Austria's Defense Ministry stated, 'There have indeed been requests and they were refused from the outset.' The refusal is based on the country's neutrality policy, which has been in effect since 1955.
When the first Ukrainian-designed drone to be made in a German factory rolled off the production line last month, Volodymyr Zelenskyy knew it marked a turning point for the economy. With drone-making joint ventures also well advanced in Finland and Denmark, war-torn Ukraine has shown how its businesses can adapt and break out of their bomb-threatened domestic confines, becoming more integrated into the EU's industrial network with each passing day.
Ukrainian officials have left for Geneva, Switzerland, where another round of negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia is set to take place. On the way to Geneva. The next round of negotiations is ahead. Along the way, we will discuss the lessons of our history with our colleagues, seek the right conclusions, Ukraine's Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov posted on his Telegram channel on Monday,
Ukraine does not shy away from the most difficult issues and will never be an obstacle to peace, Zelenskyy insisted, repeating a mantra designed to ward off accusations from Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that Ukraine is not serious about ending the conflict. Peace must be dignified, he added. And this depends on the partners on whether they ensure Russia's real readiness to end the war.
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.
Ukraine's top negotiator Rustem Umerov has given positive signals from the first day of trilateral talks involving his country, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi. "The work was substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions," Umerov said on the Telegram messaging app. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a breakthrough may not come for a while but the Trump administration has made great progress on negotiations over the past year.
Jakub Krupa Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the negotiations with the US over a security guarantees agreement were 100% done and the deal was just waiting to be signed, as Russia has praised the trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US over the weekend as held in constructive spirit. It would be a mistake to expect any significant results from the initial contacts But the very fact that these contacts have begun in a constructive spirit can be viewed positively.
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are set to begin the second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, aiming to end Moscow's full-scale invasion, which has lasted nearly four years. The first day of trilateral talks in the Emirati capital concluded on Wednesday with Kyiv describing the negotiations as "substantive and productive," though there was no apparent breakthrough. The main stumbling block in the negotiations is the fate of the territory in eastern Ukraine.
Estonia, which borders Russia, has called for a Europe-wide visa ban on Russian veterans of the Ukraine war, and has gained support from Baltic and Nordic countries. Its interior ministry estimates as many as 1.5 million Russians have taken part in the invasion, about half of them having served on the frontline. Estonia's interior minister, Igor Taro, said the threat posed was not theoretical, adding that the Russians had combat experience and military training, and may often have a criminal background.
Writing on Telegram, Pushkov criticised Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, French President Emmanuel Macron, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, arguing that European leaders have offered "no serious answers" for why they should be involved in talks already led by the United States. Pushkov suggested that EU ambitions risk "derailing even the fragile negotiations that are already underway," framing European efforts as symbolic rather than substantive.
Thanks for joining as as we look at the latest on Russia's war in Ukraine. Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are due to meet in Abu Dhabi as Russia ramps up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's energy grid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the strikes show Moscow is "betting on war," while talks remain stuck over territory in eastern Ukraine, particularly the Donbas. Stick with us for the latest updates on Ukraine.
