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Transcript/ScriptUkraine Russia (TV)
HEADLINE: Ukraine’s Bid for EU Membership; Putin’s Presidential Push
TEASER: Kyiv continues push for accession to the EU while Russia’s president plans another bid for power
PUBLISHED AT: 12/10/23
BYLINE: Arash Arabasadi
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: REUTERS/ Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/ AP/ Hungarian Government Handout/ Russian Pool/ 3rd Assault Brigade
SCRIPT EDITORS: Page; caw
VIDEO SOURCE (S): REUTERS/ Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/ AP/ Hungarian Government Handout/ Russian Pool/ 3rd Assault Brigade
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 3:04
NOTE:
VID APPROVED BY: SV
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO)) [[ Ukraine pushes for more global support as Russia’s president says he seeks a fifth term in the Kremlin. Kyiv’s bid to join the European Union seems frozen as its troops prepare for another winter at war. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story.]]
((VAR, TRAINING, WEDRZYN, POL, REUTERS, 12/07))
((NARRATOR))
Ukrainian soldiers again ready for winter combat, blanketed by the snow-covered fields of western Poland. The exercise takes place in underground trenches simulating the fighting soldiers so far have faced, even if most of these trainees have never seen combat, according to one of the Ukrainian soldiers here.
((ZELENSKYY, BUENOS AIRES, ARG, REUTERS, 12/08))
((mandatory cg Ukrainian Presidential Press Service))
((NARRATOR))
Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Buenos Aires to attend the inauguration of new Argentine President Javier Milei. Zelenskyy was there to shore up support from the Global South for Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia.
((ZELENSKYY, KYIV, REUTERS, 12/08))
((mandatory cg Ukrainian Presidential Press Service))
((NARRATOR))
Before his trip and from Kyiv, Zelenskyy recently signed bills into law – one specifically to appease Hungary– in a bid to clear a path to Ukraine’s EU membership.
((ORBAN/MACRON, PARIS, REUTERS, 12/07))
((NARRATOR))
One of the biggest roadblocks to that membership is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.
((ORBAN INTERVIEW, BUDAPEST, HUN, AP, 12/01))
((mandatory cg Hungarian Government Handout))
((NARRATOR))
Orban recently appeared in a televised interview from Hungary’s capital, Budapest. Orban repeatedly said he opposed Ukraine’s membership in the EU, saying it would take five-to-10 years to first conclude a strategic partnership. Orban is considered one of Europe’s top allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as a spoiler for Ukraine’s EU membership, as the 27-nation-bloc requires unanimous approval to absorb a new country.
((PUTIN/CEREMONY, MOSCOW, REUTERS, 12/08))
((mandatory cg Russian Pool))
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, at a Friday ceremony in Moscow, Putin awarded soldiers who fought in Ukraine while announcing he would again seek the presidency in 2024. If, as expected, Putin wins reelection, that would keep him in power through at least 2030. The 71-year-old Putin has already served longer than any Russian leader since Joseph Stalin.
((VAR, SIGNS, MOSCOW, REUTERS, 12/07, 12/08))
((NARRATOR))
But just outside in the streets of Moscow, the political team of jailed Putin opposition leader, Alexei Navalny was already at work creating billboards with a seemingly innocuous new year’s greeting. The message, however, contained a QR code that took viewers to a (not Putin) website. Authorities soon removed the signs, and Navalny continues serving his more than 30-year prison sentence.
((VAR, MONUMENT, KYIV, UKR, REUTERS, 12/09))
((NARRATOR))
In Ukraine, a push to erase all traces of Russian rule. Municipal workers took down the statue of a field commander from the Russian Civil War. A local councilman said it would now live in a museum.
((VAR, MISSILE DAMAGE, KHARKIV, UKR, REUTERS, 12/08))
((NARRATOR))
In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, this modern war wages on, as a recent Russian missile strike killed at least one person and injured several others. According to CNN, Western intelligence assessments warn Russia is likely to increase such attacks on civilian infrastructure during the winter.
((FIGHTING, NEAR BAKHMUT, UKR, REUTERS, 12/02))
((mandatory cg 3rd Assault Brigade))
((NARRATOR))
And while civilians brace for more cold months at war, front-line soldiers fight to regain land in the country’s south and east. VOA cannot independently verify the date or location of this video from Reuters, but Ukrainian forces say it shows the latest push to recapture cities like Bakhmut, seized by Russian forces this spring.
Arash Arabasadi, VOA News.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
in Washington D. C.
Embargo DateDecember 10, 2023 16:16 EST
Byline
Arash Arabasadi, VOA News.
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
