Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed granting Ukraine “associate member” status in the European Union without voting rights while it pursues full membership, according to a letter seen by AFP on Thursday.

The war in Ukraine, now well into its fifth year, “is becoming deadlier by the day”, a senior UN official warned in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday. “In the last week alone, we witnessed one of the largest aerial bombardments of Ukraine since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in February 2022,” said Director Kayoko Gotoh of the Political and Peacebuilding Affairs department.  

Russia on Wednesday renewed its hardline demands for ending the Ukraine war, ruling out a ceasefire or comprehensive negotiations with Ukraine unless it withdrew from the eastern Donbas region. The comments come less than a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the more than four-year conflict was “heading to an end,” without elaborating.

The Council decided today to add new tasks for the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) in line with the strategic review of the mission. The mission will now support Ukraine in building capacities to counter hybrid threats and in reintegrating veterans in the civilian security and civil protection sectors.

Russia warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv on Wednesday to evacuate the city ahead of Moscow's World War II Victory Day celebrations, threatening retaliatory strikes if Ukraine disrupts commemorations tied to the May 9 military parade in Red Square.

At least 70 civilians have been killed and more than 500 injured across Ukraine since the start of May, UN human rights monitors said on Wednesday, as waves of attacks hit cities across the country and humanitarian workers struggled to reach communities near the frontline.

In a lengthy phone call on Wednesday, President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia agreed that there should be a brief cease-fire in Ukraine in the coming days, according to both Mr. Trump and a top adviser to Mr. Putin.

Ukraine and Azerbaijan signed six cooperation agreements on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as he pushes to share Kyiv’s drone expertise amid the Middle East war. … The Ukrainian president also said he was ready to hold trilateral talks on ending the war with Russia in Azerbaijan, if Moscow showed a willingness to do so.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with EU leaders Thursday in Cyprus as the bloc approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, ending a prolonged deadlock. 

The Council today adopted the final key piece of legislation underpinning a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, agreed by the European Council in December 2025. The move will allow the Commission to begin disbursements as soon as possible in the second quarter of 2026.