EU agrees to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova

Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 member states agreed to advance accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, paving the way for the first phase of negotiations to begin on Monday.

The move marks a significant step in Kyiv's long-running bid to join the bloc, a goal president Volodymyr Zelensky has described as central to anchoring Ukraine within Europe's political mainstream despite Russia's ongoing invasion.

Zelensky welcomed the decision, thanking EU leaders for what he called a "strong step for Europe" and describing the opening of the first negotiating cluster as important political and moral support for Ukraine.

It comes as Kyiv's forces have targeted supplies to Crimea, triggering the worst fuel crisis on the Black Sea peninsula since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian military claims it has successfully destroyed 50 Russian military vehicles in a devastating strike on the Armiansk bridge connecting occupied Crimea to mainland Ukraine.

Ukraine’s 1st Separate Assault Regiment Da Vinci said the attack “completely paralysed” a key logistical route for Russian forces, rendering the bridge unusable.

Zelensky says Ukraine would recruit more foreign fighters

Ukraine plans to step up recruitment of foreign fighters as it grapples with a manpower shortage in its war with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had ordered officials to create "significantly more opportunities" for foreign volunteers to join the Ukrainian army and expand recruitment channels abroad.

An estimated 10,000 foreign volunteers from more than 70 countries have joined Ukraine's armed forces since the start of the war, according to Ukrainian military publications.

Why a bleak poll on Russia’s economy spells bad news for Putin as war in Ukraine bites

Russian citizens are growing increasingly critical of Vladimir Putin’s economic policies, new polling has found, as Ukrainian attacks and European sanctions continue to squeeze Moscow’s finances.

Poorer Russians tend to be more critical of economic policies, while wealthier citizens tend to be more loyal to the regime, the study found.

One-third of Russians have a negative view of how Putin’s economic policies are impacting the economy, whereas 15 per cent believe his policies are having a positive effect, according to new polling by NEST Centre.

Why a bleak poll on Russia’s economy spells bad news for Putin

As EU sanctions and Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure take their toll, Russian citizens are increasingly feeling the squeeze

Zelensky to increase army pay and recruit foreign fighters

Ukraine will increase military pay and expand efforts to recruit fighters from abroad, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, as Kyiv seeks to address a manpower shortage more than four years into its war with Russia.

The move follows a government announcement in May that it was examining ways to boost troop numbers after peace talks aimed at ending the conflict stalled.

“We agreed on how to increase the financial resilience of our defence and further transform the Ukrainian army,” Zelensky said after meeting senior cabinet ministers.

He added that the government would approve a mechanism for the changes and begin the first payments as early as June.

Backed by a €90bn ($104bn) EU loan, Ukraine plans to raise defence spending to a record 4.4 trillion hryvnias ($97bn) this year. The funds are expected to begin arriving this month.

Under the new measures, the basic military wage will rise by one-third to 30,000 hryvnias ($700) a month, bringing it closer to the national average salary. Infantry troops serving on the front line will receive around 300,000 hryvnias ($7,000) a month, up from the current 100,000–150,000 hryvnias.

The government will also introduce fixed-term combat contracts lasting 10, 14 or 24 months.

Russia will be ready to attack Nato in three years, says German army chief

Russia will be ready to “invade a Nato partner” by 2029, a German army chief has warned.

Lieutenant General Christian Freuding said all 32 Nato members agree that Vladimir Putin could have the capability to launch a large-scale assault on allied territory before the end of the decade.

In an interview with Politico, he said “speed is of the essence” as he urged German leaders to increase investment in the country’s military.

It comes amid a string of warnings from Europe’s defence chiefs, including the UK’s chief of defence staff.

Russia will be ready to attack Nato in three years, says German army chief

European defence chiefs have consistently warned that Putin is a threat to Europe

IMF staff reaches deal with Ukraine for $690m disbursement

The International Monetary Fund on Friday said its staff had reached ⁠an agreement with Ukraine following a review of the war-torn country's $8.1 billion ⁠loan program, ​paving ⁠the way for disbursement of $690 million, ⁠pending board approval.

The IMF ​said ⁠Ukraine met ‌all quantitative performance criteria and indicative targets by ‌the end of ‌March, but implemented two structural benchmarks with a ⁠delay and missed one.

To keep the program on track, IMF staff and Ukrainian authorities agreed to a revised timeline for ‌implementing reforms, corrective actions ​to address ‌slippages and ⁠additional policy commitments, the ⁠IMF said in a statement. ‌It ​gave no details.

