Tag Archives: Ukraine

INTERNATIONAL

EU’s Turning Point: Debate on Expansion and Reinforcement Gains Momentum

Leave a comment

The European Union knows that it is at a turning point and in many moments also of reinforcement, and that is why from Brussels they want to take advantage of that inertia.

For this reason, this Tuesday the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, has assured that the debate on the expansion of the bloc “is very much alive” and that it is not just about talking about introducing more countries, but also about ” build on the momentum” to better position the Union.

This was pronounced after a meeting precisely with the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, in Greece, where the twentieth anniversary of the Thessaloniki Declaration, which served to open the door of the EU to the Balkans, is being commemorated these days.

“We talked about Ukraine’s progress on the EU path, as well as our continued support in the face of Russian aggression,” the German leader said of their meeting.

“The objective is not only enlargement, but also the strengthening of the EU,” said Von der Leyen, while Zelenski assured that he wants to see progress in Ukraine’s accession process before the end of this year.

For now, the option of opening negotiations is on the table and could be decided at the summit of leaders of the 27 that will take place in Granada in October, within the framework of the Spanish presidency of the Council.

“There will surely be on the subject, but many details still remain to be seen. We all know that it is not a simple matter, and even less in the middle of the war,” the sources consulted by 20min say.

INTERNATIONAL

EU’s F-16 Fighter Jet Support: Bilateral Efforts for Ukraine’s Defense

Leave a comment

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, spoke on Monday about sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Borrell has clarified that this shipment is not the result of an agreement with the EU, but that “they are bilateral decisions of several countries that have formed a group to coordinate their action”.

On the other hand, he has said that what the EU “will surely do” will be, if the promoter countries request it, finance “part” of the cost. Borrell has trusted that these planes can “be of support” to the country presided over by Volodímir Zelenski, although he has recognized that, “unfortunately”, the F-16s “will not be able to be used very soon” since they have to train first to the pilots and that supposes a “long task”. “But the sooner you start, the better,” he stated.

OUTSTANDING NEWS
  • Who is ‘El Niño’: the Spaniard who fights against the Russians in the war in Ukraine.
  • Russia causes at least five deaths and dozens wounded in an attack on Chernigov.
  • Ukrainian forces, ready to storm the second line of Russian defense in the south.
Placeholder breast module
War in Ukraine – Russia, live: last minute of Putin’s military offensive, Zelenski, bombings, nuclear alert and NATO
Ukraine war

Ukraine Reports Gains in Eastern Front as Forces Advance South of Bakhmut

Leave a comment

Ukraine says it has made gains in the east as its forces advance south of Bakhmut

Ukraine’s forces are repelling Russian attacks and have retaken several square kilometres on the eastern front over the past week, a deputy defence minister said on Monday.

Hanna Maliar also said that Ukrainian forces were advancing south of Bakhmut, the city occupied by Russian forces in May after a bloody months-long struggle, and had liberated another three square kilometres over the past week.

The Ukrainian military said last week that Russia was attacking towards Kupiansk, a town in the Kharkiv region, Reuters reports.

Speaking to the Ukrainian national television broadcaster, Maliar said:

The situation in the Kupiansk direction is difficult. The enemy is not leaving plans to move forward, the enemy is pulling up additional forces.

We are confident in our defenders, but it is very difficult for them there and the enemy is not advancing there.

These claims have not yet been independently verified.

Maliar said there were no significant changes in the situation in the south, where Ukrainian forces are trying to split Russian forces and reach the Sea of Azov.

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it had made gains on the south-eastern front, pushing forward from the newly liberated village of Urozhaine.

However, a US official said last week Ukrainian forces did not appear likely to be able to reach and retake the Russian-occupied strategic south-eastern city of Melitopol during their counteroffensive.

INTERNATIONAL

NATO’s Stance on Ukraine Peace Talks and Tensions with Russia

Leave a comment

The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, has assured this Thursday, in a conference in Norway, that it depends on Ukraine when to sit down to negotiate on a possible peace agreement for the war:

“It is the Ukrainians themselves who must decide when they are willing to to sit down and negotiate”.

This clarification comes after Stian Jenssen, director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, hinted last Tuesday that Ukraine could achieve peace by ceding ground to Russia.

“I think the solution may be for Ukraine to cede territory and receive NATO membership in return.I’m not saying it should be like this, but it’s a possible solution,” he said.

These comments sparked outrage among Ukrainian officials, including adviser to the head of the presidential office, Mykhailo Podolyak, who called the comments “ridiculous” and said such a move would only encourage Moscow’s “appalling leniency.” Similarly, from kyiv they described these statements as “unacceptable.”

In this same intervention, Stoltenberg asserted that the NATO allies want peace, and “military support for Ukraine is the solution,” according to the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Tension in the Baltic states

After this controversy, the NATO Secretary General also explained that the “great powers” like Russia do not have the right to possess any type of “spheres of interest”. “Small countries like Latvia and Lithuania cannot accept that (just) because they are small neighboring countries, Russia governs them,” he said.

For this reason, and in view of the presence of the Wagner Group in Belarus (an ally of Russia), Lithuania already announced last Wednesday the temporary suspension of operations along the border of the country commanded by Lukashenko (president of Belarus).

INTERNATIONAL

Ukraine Extends Martial Law and Mobilization Amid Ongoing Russian Aggression

Leave a comment

The President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, signed this Thursday the corresponding decrees for the extension of martial law and general mobilization for three more months, until foreseeably next November 15.

The Ukrainian leader thus formalized the set of laws approved at the end of July by the Parliament, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, by which this situation is prolonged for 90 days, in response to the aggression of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian martial law gives authorities special powers to impose, for example, the nightly curfew in force across the country since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

By decreeing the mobilization, Ukraine also prohibits the departure of all men of military age with less than three children and reserves the right to call them up if it deems it necessary..

Kuleba calls for more weapons from the West

On the other hand, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kuleba, assured that his country will need weapons from its Western allies until his army has defeated the Russian forces, according to AFP. There is no other solution,” he insisted during an interview with AFP.

Kuleba assured that Ukraine will not use these weapons on Russian territory.

“If our partners ask us to guarantee that this or that weapon will be used only on Ukrainian territory, we give such a guarantee and we respect it,” he said..

“There have been a few occasions when we have made such promises and we have kept them,” he insisted.

The minister also explained that the counteroffensive that the Ukrainian forces have been carrying out since June has as its “objective” the liberation of the entire territory.

“Our goal is victory, victory in the form of the liberation of our territories inside the 1991 borders,” he said in the interview.

“And it doesn’t matter how long it takes,” he added.

The 1991 borders are those of the independent Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR, which include Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.