Updated June 23, 2022 at 11: 00 p.m. EDT|Published
June 23, 2022 at 2: 00 a.m. EDT
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders meeting on Thursday approved Ukraine’s to become a formal candidate for E.U. membership status, giving the war-torn country and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, a much-needed morale boost. The European Parliament also backed the move in a Thursday vote.
Candidate status is just a first step in a bid for full membership, which could take years or decades. But the decision is a major step for Europe, and sends a signal to Russia.
Analysis: How a Russian investigative reporter found out he was a Kremlin target
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Russia’s investigative journalists are no strangers to pressure from the Kremlin. But for Andrei Soldatov, what has happened to him after the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been an alarming escalation.
At the start of June, Soldatov, a journalist who co-founded the investigative website Agentura.ru, said he began getting text messages from his Russian bank demanding he pay huge government fines. With no explanation, Soldatov assumed it was a phishing attack — a regular hazard in his line of work. But then another bank got in contact to say that his assets were being frozen, he said.
This is an excerpt from a full story.
McDonald’s Russian successor sells nearly 120,000 burgers on opening day
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Vkusno i Tochka, the fast-food chain that replaced McDonald’s after the U.S. franchise left Russia in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine, said it had sold almost 120,000 burgers on opening day last week.
Chief executive Oleg Paroev told Reuters that the franchise opened 50 restaurants in the Moscow area June 12 and June 13. The chain also started launching additional venues in St. Petersburg this week, according to Russian media. Paroev said his goal is to open 1,000 outlets in the next few years, more than the 850 McDonald’s restaurants that had been open in Russia.
Updates from key battlefields: Ukraine stalls Russian takeover in Severodonetsk-Lysychansk area
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Ukraine continues to suffer high casualties as Russia presses forward with its aggression in the eastern Ukrainians cities, causing injuries and forcing Ukrainian armed forces to regain footing in new terrain. The recalculation of Ukraine’s ground troops indicates that authorities could be considering the loss of two key areas, according to analysis from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
Here are more updates from across the country:
6: 13 p.m.
Herman Wong:
In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the European Union’s move to grant Ukraine membership candidacy was “one of the most important decisions for Ukraine in all 30 years of independence of our state.” He also expressed thanks to each of the member states.
Herman Wong
,
General assignment editor focusing on breaking news and audience growth
European leaders celebrate Ukraine’s E.U. candidate status
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European leaders are celebrating Ukraine’s European Union candidacy status, a stinging rebuke of the Kremlin, which has long held the nation as “Little Russia.”
President Zelensky called the decision “a unique and historical moment in [Ukraine-European Union] relations.”
A celebration of E.U. decision on Ukraine, in photos
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As leaders of the European Union discussed — and ultimately granted — candidate status to Ukraine for their 27-member bloc, demonstrators, including Ukrainians, gathered in support of the nation’s inclusion.
Outside the European Union building on Thursday, one protester held up a sign with the words “nothing can stop the idea when its time has arrived,” spray-painted in blue. Other signs read: “Ukraine must be in the EU” and “Freedom for Ukraine.”
Biden administration approves delivery of additional artillery, patrol boats to Ukraine
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The United States will send an additional $450 million in weapons and ammunition to Ukraine as it fends off a Russian invasion, the Biden administration said Thursday, including additional multiple-launch rocket systems and patrol boats to defend its shores.
White House spokesman John Kirby said the United States will send more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS; additional rounds for artillery already provided to Ukraine; and the vessels. It marks the 13th weapons package that President Biden has approved for delivery to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, with a total of $6.1 billion in security assistance, Kirby said.
Ukraine files symbolic European Court of Human Rights case against Russia
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Ukraine filed a court case in the European Court of Human Rights against Russia for what it says are human rights violations during the war, Ukraine’s Justice Ministry announced Thursday.
