At the Peace Summit in Switzerland, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with EU representative Josep Borrell, welcomed the adoption of the Framework for Negotiations on Ukraine's Accession to the EU, and coordinated efforts to increase arms supplies to Ukraine.
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is making unacceptable demands, and the aggressor cannot dictate the terms of the ceasefire. This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on the eve of the Peace Summit on Ukraine.
Eight EU countries, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, called for a ban on Russian diplomats traveling freely in the Schengen area.
The EU notes a rapidly emerging consensus on preferred names for top EU leadership positions: naming Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission, António Costa as president of the European Council, Roberta Metsola as head of the European Parliament and Kaja Kallas as head of EU diplomacy.
The peace summit in Switzerland aims to develop general parameters for peace between the participating countries based on international law and the UN charter, focusing on issues such as nuclear security, prisoner exchange and the return of abducted Ukrainian children, but it is not a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The cabinet of French President Emmanuel Macron is considering Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas as a potential successor to Josep Borrell as head of EU diplomacy.
NATO and EU officials discussed the possibility of allowing Ukrainian armed forces to use Western weapons to target military installations in Russia, for self-defense, which EU diplomacy president Josep Borrel considers a legitimate action under international law when used proportionally.
Poland calls for allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to hit targets in russia without restrictions.
EU defense ministers will discuss lifting restrictions on Ukraine's ability to strike targets in Russia with weapons transferred to it, as some member states have already begun to address this issue.
Hungary has been blocking EU defense initiatives related to Ukraine over non-defense issues, such as problems with Hungarian firms in Ukraine and the treatment of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, despite the importance of a balanced approach between protecting national interests and the consequences of blocking decisions.
Ukraine needs weapons now, because delay costs lives, emphasized EU diplomat Josep Borrell, calling for a quick decision on a new European Peace Fund for Ukraine.
EU defense ministers will discuss military aid to Ukraine and strengthening the European defense industry, but Hungary delays payments from the European Peace Fund.
The European Union has introduced new rules for imposing sanctions on those involved in human rights violations in Russia, including restrictions on the export of equipment used for repression and monitoring, and added 19 people to the sanctions list in connection with the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison.
Russia attacked a crowded shopping mall in Kharkiv, killing and wounding civilians, prompting EU representative Joseph Borrell to strongly condemn the horrific attack and call for increased air defense support for Ukraine.
The head of the European Union's diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the recognition of a Palestinian state is not a gift to Hamas, but rather the opposite.
Moldova has become the first country to sign a security and defense partnership agreement with the European Union, which should strengthen its defense capabilities and allow us to join forces to solve common security problems.
The ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and EU representative Josep Borrell noted the ICC's mandate to prosecute serious international crimes, saying that countries that have ratified the Rome Statute must comply with ICC decisions.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials were killed in a tragic helicopter crash. The EU countries expressed their condolences, among others.
The European Union is withdrawing all personnel from its EUTM military training mission in Mali, marking the end of a mission that has trained more than 20,000 members of the Malian Armed Forces since 2013.
The chairmen of the foreign affairs committees of the US, EU, Ukraine and other countries have condemned Georgia's controversial "foreign agents" law, saying it undermines democracy and contradicts Georgia's goal of Western integration.
Georgia's application for EU membership will be frozen if the controversial Russian-inspired law on "foreign agents" is passed.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has vowed to veto the controversial law on "foreign agents," saying it does not comply with European values and hinders Georgia's European integration aspirations, amid Western criticism that the law undermines democracy.
The adoption of Georgia's controversial law on "foreign agents" negatively affects its progress towards EU accession, and the authorities should withdraw the law and implement the necessary reforms outlined in the EU's 9 steps.
Putin supports China's plan to resolve the war in Ukraine, saying that Beijing understands the conflict.
Georgia's prime minister has announced that the country's parliament will pass a controversial law on "foreign agents" tomorrow despite protests, escalating tensions over the legislation that has been criticized as repressive.
12 EU foreign ministers demand a report from Borrell on how Georgia's draft law on "foreign agents" will affect its EU membership application amid criticism of the document.
Students at Tbilisi State University have been on strike, boycotting classes since May 13 to protest the draft law on "foreign agents" and demand its withdrawal.
Jim O'Brien, head of the US State Department's Office of Sanctions Coordination, will visit Georgia in the coming days to meet with the opposition amid ongoing protests against the controversial law on foreign influence transparency.
Georgia's foreign minister criticized the resignation of the country's ambassador to France over the controversial law on "foreign agents," calling it an insult to Georgia and its diplomats.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili refused to meet with the EU delegation, which arrived amid protests against the controversial law on "foreign agents," saying their visit could encourage radical opposition actions.