U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
The first round of talks in the EU's screening of Ukrainian legislation, one of the necessary steps to start membership talks, in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 25, 2024. (The office of Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna/Facebook)https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-moves-one-step-closer-to-joining-eu-whats-next/
The European Commission has started assessing Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU laws, which "lays the groundwork for the (membership) negotiations," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 25.
The screening is the first step toward Ukraine's accession talks with the EU. To be allowed to join the union, a country must harmonize its legislation with that of the EU and adopt all acquis communautaire, or legal acts and decrees that constitute the European Union law.
The so-called acquis are divided into 35 chapters. Each of them must be fully adopted and closed by the commission. Croatia, the latest country to join the EU, was able to complete the process within 10 years.
"The thorough work of assessing the conformity of Ukrainian legislation with EU norms, the formation of Ukraine's delegation, and our negotiating position are all ahead of us," Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter).
"I expect full engagement of Ukrainian government team and the first intergovernmental conference to be held already this spring."
The Ukrainian delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna met with EU officials in Brussels on Jan. 25 to start the screening process.
The parties agreed on a structure and a schedule for the screening talks, which will begin with consideration of fundamental rights and reforms, Stefanishyna told reporters after the meeting, as cited by Ukrinform.
"On the first block, negotiations may last a month or two. We will wait for the decision of the March meeting of the European Council. It should give impetus to the further negotiation process," said Stefanishyna.
"We hope that Ukraine's implementation of the four recommendations (emphasized by the European Commission - ed.) will speed up the adoption of the negotiating framework for the first round of negotiations."
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 19 that Ukraine had fulfilled three of the four additional recommendations presented by the European Commission in November 2023. They include an increase in staff of the NABU, one of the country's chief anti-corruption agencies, reopening the assets declaration registry, and implementing changes to national minorities law.
The fourth point, a bill on lobbying, has been approved by the parliament in the first reading.
The European Council agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova on Dec. 14. The announcement delivered a significant political victory for Ukraine amid worries that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would block the start of the negotiations.
Olga Rudenko
