EU – Europe’s relations with China are on the agenda of Friday’s talks at the European Council meeting in Brussels. Some member states believe the West relies too much on an undemocratic country that has close ties with Russia. The invasion of Ukraine highlighted the West’s dependence on Russian oil and gas, and there are concerns that a similar mistake is being made with respect to China, the source of many consumer goods, the BBC notes. On Thursday, the first day of the Council meeting, the situation in Ukraine and Russia was in the focus on the talks. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, EU leaders have undertaken to help Ukraine in the long run to defend itself against Russia’s military aggression. The meeting was also attended by the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, with the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining in via video link. The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said both the EU and NATO must provide proportional support to the R. of Moldova as well, which is waiting to take the next step towards European integration. As regards the transit of Ukrainian grain, which has affected Romanian farmers, the president says Romania may provide an answer to Kyiv’s request for more intensive use of the Danube as a transit option.
SUPPORT – The PM of Spain Pedro Sanchez travels to Kyiv on Saturday to reiterate the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine, on the first day of Spain’s rotating presidency of the EU Council, 1 July. The announcement was made by the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine is an EU candidate country and is hoping to open accession negotiations at the end of this year.
