The war in the Middle East has dominated the headlines in recent weeks, overshadowing the conflict in Ukraine. Against this international backdrop, Pedro Sánchez received Volodymyr Zelensky at the Moncloa Palace on Wednesday and announced €1 billion in bilateral military aid in 2026, part of which will be channeled through the European SAFE loan mechanism. "Spain will not stop looking towards Ukraine. We have not forgotten your suffering. We will continue to stand by your side as a faithful, loyal, and reliable ally," the Spanish president stated. Sánchez emphasized that the Ukrainian president's visit to Spain, his fourth since the start of the war with Russia, has "a very special significance" given that the conflict in Iran "is currently monopolizing everyone's attention." "We will maintain our support [for Ukraine] with the same intensity as from day one," he insisted.

Relief washed over the Munich Security Conference after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that, despite criticism and threats from the Trump administration, Washington wants to remain an ally of Europe. In his highly anticipated speech, Rubio emphasized the close ties between the United States and Europe: "We are destined to be together." "Our destiny is and always will be intertwined with yours, because we know that the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own national security," the US top diplomat stated at the world's most important annual forum on international security and defense policy. "That's why we Americans can sometimes seem a bit blunt and urgent in our advice... The reason, my friends, is that we care deeply," Rubio said. The tone of Marco Rubio's speech contrasts sharply with the controversial remarks made a year ago in Munich by JD Vance, in which he harshly criticized Europe for being overly dependent on US support. Vance's speech, in which he questioned the state of democracy and freedom of expression in Europe and offered veiled support for the far right, sparked outrage among European leaders and highlighted the rift between the United States and Europe following Donald Trump's return to the White House. Rubio, on the other hand, received applause from the audience at the Munich Security Conference for emphasizing the importance of ensuring a strong alliance between the United States and Europe. However, despite the more conciliatory tone, the US Secretary of State insisted on the need for Europeans to take greater responsibility for defending themselves against threats instead of relying so heavily on US aid. The Secretary of State asserted that "the United States wants to see a strong Europe." "We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary is tempted to challenge our collective strength," he insisted. There was also room for criticism in his speech. Rubio has warned about the effects of "mass immigration" and "deindustrialization" in the West, phenomena against which he has encouraged Europeans to act together to strengthen the transatlantic alliance. Regarding the peace talks for Ukraine initiated by US President Donald Trump, Rubio stated that he does not know if Moscow is seriously negotiating to end the conflict, but asserted that Washington must continue to test Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to negotiate. Zelensky, skeptical of Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, hopes that the negotiations taking place next week in Geneva between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington will be "serious, substantive, and useful." However, Zelensky noted in Munich that "sometimes it seems the parties are talking about completely different things." "The Russians often speak of a certain Anchorage spirit, and we can only guess what they really mean," Zelensky said, referring to the meeting between Trump and Putin that took place in Alaska in August 2015 without the Ukrainians present. "The Americans often return to the issue of concessions, which are discussed far too often in the context of Ukraine and not Russia," added the Ukrainian president, who lamented that Europe is "virtually" absent from the negotiating table when it should be. "It's a huge mistake," the Ukrainian leader declared during his address at the Munich Security Conference. Zelenskyy said that Putin fancies himself a Russian tsar, but in reality, he is "a slave to war." "He cannot live without war. If he lives another ten years, war could return or expand," he warned Europeans and Americans. The Ukrainian president said Russia's actions remind him of the 1938 Munich Agreement, "when the previous Putin began to divide Europe." "It would be an illusion to believe that this war can reliably end now by dividing Ukraine, just as it was an illusion to believe that sacrificing Czechoslovakia would save Europe from a major war," Zelenskyy maintained. "That is why we need real security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe" before the war ends, he demanded.

