Ukraine updates: EU says Kyiv ready for membership talks

The European Union's executive has informed member states that Ukraine and Moldova have met all the criteria for starting negotiations on EU membership, officials said.

Meanwhile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed French lawmakers. In his speech, Zelenskyy warned that Europe was "unfortunately no longer a continent of peace" and thanked France for its support. He also warned of further Russian aggression against the Baltic states, Poland and the Balkans.

He will later be received by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. Zelenskyy is also expected to hold talks with US President Joe Biden. 

Here are the latest developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Friday, June 7:

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

EU says Ukraine, Moldova meet criteria to start membership talks

The European Commission has told EU ambassadors that Ukraine and Moldova have met the conditions to start talks on joining the European Union. 

EU leaders agreed to open talks with the two countries in December, provided they met certain conditions, such as fighting corruption. 

"We consider that all the steps have been met by the two countries," a Commission spokeswoman said. "Now the decision is in the hands of the member states."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also said that the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, had confirmed in a report that Kyiv had fulfilled the remaining steps required of it in order to start negotiations. 

"Now we expect our European partners to take the next step — to start negotiations on European Union membership already this month," Shmyhal said on the Telegram messaging app. 

A number of EU countries are pushing the 27-nation bloc to formally launch the talks on June 25, but member states must unanimously agree on a plan addressing how to conduct the talks before they can begin. 

Opposition from Hungary, the EU's most Russia-friendly country, threatens to derail the move. The issue of minority rights has been a key sticking point for Budapest, which has long complained about alleged mistreatment of the Hungarian community in Ukraine.

Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022, after Russia escalated the long-running conflict in eastern Ukraine by launching a full-scale invasion of the country. Moldova asked to join a month later. Both countries were granted candidate status in June 2022.

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Ukraine has right to strike targets in Russia, Stoltenberg says

Ukraine has the right under international law to strike legitimate military targets in Russia to defend itself, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a military base near Stockholm.

"Ukraine has the right to self-defense," Stoltenberg said. "The right to self-defense also includes the right to hit legitimate, military targets on the territory of the attacking party, the aggressor, in this case Russia."

In response to the Russian offensive in northeastern Ukraine, the United States, Germany and some other countries have allowed Kyiv to use Western-donated weapons to strike inside Russian territory. However, US President Joe Biden said Ukraine would be limited in firing US-supplied weapons at targets inside Russia near the countries' border.

"This is a war of attack that Russia has begun against a peaceful, democratic neighbouring country, Ukraine, that at no point has been a threat to Russia," Stoltenberg said. "There is no question that Ukraine has the right to hit targets on Russian territory."

The Kremlin said this week that Western nations supplying Ukraine with weapons to attack Russian territory would have to reckon with Russia after President Vladimir Putin said he was considering arming the West's enemies in retaliation.

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Berlin opposes name of new Ukraine mission, media report says

Germany is opposed to calling a new NATO project to support Ukraine a "mission," arguing that it could send the wrong signal to Russia, in a dispute that has caused irritation among allies, Germany's dpa news agency reported.

At their next summit in Washington, NATO allies plan to launch a new project to support Kyiv, dubbed NATO Mission Ukraine. Until now, NATO members have coordinated military aid through the US-led Contact Group on Ukraine, rather than through NATO itself. 

One of the goals of the upcoming summit is to transfer the responsibilities previously held by the Ukraine Contact Group to the Western military itself. 

However, Berlin's rejection of the proposed name appears to be delaying this plan, with diplomats telling dpa that almost all NATO allies see Berlin's refusal to use the word "mission" in the name as unnecessary deference to Russia. 

The German government is reportedly concerned that calling the project a mission could be interpreted as NATO planning to send troops to Ukraine, and fears it could fuel Russian propaganda. 

According to dpa, the German government proposed calling the new mission "Pledge Assistance Coordination Training."

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Europe no longer a continent of peace, Zelenskyy tells French lawmakers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped a summit hosted by Switzerland this month on bringing peace to Ukraine could hasten a fair end to the war in his country.

"The inaugural peace summit could become a format that would bring closer a just end to this war," Zelensky told the French parliament on Friday, warning 80 years after the D-Day landings of World War II that Europe was "unfortunately, no longer a continent of peace."

"Again, Europe's cities are being destroyed and villages are burned," he said of Russia's bombing of Ukraine. He also decried the abduction of Ukrainian children in occupied territories.

"This is against Ukraine now. But this can be aimed at other countries tomorrow, and we already see clearly the direction of the aggression — the Baltic countries, Poland, the Balkans," the Ukrainian president said.

