Closing summary
The European Union has begun membership talks with Ukraine, in a landmark moment for the country bogged down fighting off the brutal Russian invasion now in its third year. EU ministers are launching official membership talks with Ukraine and later on with neighbouring Moldova, who lodged applications soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine has downed 1,953 Shahed drones out of 2,277 launched by Russia this year alone, Ukraine’s air force commander said on Tuesday. “Air defences destroyed about 86% (of the drones),” he said on Telegram.
The international criminal court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for Russia’s former defence minister and its military chief of staff for attacking civilian targets in Ukraine. The court is accusing former defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.
Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff applauded the International Criminal Court’s move to issue arrest warrants for Russia’s former defence minister and chief of general staff on Tuesday, saying it was “an important decision”. “(Sergei) Shoigu and (Valery) Gerasimov bear individual responsibility... (They) will held be responsible for evil,” Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
Russia’s Security Council said on Tuesday that the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for former defence minister Sergei Shoigu was part of a hybrid war against Moscow, the state-run news agency Tass reported. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Shoigu, who is secretary of the Security Council, and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov on Tuesday for alleged crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union will open membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, giving the country a political boost in the midst of its war against Russia’s invasion, although a long and tough road still lies ahead before it could join the bloc. The ceremony in Luxembourg will be more about symbolism than the nitty-gritty of negotiations, which will start in earnest only after the EU has screened reams of Ukrainian legislation to assess all the reforms needed to meet the bloc’s standards, Reuters reported.
President Maia Sandu welcomed the start of the EU accession talks with Moldova, stressing that her country is within the European family. “We are stronger together,” she said on X. The European Union is set for a symbolic opening of membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday.
Ukrainian troops trying to hold their ground on the eastern front in Donetsk region may still be outnumbered by Russian forces, but the “shell hunger” that plagued them for months as ammunitions started to run out is now behind them. One unit in Donetsk region, the focus of Russian troops’ slow advance along the 1,000 km (600 mile) front, fired its M-109 self-propelled howitzer as needed - there were no further fears of running short of Western-supplied 155 mm shells, Reuters reported.
Two key advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine - if he wins the presidential election - that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more US weapons if it enters into peace talks. The United States would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased US support for Ukraine, retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, one of Trump’s national security advisers, said in an interview.
Vladimir Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said the Russian president’s peace proposals can stop conflict in Ukraine almost immediately, state-run TASS news agency reported on Tuesday. Putin said on 14 June he would be ready for peace talks “tomorrow” if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukraine wants to see a “strong” decision taken at the Nato summit in Washington next month as Kyiv tries to advance its strategic goal of joining the military alliance, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s foreign policy adviser told Reuters. Ihor Zhovkva, who spoke in an interview before travelling to Luxembourg for a European Union meeting that will formally launch accession talks for Ukraine, said that Kyiv wanted the Nato summit to end with concrete results.
China on Tuesday urged the European Union to revoke sanctions on Chinese companies for what it believes is supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. China always opposes unilateral sanctions, and has made solemn representations to the EU side, spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference.
Moscow expects to sign a new agreement on comprehensive cooperation with Iran “in the very near future,” Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told Russia’s RIA state news agency in an interview published on Tuesday. “We expect that this agreement will be signed in the very near future, since work on the text is already close to completion. All the necessary wording has been found,” RIA cited Rudenko as saying.
An elderly woman was killed, four people injured and scores of buildings damaged in multiple air attacks by Ukraine on the Belgorod region, the governor of the southern Russian region that borders Ukraine said on Tuesday. The Russian defence ministry said that its air defence systems destroyed a total of 29 Ukraine-launched drones over the region’s territory, Reuters reported.
That’s all from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the Ukraine live blog for today. Thanks for following along.
The European Union has begun membership talks with Ukraine, in a landmark moment for the country bogged down fighting off the brutal Russian invasion now in its third year.
EU ministers are launching official membership talks with Ukraine and later on with neighbouring Moldova, who lodged applications soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The opening meetings, which take place in a conference centre in Luxembourg, mark a low-key, but highly symbolic moment more than a decade after protesters bearing EU flags took to the streets of Kyiv to demonstrate for European integration at the Euromaidan revolution.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Olga Stefanishyna, representing Ukraine at the talks, described the IGC as “a historic moment that fully establishes [the] irreversibility of our European integration”.
Moldova’s president Maia Sandu, said: “Becoming an EU member is our path to peace, prosperity, and a better life for all citizens”.
