Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, has blocked an air defence package worth €3 billion (£2.5 billion) for Ukraine in one of his last key decisions before the election, according to German media reports.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has blocked a €3 billion military aid package for Ukraine. The package, which included critical IRIS-T air defense systems, anti-aircraft missiles, howitzers, and ammunition,

Germany's defense and foreign affairs ministers have proposed granting Ukraine an additional three billion euros in military aid. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes the initiative and is blocking the aid to Kyiv,

Ukraine expects high-level contact with the new U.S. administration immediately after Donald Trump takes office, including an eventual meeting between the U.S. president-elect and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy,

President-elect Trump said late Thursday that a meeting is in the works with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Why it matters: Trump said on the campaign trail that he would swiftly end the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has reported that Kyiv expects a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President-elect Donald Trump shortly after his inauguration on 20 January. Source: Heorhii Tykhyi,