Russia says Ukraine's accession to EU does not meet Moscow's interest

Ukraine's accession to the European Union (EU) does not align with Russia's interests, said Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the European Problems Department at the Russian foreign ministry, on Saturday, 28 June, as the EU is moving towards active militarisation and adopting countermeasures against Moscow.

"I see no reason why we should support the idea of Ukraine joining the European Union, particularly because the EU is moving towards active militarisation, virtually setting the task of constantly opposing us, including in terms of resolving the Ukrainian crisis," Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted the Russian official as saying.

"One should not forget here that the European Union has an article in the Treaty of Lisbon, which is no less significant than Article 5 of the Washington Treaty on collective defence in NATO. This is why Ukraine's accession to the EU does not meet our interests," the official added.

These past weeks have been especially intense with our international meetings. There are agreements on defense packages and joint production – with the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, and other partners. There are also areas for collaboration with the U.S. Many agreements have been… pic.twitter.com/zyNJNkwTCE

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 27, 2025

According to a statement of the European Council, during the two-day EU summit in Brussels, which ended on Friday, Hungary blocked the adoption by the summit of the final statement on Ukraine by refusing to sign the EU's joint statement of support for Kyiv.

The document stated that the European Council "strongly condemns Russia's actions in Ukraine and supports a comprehensive, just and lasting peace."

The statement also mentioned the start of negotiations on Kyiv's European integration, which Hungary has repeatedly opposed.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed disagreement with the decision to initiate the process of Ukraine's accession to the European Union, arguing that the country does not have "clear borders", "a working economy", and "real sovereignty."

He further stated that admitting a nation in "a state of military conflict" in the community is a "carte blanche for an endless war," for which EU taxpayers would end up paying for decades.

"We cannot allow Ukraine to become a member of the European Union because we would then enter hostilities that would expand to EU soil," said the Hungarian leader, speaking to a public-broadcasting radio station in Hungary.

Russia using new Iran drone tech in war on Ukraine

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally approved plans to set up a new international court to prosecute senior Russian officials for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The special tribunal will be created through an agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe, the continent's top human rights body. Zelenskyy visited the Strasbourg-based organisation for the first time as part of the announcement.

The special tribunal aims to target senior Russian leaders for the “crime of aggression,” which underpins the countless war crimes Ukraine accuses Russian forces of committing since the start of the war on 24 February 2022. Existing international courts, including the International Criminal Court in The Hague lack jurisdiction to prosecute Russian nationals for that specific offense.