Orbán problem pushes EU towards ‘coalitions of the willing’ on Ukraine
As crisis talks loom, Trump and the bloc's own populist spoilers have driven it away from its old quest for unanimity
A fortnight after Vladimir Putin sent his troops to attack Ukraine, the 27 leaders of the EU gathered at the palace of Versailles and condemned Russia's invasion, pledged support to the people of Ukraine - we will not leave them alone" - and vowed to take more responsibility for our security".
Three years later, EU leaders are under pressure as never before to live up to those promises. After a summit hosted by Keir Starmer on Sunday, the EU27 leaders will gather in Brussels on Thursday for crisis talks. But trouble is ahead: Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has called on the EU to follow Trump's example and open direct talks with the Russian president.
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