Day 425 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Kyiv planned to bomb Moscow but was stopped by the US

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Day 425 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Budanov predicted a victory for Ukraine this year
• Kyiv planned to Bomb Moscow but was Stopped by the US
• Lavrov chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York
• A court refused to release the suspect in the murder of the Russian blogger
• We will kill them all: Prigozhin threatened that he would no longer take prisoners
• At the May 9 parade in Moscow, the only state leader will be that of Kyrgyzstan
• Peskov confirmed that his son participated in the Russian offensive in Ukraine
• Borrell expects a deal in the EU for ammunition for Ukraine within days
• VSU woke up Sevastopol with explosions, the Russians claim an attack by surface drones
• A Ukrainian drone hit a Russian oil base in the Luhansk region
• Lavrov is in New York for the Russian presidency of the UN Security Council
• Zelensky: Ukraine is stronger than a year ago
• Russia reports progress in the battle for Bakhmut, Ukraine says it holds the front
• A Ukrainian drone packed with explosives has crashed near Moscow
• Bulgarian director Teodor Ushev in Moscow: Each of your rockets burns a Russian book
• "What?!": Orban casts doubt on Ukraine's NATO membership plan

Budanov predicted a victory for Ukraine this year

The head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, predicted a victory for Ukraine already this year, DPA reported.

Budanov told the Ukrainian news agency "РБК-Україна" that the return to Ukrainian control of the territories in Ukraine, which are now occupied by Russian forces, is quite possible by the end of the year.

Ukraine's intelligence chief has ruled out a nuclear response from Russia when Ukrainian forces enter the Crimean peninsula occupied in 2014. "The war can only be won by restoring the borders from 1991, when Ukraine declared independence after the collapse of the USSR," Budanov added.

He is of the opinion that Ukraine will regain a significant part of the territories occupied by Russia during the expected spring counter-offensive of the Ukrainian forces. However, Budanov did not specify when the operation will begin.

Using a football metaphor, Ukraine's intelligence chief said the war was approaching "the end of the game" and that he could not predict whether there would be "extra time or a penalty shoot-out".

Kyiv planned to Bomb Moscow but was Stopped by the US

According to a leaked secret report from the American National Security Agency cited by the Washington Post, Ukraine had planned to carry out a bombing in Moscow on February 24 of this year. Major General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Main Intelligence Directorate, instructed his officer to prepare for mass strikes using everything at their disposal, including a sea attack on Novorossiysk. However, the United States convinced Ukraine to abandon the plan, as the White House was concerned that such an attack could provoke an aggressive response from the Kremlin.

The CIA released a new classified report on February 22, which stated that Ukraine had agreed, at Washington's request, to delay the strikes against Moscow. The report did not reveal how the United States convinced Ukraine to change its plans. Despite the US intervention, mysterious explosions and drone attacks have continued to occur in Russia. Although Ukrainian officials often remain silent about these incidents, they imply responsibility for them without directly taking credit.

In December, after an attack on Russia's Engels-2 air base, a Ukrainian presidential adviser wrote on Twitter, "The earth is round - a discovery made by Galileo. If something is launched into the airspace of other countries, sooner or later unknown flying objects will return to the point of departure." Budanov denies that his agency is behind the attacks, but warns that they will continue until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored.

When asked about whether Ukraine had planned to bomb Moscow on February 24, 2023, Budanov and US officials declined to comment to "The Washington Post". The leaked report raises concerns about the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the potential for further violence.

A court refused to release the suspect in the murder of the Russian blogger

A Moscow city court rejected the appeal against the detention of Daria Trepova, accused in the case of a terrorist attack in which the journalist Vladlen Tatarsky was killed, the Russian news agency "Interfax" reports.

Trepova was arrested hours after Tatarsky's murder in St. Petersburg in early April. According to the investigation, she handed him a plaster statuette containing the explosive that killed him. She was immediately taken to Moscow, where a court imposed a measure of remand on her - arrest until June 2.

At the request of the prosecutor's office and the investigation, the hearing of the measure was held behind closed doors in order not to disclose details of the preliminary investigation.

