The U.S. administration is ready to hand Russia a win in its brutal war against Ukraine. That’s the only conclusion we can make after following the news this week. If anyone held onto hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump would be tough on Russia’s Vladimir Putin,
"If the U.S. president comes and creates peace, there is a deal, I think Russia will be reintegrated into the world economy." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
Editor's note: The article was updated on Feb. 14 to include the Latvian Foreign Ministry's comments. European nations, particularly Ukraine’s neighbors and the Baltic states, were stunned when the U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly announced the start of peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the
Agricultural trade between Ukraine and the EU reached $17 billion in 2024, exceeding the previous record of $16.5 billion in 2022 by 3%, the Kyiv-based research Institute of Agrarian Economics (IAE) reported.
Like people in other regions, Europeans face the challenge of discerning what motives underlie U.S. President Donald Trump’s verbal provocations. After all, what Trump really wants is often unclear, which makes it difficult to devise a strategically effective response. Traditionally, Europeans have interpreted American foreign policy through a
"We agreed that we are not automatically filling the void with European money because, first, we don't have those funds," Kallas said.
European nations fear they will be left to shoulder the costs of post-war security and reconstruction in Ukraine as they remain excluded from U.S.-Russia talks on ending the war, the Financial Times reported on Feb. 13, citing senior European officials.
In 2024, Russia’s total defense expenditures surged by 42% in real terms, reaching 13.1 trillion rubles. When adjusted for purchasing power parity—which accounts for differences in what money can buy in different countries—this amounts to $462 billion.
Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar criticized Ukrainian officials for a so-called "slanderous campaign" against Hungary in a visit to Kyiv on Feb. 11.
Transparency International highlighted that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further entrenched authoritarianism, with the Kremlin suppressing dissent, redirecting resources to its military agenda, and eliminating independent voices.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Development Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that the decision to impose tariffs will naturally affect Ukraine's steel industry.
The European Commission will update the provision of foreign aid and make it more "targeted for partners," Bloomberg reported, citing the draft document.
The European Union's lending arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), has signed agreements to mobilize close to 1 billion euros ($1.03 billion) in investments into Ukraine’s public and private sectors as the U.S. moves to cut funding to development projects in the country. U.S. President Donald
The European Commission criticized the decision as "unlawful and economically counterproductive," arguing that the deeply integrated supply chains between the EU and the U.S. would suffer under such restrictions.
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that Tiraspol rejected the EU's financial assistance allegedly due to conditions attached to the aid package. He attributed the decision to Russian influence.
The news comes as 19 EU member states have proposed expanding financing for arms production through the EIB on Jan 31.
The EU "should boost independence even further and end all Russian energy imports," Karis said on Feb. 9. "We should even seriously consider a full trade embargo on Russia."
Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with old Soviet-era military equipment, with funds received from NATO and EU allies being reinvested into purchasing modern Western weapons.
Belgian clearing house Euroclear said in a statement on Feb. 5 that the second payment is expected to be made in March and should amount to approximately 2 billion euros.
The tribunal, set to operate within the Council of Europe, will focus on Russia's political and military leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.
The project, funded by the Italian government, aims to make Ukraine's energy system "more resilient and decentralized" in accordance with the "Build Back Better" principle.
The European Commission and Moldova signed a two-year strategy for energy independence and resilience, allocating 250 million euros ($258 million) to Chisinau in 2025, the commission said on Feb. 4.
A key focus of the meeting is geopolitics and EU relations with the United States, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs expected to dominate the agenda.
Zelensky said that the first step for Ukraine is to hold a high-level meeting with Trump, before moving on to a format for peace talks that includes Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., and the EU.
Earlier the same day, the Financial Times (FT) reported that EU officials are discussing the possibility of resuming purchases of Russian gas as part of a potential settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Half of Poles believe Ukraine should not join NATO or the EU until the issue of exhuming Volyn massacre victims is resolved, according to a new poll published on Jan. 30.
Ukraine expressed "deep disappointment" over Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's statements after he called President Volodymyr Zelensky "the enemy" of Slovakia.
The proposal's advocates, including Hungarian and German officials, argue that the move could give both Russia and Europe incentives to maintain a ceasefire while stabilizing the continent's energy market, the Financial Times wrote.
The European Commission will not propose implementing a ban on Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) imports in its upcoming sanctions package amid concern among member states about first securing an alternative from other countries, including the United States, EU diplomats told Reuters on Jan. 29.
The sanctions will also cut off more Russian banks from the SWIFT banking system, and target an additional 70 vessels suspected to be part of Russia’s "shadow-fleet."
EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 28 in their first official phone conversation since the Trump administration took office.
Earlier, the Italian Senate approved the measure with 192 votes in favor and 41 against.
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