Just as the war in Ukraine continues to drag on without indication of ultimatum, the European Union has banned together to stand behind Ukraine and oppose Russian aggression. As of right now, Ukraine still has not been accepted into the EU, but the push for a membership in the next 2 years by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is bound to be the main topic of conversation at the February 3rd EU summit, which is the first to happen on Ukrainian soil.

Before next week’s summit, EU officials will travel to Kyiv to communicate with Shmyhal and Zelensky, but only to reel in Ukraine’s unattainable expectations.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last year it could be “decades” before Ukraine joins. EU leaders likewise believe that it will take more than two years in order for Ukraine to gain access, as countries like Serbia, Turkey and Montenegro have been waiting for many years, since 1999 in Ankara’s
case.

Since the start of the Ukrainian war, the debate on whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Olympic games has divided the Olympic committee and athletes everywhere. Though efforts to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete but as “neutrals,” with the IOC stating that no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport, have been met with harsh negativity and criticism, with Vladimir Zelensky announcing that there could be no neutrality in sport while his country’s athletes are dying on the battlefield, and even threatening to withdraw from Paris 2024 if the Russian athletes were allowed to compete.

As sanctions on Russian oil and other goods continue to plague dependent countries and raise the cost of living everywhere in the world, many countries have been seeking a replacement for Russian gas and energy. On Saturday, an agreement signed by Libya’s National Oil Corp. and Italy’s Eni said that the two companies will invest $8 billion in gas development, as well as in solar power and carbon capture. The deal between these two countries is the largest single investment in Libya’s energy sector in more than two decades, the Associated Press reported. Croatia has been unanimously voted into the Schengen zone, but Romania and Bulgaria, who also applied for the membership, have not been accepted.

The Schengen zone allows EU visa holders to travel
within the zone without a passport, encouraging trade and promoting integration. Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria have all been members of the EU for as long as 16 years, but a passport was still necessary to pass between them into Schengen countries, along with other hassles such
as border controls. Since January 1st 2023, Croatia has lifted all border controls, allowing tourists to travel faster and more efficiently. Along with lifting its restrictions, from the same date, Croatia will now use the euro as its official currency instead of the Kuna, which as of now is valued at .13 euros.

However, Austria and the Netherlands blocked Romania and Bulgaria’s entry, saying that the 75,000 unregistered illegal migrants coming into Austria must be solved before anything else.