"The Russian regime does not see any limits and even Europe is no longer enough," Zelensky said, pointing to Russian military actions in Syria and Moscow's growing footprint in the Sahel region of Africa.

"It is in Ukraine that lies the key to the security of Europe," the Ukrainian president said, implying peace could not be made along the current lines of control.

"Because without control on Ukraine, Russia will have to be a normal national state and not a colonial empire that is constantly looking for new territory in Europe, as well as Asia and Africa," he said.

Zelenskyy thanked France for its support, adding that Ukraine can rely on French air defense systems, armored vehicles, artillery and missiles.

"I am grateful for all you are already doing and it is a lot. But for a fair peace, more must be done," he said.

Zelenskyy also said he hoped to see French warplanes in the Ukrainian skies.

"Your planes, commanded by Ukrainian pilots, will prove that Europe is stronger than the evil that dared to threaten it," he added.

Macron said Thursday that Paris plans to provide Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine. 

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Swiss leader says talks with Russia likely after peace conference

Swiss President Viola Amherd says the Ukraine peace conference to be held in her country later this month is only the beginning of negotiations and will likely be followed by talks with Russia. 

"It is clear to us that we will not sign a peace agreement at the end of the conference," Amherd said in comments published by Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Both parties need to be at the negotiating table, she said, noting that Russia has not been invited to the Swiss summit. "Russia could then be present at a possible follow-up conference," she said.

Amherd went on to say that the purpose of the conference was to create a platform for dialogue where the first step would be to discuss how to achieve peace in Ukraine. 

Switzerland has invited some 160 countries to discuss possible ways to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, did not receive an invitation. Ukraine is taking part. Moscow said Russia would not have attended even if it had been invited. 

So far, more than 80 countries have confirmed they will attend the June 15-16 meeting in Switzerland. "It was important for us that not only Western European countries and the US are taking part," Amherd said.

"Around half of the more than 80 participants who have already confirmed their attendance come from Western Europe, the other half from Africa, South America and Asia. So the Global South is represented," she added.

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Moscow accuses Ukraine of using US missiles against civilian targets inside Russia

The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused Ukraine of using US-supplied HIMARS missiles to shell civilian targets in Russia's Belgorod region and of being responsible for the deaths of women and children.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the accusation at a news conference on the sidelines of an economic forum in St. Petersburg.

She said fragments of the HIMAR rockets would serve as evidence of what happened.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine or the United States. The claim could not be verified.

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Biden to speak on democracy and freedom in Normandy

US President Joe Biden will deliver a keynote address in Normandy on Friday in defense of freedom and democracy as part of a visit to France that includes D-Day remembrance events.

Biden is planning a speech on the power of democracy and the fight against aggressors and autocrats at the historic Pointe du Hoc, according to the White House.

On Thursday, he called for the defense of democracy at a D-Day commemoration at a US military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.

The president vowed never to abandon international alliances or Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

"We're living in a time when democracy is more at risk across the world than at any point since the end of World War II," Biden said. 

Biden cited the Ukraine war as an example. 

The speech is likely to be seen as a warning against his rival and predecessor, Donald Trump, in the US presidential election later this year.

Trump has publicly questioned the importance of organizations such as NATO.

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Brussels says Ukraine ready for EU membership talks: report

The European Commission will recommend the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine in June in an attempt to signal support to the war-battered country before Budapest takes over the rotating presidency of the bloc, the Financial Times reported on Friday. 

Ukraine applied for membership to the 27-member bloc in 2022, some weeks after Russia started its full-scale war in the country. 

The recommendation requires unanimity from EU governments.

06/07/2024June 7, 2024

Zelenskyy to address French lawmakers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the French parliament on Friday after world leaders marked 80 years since the pivotal D-Day landings in World War II.

Following the speech, he will meet his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, at the Elysee Palace.

The Ukrainian leader is also due to meet Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and then visit the defense company KNDS in Versailles. 

The Elysee Palace announced that the company intends to set up a weapons production facility in Ukraine to support the country in its defense against Russia's war.

With Russia gaining on the battlefield in recent months, Kyiv has been pushing its supporters in Europe and the West to increase its military aid. 

Zelenskyy arrived in France on Thursday to take part in the tribute to D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy 80 years ago during World War II.

Macron announced that during Zelenskyy's trip he intended to comment on the issue of a possible deployment of French military trainers to Ukraine. 

dvv/sms (AP, AFP, DPA, Reuters)