European Union leaders are holding an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday, which will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss developments in Ukraine and European defense.
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The European leaders will discuss peace negotiations initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting will also focus on European defense and increasing military spending to rebuild Europe’s deterrence capabilities.
In a related development, French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, stated that France is providing military intelligence to Ukraine after the U.S. announced on Wednesday that it had suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv. This decision could undermine Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe informed on Wednesday that the U.S. "halted" intelligence-sharing with Ukraine following a breakdown in relations between Kyiv and the White House.
Lecornu clarified in an interview with France Inter radio, "Our intelligence is sovereign... it is our capability. We are passing it on to the Ukrainians for them to benefit from it."
Last week, there was a verbal spat between Trump and Zelensky at the White House, after which Ukraine’s largest ally froze critical military aid.
Later on Thursday, the U.S. administration announced progress in repairing relations with Ukraine and moving toward a potential resolution of the war between Kyiv and Moscow.
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News, “I think we’re moving in a positive direction.” Waltz had spoken on the phone with Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President's office.
He explained that they are currently in talks with the Ukrainians about the "location, date, and negotiating team" for a new meeting. He added that they are also discussing "confidence-building measures" that could be presented to the Russian side "to test" how they would respond.
Waltz said, “We’ve made a positive step forward yesterday and today, and we will negotiate for this peace.”
Yermak confirmed that they had discussed steps toward achieving a "just and lasting peace" and had exchanged views on security issues and bilateral coordination.
In his nightly address, Zelensky stated, "Today, our teams, Ukraine's and the United States, began preparations for the meeting."
Zelensky added that his office’s director, Yermak, had spoken with U.S. National Security Advisor Waltz and indicated that the first results of these talks could be seen as early as next week, though the identities of potential participants in the meeting remain unclear.
Zelensky expressed his willingness to work under "Trump’s strong leadership" to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, following their tense meeting in the Oval Office, during which Zelensky called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "killer and terrorist."
The meeting saw criticisms of Zelensky, who was described as ungrateful and accused of prolonging the war, which led Trump to freeze U.S. military aid to Ukraine as leverage to push him towards negotiations.
