Ukraine and Moldova have taken a key step in their EU accession process after all 27 member states agreed to open the first negotiation cluster covering “fundamentals,” marking the formal start of structured membership talks, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The opening of the first EU accession negotiation cluster marks a long-delayed breakthrough for Ukraine and Moldova after years of internal EU divisions and vetoes, including from Hungary. It formally starts talks on core governance reforms, following repeated postponements despite earlier candidate status.

EU says accession step reflects wartime reform progress and core EU standards

Von der Leyen said the decision reflects recognition of both countries’ progress on reforms despite wartime conditions and sustained political pressure. 

She said the cluster on fundamentals forms “the backbone of the accession process,” covering rule of law, democratic institutions, and core EU principles. 

“This is a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges,” she said.

She added that enlargement is a “strategic choice,” arguing that bringing new members closer to the bloc strengthens “peace, security and prosperity across our continent,” and said a larger EU is “our best investment in our shared future.”

Today, the European Union took a major step forward.

All Member States agreed to open the first accession negotiations cluster with Ukraine and Moldova.

At the first Intergovernmental Conference on Monday, we will open the cluster on fundamentals; the backbone of the accession… pic.twitter.com/WSPU8CVPpg

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 12, 2026

Zelenskyy welcomes opening of first accession cluster as “strong step for Europe”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision, thanking EU partners and individual leaders for what he described as a “strong step for Europe.” 

He said Ukraine continues to deliver reforms despite the war and that the EU is now fulfilling its commitments in return. 

Zelenskyy said opening the first cluster is “a significant political and moral support for our state and our people,” and stressed that Ukraine is working to ensure readiness for the next stages of accession talks.

He added that Kyiv is grateful for international support and said the EU’s backing helps Ukraine defend not only itself but “the idea that European nations can live united, free, and in peace.”

Today’s EU member states’ decision to open Cluster 1 negotiations w/ Ukraine marks another milestone on Ukraine’s path to the EU. Enlargement remains a strategic investment in Europe’s security, stability, and prosperity, & is committed to contribute & deliver. We are…

— Taras Kachka (@taraskachka) June 12, 2026

Hungary’s veto lifted after minority rights agreement clears path for accession talks to advance

The move follows months of procedural preparation within the EU, after the Cyprus presidency initiated steps to open the first negotiation cluster for Ukraine and Moldova. 

The cluster on fundamentals is the first and most sensitive stage of accession talks, and must be opened unanimously by all member states before negotiations can proceed further.

The breakthrough comes after Hungary’s prolonged veto over the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine was lifted. 

Budapest had previously blocked progress over disputes including minority rights in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia Oblast, which borders Hungary and contains a number of ethnic Hungarians, stalling the launch of negotiation clusters despite Ukraine receiving candidate status in 2022. 

The recent shift followed a change in Hungary’s political leadership and an agreement on minority rights, removing a key obstacle to advancing the accession framework.

EU enlargement process slowed for years by internal divisions despite technical preparations continuing

Enlargement talks remained stalled for years due to internal divisions, including Hungary’s veto, even as broader momentum built across the bloc. 

While technical preparations for “clusters” were advancing, the formal opening required unanimous agreement and had been repeatedly delayed despite Ukraine’s expectation that talks could begin sooner. 

Enlargement remains a long-term process requiring sustained reforms across governance, judiciary, and economic policy before membership is possible. No country has completed the process since Croatia joined in 2013.

By Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio

VERSIONE IN ITALIANO

Gabbard (ODNI): “US government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries”

«Today, I’m releasing never before seen intelligence revealing new evidence of past US government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, including Ukraine».

After months of searching through Intelligence Community holdings and files, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard is revealing new evidence of longstanding United States government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries.

She is doing this as her final act in office, as she resigned from her post due to her husband’s health after announcing an investigation about this hot topic.

«In support of President Trump‘s Executive Order to end federal funding of dangerous gain of function research around the world, and increase transparency and accountability, ODNI will continue working with partners across the Administration to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain, and what “research” is being conducted» Gabbard added in her X video.

Gain of Function (GOF) is a technique for laboratory virus enhancement similar to the principle of uranium enrichment in nuclear power. It has been used in the context of DURC (Dual Use Research Concern) protocols, where “DUAL” stands for dual use: for medical purposes, for vaccines, or for military purposes, for biological weapons.

