US President Donald Trump told the United Nations he expects the war in Ukraine to end sooner than many people think, even as divisions within the European Union over sanctions policy saw two Russian oligarchs removed from the bloc's blacklist following intense negotiations in Brussels.
The announcement came as Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, with Washington stepping up efforts to broker an end to the conflict. But the parallel developments in Brussels revealed the fragility of European unity on Russia policy — a reality that's complicated efforts to maintain pressure on Moscow while Ukraine continues to fight for its survival.
EU Sanctions Dispute Exposes Divisions
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs spoke exclusively to Euronews' Angela Skujins about the sanctions dispute that gripped Brussels. The removal of two Russian businessmen from the EU's blacklist followed what sources described as intense negotiations between member states, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining consensus on punitive measures more than four years into the war.
The decision raised immediate concerns among Ukraine's supporters in Central and Eastern Europe, who've consistently pushed for stronger sanctions enforcement. It also underscored the challenge facing the EU as it tries to balance economic pressures on member states with the moral and strategic imperative of supporting Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.
Euronews' Sasha Vakulina broke down the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in New York, where the US president's optimism about a quick resolution contrasted with the Ukrainian leader's insistence on a just peace that doesn't reward territorial conquest. The gap between American impatience and European caution has become one of the defining tensions in Western support for Ukraine.
Arctic Security Deal Ends Year of Tensions
In a separate development reported by Shona Murray, the United States, Denmark, and Greenland signed a deal to strengthen Arctic security. The agreement ended over a year of tensions that began when Trump threatened to "take" the world's largest island by force — a comment that sent shockwaves through Copenhagen and raised questions about American commitment to territorial sovereignty principles.
The deal represents a diplomatic reset, but it also reflects the growing strategic importance of the Arctic as climate change opens new shipping routes and resource extraction possibilities. For European allies, the episode served as a reminder of the unpredictability that's characterized Trump's second term.
Morocco Votes as North Africa Watches
The program also featured Aboubakr Jamai, a Moroccan writer and dean of the Donna Dillon Manning School of Global Affairs at The American College of the Mediterranean in Aix-en-Provence, speaking as Morocco went to the polls in legislative elections. The vote came at a time when North African stability matters more than ever to European migration and security policy.
Euronews anchors Méabh Mc Mahon and Stefan Grobe presented the live broadcast from Brussels. Europe Today airs every weekday at 8 a.m. Brussels time, running for 20 minutes, and is also available as a newsletter and podcast.
Why This Matters:
The simultaneous developments in New York and Brussels reveal the fragility of Western unity on Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. Trump's optimism about a quick deal raises fears in European capitals that Washington might push for a settlement that leaves Ukraine vulnerable and rewards Russian aggression. Meanwhile, the EU's struggle to maintain consensus on sanctions — with two oligarchs removed from the blacklist after internal negotiations — shows how economic pressures and divergent national interests can erode the collective response that's essential to supporting Ukraine's defense. For the centre-left across Europe, this is precisely the scenario they've warned about: American unpredictability combined with European disunity, creating openings for authoritarian powers to exploit. The Arctic security deal may have resolved one diplomatic crisis, but it can't obscure the larger challenge facing the transatlantic alliance as it tries to navigate Trump's second term while keeping Ukraine's resistance alive.