European defence ministers meet in Poland ahead of fourth anniversary of Ukraine war - Europe live

Morning opening: How to end this war?

Defence ministers of the E5 grouping – France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom – are meeting in the Polish city of Kraków this morning.

An emblem of European Group of Five (E5) is seen ahead Defence Ministers' meeting in Kraków, Poland. Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

They will be joined by their Ukrainian counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and Nato’s deputy secretary general Radmila Šekerinska.

Their meeting comes just days before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian aggression on Ukraine, as allies seek to coordinate on the next steps.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed last night that Ukraine wanted to keep Europe involved in any further peace talks with Russia and the US “to ensure that Europe’s positions are taken into account.”

But as the negotiations show limited progress, there are growing questions about the next steps in attempts to resolve the conflict.

I will bring you all the key lines here, as well as other stories from across Europe.

It’s Friday, 20 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.