Trepova, who took part in the hearing via video link, told the court that if the trial was closed, she would not be able to say how "incredibly sorry she is for what happened" and that she "prays every day for the health of the victims".

She is accused of carrying out a terrorist attack and trafficking in explosives.

According to the investigation, on April 2 in a cafe in St. Petersburg, Trepova handed over the statuette to Tatarsky before his meeting with readers. The figurine was filled with explosives and detonated. The blogger was killed and over 50 people were injured.

The National Counter-Terrorism Committee said the attack "was planned by the special services of Ukraine with the participation of associates of the fund of the convicted Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny".

Russian security services say an agent sent from Ukraine handed over the explosives to Trepova after spending time in Russia to study the victim's habits.

Trepova is a known opponent of the war in Ukraine, having been arrested for taking part in protests shortly after Russia's invasion last year.

Lavrov chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in New York and chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council. Russia assumed the rotating presidency of the 15-member Council until the end of April, despite Ukraine's objections.

The theme of today's meeting is "Effective Multinational Approach by Protecting the UN Charter".

In front of the participants, Antonio Guterres condemned the "devastation" of Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion, carried out "in violation" of international law. The UN Secretary-General pointed to high international tensions and the risks of conflict arising from an accident or misjudgment.

Later this evening he will discuss with Sergey Lavrov the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Moscow has warned that it will not extend it beyond May 18 if the West does not lift barriers to Russian agricultural exports.

We will kill them all: Prigozhin threatened that he would no longer take prisoners

The head of the Russian private military company "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin, better known as "Putin's chef", threatened to kill all Ukrainian prisoners of war, DPA reported.

"We will simply destroy everything on the battlefield," Prigozhin said in a video posted on Telegram. He motivated his threat with an intercepted radio message in which Ukrainian military personnel were heard discussing the shooting of a wounded Wagner mercenary.

Prigozhin pointed out that the right to humane treatment begins with the capture of a person, after which the military must provide medical treatment to its enemy and must not mutilate him.

"We will not violate the rules of humane treatment. We will simply destroy everyone on the battlefield and we will not take any more prisoners," emphasized the head of PMC "Wagner".

The mercenary company currently operates primarily in the destroyed city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest fighting since the start of the war in Ukraine has been taking place. The group is accused of using its mercenaries as cannon fodder, writes DPA. Many of them are convicts recruited by Prigozhin from Russian prisons with the promise of pardon.

At the May 9 parade in Moscow, the only state leader will be that of Kyrgyzstan

The only foreign head of state whose visit to Russia is scheduled for Victory Day is Sadyr Japarov, the president of Kyrgyzstan. This was reported by Moscow's "Vedomosti" newspaper, citing a diplomatic source and an interlocutor close to the president's administration. The Kremlin has not answered whether the head of the Union of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will be present in Moscow for the celebrations, which for 20 years of Vladimir Putin's rule has practically turned into a national holiday.

Last year there was no foreign leader - not even Lukashenko - and the parade took place just two and a half months after the attack on Ukraine. Then the explanation of the authorities was that, in fact, they themselves decided not to invite anyone, because the date was not a jubilee, but the date on which the USSR and Russia commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe was "our holiday, a sacred holiday for all of Russia, for all Russians".

The invitation to the Kyrgyz president was extended on March 31 by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, who is responsible for international relations in the government. "On May 8-9, we are expecting your official visit (...) The fact that it coincides with the celebration of our most important joint holiday - Victory Day is especially important. Of course, we always remember what contribution Kyrgyzstan made to this victory and the defense of Moscow, this is sacred for us," Overchuk told Japarov.

Mars Sariev, a Kyrgyz political scientist, commented to "Vedomosti" that Moscow sees Kyrgyzstan "as a reliable partner" against the background of the unleashed "struggle for Central Asia", "but Kyrgyzstan is now closely connected with Russia politically and economically".

Two weeks before the parade in Moscow, there are no details about it, which is unusual for such an event. Usually, preparations for it, rehearsals for the parade and marching of the blocks of military personnel begin at training grounds around Moscow up to a month in advance.

