NU.nl regularly provides you with an overview of the situation in Ukraine. Meanwhile: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives in Kyiv. New weapons from America are now arriving in the country.
Commission President von der Leyen arrives to discuss Ukraine’s bid to join the EU. writes X in their news service
Van der Leyen, head of the European Union’s executive committee, is visiting Ukraine ahead of a major EU report next week. It looks at how much progress Ukraine and other countries have made in their hopes of joining the EU.
Ukraine considers accession to the European Union a priority. To do this, it must meet strict conditions. Formal accession talks with Eastern European countries: European leaders are expected to decide in December whether to take the next step. All EU member states must agree to this.
Croatia was the last country to join the EU in 2013. Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion began.
Ontvang regelmatig een overzicht van de ontwikkelingen in Oekraïne
A new arms delivery from the US is imminent
The United States announced on Friday what weapons it will supply to Ukraine. The White House offers a package worth 396 million euros. It also includes laser-guided weapons to shoot down Russian drones. The US will also send missile systems worth 116 million euros. This includes heavy HIMARS rockets, artillery shells, mines and several trucks.
President Joe Biden has called on the House of Representatives to increase support for Ukraine. The Republican-majority House only approved billions in aid to Israel last week.
Biden previously got the green light on the pot for Ukraine, which still has 4.66 billion euros. The White House warned on Friday that future aid packages would be smaller in size to spread the amount over as long as possible.
1:44This is how the heavy Himars missile that Ukraine is getting works
‘Behind the scenes discussions on possible peace talks’
Meanwhile, U.S. and European officials are talking behind the scenes with Ukraine about future peace talks with Russia, according to U.S. reports. NBC News. The news channel is based on local information. Sources said the talks generally focused on what Ukraine would have to give up in order to conclude a peace deal.
NBC One insider says the US government is particularly concerned about Ukrainian battlefield losses. Western countries can continue to supply Ukraine with weapons, he explained.
Zelensky responded to the news earlier on Saturday. According to the president, this is not the time to sit down with Russia. He also denied any pressure from the US and EU. “Talking and giving up with Russia now is not going to happen.”
According to the US government, there is NBC However, there is no indication that Russia is ready to engage in peace talks. According to Western officials, President Vladimir Putin still thinks that at some point popular support in the West will not be there for expensive packages for Ukraine.