SJE Hunt 😻

Father of three, counsellor, undevouted fellow — Bardolater, bird-lover and sci-tech fanatic.

[SJE Hunt 😻 @shunt1972]

“But the dreamers of the day”

Photo credit: Midjourney/SJ Hunt

[Yulia Svyrydenko @Svyrydenko_Y]

Today in Luxembourg, at the second EU–Ukraine Intergovernmental Conference, we officially opened negotiations under Cluster 1, “Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process” 🇪🇺

Ukraine’s path to membership in the European Union now has a clear and defined trajectory.

The opening of the cluster means we are moving from political discussions to the practical work of meeting the conditions for future membership through reforms in key areas.

Cluster 1 covers:
🔹 the rule of law and judicial independence
🔹 anti-corruption
🔹 public administration reform
🔹 financial control
🔹 public procurement
🔹 statistics

Progress in these areas strengthens state institutions and creates clear, predictable rules for businesses and investors.

Ukraine completed the screening process faster than any candidate country in the history of EU enlargement. We have already fulfilled the conditions required to open all negotiating clusters.

Today, there is no longer any doubt about Ukraine’s future membership in the European Union. We are working to move toward full membership as quickly as possible – with all the rights, opportunities, and responsibilities that come with being an EU member state.

I thank the European Commission @EU_Commission, the European Parliament @Europarl_EN, the Cyprus Presidency @CY2026EU, and all EU member states for their joint efforts and this historic decision.

[Salome Zourabichvili @Zourabichvili_S]

🎙️Interview with @InsiderEng
🔹Current situation is one of a regime that is weaker than it looks, and a society that is stronger than it feels

https://t.co/Ajwy6BnbYZ

[D.Radka, #NAFO 🇨🇿🤝🇺🇦 @DakdaR22]

- Giorgia Meloni
Prime Minister of Italy:

"Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 was a clear violation of international law and a glimpse of Russia's aggressive intentions toward all of Ukraine. Back then, the West did not fully understand the scale of what was happening and perhaps hoped that Moscow's imperial ambitions would stop there.
We were wrong, and we must admit it. Today, we stand side by side with Ukraine without hesitation.

Russia must end its occupation policy and withdraw its troops. We will never tire of working for a just and lasting peace."

Great woman
😉

[Kira Rudik @kiraincongress]

France's Foreign Minister put it well:

A strike on the Lavra is the equivalent of bombing Notre-Dame.

This is what russia calls defending Christianity.

[Financial Times @FT]

Opinion: The medium-term horizon for UK-EU relations contains only two destinations. The first is something not so different from today, with marginally more alignment and integration. The second is rejoining the EU. https://t.co/wsQYfPZxRv

[Brendan Cox @MrBrendanCox]

This is a brilliant investigation. It shows what many of us knew. Hostile states are supporting both Islamist & far right causes in order to divide us. If you are echoing those narratives you are aiding & abeting a hostile state.

https://t.co/Qr8sbm42zv

[Nana Tskvitishvili @NTskvitishvili]

Day 565#GeorgiaProtests
Dare to Protest Everywhere!
Chkhorotsku 🇬🇪🇪🇺🇺🇦
#FreePoliticalPrisonersInGeorgia
#StandWithGeorgia
#GloryToGeorgianPeople
#GloryToUkraine
#GeorgiaIsEurope
#NoToRussianInfluence
#DemocracyForGeorgia

[Emmanuel Ruimy @EmmanuelRuimy]

Pousser un peuple à se soulever, l'abandonner au massacre, puis pactiser avec ses bourreaux : connaît-on escroquerie morale plus achevée dans l'histoire diplomatique ?

[Tte.Dan 🪖 @kozako01]

‼️ Lukashenko se disculpó ante Zelensky y afirmó que Bielorrusia no emprenderá ninguna acción militar contra Ucrania

“Si Volodymyr se ha ofendido, le pido disculpas por mis palabras (en algún momento metí la pata, en otro la fastidié). No debería haberlas dicho, teniendo en cuenta que, al fin y al cabo, él está en guerra. Él entiende perfectamente que por parte de Bielorrusia, y especialmente por mi parte, no hay que esperar ninguna acción militar”

Si Ucrania empieza a atacar a Bielorrusia de la misma forma que ataca a Rusia, quedaremos muy vulnerables. Lo entendemos, por eso no queremos la guerra, afirmó el dictador bielorruso, Lukashenko

“Porque Bielorrusia está al alcance de la mano del ejército ucraniano. Entendemos perfectamente que nuestros principales objetivos vitales , productivos y logísticos, se verán afectados. Según han declarado, ya tienen identificados 500 objetivos de este tipo en el territorio de Bielorrusia”

* el cómplice del criminal de guerra ruso , el dictador Lukashenko , huele que algo no anda bien.

