Talks with the US about ending the war that began with a Russia invasion will start next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his nation Thursday. "I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the crown prince," Zelensky said in his nightly address, Le Monde reports. "After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace." Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy, had told reporters on Thursday that US and Ukrainian officials were working on setting up the meeting that would try to establish the outlines of a ceasefire with Russia and a subsequent peace deal, per the Hill.
Zelensky was in Brussels for a meeting of EU leaders, who agreed to work together to bolster Europe's defenses, per the AP. The goal is to ultimately reduce the continent's dependence on the US for its security, per the Washington Post, after Trump has withdrawn military support to Ukraine. The EU leaders reached a broad agreement to loosen budget restrictions and free up money for defense spending. The EU's executive branch estimated that the effort could provide about $702 billion.
At the summit, 26 of the 27 leaders approved the statements that Ukraine must be involved in any peace negotiations and that Europeans have to be part of any talks about their security; the US has negotiated with Russia without European participation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close supporter of Trump and possibly Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe, did not endorse the section backing Ukraine, per the AP. In posts on X, Zelensky urged other nations to pressure Russia so that it "accepts the need to end" the war, per the BBC. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
