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Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world 2025 at 10:10 AM ESTUpdated on February 17 2025 at 10:40 AM ESTBookmarkSaveUkraine wants Europe to swiftly nominate a representative for potential peace negotiations with the US and Russia one of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s top advisers said “It should be a quickly made decision,” Ihor Zhovkva Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva said this in an interview with Ukrinform "We specifically raised the issue of civilian infrastructure -- residential buildings according to information from the American side they outright refused to discuss civilian infrastructure delegation that they had no mandate to address this matter," Zhovkva said He noted that Ukraine insisted on the protection of civilian sites from attacks we see that Russia has instead intensified its shelling of our cities and social facilities You have all witnessed the recent attacks following a supposed 'silence in the air' that Russia claims to observe The strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Sumy prove that the Russians have no intention of halting their attacks -- at least not on civilians," Zhovkva said The meeting in Riyadh resulted in five key agreements between Ukraine and the U.S. including ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea prohibiting strikes on energy infrastructure in both Russia and Ukraine and the return of children abducted by Russia While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations Failure to grant Ukraine EU candidate status later this month would signal to Russia Europe’s weakness and could plunge the country into the perpetual EU waiting room like Bosnia and Herzegovina Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s foreign policy adviser high-ranking Ukrainian officials have been touring Europe’s capitals in recent weeks in a concerted diplomatic push ahead of the meeting The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce." Vice President Mike Pence said Putin "only understands power." About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysisFrance is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin The number includes 1,430 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" by Benjamin Nathans which covers dissent in the Soviet Union and Russia today Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 5 announced they had facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash's escape from Russia to France after she fled house arrest on April 21 A Russian drone attack on Odesa Oblast on May 5 killed one and caused damage to local infrastructure "We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" U.S Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5 by Tim ZadorozhnyyIhor Zhovkva deputy chief of staff of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers remarks during a press conference on June 1 (Horacio Villalobos/Corbis via Getty Images)Ukraine has called on European countries to appoint a high-level representative for potential negotiations to end Russia's war citing Presidential Office Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva The news comes after U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said on Feb. 15 that Europe would not be directly involved in peace talks but that its interests would be considered Zhovkva stressed the urgency of appointing a European representative "It should be a quickly made decision The official did not name potential candidates but said the person should hold a leader-level position to match the status of President Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky, speaking in the United Arab Emirates, also backed the idea, emphasizing that Europe should have its own representative to ensure its voice is heard in negotiations European leaders are gathering in Paris on Feb. 17 for an emergency summit amid concerns that the U.S is advancing peace talks with Russia without Europe’s involvement At the Munich Security Conference Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called for the EU to appoint a special envoy to avoid being sidelined from talks Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent he is pursuing studies in International Relations Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor Ukraine and the US will coordinate their actions if Russia refuses the truce. Both countries are ready to adjust their strategy and tactics depending on the situation's development, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva stated this in a comment to Ukrinform Zhovkva noted that Russia’s refusal to agree to a truce would not mean the failure of negotiations emphasizing that everything now depends on Russia's willingness for peace "If Russia refuses — and that could happen — it will show the whole world and the Ukrainian side its true nature," he stressed according to the deputy head of the Presidential Office Ukraine and the US will adjust their strategy "We will coordinate our positions with the American side it is very important that the US has immediately lifted the pause on military aid and intelligence sharing That alone is already a significant step," he added Zhovkva explained that if Russia is not ready for peace Ukraine and the US will continue to coordinate their positions possibly adjusting tactics or taking other measures "It is crucial to emphasize that the Ukrainian and American sides are working together to develop the next steps in strategy and tactics The statement also mentioned that in the near future both sides will form corresponding delegations to discuss the technical aspects of a