The start of talks begins a long and highly uncertain process with no guarantees that either country will become EU members, which requires unanimous approval from the 27 existing states. Officials from both sides will embark on a screening process to check how far Ukraine and Moldova law corresponds to EU standards.
The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said both countries and the EU stood “on the threshold of a significant and transformative moment”. She added: “The accession negotiations are designed to prepare the candidates for the resp of membership and this is why there are no shortcuts.”
The international criminal court (ICC) at The Hague has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s ex-minister of defence and current army chief of staff for alleged war crimes in Ukraine after a missile campaign targeting Ukrainian power plants and other civilian infrastructure during the full-scale invasion.
Ex-minister of defence Sergei Shoigu and the current chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, are accused of the war crimes of directing attacks at civilian objects and of causing excessive incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects. They were also accused of crimes against humanity.
The Hague issued warrants for their arrest, although will likely be unable to serve them as they are in Russia, which is not a party to the ICC and has denounced the court publicly. Ukraine is not a member of the ICC but has given the court jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes committed on its territory since 2022. Shoigu was removed as minister of defence last month but has remained a senior government official as head of Russia’s security council.
Ukraine has downed 1,953 Shahed drones out of 2,277 launched by Russia this year alone, Ukraine’s air force commander said on Tuesday.
“Air defences destroyed about 86% (of the drones),” he said on Telegram.
Bridget A. Brink, the US ambassador in Kyiv, has congratulated Ukraine on the opening of EU accession talks.
“The U.S. will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to realize its EU aspirations,” she said.
Congratulations to @ZelenskyyUa & Ukrainians everywhere as the official talks for Ukraine to join the European Union begin today. The U.S. will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to realize its EU aspirations.
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) June 25, 2024
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, has welcomed the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Russia’s former defence minister and chief of general staff.
“Every criminal involved in the planning and execution of these strikes must know that justice will be served. And we do hope to see them behind bars,” he said.
“This decision is a clear indication that justice for Russian crimes against Ukrainians is inevitable. It clearly demonstrates that no military rank or cabinet door can shield Russian criminals from accountability,” he added.
I welcome today’s arrest warrants issued by @IntlCrimCourt for two key figures in Russian military leadership.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 25, 2024
Both are accused of committing heinous crimes against civilians in Ukraine during Russia's reckless bombing of Ukrainian critical civilian infrastructure. These…
Updated
In a statement today, the European Council president, Charles Michel, said “we are witnessing an historic moment today.”
“Opening accession negotiations via the first Intergovernmental Conferences is a key milestone. It is also proof of the immense progress both nations have made on their journey towards European integration, despite the immense challenges they have faced and are still facing,” he said of Ukraine and Moldova’s efforts.
Nevertheless, Michel also said “this is the beginning of a long process.”
While today we celebrate a significant step forward, we must also recognise that the road ahead will require sustained effort, dedication, and further substantial reforms.
Ukraine and Moldova will need to continue their work to strengthen institutions, continue combatting corruption, and enhance economic stability to meet the rigorous standards of full EU membership.
The European Union, through its institutions and Member States, stands ready to support Ukraine and Moldova at each step of this journey.
Afternoon summary
The international criminal court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for Russia’s former defence minister and its military chief of staff for attacking civilian targets in Ukraine. The court is accusing former defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.
Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff applauded the International Criminal Court’s move to issue arrest warrants for Russia’s former defence minister and chief of general staff on Tuesday, saying it was “an important decision”. “(Sergei) Shoigu and (Valery) Gerasimov bear individual responsibility... (They) will held be responsible for evil,” Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
Russia’s Security Council said on Tuesday that the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for former defence minister Sergei Shoigu was part of a hybrid war against Moscow, the state-run news agency Tass reported. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Shoigu, who is secretary of the Security Council, and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov on Tuesday for alleged crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union will open membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, giving the country a political boost in the midst of its war against Russia’s invasion, although a long and tough road still lies ahead before it could join the bloc. The ceremony in Luxembourg will be more about symbolism than the nitty-gritty of negotiations, which will start in earnest only after the EU has screened reams of Ukrainian legislation to assess all the reforms needed to meet the bloc’s standards, Reuters reported.
President Maia Sandu welcomed the start of the EU accession talks with Moldova, stressing that her country is within the European family. “We are stronger together,” she said on X. The European Union is set for a symbolic opening of membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday.
