German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised US President Donald Trump's demand that Ukraine supply rare earth metals to the US in exchange for financial aid  on the evening of Monday, 3 February after an informal EU defence summit in Brussels.

Călin Georgescu, a far-right pro-Russian Romanian politician who won the annulled first round of the presidential election, has stated that his comments about the possible annexation of parts of Ukrainian territory were purely theoretical.

Nika Melia, the leader of the Akhali opposition party who was arrested during pro-European protests in Tbilisi, has been released, while over 30 people remain in detention.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, following Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has declared that Budapest will block the next extension of EU sanctions against Russia unless Ukraine "refrains from measures that harm Hungary’s energy security".

The EU countries are still agreeing on the specific details of what will be included in the 16th package of sanctions against Russia, and the work on it is expected to be completed in February.

The EU leadership believes that they will find a way to reach an agreement with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán so that he does not block the actual start of negotiations with Ukraine on joining the European Union.

The European Commission is reportedly considering not extending Ukraine's current preferential trade regime, which expires in June, and has already started technical discussions on new trade terms.

Hungary secured the inclusion of a commitment in the EU’s statement on energy security, agreeing to support the continuation of sanctions against Russia in exchange for the European Commission's promise to continue discussions with Ukraine on oil and gas transit.

During Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Norway helped transport about 3,000 patients and their families to hospitals in Europe as part of a European evacuation project for Ukrainian patients.

The EU is preparing sanctions against several Russians involved in cyberattacks against Estonia and will soon announce a support package for Moldova in the context of the energy crisis caused by the cessation of Russian gas supplies to the breakaway Transnistria region.

Hungary has not approved a joint statement by the EU countries on the non-recognition of the so-called presidential election in Belarus, which Alexander Lukashenko won for the seventh time.

EU ambassadors will try to prepare a statement on energy security on Monday, 27 January, in exchange for which Hungary may finally agree to extend the sanctions against Russia, which it is currently blocking.

The European Commission has submitted a screening report on the Fundamentals cluster to the European Council, marking the starting point for Ukraine's EU membership negotiations.

More than half of Ukrainians believe that a potential deal to end the war with Russia will be doomed to fail if it does not include the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Ukrainians are mostly positive about Donald Trump's comeback as US president.