Diplomacy, politics, peace talks and other news at the national and international levels/
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed a 100-year partnership agreement to deepen cooperation between the two countries in defense, economy, education, science, technology, and other areas. The agreement, which consist both of public and confidential sections, includes a commitment by the UK
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised to seek to speed up talks for Ukraine to join the European Union during Poland's six-month term as president of the bloc, which started this month. In 2022, Ukraine secured EU candidacy status in the months after Russia launched its attack
Ukraine's European allies are growing becoming cautiously optimistic that US President-elect Donald Trump will not pressure Kyiv into early negotiations with Russia, unnamed European officials said. The development comes after several rounds of private talks with members in Trump's administration, where European allies advocated for
The outgoing Biden administration in the US is making a last push to seize hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to use as leverage in future negotiations for peace in Ukraine, two unnamed senior administration officials said. One official said that seizing Russian assets would send a
The incoming US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are expected to "at least" have a call in the coming days or weeks to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Trump's future national security advisor Mike Waltz said on Sunday. Waltz also said that
US President-elect Donald Trump has extended his vow to end the war in Ukraine in "24 hours" to several months, and will likely continue supporting Ukraine after inauguration on Jan 20, two unnamed European officials said. "The whole [Trump] team is obsessed with strength and looking
Slovakia is considering actions against Ukraine, including suspending aid, if a resolution is not reached regarding the halted Russian gas transit through Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated on Thursday. The statement came after Fico's talks with European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen. Fico accused Ukraine of
Ukraine is ready to help address the energy crisis in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria with coal supplies, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. "We are ready to help Moldova, in particular, with coal," Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation following
The Joe Biden administration is set to announce a final weapons aid package for Ukraine as part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to Germany on Thursday, two unnamed senior defense officials said. Austin will meet in Germany with representatives of around 50 partner nations who have come
A dispute between Bratislava and Kyiv over transit of Russian gas through Ukraine has escalated further after a proposed meeting with European Union officials on Tuesday was called off. Ukrainian and Slovak ministers, alongside European Commission officials, were scheduled to meet in Brussels to address the consequences of the termination
Iceland Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir met with Ukrainian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak to discuss the development of geothermal energy in Ukraine and other issue related to the country's energy sector. The officials discussed the priority requirements for power equipment needed in restoration efforts, along with strategies
The Ukrainian authorities have postponed signing an agreement to cooperate on extracting and processing minerals with the US to let the incoming Donald Trump administration take the credit for the deal, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials from both countries. The signing of the agreement, initially planned with
In a joint declaration, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK said that they "will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership." The ministers said they will also support Ukraine's accession to
Kaja Kallas, the EU's newly appointed high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, reiterated her proposal that about $300 billion in frozen Russian assets be used to aid Ukraine. Kallas stated that Ukraine has a legitimate claim to the funds the Western countries frozen following Russia'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his first meeting with US President-elect Donal Trump to talk of Ukraine's need for security guarantees in any negotiated peace deal with Russia, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources. The news come amid concerns in Kyiv that Trump's goal of
