Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Poland have launched a new trilateral format of cooperation, foreign ministers of the UK and Ukraine announced at a press conference in Kyiv.
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“We are proud and glad to announce the start of a new trilateral format of cooperation between Ukraine, the UK and Poland”, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a joint press conference with the UK foreign secretary Liz Truss, who is visiting the Ukrainian capital.
“The UK and Poland will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people in our efforts to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”, Ukraine’s FM Kuleba said. “Poland and the UK will help us to defend our country”
“We will intensify work on defense and security, sanctions, energy security and countering disinformation”, UK foreign secretary Liz Truss said. “This demonstrates that the UK is willing and ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies across Eastern and Central Europe”.
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This week, several interesting public opinion polls have been published in Ukraine re NATO, EU, Russian threat, Minsk agr.ts, etc. These surveys were conducted by reputable Ukrainian pollsters, such as Rating group and Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. A thread 🧵
Probably the most remarkable poll is about foreign policy preferences of the Ukrainian population. It shows that NATO membership support stands at 62% now (compared to 55% in December 21). It has been growing consistently since Russian aggression in 2014 ratinggroup.ua/research/ukrai…
68% of Ukrainians support the country's membership in the EU. It was less than 50% in December 2013. The gap between supporters and opponents here is even wider than re NATO membership.
❗️More than 60% supporting EU and NATO dispel a myth of Ukraine as 'a deeply divided country'
As of 15:00 Kyiv time, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian-controlled territory of Donbas 42 times. ‘The enemy shelled Ukrainian territory from heavy weapons, banned under Minsk agreements’, Ukraine's FM @DmytroKuleba said at the briefing with the UK foreign secretary @trussliz
‘Civilian infrastructure has been damaged and two people were wounded in Stanytsia Luhanska. In Maryinka, one civilian and one servicemen were wounded’, Kuleba added. ‘We called on international partners to condemn this violation of the Minsk agreements'.
According to Ukraine's FM Kuleba, ‘these shells have arrived from the temporarily occupied territory, controlled by Russia. Russian propaganda tries to distort reality and blame Ukraine’.
Russian forces hit a kindergarten in Luhansk region with artillery fire today. There are reports of injuries. Heavy shelling of Ukraine's government-controlled territory in Donbas by Russian proxy forces reported this morning. So much about de-escalation
Ukrainian media report that a school yard in Vrubivka, Luhansk region, gov.t-controlled territory, was hit by 122-mm mortar fire today morning, school principal said. These weapons are banned under Minsk agr.ts. Russian proxy forces continue to use them nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/ev…
Shelling of the kindergarten by Russian proxy forces is officially confirmed by command of the Ukrainian Joint forces operation: as a result of artillery fire two civilians got concussions, half of Stanytsia Luhanska is cut off from electricity facebook.com/pressjfo.news/…
Very, very bad news for Ukraine. Apparently, Scholz not only pressured Zelensky on laws on special status to the occupied Donbas and local elections, but he also intends to put in writing that Ukraine won't become a NATO member. This won't be received well here in Ukraine
According to the polls, 58% of Ukrainians support Ukraine's NATO membership. They see it as a deterrent against Russian aggression. This number grew from about 30% after Russia attacked in 2014. In late 2014, Ukraine enshrined the goal to become a NATO member in its constitution
While the NATO membership is nowhere near for Ukraine, the prospect of it is important both for the government and the society. If Ukrainian leaders now cave in to Russian and Western pressure, this might spark unrest in the country. Just what Russia wants
Ukraine promised to present draft laws on special status and local elections in temporarily occupied districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions 'for discussion', German chancellor Scholz said at the press conference with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv🧵
‘President Zelenskyy assured me that Ukraine will provide draft laws about the special status [of the occupied Donbas] and local elections for a discussion’, Olaf Scholz said in Kyiv at the joint press conference with the Ukrainian president.
Scholz also said Ukraine’s membership in NATO is not on the table now. ‘The issue of the Alliance membership [of Ukraine] is not an actual question now. So it’s strange that the Russian government made the issue which is not on the table a subject of a big political debate’
Controversial remarks of Ukraine's ambassador to the UK that Ukraine might consider dropping its NATO bid caused a stir. MFA said they were taken out of context; Office of the president reiterated Ukraine's course remains unchanged. Here's what he said: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…
Reading this, looks like what ambassador Prystaiko really wanted to say was that Ukraine might be pressured - both by Russia and the West - to give up on its NATO membership aspirations.
Ambassador clarified what he meant in a new BBC appearance: 'we are ready for many concessions, and that's what we are doing in our conversations with Russia. But it has nothing to do with NATO which is enshrined in the constitution'. Still kinda ambiguous