European leaders will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by reaffirming their political and financial backing for Kyiv, as a top EU official in Brussels played down the prospects for a peace deal in the near future.
Ukrainian cities continue to face sustained bombardment from Russian missiles and drones. Targeted attacks on critical energy infrastructure have left millions of civilians facing rolling blackouts without power and heating in sub-zero temperatures, while ceasefire negotiations stall.
The European Union’s representative on foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, on Monday said she was not optimistic that peace talks would yield any results “in the coming weeks and months”.
We are joined on The Agenda by Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence & Meath-East Fianna Fail TD, Thomas Byrne, to find out more about this.