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

Story: EU says China trained Russian troops as bloc weighs tougher stance on Beijing

https://t.co/PqE2U2oBJP

[Bloomberg @business]

It’s a big day for Ukraine and Moldova as the EU agrees to start the first cluster of accession talks with the two countries https://t.co/rTYTBsp3hH

[Yulia Svyrydenko @Svyrydenko_Y]

The Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra will be restored.

Thanks to the professionalism and swift actions of our emergency responders, the fires have been extinguished.

Russia attempted to destroy the Lavra for a second time – just as it did in 1941. Thankfully, we will not have to rebuild this Ukrainian shrine from its foundations.

The Government will secure funding for its restoration. As President Zelenskyy noted, the Government is preparing decisions to allocate resources from the reserve fund for urgent roof stabilization and its subsequent restoration.

We expect a response from international organizations to yet another barbaric act by Russia. I have instructed Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Tetiana Berezhna @BerezhnaT to intensify this work, including through the tools of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund.

Since early morning, I have also received numerous messages from representatives of Ukrainian businesses and philanthropists willing to contribute to the restoration of this sacred site. Thank you for your shared values and readiness to help.

The Government, together with the reserve administration, will organize this process.

My deepest gratitude goes to Ukraine’s Defense Forces and the State Emergency Service teams, who are working selflessly at the attack site to save lives and protect our cultural heritage. 🇺🇦

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

Breaking news: EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas says the EU has "now verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine"

Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers - "we are carefully assessing the implications"

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

It is important that the world does not remain silent in response to this latest act of Russian barbarism. This strike on the Lavra is an attack on the Christian community and on the cultural heritage of humanity. There can be no justification for this or for any other similar Russian attacks. What is needed is more cooperation to stop Russia’s war and stronger protection to save lives from Russia.

[Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen]

Heavy attacks on Ukraine last night, with more civilians killed and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO site, seriously damaged.

Today, G7 leaders meet in Evian.

We will discuss the next steps to increase pressure on Russia, bring Putin to the negotiating table, and end this senseless killing.

Europe wants peace. Nobody more than the Ukrainian people. Russia, on the other hand, showed again its sole interest in violence and destruction.

[Maia Sandu @sandumaiamd]

The Kremlin has shown again that nothing is sacred to it. Those who claim to defend Christian values bombed the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of Orthodoxy’s holiest sites. Real faith does not bomb cathedrals. Moldova stands with Ukraine. The pressure must grow until Russia is stopped.

[Caolan @CaolanReports]

I just watched priests trying to save crucifixes from a burning monastery.

This is what russia is destroying.

The Kyiv Lavra is one of the holiest Orthodox sites on earth. A UNESCO World Heritage site.

Moscow calls itself “Christian civilisation.”

It’s literally barbarism.

[Ukrainian Art History @ukr_arthistory]

Kharkiv Art Museum damaged after russian drone attack today. The collection was evacuated before.

Source: Ministry of Culture

[D.Radka, #NAFO 🇨🇿🤝🇺🇦 @DakdaR22]

🇺🇦- Zelensky: "The Russians proposed us to exchange children with soldiers. Can you imagine how we can exchange our children? We can't.

First of all, it's out of the law. We can't exchange civilians. You can give back civilians. And how you can exchange?

Yes, it's important to get back our warriors, war prisoners. But we can't exchange them on the children.

But the fact that Russia proposed to exchange children, this is the answer that they stolen children."

These are some of those moments when you can't find the words.😡

[Tamara Krawchenko 🌻🍉 @T_Krawchenko]

Russian forces murdered thousands of civilians in Syria. And they got away with it. There has never been any justice, never any accountability. It is rarely ever mentioned.

And this is why they continue to murder civilians today with impunity.

https://t.co/vyMZQo0REF