After the European Council granted Ukraine candidate status on Thursday and precisely four months after the start of the Russian invasion, the morning began with the official confirmation of the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military defending Severodonetsk from several weeks ago. of the Russian attack. but there is more
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The UK has pledged €400 million in aid to countries affected by the food crisis. Boris Johnson has committed around €400 million in aid to countries hardest hit by rising food costs and fertilizer shortages, including around €151 million directly to the UN World Food Programme;
- The Russian army has intensified air and ground attacks against Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, the main cities of the Lugansk region, in eastern Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced today;
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Russian military plane crashes 200 kilometers from Moscow. A Russian air force cargo plane, the IL-76, which was supposedly on a refueling flight, crashed on Thursday about 200 kilometers from the Russian capital.
- Ukraine announced the capture of a Russian pilot, a former Air Force soldier hired by the Wagner Group. Ukrainian forces revealed they captured a Russian pilot on June 17, moments after the Su-25 plane he commanded was hit and crashed.
Before, just last night:
- European leaders called Ukraine’s bid decision “historic” at a Council summit that highlighted “frustration” in the Western Balkans. Ukraine gains status, but the negotiation will not be easy (or fast).
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK is available to help with demining operations off Ukraine’s southern coast, in order to dispose of millions of tonnes of grain lying in the country.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked European leaders meeting in Brussels for what he described as “the starting point of the new history of Europe”.
- Several European leaders, such as the presidents of Georgia and Moldova and the president of Ukraine reacted to the decision of the European Union. António Costa, Macron and Charles Michel, among others, also commented on the decision.
- The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, considered that the attribution to Ukraine of the condition of candidate to the European Union “It is a fair, intelligent, lucid and future-oriented decision”, and was also satisfied with the same attribution to Moldova.
- The European Council agreed on Thursday to recognize the Georgia’s “European perspective” and “it is ready to grant the status of a candidate country as soon as some priority measures are addressed”, explained the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Source: Observadora