possible truce then other aspects and changes in our joint position will be considered," he concluded Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined possible initial steps toward achieving peace including a proposal to implement a ceasefire in the air and at sea On Tuesday, March 11, during a meeting in Saudi Arabia, the US side proposed enforcing a ceasefire across the entire territory Now, all eyes are on Russia’s response to the ceasefire proposal. Previously, the US Secretary of State stated that the US would contact Russia regarding the issue on March 12 Following this, former President Donald Trump announced that his delegation was traveling to Russia to discuss a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine Earlier today, Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine agreed to the 30-day ceasefire proposal Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Ihor Zhovkva said this in an interview with the Voice of America "This is a topic that my President constantly raises before the leadership of Sweden And it had been the case even before Sweden joined NATO they were not ready to make any promises at the time as they were finalizing their membership of the Alliance and my President is again communicating with the Prime Minister of Sweden and our Ministry of Defense is in contact with the relevant Swedish authorities These fighter jets are as good as the F-16 and we are moving in that direction," Zhovkva said said Sweden did not supply fighter jets to Ukraine because Ukraine concluded it would be too difficult to deploy two fighter jet systems at the same time (F-16 and Gripen) according to the head of the Swedish Foreign Ministry his country remains open to supplying these capabilities to Kyiv Sweden and the Swedish government have no restrictions on these discussions once the F-16s are deployed but that decision was made by the Ukrainian government Air Force Major General (retired) Charles Corcoran This is a much more challenging target for Russia," he said on May 31 Billström stated Sweden may hand over its Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine after F-16 aircraft arrive The Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine met with the Special Envoy of the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry agreeing to finalize a bilateral security agreement soon Zhovkva thanked Greece for its continued support He stressed the need to strengthen assistance based on current military needs The Ukraine representative also praised Greece’s backing of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and its involvement in the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland Both officials agreed to finalize a bilateral security agreement soon and discussed Greece’s support for Ukraine’s EU accession and NATO membership Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Ukraine agrees with Sweden to supply Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets as part of military aid states Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva the topic of supplying Gripen to Ukraine was constantly raised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during talks with Swedish officials Stockholm was not ready to make any promises and my president is again talking to the Swedish prime minister and our defense ministry is talking to the relevant Swedish authorities and we are moving in this direction," the deputy head of the OP emphasized the Swedish parliament supported the provision of Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine At the end of May, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said that his country was suspending plans to supply Gripen jets to Ukraine The reason is that the focus is now on the delivery of F-16s Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said that Ukraine had concluded that it was "too much" for it to have both F-16s and Gripens policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions The United States and its allies and partners need a sustainable long-term policy framework to defeat Russia’s aggression and help ensure a future for Ukraine as a resilient democracy anchored firmly in Europe Carnegie has launched a multiyear initiative that will contribute policy and analytical heft to these efforts You will receive an email confirming your registration The dramatic events in Russia over the weekend raise new questions about whether the Kremlin actually benefits from a drawn-out war in Ukraine the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius is shaping up to be pivotal in cementing Ukraine’s long-term security relationship with the West What are Kyiv’s expectations from the West at the summit and beyond How does the recent turmoil in Russia affect Ukraine’s counteroffensive What sorts of interim security models could be acceptable to Ukraine until the path to NATO membership becomes clear Join Carnegie for an enlightening event featuring deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva in conversation with Carnegie senior fellow Eric Ciaramella will provide the latest insights from Kyiv on NATO membership Ihor Zhovkva is Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and diplomatic advisor to President Zelensky The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political Eric Ciaramella is a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, told this to the Japanese news agency Kyodo Commenting on the possibility of Zelensky's trip to Japan Zhovkva said: "We will make a final decision depending on the situation on the battlefield." He added that the president would definitely take part in the G7 summit although it is not yet clear in what format