Ukraine

Ukraine says it struck a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker with aerial drones in the Mediterranean, its first attack in those waters since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago. A source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) described the operation as “new, unprecedented,” saying it took place in neutral waters roughly 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine’s borders. The source said the targeted vessel, identified as the QENDIL, was empty at the time, sustained “critical damage” and “cannot be used for its intended…

BRUSSELS — President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday that Ukraine will have to significantly cut drone production next year — and halt long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure — if European Union leaders fail to unlock a first loan backed by frozen Russian assets at a summit in Brussels. Ukraine faces a foreign aid shortfall of €45–50 billion in 2025 and is due to run out of money early next year, Zelensky said. “Without it, there will be a big problem for Ukraine,” he told reporters, adding he would press EU…

EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine a €90 billion loan to cover looming budget shortfalls after more than a day of talks in Brussels, but they failed to unite behind a plan to tap frozen Russian assets to finance the support. The deal offers Kyiv a financial lifeline as the government braces for a cash crunch expected to hit by April and as U.S. President Donald Trump urges a quick settlement to end Russia’s war. EU chief Antonio Costa announced the outcome on X, saying, “We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros…

The European Union is preparing a novel way to finance Ukraine’s war and budget needs in 2026 and 2027 by mobilizing frozen Russian central bank assets—without crossing the legal red line of outright confiscation. The plan, centered on Euroclear in Belgium and a European Commission-issued “Reparations Loan,” aims to turn immobilized Russian funds into immediate support for Kyiv while preserving Moscow’s legal claim to its principal. At stake is up to €165 billion of the roughly €210 billion in Russian sovereign assets frozen…

EU leaders face a decisive choice on how to finance Ukraine’s war effort at a crunch summit this week, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging capitals to agree a plan to tap frozen Russian assets. “There is no more important act of European defense than supporting Ukraine’s defense. The next days will be a crucial step for securing this, it is up to us to choose how we fund Ukraine’s fight,” von der Leyen told lawmakers ahead of the meeting, underscoring the pressure on leaders to unlock long-term…

EU sanctions on Russia should remain in place as long as Moscow occupies Ukrainian territory, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said, as European leaders weigh a contentious “Reparations Loan” and a new international body launches in The Hague to process war-damage claims against Russia. “The entire basis of our support for Ukraine and our position against Russia and our actions against Russia is that has breached international law,” Byrne told reporters in Brussels ahead of a ministerial meeting.…

Zelensky offers to drop NATO bid in Berlin talks with U.S. envoys as ceasefire plan advances BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to drop Ukraine’s longstanding aspiration to join NATO during hours of talks with U.S. envoys in Berlin, a significant shift in Kyiv’s wartime posture as negotiators work toward a ceasefire with Russia. The meetings, hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stretched for more than five hours and will resume tomorrow morning, Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Zelensky, told…

Europe is bringing back the citizen-soldier. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a growing number of European governments have moved to reintroduce conscription or expand voluntary national service, reversing three decades of reliance on smaller, professional armies. Germany and France are the latest to join the shift, betting that wider training for young adults is the fastest way to rebuild reserves, harden deterrence and prepare for a long era of insecurity. The trend marks a significant recalibration.…

KYIV — Ukraine and its European partners will soon present the United States with “refined documents” for a potential peace plan to end Russia’s war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as diplomatic pressure builds for a deal and leaders claim the talks are inching closer to a breakthrough. Zelensky said new components of a proposal hammered out with British, French and German leaders in London are ready for U.S. review. Kyiv is also seeking robust, long-term security guarantees to deter any future Russian attack as part of…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said Sunday that a negotiated end to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine was “really, really close,” but that Moscow and Washington remained divided over two core issues: territorial settlement, primarily the future of the Donbas, and the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Kellogg, who is due to step down in January, told the Reagan National Defense Forum that talks were in “the last 10 metres,” a phase he said is always the hardest. “If we get those two…