{"id":12296,"date":"2026-04-28T05:56:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T05:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/12296\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T05:56:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T05:56:19","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-germany-suggests-kyiv-will-have-to-cede-territory-to-achieve-peace-and-eu-membership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/12296\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: Germany suggests Kyiv will have to cede territory to achieve peace and EU membership"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Watch: Zelensky blames Iran was for stalled weapon supply as Russia continues to attack Ukraine Zelensky blames Iran was for stalled weapon supply as Russia continues to attack Ukraine<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 06:50<\/p>\n

<\/a>Germany’s Merz cautions against Ukraine’s rapid accession to EU<\/p>\n

German chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned against raising hopes for rapid accession, however, saying Ukraine cannot join the bloc while at war and must first meet strict criteria including those regarding the rule of law and on fighting corruption.<\/p>\n

“[Volodymyr] Zelensky had the idea of joining the EU on January 1, 2027. That will not work. Even January 1, \u200c2028 is not realistic,” Merz said.<\/p>\n

He proposed intermediate steps \u200bsuch as observer roles for Ukraine in EU institutions, which \u200che said met broad \u2060approval among European leaders at their summit last week in \u2060Cyprus, which Zelensky attended.<\/p>\n

The European Union last week approved a \u20ac90bn loan \u200cto Ukraine, covering most \u200bof its needs through 2027, \u200cbut the bloc remains divided over \u200bthe pace of accession talks.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 06:24<\/p>\n

<\/a>Fire breaks out at Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery after drone attack<\/p>\n

Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s \u2060Tuapse oil refinery \u2060on \u200bthe \u2060Black Sea, \u2060causing \u200ba fire, authorities \u2060said \u200con Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The Rosneft \u200cowned refinery \u200cand the \u2060port of Tuapse have been repeatedly attacked by drones \u200cin \u200bthe \u200cpast \u2060few \u2060weeks.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 06:11<\/p>\n

<\/a>Germany says Kyiv could cede territory to achieve peace<\/p>\n

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Ukraine might have to lose territory in order to reach a peace deal with Russia, which could in turn bring it closer to EU membership.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, there will eventually be a peace treaty with Russia. Then, possibly, part of Ukraine\u2019s territory will no longer be Ukrainian,\u201d he said, speaking during a discussion with students in Germany\u2019s Marsberg.<\/p>\n

He added that Zelensky would need a referendum for such a step, something the Ukrainian leader has previously noted himself.<\/p>\n

To pass such a vote, Zelensky will have to tell the Ukrainians: \u201cBut I have opened the way to Europe for you,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n

Merz said that the European Union should offer Kyiv a clear and credible roadmap to the EU amid its accession efforts.<\/p>\n

“Ukraine must have a European perspective. We must not lose Ukraine to Russia, but rather tell the people of Ukraine that they have a future in Europe,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"(AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 05:58<\/p>\n

<\/a>Israeli foreign minister rejects Kyiv’s ‘stolen grain’ allegations<\/p>\n

Israel has denied importing stolen Ukrainian grain from Russia, saying Kyiv has not provided evidence to support the claim.<\/p>\n

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar accused his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha of conducting diplomacy through the media.<\/p>\n

Sybiha said he summoned Israel’s ambassador over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter \u2060the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Israel’s ambassador, Sybiha said, had been asked to appear \u2060at the foreign ministry on Tuesday so that Kyiv could “present our protest note and request appropriate action”.<\/p>\n

In his response, also on X, Sa’ar said the issue would be examined, but that allegations were not evidence and no evidence had been provided.<\/p>\n

“You did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks,” \u200cSa’ar said.<\/p>\n

Diplomatic relations “are not conducted on Twitter or in \u200bthe media”, he added.<\/p>\n

A Ukrainian diplomatic source, speaking earlier on \u200ccondition of anonymity, said that if \u2060Israel did not reject the latest cargo, Kyiv would “reserve the \u2060right to deploy a full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses”.<\/p>\n

The source said \u200cKyiv was tracking \u200bthe latest vessel and Israel had “essentially shrugged \u200coff” Kyiv’s previous demands. <\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 05:36<\/p>\n

<\/a>Iranian foreign minister praises Russia ties as he meets Putin in Moscow<\/p>\n

Iran \u200bforeign minister Abbas Araqchi has welcomed Russia’s \u2060support for diplomacy and praised the strength of ties between the \u2060two countries, \u200bafter meeting \u2060with president Vladimir Putin on \u2060Monday, saying recent events \u200bhad \u2060demonstrated the depth \u200cof their strategic partnership.<\/p>\n

Putin received Araqchi in the presidential library in Russia’s former imperial capital St Petersburg as sources from mediator Pakistan said work had not halted to bridge gaps between the United \u2060States and Iran.<\/p>\n

Putin said he received a message from Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, last week, and asked Araqchi to convey to him that Russia intended to continue its strategic partnership with Tehran.<\/p>\n

Russia has offered to \u200cmediate to try \u200cto help restore calm to the Middle East \u2060following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that Moscow has strongly condemned.<\/p>\n

Russia has also repeatedly offered to \u200cstore Iran’s enriched uranium \u200bas a \u200cway of \u2060defusing tensions, a \u2060proposal spurned by the United \u200cStates.<\/p>\n

