Ukraine hosts southeast Europe leaders in Odesa summit
ODESA: Leaders from several countries across southeastern Europe were expected in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Wednesday, hours after it was targeted by Russian strikes.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who maintains strong ties with Russia, was among those attending the summit, his office said, in his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.
The office of Romania's new president, Nicusor Dan, said he would attend the summit 'hosted by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky' where he would hold a meeting with Zelensky and reiterate Bucharest's support of Kyiv.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic were among those also set to attend.
There was no information from Kyiv on the agenda or confirmation on who would represent Ukraine at the talks.
Details of the visits of foreign leaders to Ukraine are often not revealed in advance for security reasons.
Odesa has been repeatedly hit by Russian drone and missile strikes throughout the conflict.
A drone attack 'damaged homes, civilian boats and warehouses' in the Odesa region overnight, Ukraine's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Kyiv launched annual Ukraine-Southeast Europe summits in 2022 to boost connections with the region amid its war with Russia.
At last year's summit, held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Zelensky called for Europe to 'unite' and called on Brussels to accelerate the process of letting new members, including Ukraine, join the EU.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Ukrainian refugees in Sumy fear Russian advance, shelling
Margaryta Husakova, 37, mother of eight children, who fled the Ukrainian town of Bilopilia, sits with her children near a refugee centre, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy, Ukraine June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova SUMY (Reuters) -Margaryta Husakova, her broken arm secured in a metal orthopedic fixation device, smoked nervously as she sat on the staircase of a refugee shelter in Sumy, a city in northern Ukraine, contemplating what the future holds. In May, Husakova, 37, a mother of eight, lost her mother, sister, and uncle in a Russian drone attack on a van near the town of Bilopillia, west of Sumy. Nine people died in total and Husakova was among the five wounded. 'A man pulled me out of the bus, emergency services arrived, and I was sitting there on the grass,' she said. Despite talk of peace, the war is creeping closer to Sumy, a regional capital of 250,000 people, located just 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the border with Russia. After the bus attack, Husakova and her family fled their native town Bilopillia, now a target of Russian artillery, and sought shelter at a refugee center in Sumy. 'What's next? We're sitting here, but if they offer us somewhere else, we'll go with the children,' she said. Her father, Vyacheslav, expressed worry about the future. 'I don't know what's next … the most important thing for me is to take the children away, because katsapy will come to Sumy too,' he said, using a pejorative term for Russians. Russia, which controls just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, has seized over 190 square kilometers (73 square miles) of the Sumy region in less than a month, according to pro-Ukrainian open-source maps. Russian troops have captured more ground in the past days, advancing to around 20 kilometers from Sumy's northern suburbs, bringing the city closer to being within the range of long-range artillery and drones. The number of displaced people arriving in Sumy is increasing, said Kateryna Arisoi, head of Pluriton, a non-governmental organization that operates the shelter for internally displaced people. 'We are seeing the frontline slowly moving toward Sumy,' she said. "So far evacuation has been ordered in more than 200 settlements." Last week, a Russian rocket attack on Sumy killed three people and injured 28, including three children, while also damaging several buildings. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands of civilians have died in the three-year-long conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. (Reporting by Vitaly Hnidyi; Writing by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Nia Williams)
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Most G7 members ready to lower Russian oil price cap without US
FILE PHOTO: Russian flag with stock graph and an oil pump jack miniature model are seen in this illustration taken October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) -Most countries in the Group of Seven nations are prepared to go it alone and lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to opt out, four sources familiar with the matter said. G7 country leaders are due to meet on June 15-17 in Canada where they will discuss the price cap first agreed in late 2022. The cap was designed to allow Russian oil to be sold to third countries using Western insurance services provided the price was no more than $60 a barrel. The European Union and Britain have been pushing to lower the price for weeks after a fall in global oil prices made the current $60 cap nearly irrelevant. The sources, who declined to be named, said the EU and Britain are ready to lead the charge and go it alone, backed by the other European G7 countries and Canada. They said it is still unclear what the U.S. will decide, though the Europeans are pushing for a united decision at the meeting. Japan's position also remains uncertain, they said. "There is a push among European countries to reduce the oil price cap to $45 from $60. There are positive signals from Canada, Britain and possibly the Japanese. We will use the G7 to try to get the U.S. on board," one of the sources said. The White House had no immediate comment. During the G7 finance ministers meeting in the Canadian Rockies last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained unconvinced there was a need to lower the cap, according to sources. However some U.S. Senators may endorse the idea, including Lindsay Graham, who in recent weeks told reporters he supports lowering the cap. Graham is pushing a hard-hitting new set of Russia sanctions that could impose steep tariffs on buyers of Russian oil. The EU has proposed lowering the price to $45 a barrel in its latest 18th package of sanctions. The package must have unanimity from member states in order for it to be adopted, which could take several weeks. Russia's largest export grade, Urals, trades at around a $10 a barrel discount to the Dated Brent benchmark out of Baltic ports. Brent futures have been trading below $70 a barrel since early April. Sources said Washington's buy-in was not essential to lower the cap owing to Britain's dominance in global shipping insurance, and the EU's influence on the Western rules-abiding tanker fleet. The U.S., however, does matter when it comes to dollar-denominated payments for oil and its banking system. The EU and its Western allies have been progressively cracking down on Russia's shadow fleet of tankers and related actors, which work to circumvent the cap. The pressure has started to hurt Moscow's revenues and Western allies hope this will push more of the oil trade back under the cap. Russia's state-owned oil producer Rosneft reported a 14.4% slump in profits last year. (Reporting by Julia Payne and John Irish; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Washington; Editing by Jan Harvey)
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
European foreign ministers ready to toughen action against Russia
Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul, Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attend a joint press conference, on the day of a meeting to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine and security in Europe, at Villa Madama in Rome, Italy, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane ROME (Reuters) -Foreign ministers from large European countries said on Thursday they were ready to step up pressure on Russia, "including through further sanctions" involving the energy and banking sector, to weaken Moscow in its war with Ukraine. The meeting in Rome involved representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and the European Union. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and a Ukrainian representative also joined the talks. "We are determined to keep Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions immobilised until Russia ceases its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused," the countries said in a statement. (Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones)
