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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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Monday, March 2

Zelensky backs Trump’s Iran war — but Ukraine may see little in return

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was one of the first world leaders to back the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which started on Feb. 28. For Ukraine, the choice was logical: Iran is a Kremlin ally that has backed Russia's aggression against Ukraine and supplied drones to Moscow. Moreover, Zelensky is seeking to curry favor with U.S. President Donald Trump and show that Ukraine is a reliable ally, analysts say. "We support the United States in this operation in order to demonstra

Smoke plumes rise following missile strikes in Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2026.

Ukraine War Latest: Ukraine captured more territory than it lost to Russia over February 2026, Syrskyi says

Key Developments on March 2: * Ukraine captured more territory than it lost to Russia over February 2026, Syrskyi says * US deploys LUCAS kamikaze drones against Iran 'for first time in combat' * 70% of Ukrainians skeptical US-Ukraine-Russia talks will bring lasting peace, poll shows * Russian drone hits passenger train in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 1 killed, 10 injured Ukrainian forces captured more territory in February 2026 than Russian forces were able to occupy in the same period, Ukraini

What an Iran oil spike would mean for Russia

As markets opened on March 2, Russian officials were quick to frame the escalating Middle East crisis as an economic opportunity for the Kremlin. Within hours of the first U.S. and Israeli strikes, Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev quickly posted on X about crude potentially hitting "$100+" per barrel. Brent crude futures on the London ICE exchange initially had risen 13.04%, peaking at $82.37 per barrel — the highest level in over a year. Prices later eased to $79.38. The spike followed Iran's M

The tanker "Eventin," part of Russia's "shadow fleet," off the coast of the island of Rügen, Germany, on March 24, 2025.

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