US President Donald Trump has held conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, EU leaders have politically endorsed the creation of a €150 billion loan fund to fund weapons amid growing threats from Russia.

Ukraine is requesting the EU begin financially supporting its armed forces starting in 2026, pitching the idea as a practical way to strengthen Europe's collective defense and share the cost of containing Russian aggression,

The EU is preparing new sanctions on Russia despite a potential meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, three sources told CNBC.

The European Union’s top foreign policy official said Thursday that membership candidate Serbia faces a “strategic choice” of direction, just weeks after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic defied EU warnings and attended Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow.

The European Union expects that the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will be ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday 15 May, and is also prepared to impose additional sanctions on Russia if a ceasefire is not achieved.

The EU intends to increase pressure on Moscow until Vladimir Putin is ready for peace talks with Ukraine, France24 reports, citing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The European high-ranking official said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "was ready to meet,

Vladimir Putin has boasted of a massive missile strike on a military base in Ukraine’s Sumy region that the Kremlin claims killed as many 70 soldiers.

Budrys added that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin uses tactics to avoid sanctions, but these must be countered. Read also: Lithuania ready to join peacekeeping coalition in Ukraine, foreign minister says in Kyiv “Deception,