackmail EU, Ukraine over Russian oil and hope for a fight

On Feb. 26, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was feeling adventurous, sending two letters — one to Brussels, another one to Kyiv — with a set of demands. The intended target audience for both, however, were not EU and Ukrainian officials, but the domestic population soon heading to the polls. "Viktor Orban's ominous post is not an open letter to a foreign head of state, but rather a campaign message targeting a domestic audience," Daniel Hegedüs, deputy director at the Institute for Europ

Ukraine war latest: More than 90,000 Ukrainians officially missing due to Russia's war, commissioner says

Key developments on Feb. 26: * More than 90,000 Ukrainians officially missing due to Russia's war, commissioner says * Ukraine might have a new Flamingo missile deep strike strategy, experts say * Russia, Ukraine agree on body exchange, 1,000 fallen Ukrainians brought home * Russian FPV drone on fiber optic cable reaches Kharkiv for 1st time since start of full-scale invasion, prosecutor's office says More than 90,000 Ukrainians are officially registered as missing due to Russia's full-sca

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