Johnson fears "economic disaster" - Ukraine could be forced into "bad peace".

Created: 06/25/2022Updated: 06/25/2022 10:55 am

By: Richard Strobl, Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Sergey Lavrov accuses the EU and NATO of preparing for war.

US Secretary of State Blinken has made it clear that the US will help Ukraine for as long as necessary.

The negotiations in the news ticker.

• Allegations

  against

  Russian soldiers

  : Volodymyr Zelenskyj's wife sees no difference between the Russian military and the IS terrorist militia.

• Russia

  on

  Ukraine

  's

  EU candidate

  status : According to Lavrov, Putin has nothing against it.

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

  : US will help Ukraine for as long as necessary.

• This

  news ticker

  on the negotiations in the Ukraine war is updated regularly.

Update June 25, 10:30 a.m.:

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson fears the economic fallout from the Russian attack could force Ukraine into an unfavorable peace deal with Russia.

"Too many countries are saying this is an unnecessary European war," Johnson was quoted as saying by Britain's

newspaper .

Therefore, it could be that Ukraine will be forced into a "bad peace" under high pressure.

According to Johnson, the consequences of a Russian victory in the Ukraine war would be dangerous for the international community and a "long-term economic disaster".

Ukraine-News: Allegations against Russian soldiers - Selenska compares Putin's military with IS terrorist militia

Update from June 25, 8:30 a.m .:

The wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj compared the Russian troops in her country with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia and accused them of sex crimes.

Olena Selenska referred in the

to the Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, who had been enslaved by the IS and said: "It's terrible to say that, but many Ukrainian women experience the same under the occupation." Selenska added: "Because the Russian Occupiers are no better than IS terrorists.” Ukrainian women are experiencing the horror right now.

Ukraine-News: EU decision for Ukraine - Kremlin sees "geopolitical appropriation"

Update from June 24, 9:54 p.m

.: One day after Ukraine and Moldova were granted EU candidate status, the Kremlin condemned this as a geopolitical maneuver against Moscow.

The decision confirms that "a geopolitical takeover" of the former Soviet republics is "actively pursued" "to keep Russia in check," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

The EU is thus pursuing the goal of establishing relations with the eastern neighboring countries on the basis of a principle of dependency.

Brussels uses "political and economic blackmail methods" and forces the candidate countries to impose "unlawful sanctions" on Moscow.

The EU's "aggressive action" has the potential to create new divisions and deep crises in Europe, Zakharova continued.

Ukraine-News: Russia on Ukraine's EU accession candidate status - Putin has nothing against it

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously expressed himself more cautiously and described the decision as an "internal affair" in Europe.

However, the development should not lead to problems for Russia, he said.

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that EU accession by Ukraine and Moldova poses "no risk" to Russia, since the EU is not a military alliance.

He reminded that President Vladimir Putin had no objections either.

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At their summit in Brussels on Thursday, the EU heads of state and government gave the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Moldova the status of EU accession candidates.

However, this decision is only the first step in a lengthy accession process.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledges further military aid to Ukraine against Russia

Update from June 24, 6:53 p.m .:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured Ukraine that his country will continue to receive military assistance against the Russian attack.

"You fight not only for yourself, but for all of us," said Blinken on Friday in Berlin.

Since the beginning of the war, his country has provided Ukraine with defense aid worth around 6.1 billion US dollars (around 5.8 billion euros).

"We will continue this as long as it lasts," he said.

At the same time, the United States is ready to support any diplomatic solution, but Russia has shown no interest in it.

He was convinced that the sanctions imposed on Russia would hit the country hard economically, even if some of the effects would be concealed for a while by the leadership in Moscow.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

"You fight not only for yourself, but for all of us," said Blinken on Friday in Berlin.

(Archive photo) © Jonathan Ernst/dpa

Ukraine-Russia negotiations: EU Commission chief calls on European consumers to save energy

Update from June 24, 5:29 p.m

.: After the EU summit and in view of the impending gas bottlenecks, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen again calls on European consumers to save energy.

If you lower the heating temperature across the EU by just two degrees and increase that of air conditioning by two degrees, you could save the entire supplies of the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1, she said. "So there is a lot of potential there." At the same time von der Leyen confirmed that the sources of energy sources also had to be diversified and that investments had to be made in renewables.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron at the EU summit in Brussels.

© Geert Vanden Wijngaert/dpa

“The best is always: hope for the best, be prepared for the worst.

And that's exactly what we're doing now," said von der Leyen.

It started at the beginning of the year.

Von der Leyen called for national measures not only to be taken that only focus on the domestic market, but also for coordinated action in the EU.

It is therefore important to have a detailed overview of the situation in the EU.

Your authority has reviewed all national emergency plans to ensure that everyone is prepared for further delivery restrictions.

At the same time, they are working with the industry and the 27 EU countries on a European plan that should reduce gas demand in an emergency.

Lavrov accused the EU and NATO of coalition against Russia in preparation for war

Update from June 24, 1 p.m.:

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed that the EU and NATO are creating a coalition in preparation for a war against Russia.

He drew a comparison to the Second World War and Hitler.

"You know, during World War II, Hitler rallied a significant, if not a large part, of European states under his flag for a war against the Soviet Union," the Russian state agency

quoted the Russian foreign minister as saying at a press conference in Azerbaijan.

