EU summit blames Russia for drone incidents, no timetable for Ukraine accession talks

Ukraine crisisEU summit blames Russia for drone incidents, no timetable for Ukraine accession talks Participants in the EU summit did not name a candidate for talks with Russia, merely repeating their call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire© Anadolu via Reuters ConnectBRUSSELS, June 19. /TASS/. Participants in a European Union summit have managed to unanimously pass a statement on Ukraine for the first time since 2023. The 18-point document largely reiterates demands directed at Russia and commitments to Ukraine, which European leaders have maintained over the past two years. TASS has compiled the key details available at this stage. First unanimous statement since 2023 - Participants in the EU summit succeeded in unanimously adopting a statement on Ukraine for the first time since 2023. - Until recently, such documents had been blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. - The 18-point statement mostly reiterates demands directed at Russia and commitments to Ukraine that European leaders have maintained over the past two years. - The summit adopted a full-fledged final statement on Ukraine following the recent change of government in Budapest and the European Commission’s decision to release 16.4 billion euros in funds for Hungary, which had been frozen as a tool of pressure on the Orban government. - The EU pledged to provide funds and weapons to Ukraine to continue the war, along with political backing and assistance in energy supplies and the restoration of critical infrastructure. The summit also reaffirmed commitments to security guarantees for Ukraine and the potential deployment of military missions in case of an end to hostilities. - In addition, the European Union announced plans to develop further sanctions against Russia and called for the swift approval of the already prepared 21st package of restrictions, vowing to continue efforts against tankers the EU claims transport Russian oil. - The document also calls on Russia to declare an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. - Although final statements adopted at EU summits are not legally binding, they shape policy direction for the councils of specialized ministers, which take various economic and political decisions. Candidate for talks with Russia - Participants in the EU summit did not name a candidate for talks with Russia, merely repeating their call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. - Diplomacy was formally referenced in only one of the statement’s 18 points. Drone incidents - Participants in the EU summit effectively attributed responsibility to Russia for any drone-related incidents in the airspace and territorial waters of member states, regardless of the origin of unmanned systems. - According to the final statement, "the European Council strongly condemns the repeated violations of member states’ airspace and territorial waters and underlines that Russia bears full responsibility for the consequences." - The document does not mention the Ukrainian origin of all unmanned boats that have entered European waters over the past few weeks and of most unmanned aerial vehicles that have recently crashed in the Baltic countries. Projected entry ban for participants in Russia’s special operation - The EU summit recommended that the European Commission and the European External Action Service finalize details of their initiative to ban veterans of Russia’s special military operation from entering the European Union. - However, EU leaders stressed that visa policy remains within the exclusive competence of member states. Prospect for Ukraine’s accession to EU - Participants in the EU summit did not provide any possible dates for launching the next stage of consultations on Ukraine’s accession. - The final statement only notes that EU leaders welcome the June 15 start of dialogue with Kiev and look forward to opening the next clusters based on Ukraine's progress in implementing reforms. - Budapest was able to ensure significant adjustments to EU leaders’ statement on Ukraine’s accession, so references to accelerating the process were removed from the document, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said. 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