Volodymyr Zelenskiy is addressing a special sitting of the European Parliament tomorrow to mark 1,000 days of Russia’s invasion. But despite all of Europe’s pledges to back him “as long as it take,” behind the scenes the Ukrainian president is under intense pressure to consider new ways to get to the negotiating table with Vladimir Putin. Even before Donald Trump takes office, there’s a growing sense in Europe that neither side can score a decisive win and Zelenskiy will ultimately need to compromise with his neighbor. US President Joe Biden is giving a small boost to Ukraine with permission to use long-range missiles on some parts of Russian territory, but that decision is triggering more pushback from Russia, which launched widespread strikes over the weekend. Ukraine’s future is also likely to be a topic conversation on the sidelines of the Group of 20 leaders summit in Brazil, although the gathering’s final statement will only include watered-down language. Follow our live blog.
A newly confident Greece wants to accelerate its repayment of billions of euros of bailout loans, the most recent sign of its stunning turnaround. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a Bloomberg-hosted event in Athens that his government will seek to repay at least €5 billion ($5.3 billion) next year. A decade ago, the country risked going bankrupt and falling out of the euro zone. Now, the Greek economy has outperformed the euro area every year since the pandemic and is expected to continue to do so in 2025 and 2026. On top of that, its banks are also ready to spend on deals abroad after emerging from years of painful restructuring. Watch the Mitsotakis interview.
