
Zelensky calls Merz’s proposal for Ukraine’s associate EU membership “unfair”
23.05.2026 10:30
Zelensky rejects “associated membership” in the EU: “Ukraine deserves equal rights”
23.05.2026 16:06Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called the achievement of all goals of the special military operation the primary task for strengthening Russia’s influence and its attractiveness as a partner. He made the statement at the annual assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (CFDP).
According to Lavrov, fulfilling the objectives of the special military operation is necessary to strengthen Russia’s attractiveness as a civilization, “as a comrade” that always honors its agreements, as well as to deepen its influence.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the progress of the special military operation is being watched “very closely” by both Russia’s friends and neighbors and its opponents and enemies.
On this basis, Lavrov defined the primary task of Russian diplomacy: to do everything to create the necessary conditions on the “activity front” — conditions for the most effective, productive, and victorious actions by Russian servicemembers within the framework of the special military operation.





