Millions of Ukrainians are realizing their European dream
On the 850th day of a war that has reshaped the European order, the nations of the European Union formally opened accession negotiations with Ukraine — a gesture that carries both the weight of history and the fragility of the present moment. Even as Russian bombs fell on apartment buildings in Donetsk and drones lit refineries ablaze across southern Russia, the institutional machinery of Europe moved to draw Ukraine closer into its fold. Zelenskiy spoke of a dream held by millions and inherited across generations, a reminder that geopolitical milestones are also deeply human ones. The path to membership is long and uncertain, but the direction, at least, has been declared.
- The EU's formal approval of accession talks with Ukraine marks the most significant diplomatic signal of European solidarity since the invasion began — a declaration of belonging made under fire.
- A Russian guided bomb tore through a residential neighborhood in Donetsk, killing two and damaging dozens of homes just nine miles from the frontline, while overnight strikes cut power to more than 218,000 Ukrainian consumers.
- Ukraine struck back deep inside Russia, targeting four oil refineries and military installations across the Krasnodar region, with satellite imagery confirming fires at a Russian airbase — a deliberate strategy to erode the infrastructure sustaining the invasion.
- The United States escalated its support on two fronts: fast-tracking Patriot and Nasams deliveries directly off the production line, and expanding Pentagon authorization for Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russian territory in self-defense.
- Ukraine is now courting the global south to host a second peace summit before year's end, signaling a strategic effort to build pressure beyond the Western alliance after the first summit drew over 90 nations without Russia.
On the 850th day of the war, the European Union formally approved the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova — a milestone Ukraine has pursued since long before the invasion began. Belgium, holding the EU's rotating presidency, confirmed the negotiating framework was in place. Zelenskiy hailed it as a historic step, writing that millions of Ukrainians and generations of ancestors were seeing a European dream take shape. The symbolism was deliberate: even as Russian bombs fell, Europe's institutions were moving to integrate Ukraine into their structures.
The war's reality offered no pause. A Russian guided bomb struck a residential area in Selydove, Donetsk, killing two people and wounding three, damaging five apartment buildings and six homes. The precision of the damage reports — building counts, distances from the frontline — reflects the texture of life in contested territory, where destruction is measured in increments. Overnight Russian strikes across four regions cut power to more than 218,000 consumers; since March, such attacks have eliminated roughly half of Ukraine's generating capacity. Zelenskiy announced new measures to fortify power plants and develop alternative energy sources.
Ukraine responded with long-range drone strikes on four Russian oil refineries in the Krasnodar region and on military targets including a radar station and an airbase at Yeysk, where NASA satellite data confirmed fires. Russian emergency officials described the assault as massive. The strikes reflect Ukraine's sustained strategy of degrading Russian energy and military infrastructure far behind the frontline.
The United States made two consequential moves. The White House announced it would redirect the latest Patriot missiles and Nasams air-defense systems from the production line directly to Ukraine, delaying deliveries to other nations. The Pentagon separately expanded authorization for Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia beyond the Kharkiv corridor, framing it as a matter of self-defense logic. On the diplomatic front, a Ukrainian official said a second peace summit — potentially hosted in the global south — could be convened before year's end, building on the first summit in Switzerland that drew more than 90 countries in Russia's absence.
Elsewhere, three men were arrested in Frankfurt on suspicion of spying on a Ukrainian national for a foreign intelligence service. And in Britain, Nigel Farage repeated the claim that NATO and EU expansion had provoked Russia's invasion — a framing that aligned with Moscow's own narrative, even as the war entered its third year and the diplomatic architecture around Ukraine continued to evolve.
On day 850 of the war, the European Union took a formal step that Ukraine has pursued for years: member states approved the opening of accession negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova, to begin next week. Belgium, holding the rotating EU presidency, confirmed that the bloc had agreed on a negotiating framework. The move carries symbolic weight alongside practical consequence—it signals that even as Russian bombs fall on Ukrainian cities, the institutional machinery of Europe is moving to integrate Ukraine into its structures. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called it a historic step, posting on X that millions of Ukrainians and generations of their ancestors were realizing a European dream.
Yet the war's grinding reality continued unabated. A Russian guided bomb struck a residential area in Selydove, an eastern town in Donetsk region about nine miles from the frontline, killing two people and wounding three on Friday. The strike damaged five five-storey apartment buildings and six homes, according to regional prosecutors. The specificity of that damage—the exact count of buildings, the precise distance from fighting—marks the texture of life in occupied and contested territory: infrastructure destroyed in increments, neighborhoods mapped by destruction.