There is speculation in the Russian media that, in addition to a march of a block of children from the Western-sanctioned Unarmia movement to the Ministry of Defense, mercenaries from private "armies" such as "Wagner" may also be included. In Russia they are referred to as "volunteers" or "stormtroopers".

It is not yet clear whether there will be a flyover of military aircraft. According to the Baza channel in Telegram, there may not be an aerial part of the parade. One of the cited sources suggests that among the possible motives is "not to distract the pilots and the equipment from carrying out the combat tasks in the area of the special military operation". Last year there was also no military aviation element, with the organizers citing bad weather.

Today, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, told journalists that they would be informed about the details of the parade in due course.

Peskov confirmed that his son participated in the Russian offensive in Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed today that his son Nikolai took part in the offensive in Ukraine. This happened a few months after Nikolay Peskov was accused of trying to escape from the possibility of being sent to the front, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.

"He made this decision, he is a grown man. Yes, indeed he participated in the special military operation in Ukraine," Peskov said, but declined to provide further details on the matter.

On Saturday, the head of the private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that 33-year-old Nikolai Peskov had served bravely and heroically in eastern Ukraine for six months. Prigozhin explained that Peskov Jr. was there under a different identity, his presence was kept secret, and he was manning the Wagner's Uragan rocket launcher system.

"Of course, for the Russian people this is an unusual situation, because everyone is used to the children of the elite being hidden by their parents," commented Prigozhin.

After Prigozhin's statements, Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with Nikolai Peskov in which he said that he chose to fight to fulfill his duty and that he received a medal for his military exploits.

Six months ago, Nikolai Peskov was accused of trying to escape from an army call center during a wiretap.

In late September, when Russia announced a partial military mobilization, a blogger supporting jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called Peskov Jr. and posed as a Russian army officer recruiting new recruits.

Then Peskov Jr. recalled whose son he was and pointed out that it would not be very correct for him to be in the army. Then Peskov's son specified that he personally had no problems defending his homeland, but first he wanted to see what could be done in his specific case. The conversation was then broadcast directly on air by the blogger and defamed Dmitry Peskov's son.

Meanwhile, opposition website Meduza reported that during the time Nikolai Peskov was allegedly fighting, his Tesla car was caught speeding in Moscow and two fines were issued. Screenshots from traffic control cameras in the city were published in various Telegram channels, according to which the violations of the rules were committed on July 24 and November 6, 2022.

Borrell expects a deal in the EU for ammunition for Ukraine within days

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed confidence on Monday that within days member states would agree on buying ammunition for Ukraine, after Kyiv previously expressed frustration over the disputes.

"Yes, there is still some disagreement. But I'm sure everyone will understand that we are in a situation that needs a solution with extreme urgency," Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. "I am sure that in the coming days we will reach (an agreement)," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed disappointment on Twitter last week that a landmark deal signed last month for EU countries to jointly purchase artillery shells for Kyiv has not yet been implemented due to disagreements over how much of the order should be delivered. contract with manufacturers from Europe.

"For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives," he warned on Thursday.

Kuleba was expected to make his case directly to EU foreign ministers at Monday's meeting, addressing them via video link on the state of the war sparked by Russia's invasion last year.

The joint procurement plan is part of a multilateral EU deal to supply 1 million artillery shells or rockets to Ukraine within 12 months and increase European ammunition production approved by foreign ministers last month.

The first element is the most pressing - €1 billion to reimburse EU governments for sending ammunition to Ukraine from their existing stockpiles. Borrell stressed that this element is working - EU countries have already requested the reimbursement of 600 million euros worth of ammunition.

But the second process, which envisages another 1 billion euros to finance joint procurement, has not yet been finalized how it will proceed. EU officials said they hoped to sign the first contracts with arms companies at the end of May.

EU countries have agreed to buy ammunition from EU firms and from Norway, which has close economic ties to the union. But diplomats say France, with its sizeable arms industry of its own, has insisted that production itself take place in the EU.

VSU woke up Sevastopol with explosions, the Russians claim an attack by surface drones

Powerful explosions woke up the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula on Monday morning. According to the reports of the occupiers, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Sevastopol with "surface drones". Footage on social networks shows the moment of the explosion in one of the attacks.

