The President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, deems it highly irresponsible to hold elections in a country at war.
In his nightly video address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that it was highly irresponsible to consider holding elections in Ukraine while the country is at war. He urged for unity to prevent meaningless political debates.
The speaker stated that this is a crucial moment for protection and warfare, as the future of the state and its citizens rests upon it. They also expressed their belief that elections are not suitable at this moment.
According to Zelenskyy, it is vital to prioritize addressing the military obstacles that Ukraine is currently facing in its efforts to defend against Russian forces that have been occupying almost 20% of its land for over 20 months since the invasion began in February 2022.
Currently, due to the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, elections are prohibited. However, Zelenskyy has been deliberating on whether to utilize specific measures to hold them, such as altering legislation and receiving aid from other countries to cover the costs.
He stated his desire to seek reelection if there was a vote.
Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that President Zelenskyy was considering the advantages and disadvantages of conducting a poll during wartime.
Some international voices, including Senator Lindsey Graham of the Republican Party in the United States, have urged for an election to take place as proof of Ukraine’s improvements in its democratic systems.
On Monday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna informed Reuters that Ukraine is anticipating a favorable evaluation from the European Union regarding its advancements towards future membership in the EU.
According to Stefanishyna, Kyiv has successfully completed all the necessary reforms. The report to be released on Wednesday is anticipated to initiate discussions for Ukraine’s potential accession into the EU, beginning in December.
“I believe the evaluation would be favorable as we have maintained continuous communication with the European Commission, discussing and negotiating the steps we have successfully implemented,” stated Stefanishyna.
On June 9, 2022, in Brussels, Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, gave a press conference discussing the new support from the European Innovation Council for tech startups in Ukraine.
Negotiations for EU membership can be lengthy, as prospective members must fulfill strict legal and economic standards prior to admission. The EU, currently consisting of 27 nations, is not open to accepting a nation engaged in conflict.
Truck drivers from Poland, a member of the European Union, staged a blockade at three border crossings with Ukraine on Monday. They were protesting the perceived lack of action from the government regarding the decline in their business due to competition from foreign companies, which they attribute to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
According to local officials, Polish truck drivers are unhappy that Ukrainian transportation companies are not required to obtain permits to enter Poland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The truck drivers’ requests involve reinstating limits on the amount of trucks from Ukraine that can enter Poland and prohibiting transportation companies with non-European Union funds, among other things.
Ukraine’s ambassador in Warsaw, Vasyl Zvarych, expressed his disappointment on social media platform X about the road closures at the Poland-Ukraine border. He described it as a hurtful betrayal to Ukraine, a country already facing Russian aggression.
Trucks are lined up at the Rava-Ruska checkpoint in the Lviv region of Ukraine, waiting to cross the border into Poland as the ongoing Russian attack on Ukraine persists. This took place on April 17, 2023.
The top military leader of Ukraine stated on Monday that his major-ranked assistant was fatally injured in an explosion caused by a booby-trapped birthday gift he had opened.
General Valery Zaluzhnyi shared on the Telegram messaging app that his assistant and dear friend, Major Hennady Chastyakov, passed away on his birthday during a family event. The cause was an explosion from an unidentified object found in one of his gifts.
According to a security source, Chastyakov’s wife informed the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper that the present he received was a bottle of alcohol shaped like a grenade, which he brought home. When he opened it, it detonated.
The explosion caused severe injuries to Chastyakov’s 13-year-old son.
On Monday, Ukraine initiated a criminal inquiry into military personnel responsible for arranging a ceremony to honor troops. The ceremony was struck by a Russian missile, resulting in the death of 19 soldiers. This attack is one of the most devastating single incidents reported by Ukrainian forces.
The State Bureau of Investigation has stated its intention to hold military personnel responsible for the event held on Friday near the front line in Zaporizhzhia, which commemorated Rocket Forces and Artillery Day. The location of the event made it vulnerable to detection by Russian reconnaissance drones due to the large number of people present.
The violent incident triggered backlash from the Ukrainian community, with many questioning the decision to hold an event in such close proximity to the battlefield on social media.
According to AP, Zelenskyy expressed sorrow over the loss of the soldiers from the 128th Separate Mountain-Assault Brigade of Zakarpattia, calling it a preventable tragedy.
Eight individuals were injured and an art museum, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, was damaged due to drone and missile attacks conducted in Odesa late on Sunday.
The National Art Museum in Odesa reported that seven exhibitions, primarily showcasing the art of modern Ukrainian artists, were harmed during a strike that resulted in a significant crater outside of the museum. This unfortunate event occurred as the museum was commemorating its 124th year of operation.
On November 6, 2023, a view revealed the location of a Russian missile attack near the National Art Museum in Odesa during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The most recent report from the British Ministry of Defense states that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is responsible for causing a rise in inflation and a decrease in social services in Russia.
The ministry announced on Monday that inflation in Russia reached 6 percent in September, fueled by the increasing prices of essential consumer goods such as food and fuel.
According to the ministry, the considerable inflation rate may also affect the borrowing expenses of Russian citizens and impact the debt servicing expenses of the Russian government.
This story’s sources include The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
Source: voanews.com
