Presidential Office Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva stressed the urgency of appointing a European representative, saying, "It should be a quickly made decision. I hope right after the Paris meeting. We should act, not reflect."
According to the publication, the estimated troop numbers emerged in response to a U.S. questionnaire sent to European countries asking them to assess their capabilities to support Kyiv.
Zelensky described the development as a concrete step beyond diplomatic discussions, signaling a shift toward tangible international security cooperation.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Feb. 17-Feb. 23. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. European leaders will hold an emergency summit in Paris
"Russia is increasingly waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine while continuing its domestic repression, persecuting those who advocate for democracy," EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said.
"If there is a negotiating table, I think we need to do something similar to what was done in Kosovo. Europe needs to have a special envoy," Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Feb. 16 at the Munich Security Conference.
There will be no joint European Union army to counter Russian aggression and compensate any withdrawal in U.S. support, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said to local television late on Feb. 15, Reuters reported.
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.
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