On Dec. 15, the EU sanctioned two rival oil traders it accused of playing a major role in the clandestine Russian energy market. The Trump administration, which has called on the EU to stop all imports of Russian fuel, sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil companies this fall as part of the president’s sped-up effort to end the war in Ukraine.

When a group of defense insiders gathered in Whitehall, the home of the British government, last month to discuss how prepared the United Kingdom and its allies were for a war they believe could come in the next few years,

The European Union adopted fresh sanctions against Russian oil interests on Monday, targeting traders Murtaza Lakhani and Etibar Eyyub for helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on crude exports that help to fund Russia's war in Ukraine.

Leaders of eight easternmost European Union nations are gathering in Helsinki on Tuesday to plot a roadmap for how to secure as much funding as possible for building up defenses against Russia.

The European Union is on the precipice of a momentous decision on whether to use frozen Russian assets to finance more support for Ukraine. Critics argue the plan is legally questionable and risks retaliation by Moscow.

Polish leader Donald Tusk has warned that he will respond to incursions into his country’s territory. This raises the possibility of Warsaw shooting down a Russian jet in 2026. That would make EU leaders spring into action and jointly establish a 200 bln euro defence fund.

A core question for European Union leaders discussing whether to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine is whether the idea is legally sound.

European leaders closed ranks Sunday in support of Kyiv at a London summit, where they pledged to assemble a coalition to defend any truce in Ukraine.