Ukraine has opened the sixth negotiation cluster, "External Relations," bringing the country one step closer to European Union membership. Although the cluster's description underscores the importance of aligning Ukraine's sanctions policy with that of the EU, the benchmarks make no mention of the reforms needed in this area – at least not yet. That omission is deeply troubling. Sanctions have become an increasingly contentious issue in Ukrainian society following yet another round of personal

Ukraine is preparing to open four new clusters as part of its negotiations with the EU and has identified three key priorities. — Ukrinform.

Zelensky says joining the EU would remove a decades-old source of instability that Russia has exploited against both Ukraine and the bloc.