Contents tagged with Brussels

  • Putin expresses hope for full restoration of relations with EU

    At a press conference after the meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia hopes that the new EU leadership will be interested in restoring full-fledged relations with Moscow.

    "About the assessment of Ursula Von der Leyen (the candidate for the post of the European Commission President) ... We do not know how she will present herself," he said as quoted by RBC news agency.

    "We have been used to the fact that Russia should take …

  • NATO confirms Ukraine could become a member state under President Zelensky

     During a joint press conference with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO’s decision for Ukraine to eventually join the alliance remains in effect, reports Evropeyska Pravda.

    In response to a question about Ukraine’s prospects for further rapprochement between Ukraine and the alliance, the Secretary General stressed that despite there being a new president in Ukraine, NATO’s approach remains unchanged. "We stand by the …

  • Zelensky: Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia to achieve peace

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

    The parties discussed several issues, including the war in the Donbas. Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready to negotiate with the Russian Federation and implement the Minsk agreements to achieve peace, but Ukraine should be able to protect itself and it must become stronger.

    "We are ready to negotiate with Russia, and we are ready to implement the Minsk agreements, but …

  • Ukrainian President Zelensky will make his first foreign visit to Brussels

    President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first foreign visit to Brussels on June 4-5. The President of Ukraine will meet with the leadership of the European Union and NATO; he will meet with EU President Donald Tusk and President of European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, reports Interfax-Ukraine. Also, a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is planned.

    In turn, the Executive Director of Europe and Central Asia in the European External Action Service Thomas Mayr- …

  • Transnistria hopes to open embassy in Kyiv

    Vadim Krasnoselsky, head of the unrecognized republic of Transnistria, has announced his intention to open embassies for his republic in Brussels and in Kyiv.

    “The head of Transnistria’s government has instructed the ministry of foreign affairs to open official Transnistrian embassies in Kyiv and Brussels,” the republic’s foreign ministry reported.

    However, the primary task of the Transnistrian foreign ministry is “to practically implement the national idea of Transnistria, which consists in …

  • Kremlin: Russia is ready to continue gas transit through Ukraine on its own terms

    Russia is ready to continue the transit of gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine, stated the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Alexander Pankin in an interview with RIA Novosti. “We are ready to continue Ukrainian transit, but under the conditions we need,” explained Pankin. At the same time, according to him, there is "a whole range of elements that Ukrainians cannot go for yet", as well as "the uncertainty of Ukraine itself regarding its gas-transport system, its successor, consortium, and …

  • Ukrainian President Poroshenko: American Javelin anti-tank systems have changed situation in Donbas

    By 2020, the Ukrainian army will fully transition to NATO standards, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said during a meeting with residents of Zdolbuniv in the Rivne province, the presidential press service reported. 

    According to Poroshenko, although it is far weaker than the Russian army, the Ukrainian army is still ready to oppose the enemy. It has also not yet reached the limits of its combat capabilities. An amount in excess of 5% of the country’s GDP is being allocated to the military’ …

  • Klimkin: Hungary intends to improve relations with Ukraine

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin stated after the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels that Ukraine and Hungary are improving relationships, and that Budapest assures it is determined to make further progress.

    “I believe that we are on an upward trajectory after this week’s consultations but there are serious questions for further discussion. We understand what we can do, and our Hungarian colleagues have realized that we have a consistent position: on the one hand we will defend our …