Politics

Moscow will probably strengthen its nuclear threats by the end of 2023, but this is another manifestation of the aggressor's weakness. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an interview with Italian channel Sky TG24, Ukrinform reports. The president said that the Russians' constant reminder of their nuclear weapons is "a manifestation not of strength, but of weakness." Read also: President: We will do everything to ensure safety of Ukraine and Europe from Russian nuclear blackmail They are resorting to such steps, since neither military operations nor the work of diplomats have given the Russian invaders the desired results since…

Foreign Ministers Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine and Tobias Billstrom of Sweden have agreed to start negotiations on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees following the G7 Vilnius Declaration. The Ukrainian foreign policy chief announced this on the X social media platform (formerly known as Twitter), Ukrinform reports. "During our call, Tobias Billstrom and I agreed to begin talks on a bilateral Ukrainian-Swedish agreement on security guarantees following the G7 Vilnius Declaration. We also discussed Ukraine's European integration. Working together on the path to opening Ukraine's EU accession talks this year," the minister said. At the NATO summit in Vilnius, held…

The European Union is gearing up to open negotiations with Ukraine on its future accession to the bloc with a formal announcement expected as soon as December. The relevant statement was made by Politico, referring to three diplomats with knowledge of the plans, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. One EU diplomat noted that, once the progress report had been adopted, the European Commission would make a statement, making Member States to open negotiations with Ukraine. While Ukraine may not have met all seven conditions by the time European heads of state and government gather for a summit in mid-December, leaders are…

The United States currently has the funding to ensure continuous military support for Ukraine "for a bit longer," but congressional approval of a new large-scale package is needed now. John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said this during a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "We have enough funding authorities to meet for Ukraine's battlefield needs for a bit longer. But we need Congress to act to ensure that there is no disruption in our support," he said. Asked to clarify what he meant by "a bit longer," Kirby said…

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal believes that pre-accession talks between Ukraine and the European Union will start in 2023. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a meeting of the Ukrainian government, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “I am confident that, having completed all the requirements of the European Commission, we will open the pre-accession talks in 2023,” Shmyhal said. On October 2, 2023, an offsite meeting of the EU foreign ministers took place in Kyiv. “This is another milestone event for all of us. It shows that Ukraine was, is and will be part of…

At the moment, there is no risk that the United States will halt aid funding for Ukraine, even though the Congress failed to endorse an additional large-scale package in support of Ukraine last week. The relevant statement was made by Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform. “Considering that the previous budget contains significant transition funds, we will be using them now, and thus, there is no risk that financing halts,” Markarova said. She called it ‘regrettable’ that Ukrainian programs were not endorsed in the Continuing Resolution, which was passed by the…

Ukraine and the European Union will hold the next external meeting of the EU Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs in December this year. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. "Ukraine and the EU will hold the next meeting of the Association Council in December this year. This was agreed upon at a meeting with High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell," the report says. The parties also discussed integration into the EU and the Ukraine Facility worth EUR 50 billion for a four-year period. "Accession to the European Union is our priority…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell have discussed the importance of speeding up the provision of military aid to Ukraine, the allocation of a new financial tranche, a new package of EU sanctions against Russia and Ukraine's European integration. That's according to the press service of the head of state, Ukrinform reports. Zelensky commended the holding of the first-ever offsite meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers in Kyiv. https://youtu.be/vkpw57dtn_E

Bulgaria will continue providing support for Ukraine at the diplomatic, political, military and humanitarian levels. The relevant statement was made by Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Mariya Gabriel prior to an offsite meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Gabriel mentioned that, in solidarity with Ukraine, Bulgaria had recently lifted a ban on Ukrainian grain imports. According to Gabriel, the Bulgarian side also supports President Zelensky’s Peace Formula, and they believe Ukraine must lead this process. The EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kyiv is intended to express support for Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity within…