Sevastopol in occupied Crimea was under attack at night. The target - russian Black Sea Fleet.
Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/VpdCVEqCUG

— Ukraine Front Lines (@EuromaidanPR) April 24, 2023

According to Russian social media channels, as well as the occupation head of the Russian administration in Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the city was attacked by surface drones at 3:00 a.m. this morning. According to Razvozhaev, Russian forces repelled the Ukrainian attack and the Black Sea Fleet neutralized the attack "on an external raid". One of the VSU drones was hit by Russian air defense, and the second one blew up by itself, according to the governor, no damage was done.

Witnesses reported at least two explosions about 8 minutes apart, with the explosions heard in the Gagarinsky, Leninsky and Nakhimovsky districts of Sevastopol. From the second explosion, literally, the whole city woke up.

Despite the authorities' claims of no damage, reports from local residents speak of broken window panes in the area of one of the explosions, increased movement of military vessels in the gulf waters, video footage also shows patrolling low over the area of the explosions helicopters

In recent weeks, there has been increasing talk that the occupiers are preparing for defensive operations directly in Crimea with the premonition that Ukraine will sooner or later get its own territory back. The Russians are digging trenches and moving equipment and manpower into the region to create reinforcements.

The spokeswoman for the operational command "South" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Natalia Gumenyuk, claims, however, that the Russian administration in Crimea began the construction of defense facilities not to protect Crimea, but to use the construction to divert funds. Gumenyuk also warned residents of the occupied peninsula, who are used to living in relative peace, to get used to air raid warnings.

A Ukrainian drone hit a Russian oil base in the Luhansk region

A drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit an oil base of the Russians in Rovenky in the Luhansk region, the "Милитарний" channel reported. Images of tankers engulfed in flames are circulating on social networks.

The strike took place at night, and pictures show the fire being extinguished at the base already in the daylight hours on Monday.

⚡ An explosion occurred at the oil base in the temporarily occupied Rovenky of the Luhansk region at night.

The so-called russian «authorities» report that this was an attack by a Ukrainian drone.

???? Follow @Flash_news_ua pic.twitter.com/gcsL6qJ0TQ

— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) April 24, 2023

Local separatist authorities have confirmed the incident. "On April 24, at 02:59 a.m., the contact point of the Crisis Management Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Luhansk People's Republic received a message that as a result of an attack by an unmanned aerial vehicle, a depressurization occurred with subsequent ignition of a tank in the facility of Rovenky oil base", the announcement of the authorities says.

To extinguish the fire, units from the Rovenky garrison and units from Antratsyt, Sverdlovsk and Krasnyi Luch were sent.
"Upon arrival, an open burning tank with flammable liquid was found. There was a threat of the fire spreading to neighboring tanks.

Simultaneously with the extinguishing, cooling of the nearby tanks was carried out," the official communiqué of the Ministry of Emergency Situations also states. From there, they claim that the fire was extinguished at 5:40 a.m.

The political reading of the explosion at the oil base through the mouths of pro-Russian separatists says that the Ukrainians hit an empty tank and is at variance with the official statement of the Ministry of Emergencies. Such a statement was made by the former so-called ambassador of the LPR in Moscow, Rodion Miroshnik. The affected oil base is located about 100 kilometers from the front line.

Lavrov is in New York for the Russian presidency of the UN Security Council

Against the backdrop of intensifying sanctions against Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in New York for the UN Security Council meetings. At Lavrov's meeting with the Secretary General of the organization Antonio Guterres, the deal for the export of grain from Ukraine is expected to be discussed.

The reason for Sergey Lavrov's visit to New York is Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council this month, and the heads of foreign affairs departments of several countries, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have been invited to the meetings.

TASS notes that the issue of a meeting between Lavrov and Blinken at the UN headquarters remains open. Earlier, Lavrov accused the United States of abusing the position of host of the world organization. Russian journalists have not received US visas. Lavrov called such US behavior "stupid" and promised that Moscow "will not forget or forgive" it.

The grain deal is at the center of the Russian foreign minister's meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Moscow's claims about obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertilizers, which calls into question the continuation of the agreement.

