European Union

Chinese President Xi Jinping made no concessions during his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, despite efforts to improve tense relations over trade disputes and Beijing's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The EU does not have an agreed position on whether or not to recognize Vladimir Putin as the legitimate president of Russia, but all 27 member states have recognized that the elections in Russia were not transparent.

The participation of several EU diplomats in Putin's inauguration in Moscow does not contradict the EU's agreed position on continuing to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal aggression, an EU spokesman said.

Serbia became the first European country to sign an agreement with China on a "shared future" and deepening of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

April 2024 was the hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak of record monthly temperatures, indicating that the world is dangerously close to exceeding the 1. 5°C global warming limit set by the Paris Agreement.

The EU has started negotiations on the 14th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes restrictions on Russian gas, including a ban on transshipment of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and restrictions on three Russian LNG projects.

Ukraine will involve MPs in each of the 35 chapters that form the basis of the EU accession negotiations, with MPs from the relevant committees participating in the negotiations on the respective chapters, a new approach compared to previous EU enlargements.

This year, the Ministry of Health is initiating intensified immunization activities to catch up with unvaccinated children as the number of refusers gradually decreases.

The President of the European Commission welcomed the political agreement reached by the EU countries to use funds from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

The Kyiv City Council renamed Pravdy Avenue in the Podil district to European Union Avenue in honor of Ukraine's geopolitical, economic, and military partner, the European Union.

EU ambassadors agreed to use the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's recovery and military defense against Russian aggression.

Russia launched another massive attack on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, prompting the EU to urgently call for the strengthening of Ukraine's air defense systems.

EU ambassadors agree on Ukraine's reform plan to receive EU financial assistance until 2027 under the Ukraine Facility.

EU ambassadors approve €30 million in non-lethal military aid to Georgia from the European Peace Fund.

EU ambassadors expressed concern over Georgia's law on "foreign agents" and its potential impact on the country's European integration process.

On May 7, passenger and vehicle traffic on Ukraine's western border increased compared to the previous day: 66,000 people and 15,000 vehicles crossed the borders with the EU and Moldova, with 38,000 people leaving Ukraine and 28,000 entering.

Since the beginning of 2024, Euroclear, the European depository, has received €1. 6 billion in interest income from more than €200 billion of frozen Russian assets.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonite says she is ready to send Lithuanian troops to Ukraine for a training mission.

The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Georgia to pay €153,600 in compensation to the victims of the violent dispersal of the Gavrilov Night rally in Tbilisi in 2019.

On the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II, President Zelensky said that Ukrainians are once again fighting against the evil revived under the Russian flag, and only a united free world can stop it, as it did in 1945.

Euroclear will decide to confiscate 87-89% of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets worth €2-3 billion in the coming weeks.

Romania will consider supplying Ukraine with one of its Patriot air defense systems to protect it from Russian air attacks, President Klaus Iohannis said after meeting with US President Joe Biden.

Michael Roth, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, will visit Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on May 13-15 to meet with the government, parliament, opposition and civil society activists, expressing support for Georgia's European aspirations and democratic values.

Ukraine is preparing meetings and documents that will make news in the coming weeks, including new visits by partners, new security agreements, the start of negotiations with the European Union in June, and preparations for the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.

According to members of the European Parliament, Georgia's status as an EU candidate is under threat because of the ruling party's ties to the Kremlin and the suppression of protests.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal held an online meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Dimitar Glavchev to discuss Ukraine's military needs and Bulgaria's support for Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO.

Ukraine and Poland discussed strengthening cooperation in cyber defense against Russian cyberattacks that affect both countries.

The Cabinet of Ministers held a meeting to prepare for the supply of generators to critical infrastructure facilities for the next heating season, which will help decentralize the energy system and make it less vulnerable to Russian attacks.

President Zelenskyy held phone conversations with the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium, who confirmed their participation in the inaugural Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15-16, and discussed defense cooperation and Ukraine's integration into the EU.

Ukraine's international reserves decreased by 3. 1% to $42.4 billion in April due to the NBU's foreign exchange interventions and foreign currency debt repayments, partially offset by inflows from international partners.