Ukrainian troops trying to hold their ground on the eastern front in Donetsk region may still be outnumbered by Russian forces, but the “shell hunger” that plagued them for months as ammunitions started to run out is now behind them. One unit in Donetsk region, the focus of Russian troops’ slow advance along the 1,000 km (600 mile) front, fired its M-109 self-propelled howitzer as needed - there were no further fears of running short of Western-supplied 155 mm shells, Reuters reported.
Two key advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine - if he wins the presidential election - that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more US weapons if it enters into peace talks. The United States would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased US support for Ukraine, retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, one of Trump’s national security advisers, said in an interview.
Vladimir Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said the Russian president’s peace proposals can stop conflict in Ukraine almost immediately, state-run TASS news agency reported on Tuesday. Putin said on 14 June he would be ready for peace talks “tomorrow” if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukraine wants to see a “strong” decision taken at the Nato summit in Washington next month as Kyiv tries to advance its strategic goal of joining the military alliance, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s foreign policy adviser told Reuters. Ihor Zhovkva, who spoke in an interview before travelling to Luxembourg for a European Union meeting that will formally launch accession talks for Ukraine, said that Kyiv wanted the Nato summit to end with concrete results.
China on Tuesday urged the European Union to revoke sanctions on Chinese companies for what it believes is supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. China always opposes unilateral sanctions, and has made solemn representations to the EU side, spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference.
Moscow expects to sign a new agreement on comprehensive cooperation with Iran “in the very near future,” Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told Russia’s RIA state news agency in an interview published on Tuesday. “We expect that this agreement will be signed in the very near future, since work on the text is already close to completion. All the necessary wording has been found,” RIA cited Rudenko as saying.
An elderly woman was killed, four people injured and scores of buildings damaged in multiple air attacks by Ukraine on the Belgorod region, the governor of the southern Russian region that borders Ukraine said on Tuesday. The Russian defence ministry said that its air defence systems destroyed a total of 29 Ukraine-launched drones over the region’s territory, Reuters reported.
Russia’s Security Council said on Tuesday that the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for former defence minister Sergei Shoigu was part of a hybrid war against Moscow, the state-run news agency Tass reported.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Shoigu, who is secretary of the Security Council, and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov on Tuesday for alleged crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Updated
Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff applauded the International Criminal Court’s move to issue arrest warrants for Russia’s former defence minister and chief of general staff on Tuesday, saying it was “an important decision”.
“(Sergei) Shoigu and (Valery) Gerasimov bear individual responsibility... (They) will held be responsible for evil,” Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
International court issues warrants for Russian officials over attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets
The international criminal court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for Russia’s former defence minister and its military chief of staff for attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.
The court is accusing former defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of staff Valery Gerasimov of war crimes and the crime against humanity of inhumane acts.
Updated
President Maia Sandu welcomed the start of the EU accession talks with Moldova, stressing that her country is within the European family.
“We are stronger together,” she said on X.
The European Union is set for a symbolic opening of membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday.
Ukraine wants to see a “strong” decision taken at the Nato summit in Washington next month as Kyiv tries to advance its strategic goal of joining the military alliance, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s foreign policy adviser told Reuters.
Ihor Zhovkva, who spoke in an interview before travelling to Luxembourg for a European Union meeting that will formally launch accession talks for Ukraine, said that Kyiv wanted the Nato summit to end with concrete results.
“I think this summit deserves to have a strong decision, including on Ukraine. Because, I mean, if you’re having a lack of strong decisions on Ukraine, the summit will be useless,” he said in Kyiv late on Monday.
He did not specify what he thought such a decision would entail.
Zelenskiy, who lobbied unsuccessfully for a political invitation to join the alliance at its summit in Vilnius last summer, has said that this year’s summit should resolve the matter of inviting Kyiv to join.
China on Tuesday urged the European Union to revoke sanctions on Chinese companies for what it believes is supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.
China always opposes unilateral sanctions, and has made solemn representations to the EU side, spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference.
Moscow expects to sign a new agreement on comprehensive cooperation with Iran “in the very near future,” Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told Russia’s RIA state news agency in an interview published on Tuesday.
“We expect that this agreement will be signed in the very near future, since work on the text is already close to completion. All the necessary wording has been found,” RIA cited Rudenko as saying.
Earlier in June, Russia’s foreign ministry said that work on the agreement was temporarily suspended, while Iran said there was no break in preparing the new pact.
