European Defense Ministers to Convene for Urgent Discussions on Ukraine Support

France and Estonia will convene a meeting of European defense ministers on February 24 to discuss ways to strengthen support for Ukraine, according to Bloomberg on February 21, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The virtual meeting will bring together about a dozen defense ministers from countries including the UK, Germany, Italy, and Poland, along with representatives from the European Union and NATO, the sources said.

The defense ministers' meeting will coincide with a visit to Kyiv by several European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, marking three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. EU foreign ministers are also set to meet in Brussels on February 24.

European leaders are urgently working on new defense strategies amid concerns that the U.S. may scale back its military and financial aid to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.

On February 18, a meeting in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials took place without Ukraine’s involvement, where both sides reportedly agreed to remove tensions and continue preparing for peace talks.

Previously on February 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after meeting with U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to a comprehensive agreement with the U.S. on security and investment.