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Peace talks in Ukraine are progressing. The most visible and public discussions are those between Washington and Kyiv. On Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed reporters. a peace plan negotiated with the United States to end the warAnd the Ukrainian president assured that he would submit any peace agreement with Russia to a referendum or ratification. On Christmas Day, bilateral talks continued with a call between Zelensky and White House envoys. And this Friday, Boxing Day, Zelensky announced an in-person meeting with Trump. Furthermore, there have also been developments between the US and Russia: Moscow announced this Friday that it has resumed contacts with Washington.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders on Monday hailed the "significant progress" in negotiations on Ukraine, following two days of intense and productive talks in Berlin between Ukrainians, Americans, and Europeans. In a joint statement, European leaders They thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts to "guarantee a just and lasting peace in Ukraine" that preserves "Ukraine's sovereignty and European security."

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From London to Brussels, and from the EU capital to Rome. In just 24 hours. Volodymyr Zelensky has traveled 1,800 kilometers to discuss and amend with his European allies The peace plan for Ukraine promoted by US President Donald Trump is running out of time. According to the Financial TimesZelensky has told his European counterparts that on Saturday he was pressured—even more so—by Washington: in a two-hour call, Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy negotiating peace in Ukraine, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, urged him to make a quick decision, which should be "before Na." The Ukrainian president's response was that he needed time to consult the peace plan with European allies, the report notes. Financial Times

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The umpteenth key meeting for the future of Ukraine, which took place in Downing Street this Monday at midday, has demonstrated, once again, that Kyiv and the Europe that supports it are increasingly isolated from Moscow, among other reasons because The former transatlantic ally piloted by Donald Trump has changed sides.The show of unity around Volodymyr Zelensky by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron has projected a clear symbolic weight. But it remains to be seen whether, beyond words and gestures, the Paris-London-Berlin axis and the so-called coalition of volunteers They have the capabilities to fill the holes left by Washington.

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European leaders are increasingly nervous about US mediation in negotiations for a peace agreement in Ukraine and have warned Volodymyr Zelensky that the talks in the coming days are very delicate. The German newspaper Der Spiegel The newspaper has obtained a recording of a call between the Ukrainian president and several European leaders, in which French President Emmanuel Macron warned of "the possibility that the US will betray Ukraine regarding territory, without clarity on security guarantees." The newspaper explained that it obtained an English-language transcript summarizing the call, which it claims are direct quotes from some of the participants. Macron also considered the current situation "a great danger" for Zelensky, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz advised the Ukrainian president to proceed "very carefully." "They are playing games with you as much as with us," he said, likely referring to the two US negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law. Der Spiegel, Other leaders also participated in the call, such as Finland's Alexander Stubb, who said, "We cannot leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these individuals." Even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte agreed that "Volodymyr must be protected," although in public he is usually a great admirer of Trump.

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French President Emmanuel Macron is not satisfied with Donald Trump's decision to exclude the European Union from peace negotiations in Ukraine. Macron invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Élysée Palace on Monday to discuss the US peace proposal. The meeting took place the day before a meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The prevailing narrative is that this will be a key week for the future of the war.

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The key for Volodymyr Zelensky is to stop the countdown.Donald Trump has given him a week to accept his peace plan for Ukrainecut the correct cable and defuse the explosion. Faced with the dilemma of losing an almost existential partner or surrendering a significant portion of the country's sovereignty, the Ukrainian president is looking for ways to buy time. According to his calculations, it's a matter ofopen to discussing the document, avoid a clash like the one at the end of February in the Oval Office And, with the help of European allies, to counterattack with a rewrite of the agreement that is not only more beneficial to Kyiv, but also forces Vladimir Putin to reject it.

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Either lose dignity or lose their most powerful ally. The dilemma Volodymyr Zelensky has posed to his fellow citizens is grave. Trump has underscored it with statements to the press in which he gives the Ukrainian leader a week to accept the terms of his peace plan—or so they call it—threatening to withdraw logistical and espionage support and halt further arms shipments if he refuses. Ukraine, therefore, seems to be approaching the end of its agony, and an undesirable outcome looms on the horizon. The United States and Russia have been secretly negotiating their plan, disregarding both Ukraine and Europe, which have been humiliatingly slighted.

