Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood beside a departing Keir Starmer in Kyiv on Thursday and thanked Britain for its “unwavering respect” as the outgoing prime minister made his final foreign trip. They paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian warriors, with Zelenskyy expressing “eternal gratitude to every man and woman who defended Ukraine against Russian aggression.”
The same day, the EU’s top court in Luxembourg ruled that Spain’s controversial amnesty for Catalan separatists does not violate key provisions of bloc law — a major legal and political win for Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez and pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont. Sánchez agreed to the pardon in exchange for parliamentary support needed to remain in office after the 2023 national elections. The measure sparked fierce opposition in Spain, but the judges rejected arguments that using public funds for the 2017 independence referendum undermined the EU’s financial interests. “The Union’s financial interests cannot be considered to be affected by the mere decrease in gross national income,” they wrote.
“Zelenskyy thanks Starmer on final Kyiv visit as EU court backs Catalan amnesty law.”
The decision puts an end to the Spanish Court of Auditors’ case targeting Puigdemont and other Catalan officials. However, it does not affect his Supreme Court indictment for alleged embezzlement, issued in 2023. Puigdemont has appealed the refusal of amnesty to the Constitutional Court, which has been awaiting Luxembourg’s ruling. The definitive sentence, which the Supreme Court would have to apply, is expected this fall.