It has been confirmed by several experts during the depositions before the US Congressional Committees that the infamous virologist Anthony Fauci, (former director of the NIAID), accused of having built the SARS-Cov-2 in the laboratory, used the GOF in his experiments on pathogens conducted in American laboratories and coordinated in those abroad such as in Wuhan and Ukraine.

WUHAN-GATES – 89. “FAUCI & US INTELLIGENCE Hid SARS-Cov-2 BIO-WEAPON LAB-MADE”. CIA Whistleblower before Senate (VIDEO). He Tells the same that Gospa News wrote

A Bombshell that confirmed American Bioweapons in Ukraine 

«These biolabs include labs in Ukraine, which may be at risk of compromise due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war» the ODNI official Statement pointed out.

The Intelligence Community previously “warned that a US-funded biolab in Ukraine likely housed dangerous pathogens and remained vulnerable to longstanding threats of Russian attack, seizure, or damage”, despite just Moscow troops denounced this risk to international autorities,,,

The dossier, currently consisting of four slides packed with data, appears to be a political bombshell because it confirms what Russia and Gospa News have reported regarding the Ukraine Biolabs case.

But the content is truly “poor” of data compared to what has already emerged in Russian complaints to the UNODA (United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs) in Geneva and our investigations in the WuhanGates and Ukraine Biolabs series, which revealed a network of speculation on laboratory-enhanced pathogens also used for coronaviruses and, therefore, for SARS-CoV-2…

It is, however, of fundamental importance because it confirms, without any doubt, the existence of experiments on viruses suitable for turning them into American bioweapons…

WUHAN-GATES – 62. MANMADE SARS-Cov-2 FOR GOLDEN VACCINES: Metabiota, CIA, Biden, Gates, Rockefeller intrigued in Ukraine, China and Italy

Gabbard’s declassified dossier therefore contains everything necessary for a frontal attack on the Obama and Biden administrations, which opened 12 of those laboratories in Ukraine under the aegis of the Pentagon in 2012, thanks to former CIA Director Leon Panetta.

This new evidence confirmed also the dangerous researches on many lethal viruses as Ebola and SARS, the responsible for Covid-19 in new SARS-Cov-2 genotype.

WUHAN-GATES – 50. The Italian Boss of Obama’s Coronavirus. Ukraine Laboratories Funded by former CIA Director Leon Panetta

But it hasn’t enough details to affirm that almost all the viruses causing recent epidemics were engineered according to research on synthetic and recombinant pathogens constructed by American biolaboratories, as revealed by a USAF dossier.

This thesis was supported by General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian Troops for Chemical, Biological and Radiological Protection, later killed in an attack by the Ukrainian secret services supported by the intelligence of various NATO countries, primarily the British MI6 counterintelligence but also the American one of the CIA…

NATO-KIEV TERRORISM RAISES THE SHOT. Russia’s Chemical Defense Chief KILLED after Discovering Lethal Viruses Built in Ukraine by US. Pentagon’s Expert confirms

The now declassified dossier therefore appears to be the “swan song” of the enterprising director of the ODNI, which coordinates all 18 American federal agencies, and an attempt to debunk theories according to which she was induced to resign precisely after announcing a thorough formal investigation into US biolaboratories…

ODNI: “Evidence regarding the full existence and funding of these laboratorie”

«Until now, evidence regarding the full existence and funding of these laboratories had been knowingly withheld from the American people. The information surrounding the existence, history, locations and funding of these US funded biolabs has been intentionally covered up by powerful people falsely, claiming that they do not exist and accusing anyone who says otherwise to be foreign assets and traitors to America» the ODNI statement adds.

According to Gabbard official note, «many of these U.S. government-funded biolabs are currently or have previously engaged in research using hazardous and highly contagious pathogens, in some cases to include dangerous Gain-of-Function research, with very little visibility or oversight».

President Trump understands the serious threat dangerous Gain-of-Function research poses to the American people, which is why he took decisive action on May 25, 2025, signing EO 14292 to end federal funding of Gain-of-Function research around the world, ODNI recalled.

“Despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth. ODNI will continue to work closely with partners across the government to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain to end dangerous Gain-of-Function research that threatens the health and wellbeing of the American people and people around the world,” said DNI Gabbard.

