The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
German anti-aircraft gun tank Gepard photographed at the Putlos military training area in Schleswig-Holstein on Aug. 25. 2022. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via Getty Images)
The European Union has prepared a framework to provide Ukraine with long-term security assistance, including the continued provision of weapons, training of Ukrainian troops, and support for Ukraine's domestic defense industry, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 21, citing internal EU documents.
The proposed measures will be discussed with EU ambassadors in the upcoming week and with senior EU leadership in December, Bloomberg reported.
It aims to build upon the plans for long-term security guarantees presented by the Group of 7 (G7) countries at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
The proposed G7 security guarantees would entail explicit and long-lasting obligations, as well as bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. They would also cover sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.
The EU's proposed plans would seek to bolster those of the G7, as well as to assist Ukraine in fulfilling its reform obligations.
The proposal comes as it appears likely the EU will fail to deliver on its pledge of one million shells to Ukraine by March 2024.
Weapons provisions from the EU would continue to operate under The European Peace Facility, in which member states are reimbursed for military aid sent to Ukraine.
However, several EU countries, including Germany, were reportedly hesitant about committing to the four-year, $21 billion plan under the European Peace Facility suggested by the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, in July 2023.
Unnamed diplomats told Reuters in November that some of the member states preferred to allocate funds on a yearly basis instead of committing far in advance.
The plan still appears to be receiving pushback, as an unnamed EU diplomat told Bloomberg that there was still disagreement about the terms and that the EU hoped to at least agree on 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for 2024.
Commitments for future military aid would follow after, the diplomat added.
Such a plan would run contrary to the logic of Borrell's proposal, which was to create a more predictable source of funding over several years.
Anastasiia Lapatina
