ah ah ah ah ah, this is dw news life from berlin. the european union puts ukraine on the path to membership. european leaders approved both ukraine and moldova as official candidates to join the e. u in the future. also coming up response teams race to reach survivors of afghanistan's deadliest earthquake in decades. aid is now trickling into the remote

mountain region, but people say more help is urgently needed. ah, on nick spicer, welcome to the program. and we begin with an historic shift in europe. e. u. leaders have approved ukraine and mold though as bids for candidate status. the 1st official step towards joining the european union. it's a big political boast for ukraine as it faces big challenges on the battlefield. leaders from germany, france and italy had all back to cranes application, but all 27 member states needed to give it the go ahead. yes. yes we are. protestors outside the you council building here in brussels, found their views reflected by the 27 european leaders meeting inside. all of them

agreed to grant ukraine e u candidate status, along with moldova french president emanuel my call spoke glowingly after the vote . the pupil, unusual to complete from day one of this conflict, europe has been reacting in a quick historic and united way body's function. firstly was the sanctions as then economic, military and financial support. legal to me committee annoyed with this political gesture, im not suggested, but i think the decision did not come as a surprise. mccall, along with 2 other powerful e u leaders. germany's olaf schultz and italy's mario to hockey, had traveled to keith earlier in june, where they endorsed ukraine's e. u membership bid. many of the leaders acknowledged that russia's invasion played a large role in their decision making. these put the whole european union in such a motion that will we see as a result of totally new i would say utmost food we can do up in council. it says,

i would say this is a new european council at this moment. it's clear ukraine will have to fulfill a long list of criteria before being able to enter the union. a process that could take years even decades. but the possibility of a lengthy wait didn't dampen the spirits of ukraine's president who thank the council via video link. each of these you to show property, and i believe that the flag of the european union will fly in every ukrainian city that we have to liberate from russian occupation for that great. the ukrainian and european flags will be together when we rebuild our country together after this war from the states ye lini, ross e u leaders will also have to discuss whether the union is even able to welcome new family members anytime soon. many here and brussels agree the block needs internal reform 1st. so europe can compete on the world stage. and believe the war raging on

its doorstep makes this even more urgent. ukraine officially requested it e u candidacy. in february of this year, 4 days after the russian invasion, but its efforts to move closer to the block began as early as 2004. kara roodick is a, you credit member of parliament and leader, the opposition party voice. i spoke to her about ukraine's journey towards the european union. hello. thank you so much for having me. and i'm actually right now in brussels. so yesterday i was able to get like the feeling of the preparation and then the healing of for a celebration after we receive the candidate. this is truly historical day for my country and for the nation. we started our journey to european union back in 2004 when there was a 1st decision made on the wrong direction. and then the revolution and a. busy busy run for president, you call this happened because he made

a personal decision that we would rather join russia and aligns with them rather than european union. and it was not a choice of ukrainian people joining you and nato is written in our constitution. and this is one of the reasons why putting attack and he was very clear about that . so what happened yesterday is she story on so many levels and so many ways. and i can't even begin to tell you what you crane in people feel right now. i was suppose i messaged me, we waived the right flag. this is there a bleeding news that on the 100 and almost 20 days of war, we really needed to see that are in front of us is not only a fight for our freedom and for our sovereignty. but there is also a chance law. the country you know,

yesterday my father called me and he said i dont quite understand what the candidacy means. but i do understand that we have a future now. and this is the most important thing for you when it gives a future. and can you tell us, i mean, that i can imagine did the emotions and thank you for sharing them from your family the. the new hope that is that is being given by this announcement, but is it, is it just a psychological boost for your country? do you think her, ers, they're more so as a politician, i know that it's he, that it's 1st of all motivation of those that we need. but it's also clear list of 4 items that we need to fulfill tool to move to the next step. and it's a good push for my country. it's a good good for reforms. it's a good bush for the right choices to me for us, for the estrella mccarren and we have already completed things that were unimaginable like a month ago. a couple of days ago,

we have vote for it. if i the symbol convention, something that i personally would say that i did not believe that will be able to do as a leader of liberal party. i of course voted yes and my party voted yes, but there was so many people who are tentative for 10 years. they were tentative. but now when we needed it for the candidacy stages, people put their political a fight aside and they said ok, let's do that. let's do that for our country and ensure that the list of 7 points that your commission gave us in terms of reforms in terms of antic of action, the rule of law and many other things is something that we will be able to complete faster and with more unity because we know why we are doing it, can understand why you're on a war footing and perhaps more mobilized. you might have been in the past. but look, this isn't happening in a vacuum. president zalinski has himself worn in the past that russia might retaliate against this decision. so can this, can this change the situation?