DNI Gabbard issued new guidance to the Intelligence Community directing increased collection on these laboratories and facilities overseas.

«This directive is already providing new details on clinical trials that are underway at these facilities, raising significant ethical, financial, and security concerns regarding these supposed public health initiatives and U.S. national security» the ODNI official statement concluded.

The last slide on US BioWeapons Defense industries confirmed the most part of the name we have previously revealed in our investigation as Metabiota, a Pentagon and CIA contractor focused on data science and analytics company focused on mitigating global risks from infectious diseases and funded even by Hunter Biden, son of president Joe.

Fabio Giusepepe Carlo Carisio – Gospa News Director and Founder

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MAIN SOURCES

ODNI-GABBARD DECLASSIFIED slide-DOSSIER

ODNI OFFICIAL STATEMENT

ODNI LINK ON US FUNDING BIOLABS

GOSPA NEWS – UKRAINE BIOLABS DOSSIER

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FATAL PENTAGON VIRUS!! Just after her Probe on US Bioweapons In Ukraine Gabbard Resigns as Director Of National Intelligence (Video)

Bombshell! 9/11, PLANDEMIC & MOSCOW MASSACRE. “Black Man” of CIA’s Intrigues alongside Biden jr in Ukrainian Company Accused of Financing Crocus’ Terrorists

EBOLA OUTBREAK after Biolabs’ Tests. Kenya: ONE KILLED in Protests vs US Quarantine Plan. 200 Deaths in Africa. MODERNA & GATES Developing mRNA “Vaccine” since 4 Months ago

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UKRAINE BIOLABS & BIOWEAPONS VIRUSES (as Ebola now Killer in Africa) funded by PENTAGON: US Intel Director Gabbard defies CIA-GATES Plots…

UKRAINE BIOLABS – 5 . U.S. Department of Defense granted a ‘COVID-19 Research’ 3 months before Infection Disease was known to even exist

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that European Union member states have agreed to advance accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, boosting the countries' membership bids after two years of stalled progress.

Diese Ausgabe von „Tacheles mit Röper und Stein“ ist sehr stark vom Thema des Ukraine-Krieges geprägt, aber natürlich gab es auch noch andere Themen. Und wieder einmal ist uns bei der Aufnahme aufgefallen, wie viele Ereignisse und Tatsachen deutsche Medien verschweigen. Also haben wir darüber berichtet und gesprochen. Sollte YouTube die Sendung löschen, finden Sie […]

Key developments on June 12:

• Ukraine announces landmark military service reforms with record pay raise for infantry
• Russian rubber plant, oil refineries struck by Ukrainian drones in latest overnight attack, military confirms
• Ukrainian drone maker Skyfall partners with Airbus on defense innovation
• Sumy hit by morning artillery bombardment as Russian

The director of US National Intelligence (DNI) has released evidence that her office says shows "longstanding" United States government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries where research on biological pathogens, some dangerous, is conducted.

"We will open the cluster on fundamentals; the backbone of the accession process," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on June 12. "It covers the core values and principles on which the EU is built, from the rule of law to strong democratic institutions."

European overtures for renewing diplomacy with Russia smack of hypocrisy and duplicity.

Contact us: info@strategic-culture.su

After four years of zero diplomacy, multiple rounds of economic sanctions aimed at crushing the Russian state, and hundreds of billions of euros fueling a futile war in Ukraine against Russia, European capitals are lately abuzz with calls for opening peace negotiations with Moscow.

No doubt part of the shifting policy is due to the economic mess that Europe has created for itself by cutting off energy trade with Russia. Escalating energy costs are destroying European industries and imposing crippling financial hardship on millions of its citizens. Realizing the self-inflicted disaster, European capitals are desperate to appear to be normalizing relations with Russia and resume affordable energy supplies.

France and Italy are advocating the appointment of an envoy to engage with Russia to resolve the conflict and the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions.

Last weekend, the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany – the so-called E3 – stated that they would “help mediate” a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. The Ukrainian puppet president, Vladimir Zelensky, was feted in Downing Street on June 7 by Britain’s Kier Starmer, France’s Macron, and Germany’s Merz. They proposed taking the lead in negotiations from the United States since President Trump seems more preoccupied with ending the war against Iran.

