https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/images/ep_for_fb.gif https://www.eurointegration.com.ua https://www.eurointegration.com.ua https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167225/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 18:29:00 +0300 Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, has paid a visit to Bulgaria, chairing the delegation. Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, has paid a visit to Bulgaria, chairing the delegation. This was announced on Tuesday, 8 August, with reference to the Ministry of Defence of Bulgaria by local media, in particular BGNES. The Ukrainian delegation met with Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev and Venelin Venev, Director of the Bulgarian Military Intelligence Service. Credit: BGNES "During the talks, they discussed the state of regional and international security, the prospects for the development of the situation and other topics of mutual interest. On the Bulgarian side, the issue of the Myrotvorets website was brought up and clarified, the ministry said in a statement (Myrotvorets, or "Peacemaker", website that publishes a running list of people who are considered by authors of the website to be "enemies of Ukraine" - ed.). The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence also commended the meetings, "emphasising the productivity of the negotiations and expressing satisfaction with the level of bilateral cooperation." The Bulgarian side did not disclose when the visit took place, but at the end of last week, the local TV channel bTV published an interview with Budanov, where he spoke about the cooperation between Kyiv and Sofia in terms of arms supplies. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167225/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167214/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 16:34:00 +0300 The European Commission has initiated the preparation of an enlargement report, expected to recommend the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. The European Commission has initiated the preparation of an enlargement report, expected to recommend the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. Rikard Jozwiak, a journalist of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said the European Commission's report on enlargement was expected to be issued in the second half of October. "State of play is that there will be recommendations for Ukraine [and] Moldova to start EU accession talks [and] Georgia to get candidate status," Jozwiak added. drafting of European Commission enlargement report due in 2nd half of Oct has started. state of play is that there will be recommendations for #Ukraine & #Moldova to start EU accession talks & #Georgia to get candidate status. But consensus of 27 EU members in Dec still needed - Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) August 8, 2023 The Radio Liberty journalist clarified that the European Commission has not yet abandoned the idea of a "conditional" candidate status for Georgia, meaning it must fulfil certain conditions and criteria for the next stage (i.e. the start of negotiations). He also said EU leaders are expected to finally approve these decisions at the December summit. At the end of June last year, EU leaders decided to recognise Georgia's European perspective, but unlike Ukraine and Moldova, the country will be granted candidate status only after a set of reforms. Earlier this year, the European Commission was reportedly considering recommending that EU member states start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova and grant candidate status to Georgia. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167214/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167212/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 16:26:00 +0300 The first Leopard 1 tanks were shipped from Belgian territory to Ukraine on Monday morning. The first Leopard 1 tanks were shipped from Belgian territory to Ukraine on Monday morning. As reported by the Belgian publication Business AM, an unnamed country bought tanks for Ukraine. These 50 tanks were completely decommissioned from the Belgian army's arsenal several years ago. The military leadership decided to remove all heavy tracked vehicles from service and replace them with lighter armoured wheeled machines under the pressure of additional cost savings. However, the tanks were not included in the list of equipment Belgium supplies to Ukraine. According to Defence Minister, Ludivine Dedonder, they are too expensive to be put into operation. She mentioned this earlier this year, stating, "Efforts were made to refurbish them, but the company is now asking up to 500,000 euros per tank. I understand that work isn't free, but the margin is exaggerated." Belgium sold the tanks to the OIP Systems company for only 15,000 euros each, effectively treating them as scrap metal. The army lacked hangars to store the decommissioned equipment, so they sold it at dumping prices. Nevertheless, the unnamed country decided to purchase the Leopard 1 tanks. After thorough reconstruction, the first machines are already on their way to Ukraine across Germany and Italy. They will be equipped with new armament systems along the way. The country purchased these tanks remains unknown. Currently, only Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands have announced their intention to supply Leopard 1 tanks purchased from industry to Ukraine. In late July, Germany reported a new batch of military aid sent to Ukraine, including ten Leopard 1 A5 tanks. In June, the Swiss government disallowed the re-export of almost a hundred Leopard 1 tanks, which were supposed to be delivered to Ukraine after refurbishment in Germany. