Newsletters
The European Union’s €90 billion ($106.25 billion) loan for Ukraine will move forward “one way or the other,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday during a visit to Kyiv, as Western forces reposition in Iraq amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions and President Donald Trump signals readiness to act if nuclear talks fail.
Von der Leyen, joined by European Council President Antonio Costa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“This word cannot be broken,” von der Leyen said, referring to the agreement reached by the 27 EU leaders in December. “We will deliver on the loan one way or the other. Let me be very clear, we have different options, and we will use them.”
Her remarks came after Hungary vetoed the financial program.
Costa urged Budapest to lift its veto “immediately.”
“When the European Council agrees and takes a decision, all member states need to cooperate to implement this decision,” Costa said.
The dispute between Budapest and Kyiv involves the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, severely damaged in late January in a drone attack attributed to Russia. Asked whether his government would repair the infrastructure, Zelenskyy responded: “To renovate for what? To lose (more) people? I think this is a very big price. That’s it.”
Western troops in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region have relocated or repositioned amid concerns over potential U.S. strikes on Iran and possible retaliatory attacks, Middle East Eye reported.
A few days ago, a military helicopter landed at Erbil airport as tensions between the U.S. and Iran heightened. Erbil Air Base remains heavily staffed, with helicopters flying daily, but the airport could become a target if the situation escalates.
Since 2018, the Kurdistan region, including Erbil’s airport, has been targeted by drones, rockets and ballistic missiles from Iran and its proxies. In July last year, a suicide drone was shot down over the airport during attacks on oil fields. On Jan. 21, a drone targeted an Iranian Kurdish opposition party, killing one fighter.
Sources told Middle East Eye that roughly half of coalition forces in Erbil have repositioned to other countries as a precaution. U.S. and Hungarian troops have largely remained, while Norwegian and Swedish forces, along with a number of Italian and French soldiers, have left. Norway and Germany publicly confirmed relocations.
1 min read
Norwegian military spokesperson Brynjar Stordal told Middle East Eye that some of Norway’s 60 soldiers in the region had been relocated due to tensions. A German military source said its forces were reduced in response to the escalating conflict.
In a Feb. 19 letter to the U.N. secretary-general, Iran’s U.N. ambassador warned that all U.S. bases, facilities and assets in the region could be considered legitimate targets if Tehran is attacked.
According to Reuters, fewer than 2,000 troops remain in Erbil after the U.S.-led coalition moved forces from Baghdad and Ain al-Assad as part of a 2024 agreement to end its presence in federal Iraq by the end of 2025 and in the Kurdistan region by September 2026.
The latest Pentagon Inspector General report confirmed coalition forces relocated headquarters to Erbil and Kuwait after transferring facilities in Baghdad and al-Asad.
The New York Times reported that Trump is leaning toward conducting a strike in the coming days to force Iran to make concessions.
In Washington, President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term, declaring that “the golden age of America is upon us.”
Trump focused on his domestic agenda, highlighted his administration’s mass deportation campaign and reiterated that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”
He awarded medals to several service members, welcomed the U.S. men’s hockey team following their Olympic win, and reunited a man released from a Venezuelan prison with his niece. Democrats were heard jeering, and Rep. Al Green of Texas was escorted from the chamber.
Trump has not ruled out strikes on Iran if nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, set to resume in Geneva, fail.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