Various names have been suggested as to who could serve as an interlocutor representing Europe. Angela Merkel, the former German Chancellor, and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are two names that have been put forward. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has also been suggested. It’s unlikely any of them would be acceptable to Moscow, especially Merkel, mainly due to her past role in covertly undermining the 2015 Minsk Accords, thereby sowing the seeds for war that erupted seven years later.

The telling – almost laughable – thing is the paucity of any European figure with credibility as an envoy.

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has become a laughing stock over her rank incompetence. Her Russophobic ranting has rendered her redundant in conducting foreign policy. So much so that there is a revolt among European diplomats against what they declaim as her “dysfunction”.

This week, Europe sent three ambassadors to Moscow to renew some form of dialogue. Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Galuzin, met with representatives from Britain, France, and Germany. The Russian foreign ministry said it was open to hearing what Europe had to say.

However, Galuzin reportedly gave the visitors short shrift, reminding them that Europe cannot pose as mediators when it is a participant in the war against Russia.

Following the meeting on Thursday, Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, dismissed the European mission as not serious about addressing the challenge of finding a peace settlement.

Zakharova accused the ambassadors of promoting a “dead-end Zelensky formula.”

She said: “The leaders of these countries are pretending, through their statements, to be calling for peace, but in reality they are putting forward unacceptable conditions, increasing the production of long-range weapons for Kiev and generally taking steps towards the militarisation of Ukraine and Europe.”

If Europe were serious about peace, it would stop arming the Kiev NeoNazi regime and show some meaningful acknowledgment of Russia’s long-held demand to deal with the root causes of the conflict.

Europe’s backing of the Kiev regime’s call for an immediate ceasefire while expanding Ukraine’s ability to carry out deep strikes on Russian territory with European-manufactured drones, killing hundreds of civilians over recent months, is just a cynical ploy to rearm the proxy regime and give it some respite in order to resume the war with more lethal vigour at a later stage.

The duplicity of the European politicians goes back to the treachery of the Minsk Peace Accords in 2015 and the sabotage of the Istanbul peace negotiations in April 2022. That has culminated in the biggest war in Europe since World War Two, with millions of casualties and a real threat of spiralling into open war.

Europe’s governments and its EU and NATO bureaucrats are still wedded to the ideology of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. So, too, it seems is Washington, despite Trump’s talk of wanting peace.

Arming the Nazi regime in Kiev at an increasing pace while calling for a superficial ceasefire is proof that the European leaders are not authentic in their belated espousal of seeking diplomacy with Russia.

Former German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel (2017-2018) recently pointed out a shameful truth when he said that Europe lost its chance for diplomacy in 2021.

Back then, the EU leadership and the American Biden administration both repudiated Russia’s earnest efforts to negotiate a way to avoid war in Ukraine. Moscow had clearly set out its objections to NATO expansion, in particular, the absorption of Ukraine into the military alliance, and it proposed rational solutions for collective security. Russia’s diplomacy was rejected out of hand by Washington and Brussels.

The Europeans and the Americans were bent on provoking Russia into an armed confrontation with their proxy Ukrainian regime that they had installed in the 2014 coup and weaponized. Diplomacy was rejected because the NATO axis calculated that it could defeat Russia with war and economic strangulation, or, as some Western politicians admitted, “total war”.

The European agenda, as reflected in demands for an immediate ceasefire without any cognizance of Russia’s arguments about historic claims and indivisible security, demonstrates that European leaders are not yet ready or willing to engage genuinely and meaningfully.

As 18th-century Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz might put it, their recent overtures for political talks are simply war by other means.

The Russia Day concert, an annual tub-thumping Red Square performance, is canceled for the first time in 23 years. The marquee annual air show is canceled. The Victory Day parade was notably lower key. Ukraine’s expanding drone campaign is taking its toll on big, splashy Kremlin-backed events.

"Partnering with Airbus, we are developing the next generation of technologies to establish a multi-layered air shield that will bolster the protection of Ukrainian skies and European airspace," Skyfall CEO Mykolaiv Makovieiev said.

Detectives from Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau searched the country’s State Financial Monitoring Service as part of an investigation into the agency’s head, Filip Pronin, who is a suspect in a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme, an official close to the matter confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on

Vladimir Putin is losing the war he started. His army occupies every kilometer at a cost no economy can sustain, and the goals set in February 2022 have quietly vanished from his staff maps.

