Hungary is blocking three separate 500-million-euro ($540 million) tranches under the European Peace Facility (EFF) fund, as well as 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) allocated for the Ukraine Assistance Fund, established within the EFF's framework.
"We hope that the Russian Federation will treat this as a very serious warning," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
Belgium will become the 11th country to sign such an accord with Ukraine, following Spain, the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Canada,the Netherlands, Finland, and Latvia.
The trip had originally been scheduled for mid-May but according to CNN Portugal, the change in plans was forced by the "serious internal situation in Ukraine at the moment."
U.S. and allied intelligence officials have noted a growing number of low-level sabotage operations in Europe that seem to be a part of Russia's effort to undermine assistance for Ukraine, the New York Times (NYT) reported on May 26.
Earlier this month, the European Union celebrated the 20th anniversary of its biggest-ever enlargement, which brought 10 new members into the bloc. That event remains a potent reminder of the EU’s potential to advance peace and unity across the European continent. But, at a time of deep internal divisions
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is currently serving six years in prison in Georgia on charges of abuse of power and ordering an assault on an opposition lawmaker.
Estonia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Sweden are among several EU countries pushing for sanctions against Georgia in response to its government's passing of the controversial "foreign agents" law, the Financial Times (FT) reported on May 22, citing official sources.
According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Polish government signed a contract with the European Investment Bank (EIB) worth 300 million euros (around $326 million) to construct its part of the pan-European air defense.
Under outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Netherlands has been a staunch ally of Ukraine, being one of the few partners to pledge F-16 fighter jets.
Russia does not seek cooperation with Europe, and if European countries want to ensure peace and prosperity, they must set "clear boundaries" for Moscow, Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Die Presse published on May 11.
President Volodymyr Zelensky extended congratulations, in a post on X, to Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova for her win in North Macedonia's presidential election.
In a tweet on X, Ursula von der Leyen also confirmed she would be attending the upcoming peace summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.
HIMARS, whose prowess became a popular motif of internet memes, was a game-changer for Ukraine when it first arrived in the summer of 2022, allowing Kyiv to target Russian forces behind the front lines far more accurately than they had previously.
In March 2024, Sweden officially joined NATO after a lengthy application process triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was immediately vocal in its calls for other alliance members to do more.
North Macedonia's conservative opposition party won a decisive victory in the country's dual parliamentary and presidential elections on May 8, according to preliminary results.
In an interview with AP, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said her country is convinced that Russia must lose the war in order to ensure the security of Europe.
Speaking in Washington after a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, Klaus Iohannis said he would discuss the matter with his Supreme Defence Council.
Speaking at the European Economic Congress in the Polish city of Katowice, Donald Tusk called on countries to increase defense spending and once again raised the idea of building a common European air defense system.
According to Bloomberg, the ban on Russian funding could impact far-right parties in Europe such as Germany's AfD and France's National Rally, both of which have previously been accused of links to Russia.
Several high-profile incidents in recent weeks have put a spotlight on cases of attempted sabotage by people accused of working on the Kremlin's behalf.
Ukraine ranks sixth among countries surveyed, with a significant majority supporting the statement: "Democracy may have its flaws, but it is the best system of government."
"There is a risk our Europe could die. We are not equipped to face the risks," the French president said in his April 25 speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
The EU approved the four-year Ukraine Facility in February, allocating 33 billion euros ($35 billion) in loans and 17 billion euros ($18 billion) in grants.
Russia has been accused of jamming GPS signals in nearby countries such as Finland as far back as the 2010s.
Moscow attempted to undermine the democratic political process in Austria using a Russian spy and a political party he was associated with, the country's Chancellor said on April 18.
Ukraine is among the countries whose residents have the lowest level of fear of a nuclear threat, according to a survey by the Sociological Group Rating conducted in 2023 together with Gallup International and published on April 17.
Ukraine is one of the few among the group of 29 countries evaluated by Freedom House in the Nations in Transit 2024 report that is moving successfully toward democracy amid growing anti-democratic trends.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko agreed to introduce a bill on the suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) to the lower house of the country's parliament, Lukashenko's press service reported on April 5.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Tallinn is considering joining the Czech-led initiative to buy critically-needed artillery shells for Ukraine, Czech media outlet Ceske Noviny reported.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned Europe is in a situation “not seen since 1945.” He said the continent needs to step up defense investment amid the continuing threat from Russia and uncertainty over U.S. support.
Despite Russia’s incessant attacks on Ukraine’s energy system throughout its now more than two-year-old invasion, the country’s oil and gas giant Naftogaz just celebrated its first heating system without any gas imports. It is the “greatest moment in Ukraine’s energy history,” Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov told
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