Now the EU and NATO would create a "modern coalition" to fight against Russia.

He does not expect the EU's "Russophobic stance" to dissipate, Lavrov said: "But this is the path the Europeans have chosen."

Selenskyj criticizes Israel - "also happy to support the government"

Update from June 23, 4:55 p.m .:

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has publicly criticized Israel's position on Russia.

Zelenskyi said in a video address to students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Thursday that he found it difficult to understand the attitude of the Israeli government.

Zelenskyy, who is Jewish and has family members in Israel, said in his speech that he was very grateful to the people of Israel for the "sincere and moral support of the Ukrainian people".

But Ukraine "would also like to receive support from your [Israel's

government." 

The Israeli government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett did not impose any sanctions on Russia and also refrained from criticizing the Kremlin.

Observers suspect that Bennett did not want to jeopardize relations with Moscow.

Although humanitarian and medical aid has been provided, arms deliveries are not an issue in Jerusalem.

A position that Selenskyj also criticizes.

"How can one refuse to help the victims of such aggression?" asked the President in his speech.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (r), President of Ukraine, has publicly criticized Israel's position in the Ukraine war.

© Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/dpa

Blocked grain exports from Ukraine - Turkey and Great Britain demand quick solution

Update from June 23, 12.45 p.m .:

In view of the Russian blockade of grain exports from Ukraine, Turkey and Great Britain have pushed for a quick solution.

“This grain crisis is urgent and it needs to be resolved within the next month.

Otherwise, the consequences could be devastating,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told reporters in Ankara after meeting her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Çavusoglu.

Russia uses hunger as a weapon.

Turkey and Britain worked closely together to get the grain out of Ukraine.

Cavusoglu said the issue needed to be resolved "as soon as possible," but that some security-related hurdles still stood in the way.

Turkey supports a UN plan for a control center in Istanbul to monitor the passage of ships in and out of a "safe zone" outside Ukrainian waters.

According to information from UN security circles, there could be talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey next week - together with UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Ukraine-News: Russia accuses USA of blocking planes - plane with diplomats

Update from June 22, 10:10 p.m .:

Russia accuses the United States of blocking a flight with designated Russian diplomats.

The Russian plane was supposed to fly out diplomats who were instructed by the US government to leave the United States by the end of the month, the State Department in Moscow said.

However, Washington did not allow this.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova therefore threatened unspecified countermeasures on Wednesday.

The US State Department did not comment in detail.

However, it complained that Russia did not present the situation correctly.

There has long been a dispute between the United States and Russia over diplomatic personnel.

Both countries had already expelled diplomats from each other four months before the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

After the war began, US airspace was closed to aircraft from Russia.

In March, however, a Russian government plane was allowed to pick up expelled diplomats in Washington.

Ukraine-News: EU summit on Thursday - legitimate hopes for Ukraine to join

First report from June 22, 8:00 p.m.:

Brussels – In the shadow of the escalating Ukraine conflict, a possibly historic decision by the EU is pending: the 27 member states will decide at the EU summit on Thursday and Friday about the possible EU candidate status for Ukraine.

The country of President Volodymyr Zelenskyj can have legitimate hopes in view of a leaked draft of the summit declaration.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (l) speaks at a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyj.

© Michael Fischer/dpa

Ukraine hopes for EU candidate status - draft suggests "yes".

The draft of the summit declaration already anticipates the positive vote following the consultations of the past few days: "The European Council has decided to grant Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova the status of candidate countries," says the text, which is available to the AFP news agency.

A time frame for the lengthy accession process is not mentioned in the draft of the summit declaration.

It only says that the member states would decide on "further steps as soon as all conditions are met".

The much-vaunted turning point is now also reflected in the candidate question: never before has the peace community EU given a country at war the prospect of accession, and at record speed.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy only applied for his country's admission at the end of February, four days after the Russian attack.

Scholz had already made a commitment last week: "Germany is in favor of a positive decision in favor of Ukraine," he said during his joint trip to Kyiv with Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi.

Skeptics like the Netherlands or Denmark then joined.

Scholz confirmed on Wednesday (June 22) in his government statement in the Bundestag that he would work towards this.

The Chancellor emphasized that this was "Europe's response to the turning point" triggered by the Russian war of aggression.

Ukraine wants EU candidate status: corruption, rule of law and other hurdles

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Ukraine and Moldova to undertake extensive reforms on Friday.

You have a huge program to tackle before the EU can decide whether to start the actual accession negotiations.

Whether it's the rule of law, democracy or the fight against corruption - the hurdles are high and the process is likely to take years.

"Nobody knows whether Ukraine will ever join," says an experienced EU diplomat.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

View photo gallery

In addition, Scholz and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer want to send a clear signal to the Western Balkan countries that their desire to join the country will not be ignored in the wake of the Ukraine war.

A summit meeting with Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina is scheduled before the actual EU summit.

EU candidate status for Ukraine: Western Balkans upset

Some Balkan states are frustrated by the lack of progress: Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania briefly threatened to boycott the Brussels summit, but now they want to come anyway.

The summit is overshadowed by the tensions surrounding Kaliningrad: Russia is threatening EU and NATO member Lithuania with massive consequences because it has stopped the rail transport of certain goods, such as metals, to the Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea.

However, this has been agreed with Brussels as part of the EU sanctions against Russia.