News & Events

European leaders are scrambling to rescue a plan to begin European Union accession negotiations for Ukraine, as Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, vows to block the decision at a summit of EU leaders next week.

The European Union should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine instead of starting membership talks with the country, Hungary’s Viktor Orban said on Friday, flagging a way to a possible compromise ahead of a crucial EU summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new stage, with winter expected to complicate fighting after a summer counteroffensive that failed to produce desired results due to enduring shortages of weapons and ground forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov faced Western critics while attending international security talks Thursday in Northern Macedonia, where he blamed “NATO’s reckless expansion to the East” for war returning to Europe.

There were two big questions looming over the OSCE ministerial meeting in Skopje, which will bring together the foreign ministers of the Vienna-based security body. First, would Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov show up? And second, which country would take over the rotating chair for 2024?

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba insisted on Wednesday that NATO allies are showing no sign of war fatigue and remain committed to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia and take back occupied territory.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has urged members of the security alliance to continue backing Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s invasion amid opposition in the United States to a military aid package and resistance in Europe for a longer-term support plan for Kyiv.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on, neither country is likely to achieve a breakthrough this year — or even next. But that doesn’t mean it will be over soon. Moscow and Kyiv aren’t interested in negotiating an end to the war, or even settling for a frozen conflict, writes Ivo Daalder.