EU leaders back Ukraine on cusp of Russian war's fourth year

Western leaders on Monday gathered in Ukraine to attend memorial events marking three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion. At a conference in Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that world powers were watching how the war ends to see if there are consequences for countries that violate international borders.

Meanwhile, the presidents of the European Parliament, European Council, and European Commission said in a joint statement they were committed to providing financial support to Ukraine, including for post-war reconstruction. The leaders also reaffirmed plans to admit Ukraine to the European Union, saying they had begun integrating the country into Europe’s internal market.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored those killed in the war while reiterating his calls for his country to be admitted to NATO. The president on Sunday said he is willing to leave office in exchange for peace, or for Ukraine’s membership in the treaty organization.

What has the Trump administration said about Ukraine? U.S. President Donald Trump last week criticized European nations for providing Kyiv with less support than the United States has provided. He also blamed Ukraine for failing to make peace with Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met last week to reestablish U.S.-Russian relations and how to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine was not invited to the talks, but U.S. Vice President earlier met with Zelenskyy without Russian officials present.

Meanwhile, Trump and Zelenskyy have been negotiating an agreement that would grant the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in compensation for the aid America has provided over the last three years. U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent earlier this month presented Zelenskyy with the first draft of the agreement that called for half of the country’s mineral and natural resources revenue to go to the United States. Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement because it did not include a guarantee of continued military support.

Dig Deeper: Read William Fleeson’s report about how Ukrainians are wrestling with the cost of peace.