The European Court of Human Rights said Russia violated the right to life, the freedom of expression and assembly, among other abuses. Ukraine had filed a complaint with the court. The impact of the ruling is likely limited as Russia refuses to recognize the court judgements. The EU’s foreign ministers on Monday adopted new Russia santions.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU set up a temporary protection regime for Ukrainian war refugees. On Thursday, EU justice and home affairs ministers extended the rules for another year until March 2026.
Ministers from the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania also signed the letter beside the head of Polish diplomacy, Radosław Sikorski.
In December, EU leaders agreed to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. While the European Commission said in a recent report that the country needed to implement further reforms, the German government has now said that Ukraine has fulfilled these reforms.
On his first European tour in five years, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited European leaders in France, Serbia and Hungary. While relations with Belgrade and Budapest are blossoming, Paris – and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen – failed to persuade the Chinese leader to soothe the EU’s concerns over global trade and Russia’s war in Ukraine.