European Council

Magyar removes Ukraine fast-track clause from EU text

The European Council has reached a compromise on the wording of its final declaration regarding Ukraine’s EU accession, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on June 18.

19 June, 12:25 PM

EU clears EUR 90 billion Ukraine loan and new Russia sanctions after Hungary relents

EU ambassadors on April 22 cleared EUR 90 billion ($106 billion) in financing for Ukraine and approved the bloc’s 20th sanctions package against Russia, a spokesperson for Cyprus, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, told Interfax-Ukraine on April 22.

22 April, 04:41 PM

EU summit fails to persuade Orban to unblock Ukraine loan

European leaders debated Ukraine for about 90 minutes before speaking with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by video call during the European Council meeting on March 19 but ultimately failed to convince Hungarian PM Viktor Orban to allow the EUR90 billion ($104 billion) Ukraine loan to proceed.

20 March, 01:56 AM

EU leaders push to open Ukraine accession talks, sideline Hungary, Slovakia

Ukraine has made progress in preparing to open negotiation clusters for European Union membership and called for their immediate launch, The European Council said in the statement on March 19, which was adopted by 25 EU leaders — excluding Hungary and Slovakia — at a meeting in Brussels.

19 March, 05:37 PM

EU sanctions Russian officers tied to Bucha atrocities

The European Council adopted new sanctions on nine Russian military officials accused of involvement in atrocities in Bucha in 2022, the council’s press service said on March 16.

16 March, 08:36 PM

Antonio Costa warns easing U.S. sanctions on Russian oil could boost Moscow’s war effort

European Council President Antonio Costa said a U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Russian oil exports could give Moscow more resources to continue its war against Ukraine, writing on X on March 13.

13 March, 05:12 PM

Council of Europe prepares agreement to launch special tribunal for Russia

Minister's Committee of the Council of Europe has not yet adopted a final decision on the agreement required to launch a special tribunal for the Russian crimes, but it has completed preparation of the draft text, Ukrinform wrote on Jan. 28.

28 January, 10:14 AM

EU urges Russia to accept ceasefire, flags corruption risks in €90B Ukraine loan deal — summit conclusions

European Union leaders have called on Russia to agree to a full, unconditional, and immediate ceasefire and outlined three key priorities tied to a €90 billion interest-free loan for Ukraine — a deal that notably avoids using frozen Russian assets. One of those priorities is tackling corruption in Ukraine, according to the official conclusions of the European Council summit in Brussels, supported by 25 of the EU’s 27 member states.

19 December 2025, 12:54 PM

EU sanctions 41 Russian tankers in crackdown on Kremlin’s shadow oil fleet

The European Council has imposed sanctions on 41 vessels identified as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, including oil tankers that generate revenue for the country’s energy sector, the Council said in an official statement on Dec. 18.

18 December 2025, 03:52 PM

EU imposes new sanctions on businessmen and firms backing Russia’s shadow fleet

The European Union Council imposed sanctions on five individuals and four organizations accused of supporting Russia’s so-called shadow fleet on Dec. 15.

15 December 2025, 06:47 PM

Orbán calls EU vote on frozen Russian assets illegal, files formal protest

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán condemned the European Union’s decision to indefinitely extend the freeze on Russian assets by qualified majority vote as illegal and harmful to the bloc, and said Budapest formally protested the move in a Facebook post on Dec. 12.

12 December 2025, 05:24 PM

EU Council approves $2.7 billion in aid under Ukraine Facility

The Council of the European Union approved EUR2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) for Kyiv after it met the benchmarks for the sixth tranche under the Ukraine Facility funding program, the body’s press service announced on Dec. 11.

11 December 2025, 11:49 PM

EU pledges Ukraine funding for 2026-2027

European Union leaders agreed to secure financial support for Ukraine in 2026-2027, European Council President Antonio Costa announced on Oct. 23 after a Brussels summit.

24 October 2025, 12:46 PM

Hungary stalls Kyiv’s EU accession progress again

EU leaders failed to agree on opening negotiation clusters for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union at the Oct. 23 European Council summit in Brussels, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

24 October 2025, 08:47 AM

Zelenskyy arrives in Brussels for European Council summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Oct. 23 to participate in a European Council meeting, according to an online YouTube broadcast by the Presidential Office.

23 October 2025, 10:54 AM

EU finally approves 19th Russia sanctions package

The European Union on Tuesday approved its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on liquefied natural gas imports, tighter travel restrictions on Russian diplomats, and new measures targeting Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, Reuters reported on Oct. 22.

23 October 2025, 12:43 AM

EU settles on plan to phase out Russian gas by 2028

The European Council approved a plan to ban imports of Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by Jan. 1, 2028, the Council announced on Oct. 20.

20 October 2025, 08:35 PM

Zelenskyy: Ukraine ready to begin substantive EU accession talks

Kyiv has completed an internal screening of its laws for compliance with European Union standards and is now prepared to open the first negotiation cluster with Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Oct. 1.

1 October 2025, 10:50 PM

Costa pushes to bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s EU bid

European Council President António Costa is working to advance Ukraine’s EU membership bid despite Hungary’s continued opposition, Politico reported on Sept. 29 ahead of this week’s summit in Copenhagen.

29 September 2025, 12:30 PM

EU approves $3.6 billion in Ukraine aid

The European Council has approved providing Ukraine with EUR3.05 billion ($3.55 billion) in financial aid under the Ukraine Facility program, Ukrainian PM Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Aug. 8.

8 August 2025, 09:24 PM

European Council

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