Updates from Ukraine (with more drone videos)

Russia is determined to thwart Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU, Zlenkskyy said at a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Thursday, and is now exploiting the situation to provoke further conflict. “You’ve seen what happened in the last months in the Donbas, in Crimea, in the occupied Donbas,” Zelenskyy told the European leaders. “We must tell Russia this: ‘We will not be blackmailed. We will not allow this. This week, you do not give us the status of a candidate country, we will face a situation of a threat that is unacceptable.” The EU, he said, was a “force of stability, a force of law.”

“You can’t go back on decisions,” Zelenskyy said. “The EU is our main partner. We believe that we can’t get peace in the East, we can’t have trust between Ukraine and Russia without the EU.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he expects Russia to intensify its attacks on his country while it awaits a European Union decision this week on whether it will grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country — a move that could enable it to join the bloc at some future date.

Russia is determined to thwart Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU, Zlenkskyy said at a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Thursday, and is now exploiting the situation to provoke further conflict. “You’ve seen what happened in the last months in the Donbas, in Crimea, in the occupied Donbas,” Zelenskyy told the European leaders. “We must tell Russia this: ‘We will not be blackmailed. We will not allow this.’ And if this week, this week, you do not give us the status of a candidate country, we will face a situation of a threat that is unacceptable.” The EU, he said, was a “force of stability, a force of law.” “You can’t go back on decisions,” Zelenskyy said. “The EU is our main partner. We believe that we can’t get peace in the East, we can’t have trust between Ukraine and Russia without the EU.”

The Ukrainian president also said he had not been involved in the matter of Ukraine’s EU aspirations. “I am not a politician. I am a president, a diplomat, a statesman,” he said.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Council in Brussels on Thursday, October 17, 2018. “I know nothing about this. I am not involved in this issue,” he said. “I’m just the head of state, I’m just a person who is guided by the highest morality.”

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the EU was open to discussion with Ukraine and Russia over the status of the country. “I don’t want to be in the position of taking a position on the status of Ukraine because it’s been decided and agreed to have a candidature process,” Mogherini said. “It’s an agreed process. We’ve had a decision by the European Council in March. It’s about time to deal with these issues, to start the negotiations

The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visited an exhibition of destroyed military equipment of the Russian occupiers.

The exhibition is located in Mykhailivs’ka Square in Kyiv. Among the exhibits are a self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and cannon complex “Pantsir-S1”, a T-72B3 tank, a BMD-2 infantry fighting vehicle, a BMD-4 turret, an electronic warfare vehicle and the remains of a Tigr SUV. The enemy used most of this equipment during the attack on Kyiv.

The leaders of the two states talked to the Ukrainian military, who took part in the battles for the capital.

“I want to thank you for your service, for protecting us, our state. Take care of yourselves!” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I wish you success and congratulations on the destruction of this equipment,” said Boris Johnson.

The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom greeted Kyiv residents gathered near Mykhailivs’ka Square.