War against Ukraine: this is the situation
Ukraine, under attack from Russia, is continuing to prepare for the hoped-for start of negotiations on accession to the European Union. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that his country wanted to fulfill all of the European Commission's requirements before a decision by the heads of state and government of the EU member states, which is expected in December. "We are working to achieve an unconditional decision on the opening of negotiations."
After the foreign ministers of the EU member states discussed Ukraine yesterday in Brussels, the defense ministers are meeting today. They are also discussing further support for Ukraine, which has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for almost 21 months. Selenskyj and Commander-in-Chief Valerij Saluschnyj spoke on Monday of a difficult situation on several sections of the front in the south and east of the country.
Selensky: Ukraine wants to fulfill all requirements
The Ukrainian head of state discussed the next steps towards EU accession with his leadership yesterday. It is crucial to fulfill all of the EU Commission's requirements as a prerequisite for accession negotiations, said Selenskyj.
After Ukraine was declared a candidate country in 2022, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recommended last week that negotiations should begin. She believes the country is well on the way to fulfilling a total of seven requirements. These include the fight against corruption.
Selenskyj presented accession as a European project. "The success of our country and our people - economically, socially and in the development of Ukraine's relations with the world - can only be achieved as a joint success of the whole of Europe," he said.
Avdiivka, Maryinka, Bakhmut
In his video address on Monday evening, Zelensky named the sections of the approximately 1,200-kilometre-long front where the fighting is currently most intense: "Avdiivka, Mariinka, Bakhmut section, Lyman section, Kupyansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson region - it is difficult in each of these sections."
Commander-in-Chief Salushnyi gave a similar list in a telephone conversation with US Commander-in-Chief Charles Brown. "The Avdiivka, Kupyansk and Mariinka sections are the hottest. The situation is difficult, but it is being controlled," he said.
Dead in artillery fire on Kherson
An air alert was triggered over several areas of southern Ukraine on Monday evening. The Russian army had launched two groups of combat drones, the Ukrainian air force announced. During the day, Russian artillery shelled several villages in the southern Kherson region, according to regional chief Olexander Proskudin. Three people were killed and 17 injured.
The northern part of the Kherson region was liberated by the Ukrainian army a year ago. However, the southern part is still occupied by Russian troops. The Dnipro River forms the front line. However, Ukrainian troops have recently crossed the river in several places and formed bridgeheads.
The Russian state news agencies Tass and Ria Novosti reported a withdrawal of Russian forces from the region on Monday. However, they canceled their reports a few minutes later. The Moscow Defense Ministry described the reports as a provocation.
Ukrainian winter sowing shrinks
Due to the Russian war of aggression, the winter sowing area in Ukraine has shrunk considerably, according to industry figures. At 3.8 million hectares, the area of winter wheat is only half as large as before the war, said Denys Martschuk, vice-chairman of the agricultural association UAC. The decline is due to the fact that a lot of arable land is unusable because of the fighting. Farmers had also not earned enough for their summer harvest to buy seeds, he said.
A smaller harvest can therefore be expected next spring and summer. Nevertheless, the food supply in Ukraine is not at risk, said Martschuk. However, there will be less grain for export. Due to Russian ships and airplanes, the main export route for Ukrainian agricultural products by ship across the Black Sea can only be used to a limited extent.
What will be important today
One day after the foreign ministers, the defense ministers of the EU member states are meeting in Brussels to discuss further support for Ukraine. However, it is becoming apparent that a proposal by EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell for longer-term financing commitments for military aid does not have the necessary support of all 27 EU states. It is therefore a question of sounding out compromises. Borrell had originally proposed mobilizing five billion euros a year for military aid from 2024 to 2027. He intends to present a new draft in December.
Despite ongoing conflicts and the presence of Russian forces in parts of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Selensky continues to push for meeting EU requirements to initiate negotiations for Ukraine's EU accession. This comes after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recommended beginning negotiations as Ukraine has made significant progress in fulfilling various prerequisites, such as the fight against corruption.
Source: www.dpa.com
