Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on NATO leaders to drop all restrictions on letting Kyiv strike inside Russia with Western weaponry as they wrapped up a three-day summit in 

NATO leaders attending a landmark summit have backed Ukraine's "irreversible path" to membership, saying that Kyiv has a right to choose its own security arrangements and that its "future is in NATO."

The UN’s top humanitarian official has reiterated strong condemnation of deadly missile attacks on multiple Ukrainian cities on Monday, while a senior doctor from the capital’s main children’s hospital described to the Security Council the “real hell” endured by patients and medical staff alike after it came under fire. … As of 30 June, before the latest wave of missile strikes, OHCHR has verified 11,284 civilian deaths and 22,594 injured due to the conflict which began with Russia’s invasion of February 2022.

A new report from UN human rights monitors in Ukraine has revealed the “horrific toll” of attacks by Russian armed forces, with May recording the highest number of civilian casualties in nearly a year. 

NATO will station a senior civilian official in Kyiv, among a raft of new measures designed to shore up long-term support for Ukraine that are expected to be announced at a summit in Washington next week, U.S. and alliance officials say.

The European Union and Ukraine began membership talks Tuesday, a process that could take years and which Russia has historically tried to prevent.

Moscow on Tuesday banned Russians from accessing 81 Western media sites from 25 EU nations, accusing them of "systematically distributing inaccurate information" about Russia's "special military operation" — the official name the Kremlin has given its invasion of Ukraine. … French news agency AFP, Germany's Der Spiegel, Spain's El Pais, and state broadcasters from Austria, Ireland and Italy were among the Western outlets blocked by the Kremlin.

The UN’s top political affairs official on Tuesday reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international law. More than 170 civilians lost their lives and a further 690 were injured in continued Russian strikes across Ukraine last month.

Ukraine has won the support of an international summit for its territorial integrity and part of its vision for ending Russia’s invasion, but major nations, including India, Brazil and South Africa, declined to sign up.

After weeks of wrangling, EU ambassadors late Friday (14 June) evening, agreed in principle on the negotiating frameworks for the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova.