The London meeting, originally intended as a ministerial-level summit involving the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Ukraine, was notably downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff declined to participate.
The meeting was to be held at a ministerial level, but was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his participation.
Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov arrived in Paris on April 17 to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and meet visiting U.S. officials.
The courses, expected to begin as early as this summer, will take place at training centers in western Ukraine and will not involve direct combat.
The funds are part of a broader 200 million euros (around $227 million) initiative co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The Trump administration officials are dissatisfied with European countries' ongoing support for Ukraine, underscoring the growing rift between Washington and Europe, the Economist reported on April 15, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The U.S. still holds an edge in terms of military aid — its 65 billion euros ($74 billion) lead Europe by 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) — but the gap is shrinking as Washington has not allocated a new aid package since Jan. 9, still under the Biden administration.
"I'm happy to see we already have two-thirds of my ammunition initiative together," Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, referring to an initiative to provide Ukraine with 2 million high-caliber rounds worth 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion).
Hungary's opposition leader, Peter Magyar, has positioned himself in contrast to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's policies, promising to reset Hungary's foreign relations and end what he calls the government's isolation from the West.
Ukrainian, French, and British military officials have been discussing Ukraine’s requirements for a potential peacekeeping mission, with Ukraine aiming to secure peacekeepers to prevent future Russian aggression.
The appeal comes amid growing expectations that the Trump administration will proceed with plans to scale back American troop deployments in Eastern Europe.
Zaluzhnyi said the need became critical in the summer of 2022 when Western partners questioned the utility of some weapons Kyiv was requesting.
"There are more F-16s prepared to be deployed in there. There are more pilots in the training pipelines," U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli said on April 3.
NATO's command and control structures could be used to deploy a so-called "reassurance force" to Ukraine, unnamed officials told the FT.
The Danish government approved the 25th package of military assistance to Ukraine, worth 6.7 billion Danish kroner ($970 million), which will support Ukraine from 2025 until 2027.
The U.K. has begun floating plans to European allies to establish a joint European military fund for the purchase of military equipment and weaponry as a means to rearm Europe, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 2.
The Ramstein summit will take place on the next day after the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
"(W)e will hold a meeting on Friday, there will be a meeting of our military teams among several countries, a narrow circle of countries. Those who will be ready to deploy a contingent in one form or another," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is a continuation of Moscow’s centuries-long goal to obliterate Ukrainian culture and statehood. Over the past three decades, however, the United States has, through missteps and inaction, emboldened Russia’s aggression by failing to confront the looming threat — a failure which, under the administration
"So, in purpose to cut this trend, in purpose to stop this scenario, we have to show and introduce the hard measures sooner than later," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said.
Last December, 54% of Ukrainians believed that the new U.S. president would have a positive impact on Ukraine.
Foreign ministers from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, and Poland, along with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, called on Russia to agree to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire on equal terms and with full implementation."
"We expect a response – a serious one. We are working toward a response. A strong response is urgently needed – above all from the U.S., from Europe, from everyone in the world who has placed their bets on diplomacy. Russia must be forced into peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 29.
Ukraine is working to finalize agreements with European nations for additional military aid shipments as well as expanded intelligence sharing ahead of the next Ramstein summit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 28.
Russia's "unconditional withdrawal" from Ukraine is one of the main preconditions for changing or lifting EU sanctions, European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne on March 26.
President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the war with Russia and European efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine during the meeting with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel in Kyiv on March 21.
"With today's payment of 1 billion euros, we are reiterating our steadfast commitment to Ukraine. We are helping the country's economy stay on course and rebuild critical infrastructure damaged by Russian aggression," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
"If Russia does not plan to invade its neighbors again, it is not clear why it should not accept security guarantees that are only defensive," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
In a joint letter, the foreign ministers of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia called on Brussels to put forward "concrete proposals on how to decisively advance Ukraine's accession process."
Western leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine following a virtual summit hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on March 15, where leaders from 25 countries were in attendance.
Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev accused the alliance, particularly the U.K., of provoking instability in the region.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen confirmed that the package includes artillery ammunition, citing Ukraine's urgent need for such supplies.
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