June 16, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

US weapons will help Ukraine seize back Russian-occupied territory, including Crimea and Donbas, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN's Matthew Chance in an exclusive interview in Brussels.

"We are going to liberate all our territories, all of it all, including Crimea," he said.

"Crimea is a strategic objective for Ukraine because it's Ukrainian territory," Reznikov added. "But we will move step by step."

The defense minister said the first step would be stabilization of the situation on the ground to prevent further losses against Russian forces. The second stage, he said, is to push Russian forces back to their positions before the invasion on February 24.

Only in the 3rd stage, he told CNN, would there be discussions with Ukraine's partners on "how to liberate territories, including Crimea," Reznikov said. Ukraine officials say they will not use the weapons to attack the Russian Federation, however, Ukraine does not consider Crimea to be Russian territory. 

When asked if attempting to recapture Crimea by military means would further provoke Russia -- which considers Crimea to be part of the Russian Federation -- Reznikov said that was not a consideration.

"It doesn't matter. Because they [Russians] will see that in Kherson, they will see it in Zaporizhzhia, they will also see it in Mariupol…. but these are Ukrainian lands, and Crimea is also Ukrainian land, no matter what," he told CNN.

The headline on this post has been updated.

The leaders of European Union's three biggest countries -- France, Germany and Italy -- arrived in Kyiv on Thursday morning on a high-profile trip designed to smooth tensions over what Ukrainian officials perceive as a lukewarm support in their fight against Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled to the city together on a special train, setting off from Poland in the middle of the night.

As if to remind them they were visiting a country terrorized by an unprovoked assault, air raid sirens went off shortly after the three leaders arrived at their hotel in central Kyiv.

Though all three countries have pledged weapons to aid Ukraine's defense against Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made no secret of the fact that he believes they are not doing enough. 

He has been especially critical of Scholz and Macron, going as far as suggesting the two leaders were trying to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"[Scholz] and his government must choose not to do a balancing act between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but to choose which is their priority," Zelensky told German broadcaster ZDF earlier this week.

Zelensky has had harsh words for Macron too. The French President has tried to present himself both as an ally to Ukraine and as an honest broker with Russia. 

Macron, in an interview earlier this month, said that "we must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means. I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power."

Zelensky told the Financial Times that "in order to be a leader, you do not need to consider yourself one, but to be behave as a leader."

Speaking to reporters at the train station in Kyiv, Macron said the leaders would visit a "war site where the massacres were committed" and speak to Zelensky. 

Asked if he had a message for Ukrainians, he said, "A message of European unity addressed to Ukrainian men and women, of support to talk about both the present and the future because the coming weeks, we know, will be very difficult weeks. I want to be in support and at their side."

Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv as the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday morning.

The sirens don't necessarily mean there has been an attack but they often sound in warning.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Western defense officials told him their military support for Ukraine "will never stop." 

In an exclusive interview, Reznikov told CNN that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace and other Western officials said: "Oleksiy, don't worry, we will not stop. We will continue help your country, your people, and your president," he said.  

He said US and Western pledges are not just for military support but also financial, economic, and political. 

The Ukrainian Defense Minister told CNN Western allies now understand that the idea of not provoking Russia to avoid conflict does not work. 

Russia is now considered to be an adversary rather than a strategic partner by NATO, he said. 

"I am sure that Russia is the main threat for NATO, EU countries, and main threat for the world security system," he said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the suffering in Ukraine could end immediately if Russia ends "its reckless war of choice," ahead of a meeting with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Thursday.

Austin said the meeting comes at a "critical juncture in the history" of the security alliance.

Austin said NATO will continue to support Ukraine "as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression" and "continue to adapt our alliance to meet evolving security conditions."

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister said she is not expecting "bright announcements" from a visit by the French, Italian and German leaders to Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk was speaking to journalists on a train platform in Kyiv as she welcomed the three leaders on Thursday. 

Vereshchuk said there are "two important questions" to put to the leaders.

"How to put an end to the war and how to turn a new page for Ukraine and open the way for Ukraine into the European Union," she said.

Some context: The EU Commission is expected to offer its opinion on Friday that Ukraine should be considered a candidate state. It will then be for the 27 EU member states to decide whether or not they agree with the Commission's opinion.

While most European nations are firmly behind Ukraine and have, to varying degrees, aided the country's war efforts, it's far from certain that they will back its bid for EU membership.

The question of whether or not Ukraine should join the EU and how Russia would react has been a contentious issue for years. In 2013, pro-European protests erupted after former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych made a sudden decision to not sign an agreement with the EU that would pull Ukraine further into the EU's orbit. Instead, he opted to pursue closer ties with Putin's Russia. The following year, Russia invaded Donbas and illegally annexed Crimea.

Three European leaders have arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, CNN's team on the ground confirms.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled to the city by train, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters on the platform as he arrived in Kyiv, Macron said the leaders will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visit the site of an alleged massacre.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are en route to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Thursday.

Four days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine and started a bloody war that shows no signs of ending soon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially applied for the country to join the European Union.

Nearly four months later, the EU Commission is expected to offer its opinion on Friday that Ukraine should be considered a candidate state. It will then be for the 27 EU member states to decide whether or not they agree with the Commission's opinion.

The question of whether or not Ukraine should join the EU and how Russia would react has been a contentious issue for years. In 2013, pro-European protests erupted after former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych made a sudden decision to not sign an agreement with the EU that would pull Ukraine further into the EU's orbit. Instead, he opted to pursue closer ties with Putin's Russia.

The following year, Russia invaded Donbas and illegally annexed Crimea.

While most European nations are firmly behind Ukraine and have, to varying degrees, aided Zelensky in his war efforts, it's far from certain that his wish will be granted.

For political and procedural reasons, it is possible that the EU ultimately decides that now is not the right time. And even if they did agree with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's opinion that Ukraine should be considered for membership, it could take years, even decades, for it to become a reality.

Read the full analysis:

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