“In due course, the Court will be invited to find that Russia has been guilty of the most flagrant, serious and sustained violations of the [European Convention on Human Rights] ever placed before the Court, and to award just satisfaction on an equally unprecedented scale,” the ministry wrote.
The E.U. has approved candidate status for Ukraine. Here’s what that means.
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BRUSSELS — European leaders meeting Thursday formally backed European Union candidate status for Ukraine, a historic moment for the bloc and a major morale boost for Kyiv amid the war with Russia. The European Parliament also backed the move in a vote Thursday.
Ukraine’s push has revived the enlargement debate more broadly.
This is an excerpt from a full story.
European Union leaders back ‘candidate status’ for Ukraine
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BRUSSELS — European Union leaders on Thursday agreed to make Ukraine a candidate for membership in the bloc, a symbolic win for Kyiv amid its war with Russia and another sign of how the conflict is reshaping the world.
Candidate status does not confer membership, which could still be decades away. But the decision is a historic step for Europe — and sends a signal to Russia.
This is an excerpt from a full story.
G-7 could discuss fate of gas pipeline turbine stuck in Canada
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The future of a turbine at the center of a geopolitical standoff between Russia and the West is likely to be discussed at a Group of Seven summit this week, a Canadian minister told Reuters.
The turbine, used in a key Russia-to-Europe gas pipeline operated by Russian state energy firm Gazprom, is stuck in Canada, where it had been undergoing maintenance.
U.S.-donated HIMARS have arrived, Ukraine’s defense minister says
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Ukraine has received a batch of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, commonly known as HIMARS, from the United States, Ukraine’s defense minister said Thursday.
“HIMARS have arrived to Ukraine,” Oleksii Reznikov tweeted, thanking his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, for the “powerful tools.”
Putin at summit says BRICS’ influence is growing, cooperation is deepening
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The “BRICS” virtual summit — a meeting of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — continues into its second day Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin making an appearance.
The Russian leader said at the summit that the five-nation bloc is “deepening cooperation” and that “every year the authority of the BRICS and its influence on the global stage is steadily increasing,” Russian state media Tass reported.
Cisco, Nike to fully exit Russia in latest corporate withdrawals
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The sports apparel giant Nike plans to fully withdraw from Russia in the latest corporate move to isolate Moscow from the global economy.
Nike had already suspended its operations in the country after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But a host of high-profile Western brands have since announced plans to completely exit the Russian market as the war escalates into a deadlier phase and as world leaders enact aggressive international sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin and his financial allies.
4: 28 a.m.
Reis Thebault:
On the eve of this week’s European Council summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky projected confidence that the 27 E.U. member states will award his country candidate status, the first step down a long road to joining the bloc. The move will not automatically grant Ukraine membership, but it will signal broad European support and probably boost the country’s morale during a brutal war.Zelensky has advertised this decision as “truly historic” for Ukraine, and he has spent the days leading up to the summit lobbying leaders at a furious pace. On Wednesday, he spoke with at least 10 E.U. premiers. Zelensky said he expects a decision on Thursday evening. A top Ukrainian official told the Associated Press that she is “100 percent” confident that Ukraine will become an E.U. candidate.
Reis Thebault
,
National and breaking news reporter
2: 00 a.m.
Reis Thebault:
During a Q&A with Canadian students on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked about his historical and fictional role models, the inquirer noting that he has drawn comparisons to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and hero of the wizarding world Harry Potter. Zelensky, former comedian and television star, seized on the mention of the Boy Who Lived without missing a beat: “Thank you for these kind of comparisons,” he told the crowd, smiling. “Harry Potter is better than Voldemort, and we know who is Voldemort in this war, and who is Harry Potter, so we know how the war will end.”This was also not the first time the arch-villain of J.K. Rowling’s book series has been invoked to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin. In March, Ukraine’s official Instagram page promoted murals depicting Zelensky and Putin cosplaying Potter and Voldemort.
Reis Thebault
,
National and breaking news reporter