Zelensky: Ukraine is stronger than a year ago

In an interview with "Al Arabiya" television, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country is stronger than a year ago and continues to prepare for a counteroffensive.

He expressed confidence in the success of the Ukrainian army and added that everyone is determined to "return their land". “I cannot say that the situation is good, but we are fighting”, Zelensky added. According to him, Ukraine could not afford to lose Bakhmut, because it would mean an expansion of the front and an opportunity for the occupiers to seize more of the territory. The fierce battle for the city, the eventual capture of which would open the way for an attack on Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, has been going on for months.

According to Moscow, Russia is gradually advancing in Bakhmut, albeit slowly. This morning, the governor of Sevastopol announced that a Ukrainian drone attack over the city had been repulsed. There are no casualties or damage.

Russia reports progress in the battle for Bakhmut, Ukraine says it holds the front

Russia announced that its forces had advanced into Bakhmut, while a senior Ukrainian commander said his forces were holding the front in the city, Reuters reported, citing BTA.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces were entrenched in two blocks in the western districts, with airborne units providing reinforcements in the north and south. Russia considers Bakhmut a key point for an offensive in eastern Ukraine.

The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi posted on Telegram photos of him and three men without uniforms looking at a map with the inscription "Bakhmut front line. Our defense continues."

"We hit the enemy, often unexpectedly for him, and continue to control strategic lines," wrote the Ukrainian commander, quoted by Reuters.

The agency could not confirm the information on the development of the battlefield.

The head of the private military company "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that "Wagner" controls 80 percent of Bakhmut. Kyiv has repeatedly denied claims that Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from there

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, promised that the defense of the city would be withheld.

"It is impossible for us to give up Bakhmut, because it will expand the battle and give Russian forces and Wagner a chance to seize more of our lands," Zelensky said in an interview with Al Arabiya television channel, published on Sunday.

The Russian-appointed head of Ukraine's Kherson region yesterday denied a report by the American Institute for the Study of War that Ukrainian forces had taken up positions along the east bank of the Dnieper River.

Vladimir Saldo wrote on his Telegram channel that there are no enemy forces on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnieper and that the Russian army is in complete control of this territory.

Natalya Khumenyuk, who is a spokeswoman for the southern Ukrainian command, neither denied nor confirmed this information.

On Sunday, Russian forces carried out numerous attacks in the towns of Avdiivka and Bakhmut, DPA reported, citing Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv’s forces have repelled about 45 attacks in total, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Russian attacks were also reported in Mariinka.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, 35 villages in the Kherson region were shelled by Russian artillery.

The Russian military reported Ukrainian artillery attacks in Donetsk and the Donbas region, reports DPA.

The Russian army is preparing to storm the eastern city of Vuhledar, the agency also reports, citing Ukrainian military personnel. Located in the southwestern part of Donetsk region, the city has come under heavy shelling in recent days, regional military spokesman Alexei Dmitrashkovsky said. The city was attacked six times by the Russian Air Force on Saturday alone, he said.

A Ukrainian drone packed with explosives has crashed near Moscow

A drone packed with explosives fell in the Moscow region.

According to the Telegram channel Baza, the drone was found by a local resident in the forest near Noginsk on April 23. The device that fell near Moscow was a Ukrainian-made UJ-22 Airborn.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was packed with 30 explosive briquettes weighing 570 grams each.

The information about the discovery of a drone with explosives in the Moscow region was also confirmed to the TASS news agency by the law enforcement authorities of Russia.

The three-meter drone that fell near Noginsk is believed to have been loaded with C-4 explosives.

Bulgarian director Teodor Ushev in Moscow: Each of your rockets burns a Russian book

Yesterday, a Bulgarian director wrote history. The video message from Teodor Ushev in Moscow was met with grave silence in the hall.

We remind you that his film "Ф1.618" was selected in the official selection of the Moscow Film Festival. Yesterday, the following message appeared on the page of the film of the Oscar-nominated Bulgarian animator and director, with which he made a historic gesture-manifesto. Well done to Teodor Ushev, artists can also take dangerous and daring positions regarding what is happening in our world, including political ones. Here we can be proud that Teodor Ushev is Bulgarian not only because of his talent or because of our provincial complexes:

"Today, the press conference with journalists took place after the official media screening of Ф1.618 within the framework of the Moscow Film Festival. We share the powerful message of Teodor Ushev, which led to grave silence in the hall...

