determined that the regular process of accession needs to be followed. this after volodymyr zelenskyy announced at the end of february that he was looking for a fast track accession for ukraine to the european union. that cannot happen, said the 27. there are procedures. it can take months, it can take years. and yet, brussels is going to be looking at ways to extend its hand to a country that it believes -- and this in a statement signed by the 27 -- that ukraine is definitely going to be part of the european family. melissa bell, cnn, paris. >> well, that's the very latest from me. i will see you at the top of the hour. but for now, back to paula newton in atlanta. >> thanks, hala, as you were just saying from a ban on russian energy imports to new restrictions over trade, they are major economic repercussions coming for russia. we will assess the global impact next. plus, gasoline prices still climbing in the united states even after reaching record highs. but help may, soon, be on the way. details, next.