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167212/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167205/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 14:20:00 +0300 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. As reported by Rutte on Twitter, "the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine," and they are currently looking "into what else we can do to strengthen Ukrainian air defences." "One way we are helping is by working with our partners to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s," he wrote. The Prime Minister also congratulated Zelenskyy on the "successful meeting in Saudi Arabia on the war, where the Netherlands was represented," emphasising the importance of continuing to talk about peace in Ukraine with this broad group of countries. 📞: Today I spoke again with President @ZelenskyyUa and I congratulated him on the successful meeting in Saudi Arabia on the war, where the Netherlands was represented. It’s important to continue talking about peace in Ukraine with this broad group of countries. We also… - Mark Rutte (@MinPres) August 8, 2023 "We also discussed developments on the front and the unrelenting, random and brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets and food stocks," Rutte said. Earlier, the Head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, discussed with the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, the strengthening of air defence in southern Ukraine to protect the ports. Before that, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, called for arming Ukraine with F-16s after another missile attack by Russia. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167205/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167192/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0300 The second technical meeting to prepare the "peace summit" occured in Saudi Arabia last weekend. This summit aims to record Russia's defeat in the war, establish conditions for reparations, and ensure sustainable peace – the logic behind Ukraine's "peace plan." The second technical meeting to prepare the "peace summit" occured in Saudi Arabia last weekend. This summit aims to record Russia's defeat in the war, establish conditions for reparations, and ensure sustainable peace - the logic behind Ukraine's "peace plan." European Pravda closely followed this process. The article by the editor of EuroPravda, Sergiy Sydorenko, discusses the main questions about the purpose and significance of preparing a "peace summit" during ongoing war - World without China and Russia. How "peace summit" and negotiations to end war being prepared by Ukrainian leadership. The participants did not publish official documents or joint statements followig the meeting in Jeddah. However, this does not indicate any problems or lack of results. The usual role of politicians gathering in Saudi Arabia is to have multiple meetings, work out a private result, and pass it on to their political leaders. Then, the leaders, armed with a prepared document, have a purely formal meeting, after which they announce "their victory" in front of TV cameras. It may sound cynical, but this is how international diplomacy works. Thus, the "peace summit" is already seen as the result of working meetings convened by Ukraine. Advancing the "peace formula" has become one of the main tasks of Ukrainian diplomacy. It is emphasised that its ten points must remain unchanged. All ten points are intentionally formulated vaguely to allow for negotiations on the details. They also discussed its 'decryption' in addition to the list in Jeddah. Essentially, it concerns the parameters of Russia's capitulation, leading to the complete liberation of Ukraine, reparations, and a tribunal for war criminals, among other aspects. The main goal is establishing Ukraine's vision of victory as an axiom in the world. This is necessary to ensure that during negotiations with Russia, when persuading them to accept the capitulation, no one is willing to compromise Ukraine's interests or part of its territory. This can be achieved if all world leaders agree in advance to adhere to norms that exclude such concessions at Ukraine's expense. This is the task of the "peace summit." According to the Office of the President, there are supposed to be two such "peace summits." The first one, which Kyiv dreams of holding by the end of 2023, should take place without Russia's participation. The world should agree on the Ukrainian plan and not propose any alternatives, applying pressure on the Kremlin. After Russia is ready to comply with the ultimatum (whether as a result of defeat, leadership change, or other radical transformations), the second summit is expected. The negotiations in Saudi Arabia have already yielded some results, even without formal decisions. All major global media and analysts agree that the meeting was a success for Ukraine but caution against excessive enthusiasm, as success has its limitations. The major breakthrough is the participation of China. Even though