Zelensky in March accepted an invitation from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to participate in the G7 summit in May in an online format '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/zelenskys-deputy-bureau-chief-israels-government-not-doing-the-right-things\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=Ai4wXSMNxqdxwL.vXOkQ5vkW.gX5naIcxLzm3V4BEdk-1746522421-1.0.1.1-cYtZuuKAO7rZS6pLA5dG_ehgw5hKtgWwUggxx0nkYdg" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); This was stated by Deputy Head of the President’s Office, Ihor Zhovkva, who spoke with Germany’s ARD "This issue may be a subject of discussion," the politician said when asked whether Ukraine was ready to accept its neutral status if direct talks were held at the highest level Zhovkva made it clear that Ukraine would not accept any ultimatums or compromise on key issues what Ukraine's possible neutral status might look like." He also noted that the precondition for such negotiations is a cessation of hostilities and enemy troops’ withdrawal The President's adviser said that international partners should help set up a summit where many aspects could be discussed and noted that Kyiv is holding consultations on the issue in particular with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Zhovkva confirmed that Ukraine demands security guarantees from neighboring nations so that the current situation never happens again "People in Germany should understand that if it doesn’t stop at Ukraine's borders they will march on," the Ukrainian official warned He also noted that it is not enough to support Ukraine in words as active action is need on the part of the West Kyiv expects Germany to play a leading role in a sanction spree it would be necessary to impose an embargo on energy imports and we are counting on you," said the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine In response to the host's remarks that Ukraine is facing an outnumbering force it may be a matter of time to capture large cities Zhovkva recalled that these same analysts suggested that Ukraine’s capital would be captured in three to five days The towns where the occupiers were able to break through defenses remain Ukrainian in their spirit President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a video address that the war should end by sitting down at the negotiating table But they must be honest and objective in the interests of the people Jon Jackson is a News Editor at Newsweek based in New York His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine and Russia war He graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors in journalism and mass communication from New York University either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content A senior Ukrainian official said Wednesday that he sees the possibility of his country joining NATO after Sweden and Finland were formally invited to join the alliance this week "We have taken note of this possibility," Zhovkva said of the quick process for Sweden and Finland which both applied to NATO in mid-May and were invited to join on Wednesday who European Truth reported was the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the current NATO summit in Madrid also reportedly told the outlet he believes Ukraine already meets the criteria to join the organization it is difficult to say that Ukraine does not meet NATO standards—whether in terms of strategy or tactics of military action," Zhovkva said "And we prove every day that we are compatible with NATO standards." But in an interview with Bloomberg published Tuesday He said Ukraine is not a NATO member because the alliance does not want his country to join When NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was asked by a reporter during a Wednesday press conference if Ukraine could join the alliance without MAP "We have demonstrated today that NATO's door remains open." Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information deputy chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says it is unclear if Russia is serious about peace talks and adds that Ukraine deserves membership in the European Union Zhovkva speaks in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg Television's Maria Tadeo Global Sisters Report a project of National Catholic Reporter Sign up now the local superior of the Dominican convent and a resident of Zhovkva serves soup for guests during a midday candlelit meal Nov View Author Profile Margaret Lekan told me shortly before we crossed the Poland-Ukraine border on Nov The Polish Dominican sister smiled as she evoked the spirit of Advent and lights but she also meant it literally: The cargo area of her congregation's brown Skoda Fabia hatchback was filled with dozens of boxes of flashlights and candles bought while still in Poland and destined for a Dominican convent in Zhovkva that convent has been transformed into an all-purpose sister-run humanitarian distribution center The need for flashlights and candles has taken on real urgency with increased electrical blackouts in Ukraine; the recent torrent of Russian bombardments has strained the country's power grid The need for light is keenly felt as short days and long nights descend on a country that must also contend now with winter's bracingly cold temperatures very difficult right now," Lekan said as we came close to the border crossing at Budomezh-Hrushiv foggy skies enveloping the snow-covered flatlands with an unwelcome cast of gray Lekan had invited me only two days earlier to join her and volunteer Malgorzata Porebska on a two-day mission to meet four Polish Dominican sisters living and working in Zhovkva and to get some idea of