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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the EU decision to open membership talks [File: Virginia Mayo/AP Photo] President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed a “victory” for Ukraine and Europe after European Union leaders agreed to open  membership talks  with Kyiv, but the mood was soured just hours later when Hungary carried through on threats to block crucial financial aid to Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel, host of the summit in Brussels, announced Thursday’s agreement on membership talks in a social media post, calling it “a clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent”. Zelenskyy welcomed the decision as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” he said in a post on X. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was “a strategic decision and a day that will remain engraved in the history of our union”. “These countries belong to the European family,” G...

  Russia is intensifying its campaign against civilian targets in Ukraine [Valery Melnikov/Reuters] Uncertainty is growing over Western backing for Ukraine amid Russia’s intensifying campaign to knock out the country’s energy infrastructure. The White House has warned the United States Congress that funds designated for providing aid to Ukraine would run out by the end of the year, in a letter made public on Monday. The European Union is also facing difficulties in agreeing on a new 50 billion euro ($54bn) lifeline for Kyiv. “I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine,” the director of the US Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, wrote in a letter to House Speaker  Mike Johnson . In the face of an upcoming harsh winter of intensifying Russian assaults on civilian infrastructure, the lack of funding could mean defeat for Ukraine, warned the budget director. “I...