Ukraine set for symbolic start of EU membership talks, along with Moldova
The European Union will open membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, giving the country a political boost in the midst of its war against Russia’s invasion, although a long and tough road still lies ahead before it could join the bloc.
The ceremony in Luxembourg will be more about symbolism than the nitty-gritty of negotiations, which will start in earnest only after the EU has screened reams of Ukrainian legislation to assess all the reforms needed to meet the bloc’s standards, Reuters reported.
But by marking the start of talks with Ukraine, and with its neighbour Moldova later in the day, the EU is signalling that both countries are on a path away from Russian influence and towards greater integration with the west.
The moment will be poignant for many Ukrainians, who trace their current conflict with Moscow back to the Maidan uprising of 2014, when protesters toppled a pro-Russian president who reneged on a pledge to develop closer ties with the EU.
Updated
Ukrainian troops trying to hold their ground on the eastern front in Donetsk region may still be outnumbered by Russian forces, but the “shell hunger” that plagued them for months as ammunitions started to run out is now behind them.
One unit in Donetsk region, the focus of Russian troops’ slow advance along the 1,000 km (600 mile) front, fired its M-109 self-propelled howitzer as needed - there were no further fears of running short of Western-supplied 155 mm shells, Reuters reported.
“There was ‘shell hunger’. Ammunition was rationed quite severely. It had an impact on infantry, they (Russians) crept from all sides, it hurt the infantry men,” unit commander Vasyl, 46, told a Reuters TV reporter.
“Now, there is no more ‘shell hunger’ and we work well.”
Demand for 155 mm artillery rounds has soared since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with Kyiv’s Western allies running down their own stockpiles as they rushed shells to Ukraine where thousands of rounds were needed everyday.
Now a fresh influx of ammunition has begun arriving at units like Vasyl’s after the US congress ended months of delays and approved a $61 billion aid package.
Vladimir Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said the Russian president’s peace proposals can stop conflict in Ukraine almost immediately, state-run TASS news agency reported on Tuesday.
Putin said on 14 June he would be ready for peace talks “tomorrow” if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Trump handed plan to halt US military aid to Kyiv unless it talks peace with Moscow
Two key advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine - if he wins the presidential election - that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more US weapons if it enters into peace talks.
The United States would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased US support for Ukraine, retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, one of Trump’s national security advisers, said in an interview.
Under the plan drawn up by Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump’s national security council during his 2017-2021 presidency, there would be a ceasefire based on prevailing battle lines during peace talks.
They have presented their strategy to Trump, and the former president responded favorably, Fleitz said. “I’m not claiming he agreed with it or agreed with every word of it, but we were pleased to get the feedback we did,” he said.
However, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said only statements made by Trump or authorised members of his campaign should be deemed official, Reuters reported.
The strategy outlined by Kellogg and Fleitz is the most detailed plan yet by associates of Trump, who has said he could quickly settle the war in Ukraine if he beats President Joe Biden in the November election, though he has not discussed specifics.
The proposal would mark a big shift in the US position on the war and would face opposition from European allies and within Trump’s own Republican party.
The Kremlin said that any peace plan proposed by a possible future Trump administration would have to reflect the reality on the ground but that Russian president Vladimir Putin remained open to talks.
“The value of any plan lies in the nuances and in taking into account the real state of affairs on the ground,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Reuters.
“President Putin has repeatedly said that Russia has been and remains open to negotiations, taking into account the real state of affairs on the ground,” he said. “We remain open to negotiations.”
Updated
Ukraine drone attacks on Russia's Belgorod region kill one, injure four, governor says
An elderly woman was killed, four people injured and scores of buildings damaged in multiple air attacks by Ukraine on the Belgorod region, the governor of the southern Russian region that borders Ukraine said on Tuesday.
The Russian defence ministry said that its air defence systems destroyed a total of 29 Ukraine-launched drones over the region’s territory, Reuters reported.
An elderly woman died in a village near the Belgorod city, which is the administrative centre of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region said on the Telegram messaging app.
At least six of the drones were destroyed over the Yakovlevsky district in the Belgorod region, Glakdov said. Two people were injured there with shrapnel wounds, he added.
Another person was injured after a drone was downed over the city of Belgorod, and another woman was injured in one of the region’s villages, Gladkov said.
He said that scores of buildings and cars across the region were damaged.