conditions in a city far from the front lines but still affected by war seven of them stuck in a slow-moving line at this border crossing It is next to impossible to predict the pace of border crossings Our day began at 5:30 in the morning with stops to buy candles flashlights and fresh bread — "a taste of home" for our hosts She studied and worked in the United States for nine years and her current ministry in Krakow focuses on vocations and preaching and evangelization It took about six hours of travel from Krakow across southeastern Poland a city of about 14,000 in western Ukraine and a center for a surrounding agricultural district seven of them stuck in a slow-moving line at another border crossing reciting in English with the help from an app on her phone As we continued our journey and made progress — for example as we crossed the border — she would quietly say a comfortable but crowded two-story residence located on an unpaved side street in Zhovkva our hosts greeted us effusively and apologized for any discomfort or inconvenience we might experience with volunteers at a darkened humanitarian center in Zhovkva lit only by flashlights given electrical challenges this was the first full day without electricity the local superior of the house and a resident of Zhovkva for 28 years "We just have to deal with things as they are," she said with a shrug welcoming us to table for a midday candlelit meal of pierogis The sisters said they have a backup generator for heating But they also noted the inherent challenges and dangers of life without electricity — for example the uncertainty faced by dialysis patients "It can be a life-or-death situation for some," Trynda said The sisters also noted the abundant ironies of life now the local superior of a convent of four Polish sisters in Zhovkva during a meal at the convent (GSR photo/Chris Herlinger) "The Russians have brought families together over candlelight to read old stories like fairy tales," said Sr Zhovkva is about 25 miles from a military base that Russian missiles bombarded in March Though the city itself has not yet been a Russian target residents have seen or heard bombs fly over the town though during the two days I was in Zhovkva we will pray but just continue what we're doing," she said She and others repeated this theme during my visit noting that it is a necessary way of coping "you just become overcome with fear and tension." Amid such challenges, there is work to do. The distribution of candles and flashlights began the next day after the arrival of a humanitarian convoy of three vans of food and medicine from Caritas shepherded by a group of Polish priests Volunteers help unload a delivery of humanitarian items to a Dominican convent in Zhovkva provided by Caritas Poland and delivered by three Polish priests The small candles — Lekan brought 30 boxes in all enough for about 460 families for about four days — were a particular godsend They reportedly cost more than a loaf of bread and bread is not cheap in Ukraine right now There is at least one other major resource in Zhovkva: a humanitarian center housed at a civic theater in the center of town Lekan and Trynda accompanied me there in the late-afternoon dying sunlight as the faint trace of wood-burning fires filled the city air We needed flashlights to make our way through the complex ending up in a large side room filled with used clothing that had been sorted neatly The first thing volunteer Natalia Szymkowicz told me about the sisters when we arrived is that residents respect and value the sisters as real community leaders The need for candles has taken on urgency with increased electrical blackouts in Ukraine after a recent torrent of Russian bombardments strained the country's power grid "We always thank the sisters for their work," she said "There are only four nuns assisting in this entire city The sisters' work before the war — whether as teachers or in providing food or medicines to those in need — has made a quiet but permanent mark noting that Zhovkva is not a prosperous place When the sisters arrived in Zhovkva in the mid-1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union they reportedly owned only the second car in the town who works with the sisters on humanitarian efforts said their community-based work is nothing new: "They coordinated the work of volunteers for years." "We've been networking and building relationships with people in the community well before the war," said Trynda who believes a new sense has developed in Ukraine since the 1990s of becoming closer to Europe than Russia "They have a quality of a free person now," she said "The Soviet person couldn't think on their own They wouldn't take responsibility for their actions." Lekan said the city's underdevelopment may actually be something of an asset now since the current deprivations could be more painfully felt in a more prosperous place Though not a major destination for those displaced in other parts of the country Zhovkva has been hard-pressed to find apartments for any new arrivals Numbers of those arriving has declined since the immediate onslaught at the start of the war many stopping for a day or two before heading to Poland there are perhaps only about a dozen families arriving daily if the winter in an electricity-deprived Ukraine proves unbearable in the coming months the volunteers are doing their best to help not only with material assistance but with maintaining cultural life poetry readings and embroidery classes — all by candlelight if needed — the city is trying to keep residents engaged "It's very important to keep culture going," said volunteer Kateryna Plechii who works alongside Szymkowicz in registering