6 h. ago Ukraine cannot continue to survive on Europe’s starvation rations

Editorial: Despite agreeing to a €90bn interest-free loan that could keep Kyiv afloat for two years, European leaders seem unduly nervous about forcing Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. If Europe is ever to defeat Russia, it must now go further – or risk humiliation

Events

7 h. ago Ukraine strikes Russian tanker in the Mediterranean after receiving £80bn European loan

Putin reiterated his hardline demands of Ukraine at a conference as Ukraine met for more talks to end the war

Events

10 h. ago Zelenskyy and Polish PM hail EU’s €90bn loan: ‘Scariest thing for Russians is when we’re together’ – live

Ukrainian leader welcomes move as Donald Tusk says ‘it could be better’ after Russian frozen assets left out of dealEU leaders agree €90bn loan for Ukraine but without use of frozen Russian assetsIn his first comments on Ukraine, Putin swiftly blames Kyiv for the continuing war, saying “they are basically refusing to finish this conflict via peaceful means” (whatever that means from the literally invading party).But he says there are “some signals indicating they are willing to engage in some type of dialogue.” Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago What to know about the EU's new $106 billion loan to Ukraine

European Union leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with a massive interest-free loan to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years

Economics

12 h. ago EU’s Ukraine loan may have been Plan B, but don’t underestimate its significance to the bloc

This €90bn agreement won out over a plan to use frozen Russian assets, but has been hailed a ‘huge deal for the EU’The EU’s failure to agree a “reparations loan” to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets was a political blow to the bloc’s big beasts, but the last-gasp alternative it devised will do the job – and marks a potentially significant first.After a marathon 16 hours of talks, EU leaders early on Friday agreed to fund Ukraine, which risked running out of money by next April, with a much-needed €90bn (£79bn) loan. But the solution they came up with was not the one most had wanted. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy says EU’s €90bn loan is a ‘signal to Russians’ despite frozen assets not being part of deal

Ukrainian leader welcomes move and says it is critical Russian assets remain frozenEU leaders agree €90bn loan for Ukraine but without use of frozen Russian assetsIn his first comments on Ukraine, Putin swiftly blames Kyiv for the continuing war, saying “they are basically refusing to finish this conflict via peaceful means” (whatever that means from the literally invading party).But he says there are “some signals indicating they are willing to engage in some type of dialogue.” Continue reading...

Economics

14 h. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy says EU’s €90bn loan is a ‘signal to Russians’

Ukrainian leader welcomes move and says it is critical Russian assets, which are not part of the deal, remain frozenEU leaders agree €90bn loan for Ukraine but without use of frozen Russian assetsIn his first comments on Ukraine, Putin swiftly blames Kyiv for the continuing war, saying “they are basically refusing to finish this conflict via peaceful means” (whatever that means from the literally invading party).But he says there are “some signals indicating they are willing to engage in some type of dialogue.” Continue reading...

Events

15 h. ago Ukraine war latest: Putin compares EU to ‘burglars’ in rambling press conference after frozen assets plan dropped

EU Council president Antonio Costa says loan will cover Ukraine's military and economic needs for next two years

Politics

19 h. ago EU leaders agree to lend Ukraine £79billion after deal to give them Russian frozen assets unravels

The massive interest-free loan will help Ukraine meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, leaders said after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels.

Economics

23 h. ago Ukraine deal: EU leaders agree €90bn loan, but without use of frozen Russian assets

Two-year deal will cover most of Ukraine’s needs, but will be secured against EU borrowing rather than Russian assetsEuropean Union leaders have decided to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets, diplomats said in the early hours of Friday.“We have a deal. Decision to provide €90bn ($106bn) of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered,” EU Council president Antonio Costa said in a post on social media. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago EU agrees €90bn loan to Ukraine after frozen Russian asset plan fails

Money to be borrowed against bloc’s budget after leaders fail to agree on proposal using Moscow’s funds

Events

25 h. ago UK set to 'share risk' with the rest of the EU by leveraging capital from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine

The development comes after Belgium said it would only back a loan for Ukraine if it receives assurances it will be shielded from Russian retaliation.

Events

65 h. ago EU talks on using Russian assets to fund reparations loan for Ukraine enter final stages ahead of crunch meeting – Europe live

Negotiations among EU leaders continue ahead of critical European Council meeting in Brussels on ThursdayIf you want to test various scenarios ahead of tomorrow’s debate on Russian frozen assets, you can use this handy calculator to see what is needed to get the proposal passed under the so-called qualified majority vote, or QMV (expect to hear a lot about it in the next 48 hours).As we know, the opposition is led by Belgium and its outspoken prime minister Bart de Wever, with Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Malta also against. Italy has some doubts too (at least for now?), and Hungary, traditionally, is against anything that would help Ukraine. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago EU prepares to use £185 BILLION of frozen Russian assets to fund huge loan to Ukraine

The move would allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine in the war.

Economics

1 week ago The Guardian view on Trump and Europe: more an abusive relationship than an alliance | Editorial

The White House is aggressively seeking to weaken and dominate the United States’ traditional allies. European leaders must learn to fight back.Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz have become adept at scrambling to deal with the latest bad news from Washington. Their meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street on Monday was so hastily arranged that Mr Macron needed to be back in Paris by late afternoon to meet Croatia’s prime minister, while Mr Merz was due on television for an end-of-year Q&A with the German public.But diplomatic improvisation alone cannot fully answer Donald Trump’s structural threat to European security. The US president and his emissaries are trying to bully Mr Zelenskyy into an unjust peace deal that suits American and Russian interests. In response, the summit helped ramp up support for the use of up to £100bn in frozen Russian assets as collateral for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine. European counter-proposals for a ceasefire will ...

Politics

2 w. ago European Commission plans ‘reparations loan’ to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets

Leaders focus on bolstering Ukraine’s finances as US-Russia talks to end war make little progressThe European Commission will move ahead with controversial plans to fund Ukraine with a loan based on Russia’s frozen assets, but in a concession to concerns raised by Belgium, which hosts most of the assets, the EU executive has also proposed another option: an EU loan based on common borrowing.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday the two proposals would ensure “Ukraine has the means to defend [itself] and take forward peace negotiations from a position of strength”. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Trump’s grab for Russian frozen assets puts EU Ukraine loan in doubt

Brussels blindsided by US plan for joint investment funds with Moscow and Kyiv

Politics

4 w. ago US president’s grab for Russian frozen assets puts EU Ukraine loan in doubt

Brussels blindsided by US plan for joint investment funds with Moscow and Kyiv

Politics