Opening summary
Good morning and welcome the the Ukraine live blog. We start with the Kremlin saying today that any peace plan for Ukraine proposed by a possible future US administration of Donald Trump would have to reflect the reality on the ground but that Russian president Vladimir Putin remained open to talks.
Reuters reported that two key advisers to Trump have presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine - if he wins the presidential election - that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more US weapons if it enters into peace talks.
“The value of any plan lies in the nuances and in taking into account the real state of affairs on the ground,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. “We do not know what kind of plan we are talking about, or what is set out in it.”
“President Putin has repeatedly said that Russia has been and remains open to negotiations, taking into account the real state of affairs on the ground,” he said. “We remain open to negotiations, and in order to evaluate the plan, we must first familiarise ourselves with it.”
Peskov said that Putin’s recent proposals for peace had not been accepted by the West or Ukraine. “You know that Putin recently came up with a peace initiative, which unfortunately was not accepted by either the West or by the Ukrainians themselves,” he added.
In other news:
The Kremlin on Monday blamed Washington for an attack on Crimea with US-supplied Atacms missiles that killed at least four people and injured 151 a day earlier, and formally warned the US ambassador that retaliation would follow. Russia’s foreign ministry summoned US ambassador Lynne Tracy and told her Washington was “waging a hybrid war against Russia and has actually become a party to the conflict”. It added: “Retaliatory measures will definitely follow.”
In response Maj Charlie Dietz, a Pentagon spokesperson, said Ukraine “makes its own targeting decisions and conducts its own military operations”. A White House national security council spokesperson said any loss of civilian life was a tragedy: “That certainly includes the thousands of innocent Ukrainians who have been killed by Russian forces since this Russian war of aggression began.”
The EU will open membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, giving the country a political boost in the midst of its war against Russia’s invasion, although a long and tough road still lies ahead before it could join the bloc. The ceremony in Luxembourg will be more about symbolism than the nitty-gritty of negotiations, which will start in earnest only after the EU has screened reams of Ukrainian legislation to assess all the reforms needed to meet the bloc’s standards.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has replaced the commander of the Joint Forces Command of Ukraine’s military, after a well-known soldier accused the commander of causing mass casualties in the war with Russia. In his nightly video address on Monday, Zelenskiy said Lt Gen Yuriy Sodol had been replaced by Brig Gen Andriy Hnatov, without giving a reason for the shake up.
Sodol was removed shortly after Bohdan Krotevych, the leader of Ukraine’s revered Azov regiment, accused the general of causing significant military setbacks and major losses in personnel. In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Krotevych did not identify Sodol by name, but said an unnamed general “has killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general”.
Zelenskiy also said on Monday that Ukraine has hit more than 30 Russian oil processing and storage facilities. More than 30 oil refineries, terminals, and oil depots of the terrorist state have been hit,” Zelenskiy told officers of Special Operations Centre “A” of the State Security Service (SBU) involved in attacks, without providing any additional details or giving a time period.
A Russian double-tap missile attack – in which two missiles hit the same spot half an hour apart – killed at least five people and wounded 41 others, including four children, in the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk on Monday, regional officials said. Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said it was one of the largest enemy attacks on civilians recently” while Zelenskiy said Ukraine would respond to the attack “in an absolutely fair manner”.
The EU on Monday imposed sanctions on 19 Chinese companies aimed at punishing what the west believes is Beijing’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. A list published in the EU’s Official Journal includes several companies located in Hong Kong as well as two global satellite giants. The 14th package of sanctions against Russia added 61 new companies to the list of entities accused of directly “supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex” in the war in Ukraine, bringing the total to 675 firms.
EU governments also agreed to use 1.4bn euros ($1.50bn) in profits from Russian frozen assets for arms and other aid to Ukraine, prompting Hungary to accuse fellow EU members of a “shameless” rule breach to bypass its objections. EU members had already decided in May to use profits from the assets frozen in the EU to help Ukraine, with 90% of funds earmarked for military aid. But Hungary has been holding up approval of the necessary legal measures, diplomats say. Hungary maintains warmer relations with Moscow than any other EU country.
The US is expected to announce Tuesday it is sending an additional $150m in critically needed munitions to Ukraine, according to two US officials. The upcoming shipment is expected to include munitions for the high mobility artillery rocket systems, or Himars. That system is also capable of firing the longer-range missiles from the Army Tactical Missile System, or Atacms, used by Ukraine in a Sunday attack on Ukraine which Russia has said would prompt retaliation.