Andrii Yermak, leads the Ukrainian delegation at the advisers' meetings, claimed that only the Ukrainian peace plan was discussed in Jeddah. The key player at the Saudi meeting, China, came with its own peace plan, presented back in February. Western sources assert that China does not intend to abandon its plan. The Chinese plan for Ukraine is unacceptable, as it includes points that practically freeze the conflict, advantageous to Russia. It also involves ending Western security support for Ukraine and lifting sanctions against Russia. In short, this plan is incompatible with the Ukrainian plan. Implementing both simultaneously is impossible. China is well aware of this. There are reasons to believe that Beijing did not take Ukraine's side. It diversified its interests. Nevertheless, this is significant as well. The crucial problematic point of the Ukrainian "peace plan" for wavering states is point 7, "Restoring Justice." States agreeing to this point would become adversaries of Russia because it concerns the survival and personal freedom of Putin and the entire top leadership. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167192/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167196/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 12:26:00 +0300 The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović-Burić, has reacted to the Russian missile strike on Pokrovsk, resulting in numerous casualties and injuries. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović-Burić, has reacted to the Russian missile strike on Pokrovsk, resulting in numerous casualties and injuries. She emphasised that "these crimes must not go unpunished." I condemn in the strongest terms the Russian attack in Pokrovsk targeting a hotel & apartments. These crimes must not go unpunished/Je condamne avec la plus grande fermeté l'attaque russe à Pokrovsk qui a visé un hôtel et des maisons. Ces crimes ne doivent pas rester impunis @coe - Marija Pejčinović Burić (@MarijaPBuric) August 8, 2023 "I condemn in the strongest terms the Russian attack in Pokrovsk targeting a hotel and apartments. These crimes must not go unpunished," Pejčinović-Burić wrote on Twitter. As of 07:00, the number of wounded in the missile attack on Pokrovsk has increased to 88, seven people have been killed, and preliminary information indicates that there are no people under the rubble. The State Emergency Service reported that five fires over a total area of 75 square metres in a residential building and a hotel were extinguished in Pokrovsk. Among the victims is the deputy head of the regional emergency service, and among the injured are police officers, rescuers, and a child. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167196/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167191/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:01:00 +0300 Colonel Mart Wendla, the Chief of the General Staff of the Defence Forces of Estonia, believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are superior to the Russian Armed Forces in long-range artillery and strike accuracy. Colonel Mart Wendla, the Chief of the General Staff of the Defence Forces of Estonia, believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are superior to the Russian Armed Forces in long-range artillery and strike accuracy. As ERR reports, the colonel called the 1,000km-long theatre of hostilities "quite diverse", where "on the Kherson front, from the Russian point of view, the defence is greatly helped by a large and wide river, which is difficult to cross". "The Zaporizhzhia front will obviously help the Ukrainians achieve their strategic goal of regaining Crimea, the prerequisite of which is the cutting of land routes of communication," Wendla believes. At the same time, he noted, "if in the rest of the oblasts there are an average of 400 defensive structures per region, then on the Zaporizhzhia front there were 1,400 of them," which, in his opinion, "testifies to the scale of the depth of the defence," so "the task Ukraine is facing is very serious". Wendla says, "Ukraine is able to use all its assets better and more accurately than the Russians because the Ukrainian Armed Forces have relatively good combat intelligence and therefore can use their troops as efficiently as possible". "Therefore, all these deep strikes serve the same purpose and isolate the troops on the battlefield from ammunition, sandwiches or whatever. It certainly helps the situation," Wendla noted. He also pointed to the "quite revealing fact" that "at a distance of 700 km, Russia cannot protect its own landing ship". In his opinion, this means that "the ability (of the Russian Federation) to protect its infrastructure on the Black Sea has actually been dealt quite a blow". "If we talk about the drones that are launched towards Moscow, then these are mainly drones of small weight, size and power. But at the same time, they achieve their goal and bring a sense of the front to Moscow", Wendla specified, expressing the opinion that these drones were most likely launched from Russian territory, and it is still unclear who is behind these attacks. In any case, the fact that explosions in Moscow have become an almost daily phenomenon is still telling. This shows that the structure of Moscow's air defence system does not correspond to modern threats". The UK Intelligence reported that the Russian aviation at the front did not have a decisive operational effect. Before that, the US Department of Defence warned that the struggle that Ukraine faced in the war against Russia was not an easy one. