Ukraine might have to lose territory in order to achieve a peace deal with Russia and – eventually – membership of the EU, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has suggested.
“Hopefully, there will eventually be a peace treaty with Russia. Then, possibly, part of Ukraine’s territory will no longer be Ukrainian,” he said, speaking during a discussion with students in Germany’s Marsberg.
He said Zelensky would need to convince Ukrainians to back such a step at a referendum, telling them: “But I have opened the way to Europe for you.”
Earlier, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Israel's ambassador had been summoned over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar told Sybiha that Ukraine had provided no evidence to support allegations that the grain was "stolen" and accused him of conducting diplomacy through the media.
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Kim Jong Un has confirmed for the first time that North Korean soldiers follow a policy of killing themselves on the battlefield to avoid capture while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Speaking at the inauguration of a memorial museum dedicated to North Korean soldiers killed in the conflict, the North Korean dictator praised what he described as the “extraordinary heroism” of troops who “unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack”, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea remains the only third party to deploy troops directly to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as part of a deal that cemented the axis between Vladimir Putin’s invading forces and the east Asian hermit kingdom.
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Three killed in Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia's Belgorod
Ukrainian drone attacks on civilian cars killed three people and wounded three others in different districts of Russia's Belgorod region, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Evacuation under way in Russia's Tuapse refinery after drone attack
An evacuation was under way after a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a major fire at Russia's Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said this morning.
Just hours earlier, authorities said Ukrainian drones attacked Russia's Tuapse oil refinery, which has an annual production capacity of about 12 million metric tons, or 240,000 barrels per day, turning out naphtha, diesel, fuel oil and vacuum gasoil.
It was the latest of repeated drone attacks in the past few weeks on the Rosneft-owned refinery and the port of Tuapse that led to an oil spill at sea and a blaze that took several days to put out.
The refinery, which delivers oil products mainly for exports, had stopped operations from 16 April after a drone attack, industry sources have said.
Ukraine has ramped up its strikes on Russia since March as the US-brokered peace talks have been paused with Washington mainly focusing on the war in Iran.
Ukraine to take measures against Israel if grain ship docks, source says
Israel risks a diplomatic and legal response from Kyiv if it allows a vessel carrying grain from Russian-occupied Ukraine to dock at the port of Haifa, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters on Monday.
Haaretz reported earlier that the vessel Panormitis, which is reported to be carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territory that Kyiv regards as stolen, was waiting for permission to dock at the Israeli port.
“If this ship and its cargo isn't rejected, we reserve the right to deploy a full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses,” the Ukrainian source said on condition of anonymity.
Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.
On Sunday Haaretz reported that four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine had already been unloaded in Israel this year.
Germany's Merz cautions against Ukraine's rapid accession to EU
German chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned against raising hopes for rapid accession, however, saying Ukraine cannot join the bloc while at war and must first meet strict criteria including those regarding the rule of law and on fighting corruption.
"[Volodymyr] Zelensky had the idea of joining the EU on January 1, 2027. That will not work. Even January 1, 2028 is not realistic," Merz said.
He proposed intermediate steps such as observer roles for Ukraine in EU institutions, which he said met broad approval among European leaders at their summit last week in Cyprus, which Zelensky attended.
The European Union last week approved a €90bn loan to Ukraine, covering most of its needs through 2027, but the bloc remains divided over the pace of accession talks.
Germany says Kyiv could cede territory to achieve peace
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Ukraine might have to lose territory in order to reach a peace deal with Russia, which could in turn bring it closer to EU membership.
“Hopefully, there will eventually be a peace treaty with Russia. Then, possibly, part of Ukraine’s territory will no longer be Ukrainian,” he said, speaking during a discussion with students in Germany’s Marsberg.
He added that Zelensky would need a referendum for such a step, something the Ukrainian leader has previously noted himself.
To pass such a vote, Zelensky will have to tell the Ukrainians: “But I have opened the way to Europe for you,” Merz said.
Merz said that the European Union should offer Kyiv a clear and credible roadmap to the EU amid its accession efforts.
"Ukraine must have a European perspective. We must not lose Ukraine to Russia, but rather tell the people of Ukraine that they have a future in Europe," he said.
Ukraine evacuates 77-year-old woman from frontline town 'under constant fire' with ground drone
An elderly woman trapped on the frontlines of Ukraine was rescued by a drone on a heroic recovery mission, according to soldiers.
Video shared by the Third Army Corps on Telegram shows an unmanned ground drone arriving to pick the pensioner up on a road under fire in Lyman, eastern Ukraine.
“With no hope of survival, she walked through shell craters and the bodies of fellow villagers — until a robot arrived for her,” the corps said.
They said the robot was covered in a blanket so as to not scare her, and had attached a note that read: “Grandma, sit down!”
The 60th Motorized Rifle Brigade led the four-hour operation to rescue four civilians in the area, they said.
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Russia targets Odesa in major attack wounding 14
An overnight Russian drone attack in the early hours of Monday on Ukraine's southern city of Odesa wounded more than a dozen people, including two children, and damaged residential buildings, Ukrainian officials said.
The strikes caused the worst damage in the historic central Prymorskyi district, where residential buildings, a hotel and facilities were damaged, said Serhiy Lysak, the head of the local military administration, on Telegram.
Most of the injured people were located there, Lysak said.
The regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said the number of injured rose to 14.
Odesa, a major Black Sea port and a focal point for Ukrainian exports, has been a repeated target of Russian attacks during more than four years of Russia's war.
"It was an extremely difficult night," Lysak said, adding that high-rise residential buildings, private homes and vehicles came under attack in two other districts.
He posted photographs of a damaged building with shattered windows.
Ukraine's seaports authority said that port infrastructure of the Greater Odesa hub came under attack, and a "Ramco" Nauru-flagged vessel sustained minor damage as it moved through a Ukrainian maritime corridor.
Russia claims its forces took control of two more settlements in Ukraine
The Russian defence ministry said its forces have taken control of the villages of Illichivka and Taratutyne in eastern Ukraine, the state-run RIA news agency reported.
Over the weekend, Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces are conducting offensive operations in the Taratutyne direction (southeast of Sumy City) and in other areas of Sumy oblast.
A Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces advanced into Taratutyne.
A Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces have launched a new offensive southeast of Sumy City toward Novodmytrivka and Taratutyne after an almost two-month pause, since February this year, said the Institute for the Study of War.
Ukraine has not commented on Russia's claims immediately.
