EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová, in an interview published on 17 June 2026, asserted that Ukraine retains strategic leverage in its war with Russia and is not losing as Russian propaganda claims. The interview, posted on the EEAS website and originally published by Ukrainian outlet Censor.NET, came on a day that saw a massive Russian overnight attack with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, damaging the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra cathedral and causing dozens of casualties. That evening, all EU member states agreed to open the first cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, a development Mathernová described as excellent news. The ambassador's remarks counter Russian narratives of Ukrainian defeat, emphasizing that Ukraine has its own cards to play on the international stage. The interview underscores the EU's continued political and material support for Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities and the formal start of accession talks.
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