do you think you can change the course of the war? will there be any consequences of being admitted that would be negative coming from the kremlin? there absolutely will be consequences. we have heard statement by putin who said that he doesn't really hear and that he doesn't even mind that you grain. i will get the candidacy, which translating from putting to normal. i can tell you means we can do anything about that, but there will be consequences. this is why all ukrainian people are advised to listen carefully to area tyrants and take them seriously. and this is why we are waiting and hearing, and all our security systems are on the highest level of alarm, because we know that he will fight back. we know that he will do something to prove . first of all, to ration citizens that you rush has to has the control of a drain. ok. cara roodick leader of ukraine's opposition party. reacting to ukraine being granted candidates as to the european union. thank you so much. thank you.

and laura crane. ukraine has ordered the withdrawal of its troops from the eastern city of soviet or the next after weeks of fierce fighting against russian forces. that's according to the regional governor, capturing severe the nets can. and don boss area is central to russia's push. she sees a large, suave, of land in eastern ukraine. authorities very se fighting is intensifying and no town in the region is safe for residence. civilian evacuations are increasing. meanwhile, ukrainian troops have repelled a russian attack. on the southern outskirts of near by lucy chanced, the last fully ukrainian control city in the region of germany is hosting talks it aimed at tackling the looming global food crisis. the war and ukraine has led to rising through prices and shortages around the world, especially in countries that were already struggling to feed their populations ahead of the conference. the german minister of foreign affairs and

a le burbock held a press conference. let's listening a since nish will not is anthony 1000 a since we are not talking about hundreds of thousands. we are talking about millions of people. there are 345000000 women children and man world right. who are facing an acute shortage a photo. we are facing a famine crisis that confronts us, like a threatening wave, termed. i asked was not russia's attack when ukraine has turned persuade insurance to nami. since the beginning of the walk prices for grain, well white have one smart shut up in you who are the chosen. and for more on this, we're joined now by d. w. political correspondent, benjamin as that is gruber benjamin. what else can you tell us about this conference? it was not just germany's foreign minister who gave this press conference along her . we're also development minister svena schultz and the agronomy minister jim at

smith that shows this cross a ministerial approach that the german government is doing. it's part of this g 7 presidency to tackle the problems at what we just heard there by an alina babel, by saying that russia turned this wave into sanaa. me something that the both other ministers also is said that there was already a crisis looking a global supply problems or disruption by the pandemic. and also the problems that the regents had already there were now increase of the idea of the conference today, where many of representatives will attend not only of the governments of the g 7 countries, g 7 plus or other countries that are also involved. the will also be members of civil society, of the african union, and of united nations, taking part to try to find a solution to the grain exports from ukraine. and to prevent a possible hung a crisis in africa and asia. and mentioned what are the concrete measures if any that are being discussed at this point? do they have solutions that are being put forward?

they now want to focus and how to get grain, how to get this millions of tons of grain that are blocked in ukraine in ports blocked by russia. and what in the foreign minister also said is that they also want to push against the narrative that russia, that moscow have been saying that the green exports cannot leave ukraine due to western sanctions. and germany is saying that it's due to the war that ukraine started, you to russia's invasion of ukraine. so they want to see what are the options, what alternative options to get this green out of the country to get this green due to the global south. also, and to talk to them that something that these ministers also stressed they do not want to talk about the global cells, but with them at this conference in berlin. ok, d, w political correspondent, benjamin alvarez gruber, thanks for that. international aid is arriving in afghanistan after the

countries deadliest earthquake in decades. the tremor killed at least a 1000 people, an injured many more when it hit on wednesday scenes of destruction like these all across spectacle province. in eastern afghanistan, people were still sifting through what's left of their destroy homes. the hope of still finding someone alive slowly waning. most people have lost someone in the deadly quake. some families have been decimated. douglasville mother, i lost 12 members of my family and my household that it is completely destroyed with amazon and everything we had. our son goes to san shade on the last. however, it is a dock look. oh, those who survive has started a burying there dead. but even finding tools to dig the graves is difficult, with the rescue operations as a whole have been challenging. heavy rain in the region has made the dirt roads

harder to navigate. with rescue team struggling to reach the remote area with little heavy equipment on the ground, people have often been left to their own devices and their bare hands to dig through the rubble floor last oqueeno while no rescue was arrived and everybody was digging on their own all of our children were trapped under the debris and i went back in to help them out and i will make the supplies have started to arrive. but 8 organizations say they're not enough. since the taliban take over last year, some agencies have left afghanistan over much of the development financing that the country so heavily relied on was also withdrawn amid conflict food and security and lack of health care. this earthquake is yet another humanitarian disaster to hit afghanistan. before we go, here's a quick look at our top stories. this our european union leaders have approved

ukraine's bid for candidate status. the 1st official step towards joining the e u, although was also formerly accepted. the candidate high profile leaders from germany, france, and italy had all backed ukraine's application and the european pardon was also in favor. after a short break, there is doc film. stay tuned for that next vice for me and the whole news team here for land. thanks for watching. ah ah, we're all set to go beyond below. yes, citizenship and we're all in. as we take on the way we're all about the stories that matter to you whatever it takes for leave.