Friday briefing
The EU has signed an aid deal for Ukraine
The EU yesterday reached a landmark $54 billion financing deal to help Ukraine ease a potentially serious financial crisis. The country's President Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to thank his European neighbors but also hinted at uncertainty over a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine currently languishing in the US Congress.
The breakthrough was important for both Ukraine and the EU, helping to keep the Ukrainian economy afloat for the next four years and demonstrating European determination to act united against Russia.
To reach an agreement, our correspondents wrote that European leaders played a game of good cop-bad cop to cajole and pressure Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, who had opposed a deal. After weeks of standing in the way as the only one remaining among the 27 leaders, he finally succumbed to the pressure campaign.
Orbán's goal: His real goal is to lead a populist and nativist rebellion against Europe's liberal elite, although that campaign is showing signs of faltering.
What's next: The European Parliament must approve the fund by a simple majority, a barrier that should be easily removed, and the vote could take place this month.
Related: Russia plans to seize the property of anti-war citizens living abroad and is pressuring other countries to crack down on them as well.
Biden imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers
President Biden has ordered broad financial and travel sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. The move is a strong gesture aimed in part at Arab-American voters in the US, who have expressed anger over the president's support for Israel's war in Gaza.
This move cuts off the colonists from the American financial system and, among other things, prevents them from traveling to America. The sanctions, which will initially be imposed on four Israelis, go beyond a directive issued by the State Department in December that imposed a visa ban on dozens of Israeli settlers who had committed acts of violence in the West Bank.
Context: Israeli settlers' violent actions aimed at driving Palestinians from their homes, which were already at record levels before the October 7 attacks, have since accelerated.
Destructions in Gaza: A visual analysis by the Times shows how Israeli ground forces have carried out a wave of controlled demolitions, leveling entire neighborhoods in Gaza.
The unions called on French farmers to lift the roadblocks
In a reprieve after more than a week of protests, France's main farmers' unions yesterday called for an end to roadblocks across the country, expressing cautious satisfaction at a wave of new government announcements aimed at appeasing them.
The unions said they would closely monitor government promises of new financial aid and an easing of regulations ahead of a major agricultural fair in Paris this month. But it was not immediately clear whether the roughly 10,000 farmers at the roughly 100 barricades would heed the union leaders' call and go home.
Related: At a meeting of EU leaders in Belgium, thousands of farmers protested against the bloc's agricultural policies and environmental rules. Peasant protests have also broken out in Portugal, Germany and Greece in recent weeks.
THE LAST NEWS
Around the world
Egyptian authorities released a video last week detailing plans to rebuild the Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of Giza's three main pyramids, using the granite blocks that once covered part of its exterior. The initial reaction was quick and harsh.
A Grammy preview
The 66th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday are poised to be a celebration of a dominant year for women in pop music, with female stars like SZA, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish facing off in the major categories. This is what we're looking at.
A Swift sweep? If Swift's “Midnights” wins, she will become the first four-time champion in the album of the year category. But while Grammy voters love a success story, they may rebel against any idea that they have to anoint a star — or that sales and fame alone should determine excellence.
Will SZA make history? Her album “SOS” is widely seen by critics as a strong contender for album of the year. If she wins, she will be the first black woman in 25 years to receive the award since Lauryn Hill for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
Possible spoilers: Disruptions are as much a part of the evening as awkward stage combinations and speeches that are cut short. The top candidates for a region this year are the indie group boygenius and Jon Batiste, the only male artist on the ballot in the top categories.
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That's it for today's briefing. Nice weekend. Daniel Slotnik will be here next week. —Jonathan
PS Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been at the center of far-right rage and conspiracy theories. Our reporter delved deep into the fray – with some help from his stepdaughter.
Amelia Nierenberg contributed to this newsletter. You can reach Jonathan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
Correction: Wednesday's newsletter misstated the location of a new power-sharing agreement. It was in Northern Ireland, not Ireland.