The European Commission has recommended candidate status for Ukraine. Just over three months after being invaded by Russia, Kyiv has cleared the first hurdle on the road to membership.

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief has called for Russia to end its blockade of Ukrainian ports. His comments come ahead of a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers.

EU leaders are in Brussels to discuss the membership bids of Ukraine and Moldova. Meanwhile, the European Parliament has voted heavily in favor of the two countries' getting candidate status.

President Vladimir Putin has slammed the West as Russia is hit by sanctions. He called on emerging economies to cooperate with Russia as the Kremlin seeks to reroute trade.

June is Pride Month, a celebration of the world's LGBTQ populations which also serves to continue the fight for equality and justice for the community. Activist Anna Sharyhina joined us on Perspective for a conversation about LGBTQ rights in Ukraine before and since the Russian invasion. Originally from Kharkiv, she co-founded the Ukrainian NGO "Sphere", which works to provide a safe space for the country's queer community and organised Kharkiv's first Pride parade in 2019.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine four months ago, the cost of living crisis has become a global issue. Prices have gone up around the world. In Europe, the countries that use the euro saw an average of 8.1 percent inflation in May. Pressure on prices, combined with stuttering economic growth, has sparked fears of a recession. These concerns could still come into play regarding the EU's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this programme, we're joined by two MEPs to discuss how the EU should balance sanctions against Russia with the risk of recession.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild war-scarred Ukraine. What does he mean by that?

War, climate change, hunger, poverty and health will be on the agenda of the G7 summit in Germany. This will be a key opportunity for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to show strong leadership.

Although EU candidacy for Ukraine and Moldova has been hailed as historic, frustrations among other candidates years into their own membership bids should serve as a reminder that the path ahead won't be easy.

Latvian singer Intars Busulis had millions of fans in Russia and a successful concert career. But he has given all that up now. He is writing pro-peace songs and using social media to try to show Russians what is happening in Ukraine. The move has come at some cost.

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to transfer the Iskander-M missile systems in their conventional and nuclear versions to Belarus.

Moscow has failed to meet a deadline for over $40 billion in outstanding debts as Western sanctions squeeze the Russian economy. The Kremlin has downplayed the news, insisting it has enough to pay what it owes.