Foreign relations of the European Union

It is a historic moment said the top EU officials

Ljubljana/Brussels – Prime Minister Robert Golob will start his two-day visit to Brussels on Thursday to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel. The PM’s first visit abroad after assuming office will be mainly aimed at preparations for next week’s EU summit that will focus on Ukraine.

Britain's government on Monday proposed new legislation that would unilaterally rewrite post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, despite opposition from some U.K. lawmakers and EU officials who say the move violates international law.

"Making Ukraine's EU membership possible is a moral duty", said the head of the European Commission.

In a speech at the GLOBSEC 2022 forum in Bratislava, Ursula von der Leyen said that "it is not only our strategic interest but also our moral duty to make it possible" for Ukrainians to join the EU, aware of their courageous struggle for their future.

Yet, despite overwhelming support for Ukraine in its fight for survival against Russian aggression, many of the 27 member states are leery of diminishing the accession process just to make a symbolic gesture to a country in need.

The conflict in Ukraine has made it clear that soft power is not enough so the European Union needs to become a military power, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on arrival at an EU summit on Tuesday.

The European Commission has proposed an accelerated path to Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

At a meeting between EC President Ursula von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine received a special questionnaire as a step towards granting EU candidate status.

The EU Council today adopted the fifth package of sanctions against Russia - the most severe so far. They were imposed because of the war against Ukraine.

For the first time, a ban has been imposed on the import of coal from Russia, as well as on the entry of Russian-flagged ships into EU ports. The ban also affects Russia's import of vodka from the EU.

EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that the EU Council last night supported the adoption of aid packages for Ukrainian military forces, new sanctions against Russia, diplomatic engagement aimed at isolating Russia, measures to support Ukraine and the region and the fight against misinformation.

The EU sanctions proposed yesterday against Russia will be approved and will take effect this afternoon, Politico reported. The package was announced yesterday by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

Josep Borrell: The EU will Impose Sanctions on Russia today