new arrivals to the city "We are fighting the war by building culture." Prayers during Mass at the convent of four Polish sisters in Zhovkva the reality of war itself is never far away The auditorium of the building housing the humanitarian center is now a vast storage area for medical supplies going to the war's front lines and it was possible to see that many of the seats of the auditorium had been taken out "We have a strange new life now," said welder and medical coordinator Vadym Voronin Voronin, who works at the nearby Yavoriv military base, coordinates the distribution of medical supplies through the volunteer group ICare Ministry but has also worked with the sisters as they provide medical supplies Trynda stood next to Voronin and smiled as he said that this "strange new life" of Ukrainians is a necessity We must protect our way of life," Voronin said Welder and medical coordinator Vadym Voronin Mateusza Trynda at a humanitarian center in Zhovkva who works at the nearby Yavoriv military base coordinates the distribution of medical supplies through the volunteer group ICare Ministry but has also worked with the sisters as they provide medical supplies I asked Voronin why analysts believe Russia is losing the war He said in contrast to a war-aroused and united Ukraine Russian soldiers "don't have the motivation They've been surprised by how fiercely Ukrainians are fighting for our country and they've also been surprised by the international support." Ukrainian spirits are being boosted by the many social media apps that allow civilians to keep in touch and track war developments One such app allows users to see where a launched Russian missile might be headed who works with ICare as well as the sisters said later in the day that not everything can be determined with an app or new technology We're getting used to the new circumstances," she said That's a kind of "everyday protest" against Russian President Vladmir Putin and Russian forces people go back to their normal lives." In other words the sisters and visitors shared cellphone photos of celebratory events Despite the challenges of limited space and time at the convent at Zhovkva Sarah Lakoma beamed when she spoke of her students and her calling as a teacher "I've accepted that this is the place where God wants me to be." (GSR photo/Chris Herlinger) I asked Blikharska when the worries over bombs and alarms are most frequent "They love Monday mornings," she said to laughter from the sisters The laughter died down as one sister recalled the many stories making the rounds these days like that of a mother who left her children for a few days without telling them she was going east to bury their soldier-father Blikharska believes the war is transforming national life who often grew up speaking Russian as a first language are now embracing a distinct Ukrainian identity but not before Lakoma showed me the classroom where she teaches Polish and religion to students ages 7 to 17 and familial and social ties to Poland are close Parents also believe learning Polish may help "open up work possibilities," Lakoma said.) Up to 30 students fit in the small space where she teaches Saturday classes — down from twice-a-week classes before the war Despite the challenges of limited space and time Lakoma beamed when she spoke of her students and her calling as a teacher "I've accepted that this is the place where God wants me to be." The acceptance of a call in the midst of war is not always easy a career military man first with the Soviet army — where he served in Afghanistan and Chechnya among other locales — and later with Ukrainian forces He believes many Ukrainians' firsthand experiences as onetime Soviet citizens is a reason people are committed to an independent Ukraine A career military man first with the Soviet army — where he served in Afghanistan and Chechnya he now volunteers with Caritas and helped in the three visiting Catholic priests' delivery of goods from Poland to Zhovkva After morning Mass with the sisters and the visiting priests Sklifus reflected on the war and the undercurrents of Ukrainian nationalism "There's too strong a Ukrainian identity" for the Russians to win the war, he believes, and that stems in part from the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution and later protests in 2013 in which Ukrainians rejected pro-Russian rule Sklifus and his family traveled to the capital of Kyiv and participated in the 2013 street protests — a seminal event for them and thousands of others His own identity as Ukrainian stems from those events as well as disillusionment with Russian culture and politics and even with the Russian Orthodox Church — he is a Catholic convert "It's a corrupted place," Sklifus said of Russia He believes many Ukrainians' firsthand experience as onetime Soviet citizens is a reason people are committed to an independent Ukraine "What we're fighting for is a better society," he said framing the war as a clash of civilizations I witnessed that deep love of country with others is the father of five children ages 6 to 16 which allows him to remain with his family in Zhovkva and not be drafted into the Ukrainian armed forces (Fathers with three or more children are exempt from conscription.) While the family could have left for Poland they made a "categorical decision" to stay in Zhovkva the family volunteers with the Dominican sisters' humanitarian efforts "We're always available to help the sisters," Nevyniak said which on this day meant unloading pallets of canned food Zhovkva residents began to line up for the candles we had brought with us the day before I didn't have the heart to ask them any questions I asked Trynda a final