The European Commission wants Ukraine to become a full member of the EU’s defense industry support scheme, which would help use the country’s military experience and bring Kyiv closer to EU accession, Euractiv reported on March 4, citing a draft proposal.
Poland plans to ask the EU to impose sanctions on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products and foodstuffs, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on March 4.
Ukraine is compiling a list of sites that Russia has destroyed to specifically allocate funds from frozen Russian assets, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at a press conference on March 4,
Ukraine expects the European Commission to present a negotiation framework for Kyiv's accession to the EU "no later than March 12," Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said, as reported by the media on March 4.
Warsaw is conducting informal negotiations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on granting Polish farmers possible exemptions to the EU's Green Deal, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said on March 3.
Russia’s 10-year aggression against Ukraine has caused widespread and sure to be long-lasting damage to the country’s economy and demographics. Positive growth predictions were squashed following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in 2014. Then came Russia’s full-scale invasion in
The European Union will strengthen control over carriers' compliance with agreements on transporting grain from Ukraine to address concerns of protesting farmers and free up trade, Reuters reported on March 1, citing the EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Feb. 29 calling on EU member states to support Ukraine with "whatever is needed for Kyiv to win its war against Russia," including long-range weapons.
Speaking at the parliament, Yulia Navalnaya accused Russian authorities of orchestrating Navalny's death, which, in her words, showed that "Putin is capable of anything and that you cannot negotiate with him.
The EU Council on Feb. 28 approved 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in loans and grants for Kyiv, giving the final go-ahead for the four-year Ukraine Facility tool.
Two years of brutal, full-scale invasion by Russia has inflicted severe environmental damage on Ukraine, impacting the country's rich biodiversity, contaminating land and water resources, and posing a direct threat to public health and safety. Addressing these challenges is crucial for the environment, but also for the long-term peace, stability,
Latvia has extended visa restrictions for Russian citizens until March 2025, the Latvian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Feb. 27.
The European Parliament voted to approve the 50 billion euro ($54 billion) funding package for Ukraine, known as the Ukraine Facility, as part of the EU budget on Feb. 27.
Sikorski urged the United States to provide Ukraine with desperately needed military aid in a speech delivered at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 26. .
Latvia's Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze called on the European Union to add Russian foodstuffs to sanctions lists on Feb. 26, ahead of an EU Agriculture Ministers meeting in Brussels.
Europe should suspend ammunition exports to third countries other than Ukraine in light of the shortages faced by the Ukrainian military, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) published on Feb. 26.
The European Union’s new 50 billion euro ($54 billion) Ukraine Facility will make its first transfer of 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) to Ukraine in March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Feb. 24.
The European Union will open an office for Defense Innovation in Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during a press conference in Kyiv on Feb. 24.
Hungary did not give an explicit reason for its objection, sources told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
The package targets an additional 106 individuals and 88 entities involved in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The list includes includes companies from India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Turkey.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics argued that Russian grain imports support the Russian economy and, therefore, its army, and what is labeled as Russian grain may, in fact, be Ukrainian grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories.
MUNICH – “Words, words, just words,” sighed one VIP attendee at the Munich Security Conference as representatives of three European Union member states discussed security cooperation. “China will get the message: ‘No need to worry about us here,’” said another about the signals being sent from Bavaria. A lugubrious mood hung
"This package is one of the broadest approved by the EU. It will undergo a written procedure and be formally approved for February 24," the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council said on social media.
Counting today's donation, the EU's executive arm has devoted 923 million euros ($999 million) to humanitarian aid to civilians affected by Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine since February 2022.
"We do not consider such demands at all, especially from Mr. Borrell," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference, as cited by RIA Novosti.
The European Union demanded on Feb. 19 that Russia allow "an independent and transparent international investigation" into the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, for which many world leaders have blamed the Kremlin.
"As long as the Russian Federation's illegal actions continue to violate the prohibition on the use of force, which is a serious breach of international law, it is appropriate to maintain in force all the measures currently imposed by the Union and to take additional measures, if necessary," the Council's announcement read.
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said at a Feb. 19 conference that he urged member states to procure ammunition for Ukraine outside the bloc if this source of supply is "better, cheaper, and quicker."
Russia forces are "taking advantage" of Western allies' delays in providing Ukraine with additional military aid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Feb. 19.
Editor’s note: The following piece is a personal account of the Munich Security Conference from a Kyiv Independent reporter but does not purport to reflect the views of the publication. MUNICH – For three days every year, the space in front of the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in central Munich turns
Speaking at a panel discussion on EU defense priorities at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18, the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell criticized Western allies' initial indecisiveness in providing military assistance to Ukraine, suggesting that the outcome of the war "would have been different" had allies acted more decisively.
Hungary has blocked the approval of the European Union’s latest package of sanctions against Russia due to the presence of Chinese companies in the list, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Feb. 15, citing unnamed European officials.
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