Politics & Economics

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that the swiftest and the only path to peace in Europe is to provide Ukraine with weapons it needs to defeat Russia. He said this in an article for the Times of Malta, Ukrinform reports. “Like all authoritarian rulers, Putin responds only to strength in his opponents. He rejected Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point plan for peace last December. That is why the UK and Ukraine’s friends are doing all they can to bring Ukraine success on the battlefield. And it’s why I’m delighted that Germany and the US are joining the UK in sending…

Ukraine seeks to start negotiations on joining the European Union in order to be ready to join the EU before the end of the war. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna said this live on Ukraine's Espreso TV channel, Ukrinform reports. "After our victory, a decision on Ukraine's membership in NATO can be made very quickly. I can confirm that such a decision requires only the political consensus of all 30 allies," she said. She added that the decision to join the EU should be primarily in the interests of Ukraine. "There is no need…

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky of his intention to ensure the arrival of British military equipment at the front line as quickly as possible. “The leaders discussed the latest situation on the ground in Ukraine and the Prime Minister said he was focused on ensuring the UK’s defensive military equipment reached the front line as quickly as possible,” reads the press release following Sunak–Zelensky phone conversation posted on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office. In this context, Sunak said that Ukrainian soldiers had already begun training on Challenger 2 tanks in the UK…

Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk and President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam visited Borodianka, Kyiv region, on February 4. "Today is my second opportunity to meet with the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Before that, we met in Brussels. I want to thank you on behalf of the Parliament of Ukraine and the entire Ukrainian people for this visit. Your visit is very important to us," Kondratiuk told the NATO PA President, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Kondratiuk and Garriaud-Maylam saw the consequences of the occupation by Russian troops, in particular, destroyed apartment…

The change by Iran of centrifuge configurations and the enrichment of uranium at a facility in Fordow without informing the IAEA is a violation of Tehran’s commitments under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. That’s according to a joint statement by France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the IAEA`s Latest Report on Iran`s Nuclear Program. “Iran has implemented a substantial change in the configuration of some of its centrifuges without informing the Agency in advance. These centrifuges produce high-enriched uranium up to 60% and are located at the Fordow Enrichment Plant,” the statement reads. As stated by the…

Ukraine has fulfilled more than 70% of its obligations under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. "In the conditions of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, we pursued the process of adapting Ukrainian legislation to the European one. We have increased progress in implementation of the Association Agreement by 9% compared to 2021," Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said during the Ukraine-EU Summit on February 3, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Government portal. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the intellectual property sector has become the leader in fulfilling obligations under…

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has said at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace that Israel is ready to send "military things" to Kyiv. That's according to The Times of Israel, which refers to an official with knowledge of the conversation, Ukrinform reports. At the same time, Netanyahu underscored that he could not go too far without provoking Russia. He told Macron that "it is too early to think about mediation." He said that he would not push his role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine until Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. asked him to…

Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said that Russian propagandists who supported the killing of people must be deprived of any opportunity to travel freely to the EU countries and the United States. That's according to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ukrinform repots. According to the report, Yermak met with Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Commission Bjoern Seibert and Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the European Commission Fernando Andresen Guimaraes. Yermak emphasized the importance of strengthening sanctions against Russian propagandists who actively support aggression against Ukraine. In…

The decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran can be made at any time, depending on Tehran's further behavior. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this in an interview with BBC News Ukrainian, Ukrinform reports. "You know that I submitted such a proposal for consideration by the president. This issue is completely open. The decision can be taken at any time depending on the further behavior of Iran," Kuleba said. He added that he did not know who hit military infrastructure in Iran. "We have historically done nothing wrong to Iran. They began to supply combat kamikaze drones to Russia.…

Germany will not play a decisive role in the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, since this is American technology. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this in an interview with BBC News Ukrainian, Ukrinform reports. "I think it's a kind of inertia in the perception of the transfer of weapons: yes, what's up with Scholz? Why was the position of Germany and Chancellor Scholz important regarding Leopard tanks? It is a [mass-produced] tank, but it is German technology, so Germany's word was key. In the issue of aircraft, Germany's word is not key, because it is American technology,"…