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Volodymyr Zelensky, back on his European tour, stopped in Spain on Tuesday and received the support of Pedro Sánchez, who announced €615 million in military aid to Ukraine. The Spanish president explained that the state will mobilize this new package over the next month. It includes €100 million to finance, through a NATO program (called PURL), the purchase of "urgent equipment" from the US defense industry, which, according to the Ukrainian president, is necessary to get through this winter. "We are looking for money for Patriot missile systems," he emphasized. The Spanish package also includes the shipment of approximately €300 million in "new defensive equipment," within the framework of the €1 billion bilateral security agreement for this year, as well as a transfer of €215 million through the European SAFE mechanism to finance the "production of anti-drone systems, search and surveillance radars," said Sánchez.

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With winter fast approaching, hopes for a short-term peace shattered, and the Russian army advancing on the Donbas front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking military, political, and economic support from his European allies with a mini-tour of Europe that has taken him first to Greece and then to France, where he served as President of the Republic. The Ukrainian head of state will also visit Spain this Tuesday.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to send a message of pressure on Europe to become more involved in the war against Russia, along the lines of what Donald Trump did yesterday. Zelensky reminded the European Union that war is at their doorstep, citing the recent incursions by Russian aircraft into the airspace of Poland and Estonia. "Putin will continue to carry the war forward, further and deeper," the president said Wednesday. He also recalled: "There are no guarantees of security other than friends and weapons."

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Peace negotiations in Ukraine appear to be at a standstill, but Europe is moving forward to prepare for the future peace scenario. French President Emmanuel Macron announced this Thursday that 26 countries—mostly European— have agreed to participate in the peace mission in Ukraine that will be deployed when there is anCeasefire. "Twenty-six countries have pledged to deploy troops in Ukraine as a guarantee force, or to be present by land, sea, or air," the French president assured after the summit held this Thursday in Paris.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is willing to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky if the Ukrainian leader travels to Moscow. "If Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow and this meeting will take place," he said at a press conference in Beijing, where he attended the large-scale military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender and the end of World War II in Asia.

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Kiev's sky was a deep blue early Sunday morning. After days of rain, Some Ukrainians wanted to interpret it as a divine gift to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day.The blue and yellow of the flag have colored Ukrainian cities since the beginning of the Russian invasion: wars accentuate nationalism.

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As many as ten European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and possibly Finland, have expressed their willingness to send troops to Ukraine as part of a security guarantee plan contingent on the signing of a peace agreement with Russia. According to Bloomberg on Wednesday, the proposal includes the initial deployment of a multinational "stabilization" force that would operate far from the front lines to provide logistical support, training, and reinforcement to Ukrainian troops. A second phase envisions a more active US role, with cooperation in intelligence, border surveillance, arms supply and possibly air defense. The agency does not specify which other countries, in addition to those mentioned, could commit to sending troops.

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Last diplomatic effort by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies before the Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Shortly before 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, Zelensky embraced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in what is yet another demonstration by London of its support for him and, in the process, an image that attempts to pressure the US president not to give in to his Russian counterpart.

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All heads of state of the European Union (EU), with one exception: Hungary, published a joint statement on Tuesday arguing that "the Ukrainian people must be free to decide their future" and that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine." They thus defended the need for Ukraine to be present in The bilateral meeting between the leaders of the United States, Donald Trump, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, which will be held this Friday, August 15, in Alaska. The European leaders also emphasize that "meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostilities." "We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect the vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe," reads the declaration signed by 26 heads of state, which was agreed upon Monday evening and published Tuesday.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has bowed to public and international pressure and reversed his attempt to seize power from the country's two anti-corruption agencies. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law to undermine the independence of both bodies, alleging they could be subject to Russian influence. This decision sparked protests in Kiev and other cities for the first time since the Russian invasion began three and a half years ago. On Wednesday, Zelensky himself promised to review the law and, hours later, published a video announcing a law to "strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine" that would guarantee the independence of the anti-corruption agencies while ensuring that "there is no Russian influence." "We listen to what society is saying. We see that people expect state institutions to ensure fairness and efficiency," the Kiev president later emphasized.

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