\"RussianRussian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi attend a meeting at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in Saint Petersburg (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 04:45<\/p>\n

<\/a>Russia targets Odesa in major attack wounding 14<\/p>\n

An overnight Russian drone attack in the early hours of Monday on Ukraine’s southern \u2060city of Odesa wounded more than a dozen people, including two children, and damaged residential buildings, Ukrainian officials said.<\/p>\n

The strikes caused the worst damage in the historic central Prymorskyi district, where residential buildings, a hotel and facilities were damaged, said Serhiy Lysak, the head of \u2060the local military administration, on Telegram.<\/p>\n

Most of the \u200binjured \u2060people were located there, Lysak said.<\/p>\n

The regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said the number of injured rose to 14.<\/p>\n

Odesa, a major Black Sea port \u2060and a focal point for Ukrainian exports, has been a repeated target of \u200bRussian \u2060attacks during more than four years of \u200cRussia’s war.<\/p>\n

“It was an extremely difficult night,” Lysak said, adding that high-rise residential buildings, private homes and vehicles came under attack in two other districts.<\/p>\n

He posted photographs \u200cof a damaged building with shattered windows.<\/p>\n

Ukraine’s seaports authority said that port infrastructure of the Greater Odesa \u2060hub came under attack, and a “Ramco” Nauru-flagged vessel sustained minor damage as it moved through a Ukrainian maritime corridor.<\/p>\n

\"AA security guard stands in a hotel hit by a Russian drone strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Odesa (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 04:31<\/p>\n

<\/a>Lithuania charges 13 people with two attempted murders linked to Russia’s GRU<\/p>\n

Lithuania \u200bhas charged 13 people from a number of countries with two attempted murders in Vilnius linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, the chief of the Baltic country’s criminal police said yesterday.<\/p>\n

Lithuania’s investigation, \u2060which began early last year, has determined that those who sought the killings were acting in the interests of the GRU, said police chief Saulius Briginas.<\/p>\n

The suspects, some of whom were arrested in Lithuania in March, have been \u200ccharged with seeking to kill one Lithuanian \u2013 an \u200cactivist and fundraiser for Ukraine \u2013 and one Russian national, the police said. The Russian national is a dissident and activist for the rights of bashkirs, a minority in Russia, who has been \u2060given asylum in Lithuania.<\/p>\n

“We are witnessing hybrid-style crimes against European Union countries, their national security, and persons who act in support of Ukraine,” Briginas told reporters in Vilnius.<\/p>\n

The same suspects were also believed by police to be behind an arson attack on Ukraine-bound military equipment in Bulgaria and espionage against the Greek military, he added.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian police separately said on Monday that the same group of people, whom they described as a “Russian intelligence network”, \u2060also sought to murder Ukrainian journalists and \u200ban intelligence \u2060official.<\/p>\n

Russia’s defence ministry, which is in charge of military intelligence, is yet to comment.<\/p>\n

Moscow has always denied allegations it is involved in such operations or \u200bin \u2060a wider sabotage campaign involving arson \u200cattacks aimed at destabilising Ukraine’s allies.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 04:21<\/p>\n

<\/a>Ukraine to take measures against Israel if grain ship docks, source says<\/p>\n

Israel risks a diplomatic and legal response from Kyiv if it allows a vessel carrying grain from Russian-occupied Ukraine to dock at the port of Haifa, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters on Monday.<\/p>\n

Haaretz reported earlier that the vessel Panormitis, which is reported to be carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territory that Kyiv regards as stolen, was waiting for permission to dock at the Israeli port. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf this ship and its cargo isn’t rejected, we reserve the right to deploy a full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses,\u201d the Ukrainian source said on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.<\/p>\n

On Sunday Haaretz reported that four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine had already been unloaded in Israel this year.<\/p>\n

Maira Butt28 April 2026 04:00<\/p>\n

<\/a>Ukraine summons Israel’s ambassador over ‘stolen’ grain shipments<\/p>\n

\u200bUkrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has said Israel’s ambassador had been summoned to his ministry over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter \u2060the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar told Sybiha that Ukraine had provided no evidence to support allegations that the grain was “stolen”. He accused him of conducting diplomacy through the media.<\/p>\n

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported earlier that the \u2060vessel Panormitis, which it said was \u200bcarrying \u2060grain from occupied Ukrainian territory, was waiting for permission to berth in Haifa.<\/p>\n

The newspaper said four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine \u2060had already been unloaded in Israel this year.<\/p>\n

Sybiha said it was “difficult to understand Israel\u2019s lack of appropriate response to Ukraine\u2019s legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods \u200cto Haifa”.<\/p>\n

“Now that another such vessel has \u200carrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

Israel’s ambassador, he said, had been asked to appear \u2060at the foreign ministry on Tuesday so that Kyiv could “present our protest note and request appropriate action”.<\/p>\n

Arpan Rai28 April 2026 03:57<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Watch: Zelensky blames Iran was for stalled weapon supply as Russia continues to attack Ukraine Zelensky blames Iran…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[396,5050,47,5,6989],"class_list":{"0":"post-12296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-russia","8":"tag-diplomacy","9":"tag-horizontal","10":"tag-politics","11":"tag-russia","12":"tag-summit"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}