Ukraine

The European Union is facing a dual challenge. The European Parliament is discussing continued military aid to Ukraine, while also having to respond to potential trade restrictions from the United States. Both issues raise the question of Europe’s self-sufficiency and its ability to defend its own interests. Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, Viktor Daněk, commented on the situation for CNN Prima News.

France and the UK will send a team of experts to Ukraine to assess the needs of the military there. The announcement was made at a summit of the coalition of the willing in Paris, where representatives of thirty countries, including the Czech delegation led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, met. What else did the summit bring? And what direction can the peace talks take in the coming weeks? Martin Vokálek, Director General of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for Czech Radio Plus.

In Brussels, representatives of the Member States discussed a myriad of issues. One of them is the continuation of further military aid to Ukraine. Twenty-six Member States supported the joint declaration on the continuation of aid, while Hungary opposed it. What weight does this declaration carry if it is not unanimous? Filip Křenek, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for STVR.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to significant changes in the Ukrainian transport sector due to disruptions in supply chains, cargo flows, and damage of the country’s infrastructure. The Ukrainian transport system has undergone significant transformations. The country's borders with Russia and Belarus and its airspace have been closed. In the first months of the full-scale war, the temporary blockage on the operation of Black Sea ports forced Ukraine to develop land transport corridors to the EU countries and neighboring Moldova to enable both export and import of goods needed for the economy. Despite the ongoing war, Ukraine has accelerated a long-planned reform of the country's transport system to adapt its infrastructure to the EU standards and integrate it with the European transport network. Writes Sandra Baniak, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Eastern Studies in the Connectivity and Regional Integration Programme.

EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss defence, competitiveness and support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with both Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Europe remains the main pillar of support for Ukraine - despite the efforts of some leaders, such as Viktor Orbán, to undermine the unity of the EU-27. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of Institutut EUROPEUM, comments on the situation in Studio 6.

The British Prime Minister has called on his foreign colleagues to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Will Europe be able to create enough pressure to get Russia to the negotiating table and could Donald Trump exert similar pressure? Viktor Danek, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for CNN Prima News.

The British Prime Minister held a virtual summit on Ukraine on Saturday 15 March. It was to discuss peacekeepers to oversee a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. How many countries would send their peacekeepers to Ukraine? Viktor Danek, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the summit for CNN Prima News.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff has had a night of meetings in Moscow. U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio said the ceasefire remains uncertain, but admitted to signs of optimism. The Kremlin made a similar point. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČT24.

Certain politicians in the Union will certainly be tempted by the sweet voice of Donald Trump, but Europe should not accept this, because the only one who can represent the interests of all is the European Union. Donald Trump is deliberately trying to divide Europe. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČRo Plus.

The Coalition of the Willing has taken on its historic role. But what is the EU's position now? Read the commentary by Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, in the weekly magazine Respekt.

The decision to increase defence spending is a breakthrough. The summit focused on how to strengthen the European Union's defence capabilities and how to further address support to Ukraine. In recent years, Europe has somewhat naively relied on the US within NATO as a security guarantor. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for STVR.

The summit had two parts: everyone voted for the rearmament of the EU, while Hungary vetoed further aid to Ukraine. Robert Fico voted in favor, despite his demand for a call for gas transit being ultimately weakened. The commentary is provided by Zuzana Krulichová, an expert on the European Union from the EUROPEUM Institute and Charles University in Prague.