Zelenskyy pushes for Ukraine’s 2027 EU accession as Europe marks four years of war – as it happened | Ukraine

Closing summary

Jakub Krupa

• Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed his push for Ukraine to join the European Union in 2027 as he was joined by several EU leaders in Kyiv to mark the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian aggression (17:54).

• In an early morning address to the nation, Zelenskyy also urged US president Donald Trump to visit Kyiv and insisted his government will not betray its people in any negotiations with Russia (10:25), as he showed previously unreleased footage of his underground bunker where he worked and slept in the first hours of the war.

• In later speeches, Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s Vladimir Putin was actively “choosing” war as he repeated his calls to put further sanctions on Russia (10:35, 10:37) and said that Ukraine hoped for peace, but needed to prepare for other scenarios (12:22).

• Meanwhile, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Ukraine needs to get “ammunition today and every day until the bloodshop stops” to fight against “Russian terror from the skies” (10:45).

• Several other leaders – including UK prime minister Keir Starmer (11:00) and French president Emmanuel Macron (12:26) – also offered their public backing for Ukraine, as did the G7 group of nations (16:22).

Meanwhile,

• The Kremlin said it was engaged in a broad confrontation with the west but insisted Moscow would press ahead with its war aims in Ukraine (11:19).

• Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered the country’s security services to strengthen protection for senior military figures and other officials following a string of assassination attempts targeting army personnel (14:54).

• Earlier, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, has accused Britain and France of preparing to arm Kyiv with a nuclear bomb, a claim made without providing any evidence (10:00) and repeated throughout the day by further Russian officials (14:59) – despite strong denials from Kyiv (16:28) and London (18:08).

Separately, the Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent Shaun Walker has answered your questions on the war and what’s likely to happen next (starting from 15:01).

And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.

If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].

I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

Speaking at that session with the EU lawmakers, commissioner Maroš Šefčovič also indicated that the next EU-UK summit could take place in early July, as the two sides hope to agree on reducing agri-foods barriers, the Emissions Trading Scheme, and youth experience and mobility scheme.

He praised his working relationship with the UK’s Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and said the two sides managed to make progress in their talks, including on the thorny issue of guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens resident in the UK after Brexit.

“We are not 100% satisfied, but the progress under his leadership and steer is very much welcome,” he said.

Šefčovič said the two sides were working towards a summit “which now most probably would be organised at the beginning of July,” focusing on the three big issues of agri-food barriers (sanitary and phitosanitary issues), the ETS, and youth experience.

He said that, as is often the case in post-Brexit talks, these topics have financial implications or consequences for the UK’s dynamic alignment with the EU law, but the two sides are having discussing about the extent of that coverage and what, if any sectors, could be exempt.

Šefčovič and Thomas-Symonds would be in biweekly contact to “provide the political steer” and progress the talks, he said.

The EU’s trade chief said his US counterparts had told him Washington stands by a key trade deal with the bloc, following an adverse US supreme court decision on president Donald Trump’s tariffs, AFP reported.

After the court ruled Trump lacks authority to impose levies under a 1977 law, the US leader responded with fresh tariffs of 10 percent on imported goods – which Trump has vowed to hike further to 15 percent.

That raised complex questions about what the new duties mean for the EU deal clinched last year with Trump, which set tariffs at 15 percent for most EU goods, AFP noted.

“I have been in constant touch with my counterparts, and they both reassured me they stand by the deal with the European Union,” trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told EU lawmakers.

Britain said that Russia’s claim that Ukraine was seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon with help from Britain and France (10:00, 14:59) was unfounded, Reuters reported.

“This is a clear attempt by Vladimir Putin to distract from his heinous actions in Ukraine,” a British government spokesperson said. “There is no truth in this.”

Zelenskyy pushes for Ukraine’s 2027 EU accession, but von der Leyen appears cautious on date

Jakub Krupa

There was one particularly interesting line in that earlier press briefing with Zelenskyy, Costa and von der Leyen when they were discussing Ukraine’s prospects for joining the European Union.

Zelenskyy pointedly said that he was hoping for 2027, a date which he said would be “very important to us,” as he repeated his warning that “Putin cannot block our membership for decades.”

But unusually, among otherwise very positive tone on other tricky issues including the prospect of unblocking the €90bn loan for Ukraine, von der Leyen appeared to push back on that a bit.

She praises the progress on reforms as she said:

“On your question, is there a way for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union, the answer is a very clear yes, of course. They are, Ukraine, on a good way to become a member of the European Union.”

But then she added:

“I understand very well that for you, a clear date is also important. The date you set is your benchmark that you want to match.

You know that from our side dates, by themselves, are not possible. But of course, the support that you can reach your goal is absolutely clear on our side.”

Unfazed, Zelenskyy reiterated that he wants Ukraine to be on a “fast track” for the membership to prevent Putin from blocking this path in the future.

One to keep an eye on in the coming months.

Jakub Krupa

I am back and ready to take you through some other headlines.