UK sets 2027 deadline to ban Russian diesel and jet fuel import ban

Britain on Friday said that a full ban on ​diesel and jet fuel made ‌in Russia would happen by 2027 as it set out its timeline ​to end a temporary licence ​for Russian oil products.

Britain last ⁠month said it would continue to ​allow imports of diesel and ​jet fuel refined from Russian crude in third countries, deferring a previously announced ban, ​citing supply issues caused by ​the Iran war.

“We’re ratcheting up our sanctions regime to squeeze Russia’s ability to fund the illegal war against Ukraine in a phased and responsible way,” trade minister Chris Bryant said.

“I made a commitment to the House of Commons that we would review the temporary general licence for diesel and jet fuel on a fortnightly basis and lift it as soon as practicable,” he added.

“The end date is a clear signal that we continue to ratchet up maximum pressure on Russia.”

The government said existing sanctions were ‌not ⁠being lifted, but new sanctions were being phased in.

Putin increases Russian army's staffing strength to 1.51 million personnel

Russian president Vladimir Putin has increased the authorised strength of the country's armed forces to 1.51 million service personnel, according to a newly signed decree.

The decree raises the authorised number of service members by 7,360 troops.

The document sets the total staffing level of the Russian Armed Forces at 2,399,130 personnel, including 1,510,000 servicemen.

The move represents a modest increase from the previous decree, signed on 4 March, which set the number of service members at 1,502,640.

Zelensky welcomes EU accession progress, thanks European leaders for support

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the European Union's decision to open the first negotiating cluster in Ukraine's accession process, calling it a significant show of political and moral support for the country.

In a post on X, Zelensky thanked Ukrainians fighting and working for the country, as well as EU leaders for what he described as a "strong step for the sake of Europe".

"Ukraine is defending itself and, in doing so, all of Europe – the idea that European nations can live united, free, and in peace," he wrote.

The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv had fulfilled the commitments required of it and stressed the importance of the EU honouring its own pledges. He described the opening of the first cluster of accession talks as an important milestone for Ukraine and its people.

Zelensky also thanked European partners for their continued military, financial and political support, saying it had helped save lives and demonstrated "true leadership".

He added that preparations had also been completed to open the next negotiating clusters and congratulated Moldova, which is advancing on its own EU membership path alongside Ukraine.

EU envoys agree to begin membership talks for Ukraine and Moldova

Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 countries agreed ⁠on Friday to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with the first phase of negotiations set to begin on Monday.

Even as Ukraine continues to fight Russia's invasion, president Volodymyr Zelensky has made EU membership a key strategic goal to anchor his country in Europe's political mainstream.

Zelensky, writing on Telegram, thanked the EU and ⁠its leaders "for this strong step for Europe". He also ​congratulated neighbouring ⁠Moldova.

"Ukraine is carrying out what is necessary and it is important that the EU is also keeping its word," he wrote.

He said the opening of the first ⁠cluster of areas to be discussed in the negotiations "is significant political and moral support for our ​state and ⁠our people".

Moldovan President Maia Sandu was ‌quoted by Moldovan television as telling Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, that her country "has done the necessary work. And we will continue to implement reforms."

EU leaders agreed to open accession ‌talks with Ukraine and Moldova in December 2023 but negotiations ‌could not start in earnest due to opposition from the previous Hungarian government to Kyiv's membership bid.

But a new government in Budapest reached an agreement with Kyiv this month on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, paving the way ⁠for Hungary to lift its block on the first phase of membership talks.

"Today, the European Union took a major step forward," European Council president Antonio Costa ‌and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.

"At the ​first Intergovernmental Conference on Monday, we will open the cluster on fundamentals; the ‌backbone of the accession process," they said.

Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Russian border Bryansk region

The governor of Russia's border region of Bryansk said one person was killed and another injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on Friday, while the Russian defence ministry reported that air defence units had shot down 185 drones over a 12-hour period.

Bryansk Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said one person was killed in a village near the Ukrainian border.

The region's operational headquarters, quoted by Russian news agencies, said air defence units had destroyed 62 drones, although it did not specify the timeframe.

In a post on Telegram, Russia's defence ministry said 185 drones had been intercepted between 8am and 8pm local time (0500-1700 GMT) across around a dozen regions, most of them in central Russia.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a series of updates on Telegram throughout the day, saying drones heading towards the Russian capital had been shot down and that specialists were examining debris at the impact sites.