European Union leaders will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Friday, bringing the promise of new sanctions against Russia but likely dashing Ukraine's hope for swift EU membership
"We reached a very important mutual understanding," Zelenskiy said of Thursday's talks. "That only together - a strong Ukraine and a strong European Union - can we defend the life that we value, and through our further integration, provide energy and motivation for our people to fight on regardless of obstacles and threats."
The last country to have joined the EU was Croatia in 2013, a decade after formally applying. Ukraine's neighbour Poland took 20 years until joining in 2004. Authorities were investigating senior military officials in two cases of suspected corruption, officials said on Thursday. Separately, a criminal group suspected of embezzling state funds by selling overpriced eggs and other foodstuffs to defence officials had been arrested, the State Bureau of Investigation said.The EU-Ukraine summit coincides with an intensification of Russian pressure on Ukrainian forces in eastern battlegrounds and also in the northeast and south.
In Washington, CIA Director William Burns said battlefield developments in the next six months would be "absolutely crucial" and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not serious about negotiations.
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