Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesEuropean leaders are considering reopening a direct line of dialogue with Russia, ending an effective four-year diplomatic silence in a bid to avoid being sidelined in talks to end the Ukraine war. The Taoiseach was speaking a day after EU leaders agreed to use the union’s budget to borrow €90 billion and lend it to Ukraine. Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Mr Martin said EU leaders leaving the summit without an agreement would have meant “the capitulation of Ukraine”. Russian ‌president Vladimir Putin ‌offered no compromise on Friday on his terms for ending the war in Ukraine, saying the onus was ‌on Ukraine and Europe to make the next move. Commenting on the new EU loan to finance Ukraine, Mr Martin said: “We hope for peace, this is the price of war.”He added: “Ukraine will not have to repay the loan until Russia pays reparations and facilitates the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

Source: The Irish Times December 20, 2025 14:40 UTC