Narratives in Media Coverage of Ukraine

Threats from Putin

• Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to supply weapons to countries to hit Western targets and warned that Russia would use “all means at our disposal” in response to threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity.  His comments came as a response to a decision by the United States and European countries to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to attack parts of Russian territory (NBC News; see also Politico, AP News).
• The Kremlin said that Macron’s support of Ukraine in particular has been “extremely provocative” (The Brussels Times).

Aftermath of Slovakia PM Assassination Attempt

• In his first speech after his assassination attempt, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he was attacked because of his position on European aid to Ukraine.  Fico opposes military aid to Ukraine and campaigned on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform (NBC News).

“Debunking Arguments Against Seizing Russian State Assets for Ukraine”

• The European Policy Centre released a Discussion Paper on the arguments against seizing Russian state assets for Ukraine.  The authors say that rebuilding critical infrastructure is essential to keep Ukraine’s defense and economy running (European Policy Centre).
• Eurozone finance ministers said they would support a G7 plan to provide loans to Ukraine using windfall profits from Russian assets, but there are still legal questions to sort out (Euractiv).

Western Aid to Ukraine

• French President Emmanuel Macron said that he will “finalize” a coalition of countries that will send military trainers to Ukraine.  United States President Joe Biden opposes the plan to send Western forces to Ukraine.  Macron said that it is “much more efficient and practical in certain capacities, under certain conditions, to train on Ukrainian soil” (Politico; see also Euractiv).
• After the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Biden and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met to discuss aid to Ukraine.  However, his assurances of U.S. support are not enough for Kyiv, where leaders are expressing frustration at “half-hearted” solutions, Biden’s opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, and Biden’s decision to not attempt Zelenskyy’s upcoming peace summit in Switzerland (Politico).
• Next month’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C. is approaching with high expectations from Ukraine.  Olga Stefanishyna, Ukrainian deputy prime minister on EU and Euro-Atlantic integration, said “Ukraine awaits decisions that will help significantly strengthen the country’s defense and the ability to repel Russian aggression, as well as become a safeguard against repeated attacks in the future” (Politico).
• EU officials are discussing options for loans to Ukraine.  They’re leaning towards a U.S.-led idea of Western governments jointly securing a multibillion euro loan although an EU-only loan with its €1.2 trillion seven-year budget as collateral is also on the table (Politico).
• Macron said that France will provide Ukraine with Mirage combat aircraft.  The announcement came during the commemoration of the D-Day invasion (AP News).
• Speaking during the D-Day commemoration, Zelenskyy drew a parallel between the Allied D-Day landings in Normandy and Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying that “without the D-Day victory, Ukraine would not exist, France would not exist, and there would be no free nations” (Euractiv).
• Ukraine signed a security deal with Sweden, Norway, and Iceland.  Now, all five Nordic countries have signed military agreements with Ukraine (Euractiv).

European Parliament Elections

• Polls show that rather than thinking about Europe, EU voters will vote based on domestic concerns.  Check out this Politico map of the issues that matter most to voters throughout the EU (Politico).

Ukraine Defense

• Ukraine air defense downed 9 out of 13 Russian drones over four regions of the country.  The drones were Iranian-made Shahed drones over the central Poltava region, southeastern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and the Kharkiv region (Reuters).

Swiss Summit on Kyiv’s Peace Terms

• From June 15-16, Switzerland will host a summit to build international support for Zelenskyy’s peace proposals, which include the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.  Zelenskyy’s office says that 107 countries and international organizations have confirmed their participation (Reuters).

Attacks in Russian-Occupied Ukrainian Regions

• Moscow-appointed officials say that at least 28 people died in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions over the weekend (AP News).

Ukraine’s EU Accession Process

• Twelve EU member states are pushing to move forward EU accession for Ukraine and Moldova and formally start membership talks by the end of June.  Belgium, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency until the end of June, is pushing for the EU to make a decision on the accession process (Euractiv).
• The European Commission says that Ukraine and Moldova have met the final criteria required to officially begin accession negotiations with the EU (Agence Europe).

Author: Sophie Adams-Smith, Media Analyst, Promote Ukraine