President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Brussels. The leaders discussed the coordination of positions regarding the negotiation process with Donald Trump's team and the importance of involving Europe to guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty.
The US President called the bloc's members 'weak', but joint action on funding for Ukraine would send a 'very strong signal', according to Kaja Kallas.
Leaders of eight EU countries bordering Russia will demand targeted defense funding in the next long-term budget of the bloc at a summit in Helsinki. This is due to growing concerns about Russia's aggressive actions, which are testing their borders.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the US is ready to respond with military action to renewed Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is enshrined in the security guarantees under discussion. He emphasized that Poland will not pressure Ukraine into concessions and will ensure the security of the eastern flank.
The European Union is facing a critical week as it tries to protect Ukraine from an unfavorable peace deal imposed by the US and Russia, and to save a multi-billion euro loan financing agreement for Ukraine. EU leaders will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and American officials in Berlin to discuss a peace deal, and will also fight for support for the lending plan among European governments.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is convening a summit in Helsinki to develop concrete measures to strengthen EU defense. Leaders of eight countries will discuss cooperation and forming a common position to secure funding.
The President of Finland stated that peace for Ukraine is now "quite close," closer than at any time since the start of the full-scale invasion. Negotiations are progressing simultaneously on three key documents, including a framework plan, security guarantees, and the reconstruction of Ukraine.
European countries are considering joint offensive cyber operations and surprise military exercises in response to Russia's hybrid attacks. This comes amid an unprecedented number of sabotage acts and attempted attacks linked to Moscow.
Emails confirm Jeffrey Epstein's attempt, a month before Trump's meeting with Putin in 2018, to pass information about Trump to Russia's top diplomat. He also corresponded about the US president's political decisions.
In a Finnish school, a student from Ukraine refused to sing the Russian song "Kalinka", but the teacher insisted. This caused outrage among the Ukrainian community and a discussion about cultural sensitivity in educational institutions.
Orthodox priest Oleksandr Zanemonets was dismissed from the Helsinki parish in Finland. The reasons were his poor knowledge of the Ukrainian language and closer ties with Russia than declared, which raised concerns among the special services.
Finland is the only country in Europe where bomb shelters are available for almost all citizens, with 50,500 bunkers accommodating 4. 8 million people. They are located 20 meters deep and can protect even during a nuclear strike.
In recent months, at least ten European countries have reported drone incursions into their airspace, raising concerns and leading to increased security measures. Romania, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, and Belgium have witnessed these incidents, some of which are linked to Russia.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda's plane was unable to land in Vilnius. The reason was information about an unknown drone in the airspace, which led to a landing delay.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plane landed in Bulgaria using paper maps due to GPS deactivation. This occurred amid a growing number of GPS jamming incidents in Eastern Europe.
A number of countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary, have expressed readiness to organize a meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. The White House is considering Budapest as the main venue for trilateral negotiations.
Emeli Peltonen, a Member of Parliament from the Social Democratic Party of Finland, died in the parliament building. It has been confirmed that 30-year-old Peltonen committed suicide.
European diplomats are discussing a possible venue for a trilateral Trump-Zelenskyy-Putin summit. Rome and Geneva are the main options, but the parties have different preferences.
The meeting between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska did not yield public results regarding an end to the war in Ukraine. Details of the conversations, particularly in the limousine, remained undisclosed, raising concerns about possible agreements.
16-year-old Rafael Kazbekova won gold at the Junior World Climbing Championship in Helsinki. She became the first Ukrainian in 15 years to win "gold" in the U17 category.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha met with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu. They discussed a ceasefire, the release of captured OSCE staff, and the reform of the organization.
Ukraine is preparing a comprehensive OSCE reform, which will include five steps to bring the organization out of its deadlock. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced this during a visit to Helsinki on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the OSCE Helsinki Final Act.
According to a Deutsche Bank report, rent for a three-bedroom apartment in European city centers continues to rise, with only five cities having an average cost below 2,000 euros. London is the most expensive city with a rent of 5,088 euros, while Athens is the cheapest at 1,080 euros.
The Finnish Parliament supported withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits anti-personnel mines. The decision requires presidential confirmation.
Finnish President Stubb stated that technical-level negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine may take place at the Vatican next week.
"Kyivstar" plans to launch 5G in Lviv after pilot testing. Ukraine is preparing to switch to new technology, which is already used in developed countries.
Finland has decided to keep its land border with Russia closed indefinitely, citing security considerations. This is a continuation of a policy that began in 2023 amid accusations that Russia was facilitating illegal immigration.
The presidents of Ukraine and Finland visited the largest shelter in Helsinki and signed a letter of intent. Ukraine is working to increase the number of safe places.
The President of Ukraine stated that the recognition of the occupied territories by Russia is unacceptable. Any negotiations with the Russian Federation are fragile, but Ukraine strives for a just peace.
Russian militant Voislav Torden (Yan Petrovsky) has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Finland for war crimes committed in Ukraine. Ukraine and Finland cooperated in collecting evidence.