question: "What sustains you?" then enter your email address and click "subscribe" Global Sisters Report A number of important international events are scheduled to take place in the near future with the NATO summit in Vilnius being perhaps the most discussed President Volodymyr Zelensky also does not rule out that the first Peace Formula Summit will be held in July although "we still need to push a few countries." June 23 marks the one-year anniversary of Ukraine's membership in the European Union and the country expects to hear an interim assessment of the implementation of the European Commission's recommendations any day now In order to understand in more detail the diplomatic intricacies of Ukraine's relations with international partners the involvement of countries in the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and future security guarantees the true purpose of the President's recent foreign visits and what partners say about negotiations with the aggressor Russia committed one of its most powerful terrorist acts blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station And this issue immediately became a priority in the conversation ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD SHOULD RESPOND TO THE KAKHOVKA HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT EXPLOSION how do you think the world's reaction to the Russian troops' blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam was appropriate to the scale of the environmental disaster - I think the first reaction was sufficient speaking at the Bucharest Nine Leaders' Summit online informed the leaders about the terrorist attack and immediately the NATO Secretary General we received official reactions from world leaders more than 40 leaders have made clear statements that this is an act of aggression clearly explaining the reasons for this act and its possible consequences We have sent out our needs and these days we are receiving responses from countries Absolutely all countries of the world should respond including those where attention to environmental policy is quite high which puts the fight against environmental pollution at the heart of its policy especially given the need to promptly rescue people including those in the non-government controlled area - Ukraine immediately began to provide assistance to citizens in the government-controlled area we do not have access to the occupied territories and this part of the Kherson region suffered the most That is why we are appealing to international institutions - the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross - to urgently use their tools And their representatives are not physically present in Kherson either During the June 6 meeting of the UN Security Council the UN Under-Secretary-General in charge of UN humanitarian policy reported on the number of people affected That is why I believe that both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross should respond very quickly and clearly The Geneva Convention defines the dam blowing as a war crime The Convention prohibits the blowing up of civilian objects That is why we are appealing to the International Criminal Court the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is already working on this matter We expect a quick response from this international institution which has been helping Ukraine to establish the heinous crimes of Russian aggression from the very first days - Given the bitter experience of the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant how realistic is the threat of similar actions by Russia at the Zaporizhzhia NPP - Ukraine informed the world from the very beginning as soon as it learned that after the occupation of the Kherson region we do not stop informing about threats to ZNPP Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi insisting that the situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP should be monitored very closely Grossi will personally visit ZNPP next week to see with his own eyes what is happening there He also considers it necessary to increase the IAEA team that will work permanently at Zaporizhzhia NPP we probably won't be surprised by any more Russian actions But the international community should be ready to react very quickly All our other nuclear power plants may be under threat Grossi about the need for his experts to be permanently present at all Ukrainian NPPs UKRAINE IS ALREADY VERY CLOSE TO IMPLEMENTING SEVEN RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION - One of the first statements regarding Kakhovka HPP came from our European partners Ukraine has had the status of a candidate country for EU membership What are the most significant achievements during this time on the European integration path - There are several tracks on which we are moving towards the EU Candidate status is the so-called political track in which we have made significant progress this year and are already very close to fulfilling all seven recommendations of the European Commission We are moving towards the EU not only politically but also gradually into specific sectors of the EU's common market We already have several so-called "visa-free regimes" in various sectors of the economy: "energy visa-free regime" when our power system is fully connected to the ENTSO-E energy system and now there is a free flow of electricity between Ukraine and the EU common market; "transport visa-free regime" which seemed unrealistic a year and a half ago; the process of preparing "industrial visa-free regime" in the context of signing the ACAA agreement is being dynamized; we are confidently moving towards a common roaming We have duty-free trade between Ukraine and the