The Ukrainian President hailed a “historic decision”. The European Commission recommended, on Friday June 17, to grant kyiv the status of candidate to the European Union. At the same time, Russia has drastically reduced its gas deliveries to Europe and the UN judges the humanitarian situation “extremely alarming” in the Donbass. Franceinfo looks back on the highlights of the day.
European Commission recommends granting Kyiv EU candidate status
The EU executive has recommended that member states grant Ukraine EU candidate status. “This, of course, provided that the country carries out a number of important reforms”said the president of the European executive, Ursula von der Leyen. “We all know that Ukrainians are ready to die to defend their European aspirations. We want them to live with us, for the European dream”she defended.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “grateful to Ursula von der Leyen and to every member of the European Commission for a historic decision”. “This is the first step on the road to EU membership, which will (also) certainly bring us closer to victory” against Russia, he added, saying “wait for a positive result” at the next European summit.
“We have nothing against it, it’s their sovereign decision to join economic unions or not (…) It’s their business, the business of the Ukrainian people”responded Vladimir Putin during the plenary session of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. “The EU is not a military alliance, unlike NATO”, underlined the Russian president. However, he claimed that “Ukraine will turn into a semi-colony” Western countries if it joins the EU. “It’s my opinion.”
The UN considers the humanitarian situation “extremely alarming” in the Donbass
“The humanitarian situation across Ukraine, particularly in Eastern Donbass, is extremely alarming and continues to deteriorate rapidly”, Ocha, the UN humanitarian agency, wrote in a statement. The United Nations is particularly concerned about Sievierodonetsk where around 500 civilians have taken refuge in the Azot chemical plant, which is impossible to evacuate. “without a complete ceasefire”according to the regional governor.
“Access to drinking water, food, (…) and electricity” there is “reduced”underlined Ocha, in particular because “fighting that continues to escalate”, “taking a heavy toll on the civilian population”. Ocha regrets that the belligerents have not “still no agreement to facilitate the evacuation of civilians or even allow access for humanitarian aid” in Sievierodonetsk and its neighboring town of Lysytchansk, under constant bombardment for several days.
Russia cuts gas supplies to Europe
In the fourth month of the war in Ukraine, Moscow plays on the energy vulnerability of Europeans, 40% of the gas burned usually comes from Russia. These proportions were even higher in the East: 55% for Germany, or 85% in Bulgaria.
The cuts come as countries must take advantage of the summer to fill up their reserves, with a target of at least 80% by November in the European Union. France and Germany, among others, want to avoid panic and reassure their citizens: the stocks of the two countries are increasing and are at 56%. The EU is on average at 52%, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe, which is better than last year at the same time, but below the previous two years.
The manager of the French transmission network, GRTgaz, announced on Friday that it would no longer receive Russian gas by pipeline since June 15. This gas passed through a single interconnection point with Germany. France relied on Russia for around 17% of its gas. “We have the means to meet our gas needs thanks to the gas deliveries we receive from other countries, our LNG terminals and our built-up stocks”assures the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
The decline in deliveries is in any case driving up prices, which will cost manufacturers dearly, especially in Germany. The benchmark price for natural gas in Europe, the Dutch TTF, jumped to nearly 130 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) on Friday, from around 100 euros on Wednesday. It was around 30 euros a year ago.
Russia says it killed nearly 2,000 foreign fighters in Ukraine
The Russian military claimed that just under 7,000 “foreign mercenaries”from 64 countries, had arrived in Ukraine since the start of the conflict and nearly 2,000 of them had been killed.
“Our lists, as of June 17, include mercenaries and weapons specialists from a total of 64 countries. Since the start of the special military operation, 6,956 have arrived in Ukraine, 1,956 have already been eliminated, 1,779 have left “detailed in a press release the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Russian ministry adds that Poland is the “absolute leader” among European countries in terms of fighters who came to Ukraine, followed by Romania and Great Britain. This statement is accompanied by a table of the number of foreign fighters classifying by nationality the arrivals in Ukraine and the losses recorded, according to the Russian army. For example, he states that 59 “mercenaries” French, out of 183 who came to fight, have been killed since the start of the Russian offensive. The countries with the most casualties according to Moscow are Poland (378 dead), the United States (214), Canada (162) and Georgia (120).
CERN announces the end of its cooperation with Russia and Belarus
The prestigious European scientific laboratory CERN has announced that it will end cooperation agreements with Russia and Belarus after they expire in 2024, due to the war in Ukraine. “The situation will continue to be monitored closely and the Council stands ready to take any further decisions in the light of developments in the situation in Ukraine”added in a press release the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which hosts the largest particle accelerator in the world in Geneva.
CERN’s decision “confirms the strong condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, aided by Belarus, while leaving the door open for continued scientific collaboration if conditions allow in the future”, said Fabiola Gianotti, the head of the organization. CERN recalled that it had been created “in the aftermath of World War II to bring nations and peoples together in the peaceful pursuit of science”.