🇫🇷 FM Jean-Noël Barrot: Russia once again demonstrated full extent of its cruelty by launching massive strike on Kyiv, causing severe damage to Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, UNESCO World Heritage site.
For French people, this is equivalent of bombing of Notre-Dame or Saint-Denis, which is utterly unacceptable.
Nine Ukrainians have already lost their lives in last night’s attacks. This shows that Putin is persisting in his colonial war and remains an obstacle to peace.
In this context, our support for Ukraine continues and is growing. Today, formal discussions on Ukraine’s accession to European Union will begin.
We are also maintaining pressure on Russia. Today, we are imposing sanctions on 54 entities involved in the operation of the shadow fleet that allows Russia to circumvent our sanctions.
We must also take action against those responsible for spreading Kremlin propaganda in Europe.
Finally, we are actively preparing for peace through coalition of the willing, which will meet in Paris in the coming days.
This coalition is ready to guarantee that any peace agreement reached in Ukraine will be permanently secured.
Following horrific Russian attacks against Ukraine that caused a particularly severe damage, we request an emergency meeting of the @UN Security Council. We are also initiating responses within the framework of the @OSCE, @CoE, and @UNESCO.
Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other cities came under heavy attack. Innocent civilians lost their lives, children were wounded, and brave first responders were killed in a cynical double-tap strike.
Widespread damage was caused to residential buildings and historical heritage, including Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
By attacking our people, our cities, and our cultural and religious heritage, Russia demonstrates utter contempt for international law and the principles the United Nations was created to defend.
As Russia continues to escalate its attacks and undermine every effort aimed at achieving peace, a strong and united international response is essential to increase pressure on the aggressor and ensure accountability.
We are grateful to our partners for their solidarity and continued support as Ukraine defends its people, its heritage, and the principles of the UN Charter.
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I am grateful to Germany for its unwavering solidarity with Ukraine. Today, Germany is one of the largest contributors to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, with contributions exceeding €552 million. We also highly value the €4.75 million grant provided by @KfW in April this year to support Ukraine’s energy system.
We count on the continued leadership of our partners in strengthening Ukraine’s energy resilience ahead of the next autumn-winter season.
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Вдячний Німеччині за незмінну солідарність з Україною. Сьогодні Німеччина є одним із найбільших донорів Фонду підтримки енергетики, внесок до якого вже перевищив 552 млн євро. Окремо цінуємо грант KfW у розмірі 4,75 млн євро, наданий у квітні цього року для підтримки української енергосистеми.
Розраховуємо на подальше лідерство партнерів у зміцненні енергетичної стійкості нашої країни напередодні наступного осінньо-зимового періоду.
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Another important focus is the creation of strategic reserves of energy equipment. We are promptly providing our German partners with a list of the key needs of Ukraine’s energy sector.
Another important area of cooperation is the development of the biomethane market. We are working to secure the recognition of Ukrainian biomethane and its guarantees of origin in the EU market, as well as access for Ukrainian producers to European support mechanisms, including those available in Germany.
We also discussed Ukraine Connect, a new financing instrument created by Germany to support private investment in Ukraine. We expect it to facilitate the implementation of a number of new energy projects.
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Окремий фокус — формування стратегічних резервів енергетичного обладнання. Оперативно передаємо німецьким партнерам перелік ключових потреб українського енергосектору.
Ще один важливий вектор співпраці — розвиток ринку біометану. Працюємо над визнанням українського біометану та гарантій його походження на ринку ЄС, а також над доступом українських виробників до європейських механізмів підтримки, зокрема у Німеччині.
Обговорили й новий інструмент фінансування Ukraine Connect, створений Німеччиною для підтримки приватних інвестицій в Україну. Розраховуємо, що він сприятиме реалізації низки нових проєктів в енергетичному секторі.
🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪 Held an online meeting with Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Katherina Reiche, and colleagues from @BMWE.
We reviewed progress on the agreements reached over recent months, including during our meeting in Berlin in April. Our key priority is to strengthen Ukraine’s energy system ahead of winter and build additional resilience for the future.
In this context, we highly appreciate Germany’s support in financing the dismantling and delivery to Ukraine of equipment from decommissioned European power plants. I am grateful to our partners for their prompt assistance in implementing this project at the Riga CHP plant, where work is already underway.
The German Federal Foreign Office has reserved more than €1 million for this purpose. We expect the equipment to arrive in Ukraine this summer and be used at energy facilities in Kharkiv and Kyiv. At the same time, we continue working together on similar projects in 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇭🇷 Croatia, and other countries.
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Провели онлайн-зустріч із Федеральною міністеркою економіки та енергетики Німеччини Катериною Райхе. Звірили прогрес у виконанні домовленостей, досягнутих за останні місяці, зокрема під час нашої зустрічі в Берліні у квітні. Головний пріоритет — посилити українську енергосистему до зими та створити додатковий запас міцності на майбутнє.
У цьому контексті високо цінуємо підтримку Німеччини у фінансуванні робіт з демонтажу та транспортування в Україну обладнання з європейських електростанцій, виведених з експлуатації. Вдячний партнерам за оперативне сприяння реалізації такого проєкту на Ризькій ТЕЦ, де роботи вже розпочалися.
Міністерство закордонних справ Німеччини зарезервувало понад 1 млн євро на ці потреби. Очікуємо, що протягом літа устаткування надійде до України та буде використано на енергетичних об'єктах Харкова й Києва. Паралельно спільно продовжуємо роботу над аналогічними проєктами в Латвії, Словаччині, Австрії, Хорватії та інших країнах.
KALLAS: Russia doesn't want to end this war. Regarding Ukraine's decision about their future, Russia shouldn't have a say about any other country's future but their own.
Looking at state of economy or social affairs in Russia, I'd recommend them dealing with their own problems.
On 22 April 2026, the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under Annex VII to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) rendered its Award on the merits in the case brought by Ukraine against the Russian Federation concerning coastal State rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, and Kerch Strait.
The proceedings were initiated by Ukraine on 14 September 2016 in response to the Russian Federation’s violations of its obligations under the UNCLOS in the maritime areas adjacent to the coast of Crimea in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait since 2014.
In its final Award, the Arbitral Tribunal did not find that the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait constitute a so-called “Russian lake”. Instead, it confirmed their status as internal waters of two States – Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Ukraine remains a coastal State in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait and retains all sovereign rights vested in it under international law. No unlawful unilateral actions taken by Russia after 2022 have altered this legal reality.
The Arbitral Tribunal further found that the Russian Federation breached its obligations under the UNCLOS by failing to conduct an adequate environmental impact assessment in connection with the construction of the so called “bridge”, the laying of the power cables, and the gas pipeline and by failing to ensure proper notification and publication of the results of such assessment. These omissions constitute breaches of Russia’s obligations of due diligence and cooperation in the protection and preservation of the marine environment.
The Arbitral Tribunal’s Award is yet another confirmation that the Russian Federation systematically disregards the rules of international law and that its attempts to impose the consequences of its war of aggression on the world as a “new reality” have no international legal effect and will never receive international legal recognition.
Before and after Russia’s attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
The UNESCO World Heritage site, which dates back to the 11th century, was damaged in Russia’s overnight strike. Fire broke out in one of the most sacred places of Christianity.
Missiles and drones do not strike cultural heritage sites on their own – this is a deliberate barbarity by Russia. This attack must be strongly condemned by the international community. Russia must be held accountable.