Ukraine's military responded with its own strikes deep inside Russia. Drones attacked four oil refineries—Afipsky, Ilsky, Krasnodar, and Astrakhan—along with radar stations and other military targets in the early hours of Friday. Russian emergency officials confirmed that three municipalities in the Krasnodar region, which sits across the Kerch strait from Crimea, came under what they described as a massive attack. The journalist-run Astra channel reported that Yeysk, home to a Russian military airfield, was struck by drones that ignited fires. NASA satellite monitoring detected fires or hotspots at the airbase. These strikes represent Ukraine's strategy of targeting Russian energy and military infrastructure far from the frontline, attempting to degrade the capacity that sustains the invasion.
The war's reach extended to civilian power systems. Ukrainian drone attacks disabled two electricity substations in Enerhodar, the town that serves the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, cutting power to most residents according to Russian-installed officials. An official at the Russian-occupied plant said the facility itself remained unaffected. Separately, Russian strikes overnight into Thursday hit four regions and cut power to more than 218,000 consumers, the Ukrainian energy ministry reported. Since March, those strikes have knocked out roughly half of Ukraine's generating capacity. Zelenskiy announced new measures to protect the energy system, including fortification of power plants and development of alternative and renewable sources—a recognition that the infrastructure war will likely persist.
On the military supply front, the United States made two significant moves. The White House announced it would reprioritize deliveries of the latest Patriot missiles and Nasams air-defense systems, sending production-line units directly to Ukraine instead of other countries in the queue. John Kirby, the national security council spokesperson, said deliveries to Taiwan and Israel would not be affected, but other nations would face delays. Separately, the Pentagon approved Ukraine's use of US-supplied missiles to strike targets inside Russia beyond the frontline region near Kharkiv, provided Ukraine acted in self-defense. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said the logic was straightforward: it made sense for Ukraine to have that capability.
Ukraine also moved on the diplomatic front. A senior official said Ukraine believes a second peace summit could be hosted by a country in the global south, with the goal of convening it before year's end. The first summit, held in Switzerland last week, drew more than 90 countries—Russia notably absent. The shift in venue signals Ukraine's attempt to broaden the coalition beyond Western allies and build pressure through the non-aligned world.
In a separate development, three men were arrested in Frankfurt on suspicion of collecting intelligence on a Ukrainian person for a foreign intelligence agency. German federal prosecutors identified them as a Ukrainian, an Armenian, and a Russian. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, told the BBC that the EU and NATO had provoked Russia's invasion through eastward expansion—a claim that echoed Moscow's own framing, even as the war entered its third year and the diplomatic architecture around Ukraine continued to shift.
Citações Notáveis
Millions of Ukrainians, and indeed generations of our people, are realising their European dream— President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on EU accession talks approval
We're going to reprioritise the deliveries of these exports. Deliveries of these missiles to other countries that are currently in the queue will have to be delayed— John Kirby, White House national security council spokesperson, on Patriot and Nasams missiles
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What does it actually mean for the EU to approve accession talks while the war is still happening?
It means Ukraine is negotiating membership terms with the bloc even as Russian bombs are falling. The talks won't be quick—they involve harmonizing laws, economic standards, judicial systems. But formally opening them signals that Europe sees Ukraine's future as European, regardless of the current fighting.
Is there a risk that Ukraine gets pulled into these long negotiations while Russia keeps grinding away militarily?
That's the tension. Accession talks typically take years. But Ukraine's argument is that the process itself—the institutional commitment—strengthens its position. It's saying: we're not just fighting for survival, we're building something.
Why does the US suddenly prioritizing Patriot deliveries to Ukraine matter?
Because Patriot systems are in high demand globally. By bumping Ukraine to the front of the line, the US is saying Ukraine's air defense needs are more urgent than other countries' orders. It's a signal of commitment, and a practical one—Ukraine's skies are under constant attack.
The Pentagon expanding where Ukraine can use US missiles—how significant is that shift?
It removes a geographic constraint. Before, Ukraine could use them mainly near Kharkiv. Now, if Ukraine judges it's defending itself, it can strike deeper into Russia. That's a meaningful expansion of Ukraine's operational reach.
Why would Ukraine want the next peace summit in the global south instead of Europe?
Because the global south isn't aligned with the West the way Europe is. Ukraine's trying to build pressure from countries that aren't automatically in NATO's camp. It's a different diplomatic audience, potentially a different kind of leverage.
What does the energy crisis tell us about the war's trajectory?
That Russia's strategy includes grinding down civilian infrastructure. Half of Ukraine's generating capacity is gone. That's not a military victory—it's an attempt to make life unbearable. Ukraine's response is to harden what's left and build alternatives. It's a war of attrition on the infrastructure itself.