European Union which was initially concluded for a year and has just recently been extended until June 2024 This means that our goods are traded in the EU markets without duties and quotas - Several EU countries have blocked the transit of our agricultural products there is a well-known story with restrictions We are not satisfied with the decision of the European Commission to extend these restrictions until September 15 we note that according to the EC regulations - Is there any hope that the restrictions will be lifted after September 15 which we heard from the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen when the President of Ukraine met with her in Chisinau None of the five countries that artificially blocked the transit of Ukrainian goods had the right to do so THE BLOCKING OF UKRAINIAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS BY SOME COUNTRIES IS A PURELY POLITICAL DECISION - What really caused the blocking of exports and transit of Ukrainian products - This is a political decision of some countries We understand that electoral processes are underway in certain countries But Ukrainian farmers and the Ukrainian economy should not be held hostage to any electoral processes in any country There was a clear violation of EU law when Poland Hungary and other countries imposed their own national restrictions on the transit and export of Ukrainian products An EU member state cannot implement its own trade policy with Ukraine This is the competence of Brussels and the European Commission they would have to conduct an investigation Ukraine would have to provide its arguments and only then would the EC draw conclusions The European Commission is clearly aware of this position and the economic bloc of the Ukrainian government must continue to negotiate very rigorously with the European Commission and the relevant European commissioners and the Prime Minister must take an active position the dynamics of sectoral integration into the EU is very positive And this is before the accession negotiations have even begun because without adapting legislation in a particular area - Speaking about the political track and the seven recommendations of the European Commission provided upon obtaining the candidate status when and how will we see an interim assessment of their implementation - The interim assessment will be made within the next two weeks It will be announced at a meeting of the General Affairs Council and we expect that it will also be approved at the European Council meeting in late June under the Swedish presidency makes its contribution to bringing Ukraine closer to accession The final assessment will be made in the October package which will be available to all candidate countries - How do you assess the progress in implementing the European Commission's recommendations - Almost all the necessary laws have already been adopted the Venice Commission will hold a plenary meeting to give its conclusions on the law on national minorities the so-called anti-oligarchic law and the law on the selection of judges to the Constitutional Court There is every reason to hope that all the conclusions will be positive for Ukraine After the Venice Commission has made its assessment the European Commission will take them into account and assess the fulfillment of the relevant criteria when we will receive the final assessment of the European Commission the European Council will meet to decide whether to start accession negotiations with Ukraine THERE ARE NO POLITICAL OR LEGAL PROHIBITIONS ON JOINING THE EU WHILE THE WAR IS ON - What will the process of starting negotiations look like in practice After the decision of the European Council the so-called pre-accession negotiations begin Ukraine and the European Commission will formulate their negotiating positions and approve delegations There are 35 parts of the accession agreement and 35 negotiating groups will be formed within the general delegations to negotiate in different sectors such as in the agricultural sector - we all realize how powerful Ukrainian agricultural products are and that long negotiations will be required - There have been repeated statements that Ukraine will not be able to become a full member of NATO as long as the war unleashed by Russia continues there are no such legal or political prohibitions on EU membership No EU official or spokesperson has even said such things THERE CAN BE NO ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR UKRAINE IN THE NATO ACCESSION ALGORITHM - Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized that he expects a clear accession algorithm and security guarantees from the July NATO summit What should these documents look like and is there a decision to sign them in Vilnius together with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and the Prime Minister submitted an application for Ukraine's accession to NATO [in the center of the side wall of Ihor Zhovkva's office there is a photo of the moment when the leaders of the state signed the application] An official response to this application is required the ideal response for us would be to invite Ukraine to join as Finland and Sweden received at the Madrid summit last June having submitted their applications in May This would be followed by negotiations on an accession protocol Our Finnish colleagues told us that they negotiated the protocol in a flash ratified by the parliaments of all NATO member states plus the applicant state Finland has already become the 31st member of NATO and we all hope that Sweden will soon become the 32nd member of NATO we understand that we will not complete this accession process until the war is over But this does not