Art is a means of conversation with people. Chernyshevsky. He also said: Progress is a desire to raise a human being to a human dignity.

I'm sad that I'm not in Moscow and we're not drinking vodka with Yuri Norstein...

Immortality of man will not create art. It will not help humanity. If talented people knew they had all the time in the world before them, they wouldn't write a single stanza.

Immortality will only benefit dictators, tyrants.

All dictatorships are born of the burning desire of a complex man to write his name in large letters on the eternal stone of history. Tyrants see history only as the eternal stone on which to carve their name. Only dictators want to live forever.

Immortality is a path to terror.

And art is ephemeral.

If we put all the books in one place, rest assured that there will always be someone willing to push the red button and delete everything.

The references in the film Ф1.618 to Russian culture are numerous. And I admit that I am an absolute fanatic on the topic of Russian culture! In general, your culture was Russia's most powerful weapon! We read your literature avidly, watched your films excitedly. And suddenly... Everything fell apart.

I am obliged to say this because the film raises the topic of the destruction of culture, art, love, humanism... Their destruction by totalitarianism, by dictatorship. The war destroyed Russian culture.

Each rocket you fire burns a Russian book. Each of your bombs explodes a poem, destroys a film. With every innocent child or woman killed, you kill one of your writers, artists, directors. War kills your art!

Why do you need this?

For a piece of land in which not a single potato will sprout after the war? And if it sprouts, it will be poisoned... Poisoned by the grief of the murdered people. I do not understand! Please, we have to do something.

Man and love must conquer hate and death. I believe that all is not lost. You must save at least one poem!

At least this one:

Анна Ахматова

Так будет!

Не надо нам земли чужой,

Свою мы создаем, —

И одарил ее водой

Могучий водоем…

Знаете как завършва:

В тени гоня овец,

Уже не ведают, о чем

Печально пел отец…

Но что в моей стране труда

Теперь произошло,

То лучезарным навсегда

В историю вошло."

"What?!": Orban casts doubt on Ukraine's NATO membership plan

Hungary's troubled relationship with neighboring Ukraine deepened again on Friday after Prime Minister Viktor Orban rejected the country's bid for NATO membership in one word, Politico reported.

"What?!" the prime minister exclaimed in a post on Twitter in response to a Politico article about NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's declaration in Kyiv on Thursday that "Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO".

Relations between Budapest and Kyiv are strained. Hungary has for years blocked high-level NATO sessions with Ukrainian officials, citing concerns about the rights of Hungarian speakers in western Ukraine.

Despite condemning Russia's full-scale invasion, Hungary refused to send arms to help its neighbor. Meanwhile, senior Hungarian officials continue to visit Moscow regularly and maintain close ties with the Kremlin. At the same time, Hungary joined Turkey and blocked Sweden's bid for NATO.

NATO allies - including Hungary - decided back in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance. But Kyiv’s path to NATO has stalled, and in September Ukraine's leadership demanded "accelerated accession."

The issue is very sensitive. Most NATO allies - including the US - want to avoid any major steps in Ukraine's accession process while the war continues. A group of eastern members is now pushing for NATO to signal to Kyiv that it is moving closer to the alliance.

During his visit to Kyiv last week, Stoltenberg said he discussed a multi-year NATO initiative to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era military equipment to alliance standards.

But it remains unclear what political signal NATO leaders will decide to send to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the upcoming alliance summit scheduled for July.

Speaking in Germany on Friday morning, as Ukraine's partners gathered at the Ramstein air base to discuss further aid to Kyiv, Stoltenberg reiterated that for now the allies wanted to keep their focus on helping Ukraine win.

"All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, he said. But the main focus now is, of course, on how to ensure that Ukraine prevails."

"What we know is that our support helps Ukraine move towards Euro-Atlantic integration," he said, adding that without a sovereign, independent Ukraine, there is no point in discussing membership.

---

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

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