Belgium

Feb 23 (Reuters) - EU leaders will meet for a special summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the bloc's further response to Moscow after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.

"It is important that we continue to be united and determined and jointly define our collective approach and actions," the head of the EU Council grouping the bloc's member states, Charles Michel, said in a statement on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The European Union will not impose sanctions on Russia just yet, its foreign policy chief said on Monday, rebuffing a call from Kyiv to take such steps now to avert a war rather than wait until after any possible Russian invasion.

Western countries fear a build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine in recent weeks is a prelude to an invasion, which Moscow denies. The United States and European allies have said any attack would trigger severe sanctions against Moscow, but Kyiv wants these to be imposed now. 

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union foreign ministers on Monday discussed ways to ease tensions in Bosnia and prevent the possible breakup up of the ethnically divided Balkan country as the peace agreement brokered over 25 years ago continues to unravel.

“The nationalist and separatist rhetoric is increasing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and jeopardizing the stability and even the integrity of the country,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Brussels, where he chaired a meeting of the 27-country bloc’s foreign ministers.

19 Feb 2022; MEMO: During her meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied in Brussels, on the margins of the European-African Summit, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola confirmed on Friday that she: "Discussed the importance of returning to an effective parliamentary democracy and an effective institutional balance."

BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A senior European Union official said on Friday that a U.S.-Iranian deal to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement was close but success depended on the political will of those involved.

"I expect an agreement in the coming week, the coming two weeks or so," the EU official said. "I think we have now on the table text that are very, very close to what is going to be the final agreement," the official said.

BRUSSELS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Estonia's prime minister said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is enjoying the international attention generated by Russia's massive military drills on Ukraine's borders and is looking for a successful war to lift support at home.

Speaking to Reuters, Kaja Kallas also said the situation was extremely grave and that Moscow must not be given any kind of concessions as long as it maintained more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine. It would be a negotiation at gunpoint, she said.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leader held a short summit meeting Thursday to push the chances of diplomacy to unlock the standoff over Ukraine and reaffirm their joint determination to impose massive sanctions if Russia invades its neighbor.

The hastily called summit preceded a two-day EU-Africa meeting which brought the 27 EU leaders to Brussels. It did not go into deep detail of what sanctions should be used and how those measures would hit the economies of the member states.

BRUSSELS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - NATO told its military commanders on Wednesday to draw up plans for new combat units in central and southeastern Europe, as it accused Russia of sending more troops to areas near Ukraine instead of withdrawing its forces.

Separately, a senior Western intelligence official said Russian military exercises were at their peak stage and the risk of Russian aggression against Ukraine would remain high for the rest of February.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO member countries on Wednesday examined new ways to bolster the defenses of nations on the organization’s eastern flank as Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine fuels one of Europe’s biggest security crises in decades.

Over two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels, defense ministers were to discuss how and when to rapidly dispatch troops and equipment to countries closest to Russia and the Black Sea region should Moscow order an invasion of Ukraine.

BRUSSELS (AP) — In a ruling hailed as a boost to democratic values, the European Union’s highest court said Wednesday that the 27-nation bloc can suspend support payments to member states if they breach rule of law principles.

The right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland, which had challenged the EU’s right to take such action, responded by arguing the rule lacked a proper legal basis and would fundamentally interfere with their running of national business.