Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that his country would begin discussions with the United States next week regarding efforts to end the ongoing conflict with Russia.
During his nightly broadcast, Zelenskyy revealed that he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday, where his team would remain to engage in talks with U.S. officials.
European Union leaders are currently convening in an emergency meeting to explore how they can swiftly increase their military expenditures following the Trump administration’s declaration that Europe must assume responsibility for its own security while halting its assistance to Ukraine.
In a matter of just over a month, President Donald Trump has drastically shifted U.S. policy regarding its reliability as a security partner. This comes as he appears to be aligning more with Russia and withdrawing support for Ukraine. On Monday, Trump took the step of halting U.S. military aid to Ukraine in an effort to push Zelenskyy into initiating peace talks with Russia.
The negotiations will take place in Saudi Arabia. Zelenskyy confirmed in his evening address that he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday, with his team remaining there to continue talks with U.S. officials about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“Ukraine is most interested in peace,” Zelenskyy stated. “As we told President Trump, Ukraine is working and will work exclusively constructively for a quick and reliable peace.”
At the same time, European Union leaders have been meeting to discuss how to strengthen their security in response to the significant changes brought on by the Trump administration.
On Thursday, EU leaders endorsed new defense spending proposals designed to release billions of euros to improve the continent’s security, especially after the Trump administration indicated that Europe would need to manage its own defense needs moving forward.
The 27 EU leaders approved a plan to ease budget restrictions, allowing countries that are willing to boost military spending to do so. Additionally, they called on the European Commission to explore options to “facilitate significant defense spending at the national level in all Member States,” according to a statement.
The EU’s executive branch estimates that this approach could unlock around 650 billion euros ($702 billion) for defense.
The leaders also acknowledged a European Commission proposal for a 150 billion euro ($162 billion) loan package to purchase new military equipment and instructed EU staff to assess this proposal urgently.
However, European Union leaders have not been able to reach a unified position on how to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
This was reported by an official familiar with the internal vote from Thursday’s closed-door meeting.
The statement was agreed upon by 26 EU member states, with one nation abstaining, the official stated. Hungary has consistently resisted efforts to reach consensus in the past.
The official chose not to disclose which country did not endorse the statement, speaking anonymously as the summit was still in progress.
The EU is seeking to provide Ukraine with both financial and military support so that it can negotiate from a position of strength. Hungary, however, believes that such measures will only prolong the war.
{Matzav.com}
