Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky greets British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of talks in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.STR / AFP / Getty Images
The European Union’s executive body recommended on Friday that Ukraine be on the path to membership, a symbolic boost for a country that is repelling a Russian attack that kills civilians, compares cities and threatens its very survival.
In another demonstration of Western support, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with President Vladimir Zelensky in Kyiv to offer continued assistance and military training.
Ukraine’s latest embrace of European allies marks another setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war nearly four months ago, hoping to withdraw his former Soviet neighbor from the West and back into Russia’s sphere of influence.
At Russia’s economic forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said Moscow “does not mind” Ukraine’s accession to the EU because it is “not a military organization, a political organization like NATO.” He also reiterated his usual defense of the war, arguing that it was necessary to protect people in parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed rebels and to ensure Russia’s own security.
Johnson’s trip to Kyiv followed a Thursday by leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Romania, who pledged to support Ukraine without asking it to make any territorial concessions to Russia.
“We are with you to give you the strategic resilience you will need,” Johnson said during his second visit to the country since the war began on February 24. Although he did not give details of the aid, he said Britain would run a program that could train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers every 120 days in an unspecified location outside the country.
The training program could “change the equation of this war,” he said. Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties in the fighting in the east.
“I fully understand why you and your people cannot compromise with Putin, because if Ukraine is suffering, if Ukrainian troops are suffering, then I must tell you that all the evidence is that Putin’s troops themselves are under intense pressure and they have taken over. heavy casualties, “he said.” Their spending on ammunition, shells and other weapons is enormous. “
“After his visit in April,” Ukraine’s tenacity, determination and resilience are stronger than ever, and I know that unwavering determination will outlive President Putin’s vain ambitions for a long time, “he said.
Johnson said the United Kingdom would work to tighten sanctions against Russia. He praised the resilience of Ukrainians and how “life returns to the streets” of Kyiv, but noted that after only a few hours, a barbaric attack continues. Towns and villages are turning into ruins. ”
MURAT YUKSELIR / GLOSS AND POST, SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS
Zelensky gave Johnson a tour of a monastery where candles were lit and the British leader received an icon. They placed flowers on an open memorial wall showing photos of soldiers killed in battle in 2014, viewed an exhibition of damaged, rusty Russian weapons and greeted the applauding crowds.
“We have a common view of the movement towards Ukraine’s victory. I am grateful for the powerful support! ” This was said by Zelenski in the Telegram.
The opportunity for EU membership, created to preserve peace on the continent and serve as a model for the rule of law and prosperity, fulfills the desire of Zelensky and his Western-looking citizens.
The European Commission’s recommendation that Ukraine become a candidate for membership will be discussed by leaders of the 27-nation bloc next week in Brussels. The war has increased pressure on EU governments to speed up Ukraine’s candidacy, but the process is expected to take years, and EU members remain divided over how quickly and fully to accept new members.
Political and military support from Western countries is key to Ukraine’s surprising success against larger and better-equipped Russian forces. Zelensky also called for additional immediate support in the form of more and better weapons to reverse the tide in the industrial east known as Donbass.
In St. Petersburg, Putin described the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allies as “insane and, I would say, reckless.”
“The calculation was understandable: brazenly, with a swing, to crush the Russian economy by destroying business chains, forcibly withdrawing Western companies from the Russian market, freezing local assets, hitting industry, finance and people’s living standards. It didn’t work out, “he said.
Russia has pushed its offensive to the east, leaving desperate residents worried about their future.
“We are old people, we have nowhere to go. Where will I go? ” asked Vira Medientseva, an elderly resident who is battling the aftermath of Thursday’s attack in Lisichansk, just across the river from Severodonetsk, where a key battle is raging.
In other events on Friday:
– Zelensky announced that Russia has released Yulia Paevska, a famous Ukrainian medic who uses a body camera to film her work in Mariupol while the port city was under Russian siege. Paevska, known in Ukraine as Tyra, received videos from an Associated Press team on March 15, the day before she was captured by Russian troops. Zelenski said Paevska was “already at home”. He said Ukraine would continue to work for the release of all Russian detainees.
– Russian state television showed a video of two American military veterans who went missing last week while fighting in Ukraine, confirming that the men were captured and raising concerns about their fate. Alex Drucke and Andy Huin, both from Alabama, were considered the first Americans to be captured by Russian forces since the start of the war.
– The Ukrainian Navy said it had destroyed a Russian boat carrying air defense systems to a strategic island in the Black Sea. The navy said on social media that Vasily Bekh had been used to transport ammunition, weapons and personnel to Snake Island, which is vital for protecting sea lanes from a key port in Odessa.
– A group of volunteers, called the “IT Army of Ukraine”, said it carried out a cyber attack that delayed Putin’s speech in St. Petersburg. The group was convened by Ukraine after the invasion to launch cyberattacks against Russian targets. He said he carried out a distributed denial-of-service attack that uses networks of zombie computers to flood websites with unwanted traffic, making them inaccessible.
– The interruption of the war on the export of grain and other crops from Ukraine, which feed the world, attracted the world’s attention and made bread prices rise worldwide. But the production of other, more niche foods is also affected, including for the Ukrainian snail farmer.
– The organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest said that he would start negotiations with the BBC for a possible event next year in the United Kingdom, after concluding that it could not be held in Ukraine. The Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the competition in 2022, inspiring Ukrainian spirits. The event is traditionally organized by last year’s winner.
Russian forces have shifted their focus to Donbass after a series of failures at the start of the war, including a failure to seize Ukraine’s capital. The Ukrainian military has said that Moscow’s troops continue their relentless attacks on Slavyansk and Severodonetsk, at the center of recent battles. The military claims that Ukrainian forces pushed Russian fighters out of the village of Bogorodichno, north of Slavyansk.
Russia and its allies say they have taken about half of Donetsk and almost all of Luhansk, the two regions that make up Donbass. Severodonetsk and surrounding villages are in the last pocket of the Luhansk region still in Ukrainian hands.
“The Russians are pouring fire on the city,” Luhansk Governor Sergei Haidai said. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to fight in Severodonetsk, because the Russians outnumber us in artillery and manpower and it is very difficult for us to withstand this shelling.
The constant shelling has made it impossible for 568 people to escape, including 38 children sheltered at the city’s Azot chemical plant, he said. Russian forces have destroyed all three bridges leading from the city, but Haidai said it is not yet completely blocked.
Moscow’s envoy for the Russian-backed separatists, who control much of the area around Severodonetsk, said an evacuation from the Nitrogen plant could still take place. Rodion Miroshnik of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic said on social media that Russian troops and separatists were “ready to consider options for opening a humanitarian corridor for civilians to leave, but in strict compliance with the ceasefire.”
Earlier this week, Miroshnik accused Kyiv of trying to disrupt the evacuation of civilians from Nitrogen, a statement strongly denied by Ukrainian authorities.
Drone footage shows a once thriving tram depot in northern Kharkov turned into a tram “cemetery” after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th.
Reuters
Our morning and evening newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a brief summary of the most important headlines of the day. Register today.
Add Comment