European Union

President Zelenskyy met with Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Chmilite-Nielsen to discuss strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO, and the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula.

Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after the Senate approved the final version of the marriage equality bill.

Hungary and Slovakia have announced their potential support for Mark Rutte as the next NATO Secretary General.

France's far-right National Rally party has quietly removed from its website some of its controversial defense policy proposals, including those advocating deepening diplomatic relations with Russia, withdrawal from NATO's Joint Military Command and termination of cooperation projects with Germany, in a bid to bolster its credibility ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, media reports say.

The President signed a law on the gradual increase of insurance amounts (maximum insurance payments) to the amounts established in the European Union.

The EU plans to agree on new sanctions against Russia by the June 27 summit, including restrictions on the transportation of Russian LNG and oil, trade bans and blacklists.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law allowing Ukrainians to use national mobile tariffs without additional roaming charges when traveling to EU countries.

After talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte expressed cautious optimism that Hungary's opposition to him becoming the next NATO chief will be overcome.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has promised to give Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban the right to withdraw from NATO activities aimed at supporting Ukraine if he becomes secretary general of the military alliance, in an attempt to win Budapest's support after it vetoed his appointment for months.

The EU has joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children as an observer to act and return all the thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly displaced and deported by Russia, which must be held accountable for this horrific and inhumane crime.

EU leaders failed to agree on candidates for key EU positions, including Ursula von der Leyen's second term as president of the European Commission.

The European Commission has decided to establish an Audit Board to evaluate the effectiveness and monitor the use of financial assistance under the EUR 50 billion Ukraine Facility program, ensure transparency and prevent fraud, corruption and conflict of interest.

Ukraine is working to achieve an important result in its EU accession negotiations and has a preliminary schedule for the summer months, and is actively seeking a just peace to end the war.

Slovakia's new president, Peter Pellegrini, who took office on Saturday, assured that he plans to visit all neighboring countries, including Ukraine, although he did not specify any timeframe for his visit to Ukraine.

Latvia will soon send Ukraine the second batch of drones purchased as part of the drone coalition, after having already sent the first batch.

The European Union extended sanctions against Russia in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol until June 23, 2025.

Despite efforts to cut off supplies of Russian fossil fuels, gas imports to Europe from Russia in May exceeded those from the United States.

The German Foreign Minister warns that if Ukraine is not supported, russian troops could reach the border with Poland and bring the war to the EU and NATO.

Ursula von der Leyen called on Russia to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, stop the violence and return the abducted children, saying that Russia can only join the peace process when it demonstrates its readiness for peace based on the UN Charter.

Slovakia is very concerned about the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and fully supports the IAEA's efforts to ensure its safe operation by providing financial support for the IAEA's work.

Three motorcyclists from Germany and Italy crossed the Ukrainian-Romanian border outside the checkpoint without documents. Border guards drew up administrative reports against the offenders.

According to polls, the Labor Party is likely to win the UK parliamentary elections by a large margin, while the Conservatives will suffer a significant defeat.

State leaders took part in the first plenary session of the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.

President of the European Council Charles Michel said that Ukraine should determine when a dialogue with Russia is possible, but it should be based on international law and the UN Charter.

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.

On June 15, Peter Pellegrini was officially sworn in as the new president of Slovakia, making an ambiguous reference to the war in Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees accepted by Slovakia in his first speech.

The G7 countries are planning to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets, with the EU countries not participating directly but providing guarantee mechanisms.

Germany is not blocking the new sanctions against Russia, but is working to make them as effective and rational as possible, allowing its export-oriented economy to continue exporting goods to countries other than Russia.

After "fierce discussions," Budapest managed to get its demands for the rights of national minorities, including the use of their mother tongue and education in their mother tongue, included in the framework document governing Ukraine's membership negotiations with the European Union.

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.