But this war has more than one front, and one of them runs through Poland. On

According to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's new monthly rate is the highest salary rate for infantry in the world.

Manche Themen sind für deutsche Medien offensichtlich schwierig, denn anders lässt sich nicht erklären, warum der Spiegel fast drei Wochen brauchte, um seinen Lesern über die Krise im polnisch-ukrainischen Verhältnis zu berichten. Allerdings berichtet der Spiegel ausgesprochen unvollständig, denn den wichtigsten Grund für den Streit, nämlich dass die Ukraine die sterblichen Überreste von in Deutschland […]

The launch is expected to come from the Kapustin Yar launch site in southern Russia, the Air Force said on Telegram.

The latest draft of the European Union's seven-year budget, released on June 11, envisions 89 billion euros of financial support for Ukraine from 2028 to 2034, down from the 100 billion euros ($115 billion) originally proposed by the European Commission.

Eight locations were struck in broad daylight in the regional capital, injuring six residents, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said.

Two suspects in a corruption scandal that has shaken Ukraine and cut close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of a prominent lawmaker as someone who could advance their interests and protect cash flows, audio recordings obtained by Schemes reveal. The lawmaker and suspects deny any wrongdoing.

When a Ukrainian strike hit Russian-occupied Starobilsk on May 22, Moscow seized on the attack almost instantly, with Russian officials claiming that 21 students of a local vocational college were killed and dozens more injured and portraying the strike as a deliberate attack on civilians — which Ukraine denied.

The

Poland will keep processing buses leaving Ukraine through the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint this summer despite a planned 17-month closure for repairs. Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba announced the reversal on Telegram on 11 June.

Lviv Customs had said the day before that traffic from Ukraine to Poland through the crossing would be suspended from 15 June until November 2027. Shehyni-Medyka is the busiest road link between the two countries.

The about-face followed urgent talks between Ukraine's Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories and the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration. Warsaw's Polish Embassy in Kyiv has not issued a public comment.

"Bus traffic through the 'Shehyni–Medyka' checkpoint will not be halted during the summer season, even while the repair work is being carried out." — Oleksiy Kuleba, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, 11 June 2026

A border managed under cooling political weather

The bus reversal was, narrowly, a technical fix. However, it landed in a year when Polish-Ukrainian relations had visibly cooled.

President Karol Nawrocki, elected in June 2025 on a "Poland First" platform, vetoed extensions of Ukrainian refugee benefits in August. He signed legislation in February ending the special-status regime that had governed Ukrainian residency since 2022.

Most recently, Nawrocki called for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be stripped of Poland's Order of the White Eagle. The trigger was a Ukrainian Special Operations unit named for the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Public sentiment has shifted alongside Nawrocki. Just 48 percent of Poles still back accepting Ukrainian refugees, against 46 percent opposed, according to a January 2026 CBOS survey. That is the lowest figure recorded since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Furthermore, hate crimes against Ukrainians in Poland rose 49 percent between 2023 and 2025, The New Republic reported in April. Critically, Russia's Avanhard military camp near Volgograd remains active. More than 900 Ukrainian children passed through there for two-week shifts in 2026 alone.

Bus diplomacy meets bus politics

Polish haulers and farmers blockaded crossings repeatedly from late 2023 through 2024. They cited competition from Ukrainian carriers and grain imports. Two Ukrainian drivers died waiting in queues during the November 2023 blockade. In July 2025, Kyiv tightened Shehyni-Medyka registrations to scheduled bus routes only, citing summer overload.

A parallel dispute shows how bus traffic itself can become politicized. Earlier this week, Polish sister city Kielce refused to transfer 20-year-old municipal buses to Vinnytsia. Kielce cited a Vinnytsia street named after Stepan Bandera. Vinnytsia faces regular Russian strikes.

By contrast, the Shehyni-Medyka rollback suggests institutional cooperation can still hold even when sentiment frays. Polish construction firm Unibep signed a turnkey contract in October 2025 to modernize the same crossing. EU Entry/Exit System–compatible gates and 40 percent higher passenger throughput are targeted by Q2 2027.

For now, summer passenger traffic continues. Whether the Shehyni-Medyka corridor stays open through the autumn repair phase remains the next test of bilateral patience.