Ukraine liveblog
EU leaders to regroup on Ukraine after Trump aid cut
EU leaders are expected to gather for a major regrouping on their Ukraine military aid and defence spending policies when they meet in Brussels on Thursday.
An EU proposal put forward by the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, for a €20 billion aid package for Ukraine has been removed from the draft summit conclusions, according to the latest draft dated 3 March, seen by Euractiv. Hungary had blocked the initiative last week and it remains unclear whether their veto will change.
On Thursday, EU leaders are expected to "review work done on the delivery of military support to Ukraine" and call for the "urgent stepping-up of efforts, in particular on the delivery of air defence systems, ammunition and missiles, as well as on the provision of necessary training and equipment for Ukrainian brigades, as well as other needs that Ukraine may have", according to the draft.
They are expected reiterate Europe's negotiation principles:
- No negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine
- No negotiations that affect European security without European involvement
- A ceasefire in Ukraine only as part of the process toward a comprehensive peace agreement
- Any peace agreement for Ukraine must be accompanied by robust and credible security guarantees
- Any peace agreement must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity
The EU leaders also plan to "reaffirm continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders".
That sentence has been standard since the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion, but now sounds key in light of US President Donald Trump's latest moves to pull support from Ukraine, which have significantly increased pressure on Ukraine's European supporters to step up aid.
An EU proposal put forward by the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, for a €20 billion aid package for Ukraine has been removed from the draft summit conclusions, according to the latest draft dated 3 March, seen by Euractiv. Hungary had blocked the initiative last week and it remains unclear whether their veto will change.
On Thursday, EU leaders are expected to "review work done on the delivery of military support to Ukraine" and call for the "urgent stepping-up of efforts, in particular on the delivery of air defence systems, ammunition and missiles, as well as on the provision of necessary training and equipment for Ukrainian brigades, as well as other needs that Ukraine may have", according to the draft.
They are expected reiterate Europe's negotiation principles:
- No negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine
- No negotiations that affect European security without European involvement
- A ceasefire in Ukraine only as part of the process toward a comprehensive peace agreement
- Any peace agreement for Ukraine must be accompanied by robust and credible security guarantees
- Any peace agreement must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity
The EU leaders also plan to "reaffirm continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders".
That sentence has been standard since the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion, but now sounds key in light of US President Donald Trump's latest moves to pull support from Ukraine, which have significantly increased pressure on Ukraine's European supporters to step up aid.