EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv on Friday: Ukraine will hold a summit with the European Union in Kyiv this week, the government announced Tuesday, as it expressed hope the conference will bring the war-battered nation closer to EU membership almost a year after Russia launched its invasion. Kyiv also announced it expects to receive up to 140 modern battle tanks from its Western allies, and the prospect of more advanced weapons for Ukraine came from the United States. france24.com

• France and US announce more weapons for Ukraine.
• Baltic states and Poland assure further support for Ukraine.
• Athens doesn’t want to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine because of tensions with Turkey.
• Latvia extends state of emergency on border with Belarus.

Zelensky pushes for Ukraine to join the EU: Amid the Russian invasion that has now lasted almost a year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to push ahead with his country’s planned EU accession. In his evening video address on Tuesday, he reiterated that Kyiv was continuing to work on reforms, saying: „We expect decisions from our partners in the European Union that (…) correspond to our progress. Progress that is obviously there – and even despite the large-scale war.“ rnd.de

EU prolongs economic sanctions over Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine: These sanctions, first introduced in 2014 in response to Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, were significantly expanded since February 2022, in light of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. They currently consist of a broad spectrum of sectoral measures, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods. consilium.europa.eu

EU struggles with Russian oil price cap: The European Union is heading for intense talks in the coming days over how to further curb Russian revenues from exports of oil and petroleum products, and strengthen sanctions to hit President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. EU diplomats are due to start discussions on Friday about a review of a price cap on Russian crude oil exports to third countries that the Group of Seven and the EU put into place late last year. They also need to decide price levels for new caps on petroleum products, including diesel, by early February. bloomberg.com

Three wounded in knife attack in Brussels: Belgian police have arrested an attacker who knifed three people in a Brussels metro station on Monday, leaving one with critical injuries, officials said. While the motives of the attacker, a 30-year-old man, remain unclear, police have ruled out a terrorist attack, the prosecutor’s office said. A source close to the investigation told Reuters the attacker was previously known by the police. A witness told Euronews the assault unfolded inside a metro car when the attacker stabbed a woman with a knife and asked passengers to exit. reuters.com, euronews.com

EU calls on Elon Musk to comply with upcoming regulations: EU industry chief Thierry Breton has told Elon Musk that Twitter will have to do more over the coming months to prepare for the EU’s new social-media regulations. The two held a video call two months ago during which Breton warned Musk of huge work ahead for Twitter to apply transparent use policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and protect freedom of speech. reuters.com

Two more lawmakers under suspicion in EU corruption scandal: The European Parliament’s legal affairs committee voted unanimously to lift the immunity of Andrea Cozzolino and Marc Tarabella, two European lawmakers caught up in the Qatargate corruption scandal. Cozzolino and Tarabella have been ensnared in the scandal that involves current and former MEPs and lobbyists accused of taking cash in exchange for influencing the EU Parliament’s work in favour of Qatar and Morocco. Both MEPs have strongly denied wrongdoing. politico.eu

EU won’t borrow more to counter US green subsides: The EU Commission will not propose any new joint EU borrowing this Wednesday when it presents ideas on how to support Europe’s green industry facing Chinese and US competition, a draft of its „Green Deal Industrial Plan“ showed on Monday. Instead, the draft seen by Reuters offers to re-purpose some of the money the EU has already agreed to raise jointly for its post-coronavirus pandemic recovery fund. It will also loosen state aid rules to allow governments to support their firms more. reuters.com

IMF improves economic forecast for the eurozone: The prospect of a recession in the eurozone is fading as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) moderately improves its economic forecast for the bloc. The eurozone is now projected to grow 0.7% this year – up from 0.5% in the previous forecast – and 1.6% in 2024. In its latest forecast, the IMF highlights the resilience and adaptation of the European economy in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and soaring inflation, but warns risks and uncertainty remain elevated. euronews.com

Battle over food labels looms as Brussels prepares to make EU-wide decision: Brussels is to approve an informative food label in the coming months to be used throughout the EU. Among the options is the Nutri-Score, a traffic light label already used in seven countries. The Nutri-Score is a five-colour scale that indicates the nutritional quality of a product, taking into account a fixed quantity of 100 grammes or millilitres. Protein, fibre, fruit and vegetables increase the rating, whereas other elements such as sugar, fat and salt lower it. But many people do not like it, including Italian lawmakers, who warn that the Nutri-Score provides a misleading indication, which penalises national delicacies, like hams and cheeses. euronews.com

European solar and wind surpass gas power for the first time: Wind turbines and solar panels produced more than a fifth of the EU’s electricity last year, for the first time delivering more power than natural gas, a new report shows. The analysis, from independent energy think tank Ember, indicates that wind and solar produced 22% of the EU’s electricity over the year, while gas generated 20%. The report further shows that the rise in renewable electricity generation helped to avoid €10 billion ($10.89 billion) in gas costs. forbes.com