prohibit member states from making a political decision in Vilnius to start the process when NATO member states made a big mistake: having said "A" simply referring to the Bucharest Summit decision is outdated for us just as we do not need to talk about "open doors" for the tenth or hundredth time - Can this decision impose additional requirements on Ukraine - There can be no additional requirements for Ukraine The North Atlantic Treaty defines two criteria for a country to become a member of the Alliance The first criterion is to share Euro-Atlantic values an unprecedented figure for all the years of independence And the second criterion is to contribute to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area adopted at the NATO Summit in Madrid last year identified the Russian Federation as the main threat to the Alliance's security Ukraine is at war with the Russian Federation Ukraine is proving its interoperability with NATO countries on the battlefield mastering the most modern equipment sometimes better than the armies of some NATO member states This is the assessment of the Pentagon and other relevant agencies - Will this algorithm be approved at the summit it will send another very strong but negative signal from the Allies to the aggressor country: you see - Security guarantees should be adopted in parallel.. - In the decision of the Madrid Summit there was a line: "Invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO" and then the security of Sweden and Finland is important to all Allies." This is not Article 5 We are not demanding Article 5 before membership The best guarantee of our security is NATO membership the relevant clear security guarantees should be put on paper in a multilateral document - A document like the Kyiv Security Treaty presented by the Yermak-Rasmussen group The multilateral framework document will serve as a basis and bilateral security agreements can be strung on it the United States has many such bilateral agreements with other countries the summit should adopt just such a multilateral framework document with those NATO countries that are willing SECURITY GUARANTEES ARE GUARANTEES BEFORE THE VICTORY SO THAT RUSSIA WILL HAVE NO DESIRE TO RESUME AGGRESSION - How many countries have agreed to become our guarantors We are working with four: The United States Some other countries are also willing to join Guarantees are exactly the actions that are already being taken in relation to Ukraine and the maintenance and strengthening of sanctions against Russia They should be clearly defined and systematized These are security guarantees before the victory the aggressor should not even want to resume aggression And if they suddenly have the desire - we can expect anything from Russia - they should understand the price of such aggression - In parallel with the preparations for the NATO summit are the preparations for the Peace Formula Summit also underway - It would be ideal to hold it in the summer The recent visits of the President helped to make significant progress on the Peace Formula over the past month compared to the beginning of May we need to "push a few countries" the President and his team made four visits to ten countries We found a mechanism where we gathered representatives of several countries in one country at the same time if arms announcements had already been made And I believe that the visits generated several breakthroughs on military weapons One example is the formation of an informal coalition of fighter jets at the Chisinau summit They talked about intensifying the process of Ukraine's accession to the Alliance it is a very serious breakthrough to record support for Ukraine's movement towards the Euro-Atlantic family BUT THE FORMULA FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE WILL BE ONLY UKRAINIAN - How many such declarations have been signed and I can announce that by the end of this week The third goal of the foreign visits was the Peace Formula More than 20 countries have already chosen the item or items that they are ready to coordinate or co-chair The President's speech in Saudi Arabia at the Arab League was important from the point of view of involving the Arab countries of the Global South in the Formula is interested in coordinating food security I can cautiously say that we will see some leaders of the Arab world at the summit - Which points of the Peace Formula are most popular among the countries Won't it happen that many will join one and the "division of labor" will be fair Some people are interested in food security I expect that Latin American or Asian countries will show interest in point eight - Was there any feedback from China on its possible participation in the Peace Summit - When Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Xi Jinping [on April 26] he clearly emphasized certain points of the Formula and the return of children illegally deported by Russia During the visit of China's special envoy to Kyiv the Ukrainian side provided even more clarifications the Chinese side is apparently thinking it over that it is Ukraine that will determine what victory means for it and when it is ready to sit down at the negotiating table everyone clearly agrees that Russia should not be present at the Peace Formula summit there is nothing to talk about with them at this stage until they withdraw their troops from the territory of Ukraine There are ideas about individual peace plans the Indonesian defense minister proposed something But the peace formula for Ukraine should be Ukrainian only because the war is ongoing on the territory of Ukraine And if something coincides with our understanding There will be only the Ukrainian formula as the best