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167191/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167189/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:29:00 +0300 Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary, stated during a briefing that he would not engage in discussions about Ukrainian operations or potential Ukrainian operations. Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary, stated during a briefing that he would not engage in discussions about Ukrainian operations or potential Ukrainian operations. "I'll let them talk about it. I will say again we recognise Ukraine is in the middle of a fight right now against an occupying force," Ryder added. He also assured that the United States continues to remain focused on giving Ukraine the security assistance it needs, to be able to conduct counter-offensive and defend its territory. "But as it relates to press reports about drones beyond the frontline, I'm just not going to have anything," Ryder concluded. Earlier, British Intelligence reported that the ship Olenegorsky Gornyak, which was attacked on 4 August in the port of Novorossiysk, became the largest seriously damaged military vessel of the Russian Federation after the sunken cruiser Moskva. Explosions occurred in the Russian city of Novorossiysk on the night of 3-4 August, and the Russian Defence Ministry has reported an attack by two unmanned surface vessels. Furthermore, a Russian chemical tanker SIG has been damaged in the Kerch Strait due to an unmanned surface vessel (USV) attack on the evening of 4 August, with emergency workers from Novorossiysk, Russia, being sent to help the tanker. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167189/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167187/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 09:57:00 +0300 The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, stated that Türkiye will seek to revive the "grain initiative" that Russia had disrupted. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, stated that Türkiye will seek to revive the "grain initiative" that Russia had disrupted. According to Anadolu, the main priority for Ankara, as the Turkish foreign minister mentioned, is to preserve calm in the Black Sea region and block attempts to jeopardise it. "We will continue our contacts with all parties for the revival of the Black Sea grain initiative, which affects every household in the world," said Fidan, stressing that Türkiye is "the only actor that can do this." Earlier reports suggested that the expected visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Türkiye might take place in late August. On 17 July, Russia announced the suspension of the grain deal and threatened "risks" to parties that decide to continue the initiative without the participation of the Russian Federation. The President of Türkiye believes in the possibility of continuing the Black Sea grain initiative after his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On August 2, Erdoğan and Putin had a phone conversation, discussing the "grain deal" and the Kremlin leader's visit to Türkiye. Following the meeting in Saudi Arabia regarding the Ukrainian "peace formula," Kyiv reported that Türkiye expressed readiness to "take the lead in implementing the Peace Formula point regarding food security." https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167187/ https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167185/ In Brief Tue, 08 Aug 2023 09:29:00 +0300 The US Department of State considers it productive that China participated in the meeting in Saudi Arabia regarding the end of Russia's war against Ukraine. The US Department of State considers it productive that China participated in the meeting in Saudi Arabia regarding the end of Russia's war against Ukraine. Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said "We [the US - ed.] do believe it was productive that China attended" the meeting in Jeddah, adding that he would not discuss its details because "it was a private meeting". "We think it’s productive for any country to come and hear directly from Ukraine about the concerns Ukraine has. We think it was productive that China did so," he said. Miller also added that "there are no peace negotiations going on with Russia right now, because Russia has refused to engage in meaningful peace negotiations," but if they ever do take place, "it’s Ukraine that will be in the lead from the non-Russian side". "So we will continue to work to convince as many countries as possible around the world that, when this war ends, it should end in a way that respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, its sovereignty," Miller summarised. After a meeting in Saudi Arabia, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, announced that Ukraine plans to hold two summits on President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula, one of them involving Russia. The participants of the meeting in Saudi Arabia reached common ground that respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty must be at the heart of any peace agreement, as well as the authority of the UN Charter. https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/8/7167185/