According to the Kremlin, Russian President Putin has traveled to the occupied port city of Mariupol. Ex-EU Commission chief Juncker does not see Ukraine joining the EU quickly. The latest developments in the live blog.
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Putin is said to have visited Mariupol
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is said to have traveled to the occupied territories of the neighboring country for the first time since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The Kremlin announced that Putin paid a “working visit” to the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, which was destroyed in heavy fighting. However, there were initially no recordings of the visit.
After his arrival in a helicopter, Putin informed himself about the situation during a tour and also talked to residents of the city, the state agency Tass reported. The Kremlin boss was informed about the status of the reconstruction work.
On Saturday afternoon, Putin visited the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. State television broadcast images of the Kremlin chief opening an art school for children in Sevastopol.
4:42 a.m
Juncker is skeptical about Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU
Former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned against raising unrealistic expectations of Ukraine’s speedy accession to the European Union. “I think, for the given reasons, Ukraine needs the prospect of accession, but I’m very upset about the imprudence of many politicians, also acting in the West, who are promising Ukraine a quick accession, I don’t see that,” Juncker said in the podcast “Worth Exchange ” of the newspaper “Luxemburger Wort”.
Juncker said it was not a “viable way” to simply accept a country that is at war and “cannot fully develop its will to reform” for overriding political reasons. “But after recent events, I think it’s highly likely that Ukraine will join the European Union in the long term.”