Europe politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 day agoUkraine war briefing: Orban's defeat in Hungary could unlock 90bn loan for Ukraine, says EU official
Hungary's government change may unlock 90bn for Ukraine and aid its EU accession process.
Germany is intensifying its commitment to bolster Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities, as outlined by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius during recent discussions at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
But the echoes of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin's imperial land grab of the waiter's own country are clear to him. They're crazy. The pair of them. For those paying more attention in Ukraine, amid Russian airstrikes, the freezing cold and power cuts, the correspondences are not only clear, but often alarming even if for now Trump has switched from sabre rattling to trying to rationalise a vague and incoherent deal he thinks he struck for the territory with Nato.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to hold a second round of US-brokered direct peace talks next weekend after a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi, despite Ukrainian complaints that negotiations were undermined by a barrage of deadly strikes. The trilateral talks in the UAE would resume on 1 February, a US official said on Saturday, adding: I think getting everyone together was a big step.
Brussels had some strong sentiments today about what a future peace deal between Russia and Ukraine should look like. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said she plans to send around a list of ideas to the bloc's 27 member states in the coming days, outlining what demands they believe should be put to Moscow. She stressed that the burden should be on Russia to make concessions.