Ukraine signalled its readiness for fast-track European Union membership in Kyiv on Tuesday (24 February), as European leaders pledged continued political and financial backing and insisted Russia would gain nothing at the negotiating table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened his address by thanking European nations for their sustained support in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Europe has stood with us throughout these difficult years, and our people trust Europe. They know we are not alone. In many ways, all of this is thanks to your personal efforts, your work and friendship,” he said.
However, Zelenskyy cautioned that there was “still much to be done” as the war enters its fifth year.
Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s readiness for accelerated EU membership despite anticipating obstruction from Moscow.
"That's why we know we don't want to have the same (as) we have now," he said, highlighting the ongoing challenges Ukrainians face after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
"That's why they will do it. But we are ready for fast-track, we are ready for reforms," he added, underscoring Kyiv’s determination to meet EU accession criteria.
Zelenskyy also highlighted the importance of a security guarantee for Ukraine and expressed hope that the country could join the EU by 2027.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment, stating that the EU has provided Ukraine with €200 billion in military and financial assistance - “more than any other partner”.
She announced an urgent €90 billion “steel porcupine” loan aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities. The funding, she explained, would support “the production, development and securing of advanced defence equipment for the brave Ukrainian forces, ranging from drones and missiles to ammunition”.
Zelenskyy said he had also discussed changes to EU legislation with von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa that would allow Ukraine to stop Russian tankers and seize the oil they transport, adding: “It’s doable.”
He stressed that the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia must be “strong and efficient” and adopted as soon as possible.
European Council President António Costa insisted that Moscow must not secure any concessions in future negotiations.
“Russia must come to the negotiation table in a serious way and accept that it will not win this war,” Costa said.
“After four years of aggression, Ukraine has held firm and Russia has not achieved its objectives,” he added, describing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter as “unacceptable.”
Zelenskyy called for the swift adoption of the 20th EU sanctions package and highlighted new Ukrainian measures targeting Russian maritime operations and defence supply chains.
European leaders reiterated that their political and financial support for Kyiv would continue, maintaining that Russia would not be allowed to translate battlefield aggression into diplomatic advantage.
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Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war can be measured not only in lives and territory, but in money. In Part One, the war’s cost was measured in casualties and kilometres. In Part Two, it is measured in billions of dollars.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (24 February) urged Ukraine’s allies to maintain their backing as the war with Russia entered its fourth year, with divisions among European partners overshadowing anniversary commemorations.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Western governments significantly expanded sanctions targeting Russia’s finance, energy, trade and technology sectors. The measures built on restrictions first imposed in 2014 following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.
Britain imposed its largest package of sanctions on Russia in years on Tuesday (24 February), marking the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as London also announced fresh military and humanitarian support for Kyiv.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Twenty-two people have died and hundreds have been displaced in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state on Tuesday (24 February) after relentless, record-breaking rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods.
The military spokesperson for the M23 rebel movement, Willy Ngoma, was killed in an army drone strike in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo early on Tuesday (24 February), according to a regional diplomat, a senior rebel figure and a Western adviser to the government.
U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean waters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (24 February), adding that it was the third such operation.
Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war can be measured not only in lives and territory, but in money. In Part One, the war’s cost was measured in casualties and kilometres. In Part Two, it is measured in billions of dollars.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (24 February) urged Ukraine’s allies to maintain their backing as the war with Russia entered its fourth year, with divisions among European partners overshadowing anniversary commemorations.
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