President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine welcomed the breakthrough in Ukraine’s official opening of accession negotiations to join the bloc. Securing more financial aid will have to wait.

The draft legislation still needs to be formally approved by EU member states and the parliament. 

Russian proxies in occupied Ukrainian regions were expected to ask Moscow to make good on the claimed results as early as Wednesday.

"Two issues including one on sanctions remained to be resolved," two Iranian and European officials said.

Ukraine has praised the courage of three European leaders who made a long, hazardous journey by rail from Poland to Kyiv in a show of support as the city came under further Russian attack.

A massive 12-figure scheme is set to be revealed this week in what critics are describing as a direct response to China’s global powerplay.

Paris has slammed the UK’s decision to maintain quarantine measures for travelers from France, arguing that it is “discriminatory,” as double-jabbed citizens across the European Union (EU) are able to forgo the requirement.

As the United States' vaccination campaign accelerates, so-called vaccine passports are gaining traction despite political divisions and a fragmented health care system that complicates the centralization of data.

Benefits of using the shot outweigh its potential risks and inoculations should proceed, says bloc’s medicines agency

U.S. holds back for now amid ethical and practical concerns

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russian officials and businesses as part of a growing row over the imprisonment of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, President Joe Biden’s administration told reporters on Tuesday.

France on Friday recommended that people who have already recovered from Covid-19 receive a single vaccine dose, becoming the first country to issue such advice.

France's Pasteur Institute said on Monday it was ending development of a Covid-19 vaccine with US pharmaceutical company Merck after clinical trial results proved disappointing.

The clearance is a major step in efforts to tame the disease in a region that is fighting a deadly winter surge, as the bloc also tries to keep out a new mutation of the coronavirus found in Europe.

“We think it is responsible at this point to go the extra mile,” EU and UK leaders said.

The German government says tests performed on samples taken from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny showed the presence of the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his German and French counterparts Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron that any attempt by outside forces to intervene in the political crisis in Belarus would be counterproductive.

Poland's incumbent President Andrzej Duda has narrowly beaten challenger Rafal Trzaskowski in Sunday's presidential vote.

European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again, possibly from late next week, EU diplomats confirmed Saturday. Americans are almost certain to be excluded in the short term due to the number of U.S. coronavirus cases.

Travellers coming into the UK will face a 14-day quarantine, spot checks and could be hit with $1865 fines if they break the rules.