Estonian parliament speaker visits Kyiv
Lauri Hussar, the speaker of the Riigikogu, Estonia's Parliament, visited Kyiv on March 26 and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Ruslan Stefanchuk.
European Union
Borrell confirms EU delivery of 500,000 shells to Ukraine by end of March
The EU has delivered 500,000 of the promised 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine and aims to deliver the total amount by the end of the year, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in his blog on March 25.
Reuters: France, Germany reportedly oppose using bonds to maximize profits from frozen Russian assets
At the same time, the EU moved closer on March 21 to finalizing a plan to use 90% of the profits generated from the frozen funds to purchase weapons for Kyiv and allocate the remaining 10% to the EU budget to support Ukraine's defense industry.
European Council urges swift adoption of Ukraine's negotiation framework
European Council urged to "swiftly adopt" the negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova after the first day of the Euro Summit on March 21.
Belarus Weekly: Poland cuts financing for exiled Belarusian media, putting survival of independent press at risk
Financial Times says EU plans to impose tariffs on Belarusian and Russian grain imports, aiming to appease farmers and some member states. As Poland cuts financing for exiled Belarusian media, concern rises over the survival of independent Belarusian press. Four exiled Belarusian activists receive in absentia sentences, dozens more are
European Commission proposes tariffs on Russian, Belarusian grain
The measure would impose a 95 euro ($103) per ton on corn and wheat, as opposed to zero tariffs imposed today, Business Insider reported. Other products, namely oilseeds, would be subject to an "ad valorem duty" of 50%.
EU moves toward plan to use profits from frozen Russian assets for arms for Ukraine
"I am confident that we can act very quickly," said European Council President Charles Michel.
Zelensky urges EU leaders to give Ukraine shells, air defense systems in address to European Council
President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an address to the European Council summit on March 21, urging EU leaders to provide Ukraine with more weapons, namely ammunition and air defense systems.
Media: EU unlikely to reach decision on Russian assets profits during summit
EU leaders are unlikely to reach an agreement on confiscating profits from Russian assets during their summit starting on March 21, namely because Hungary is against using them to boost Ukraine's military capabilities, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported, citing an unnamed senior European diplomat.
Shmyhal submits Ukraine reform plan to European Commission
"This is an important step for the implementation of reforms and financial stability on Ukraine's path to the EU," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on X.
European Commission delivers $4.8 billion to Ukraine in first tranche of macro-financial assistance
"Today we also made the first payment of 4.5 billion euros under the Ukraine Facility, our 50 billion euro ($54 billion) package to support the recovery, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine," said Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat.
EU provisionally agrees to renew suspension on import duties, quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports
The European Parliament and the EU Council reached a provisional agreement to renew the temporary suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU until June 2025.
Charles Michel: ‘High time to put EU's economy on war footing‘
"Now that we are facing the biggest security threat since the Second World War, it is high time we take radical and concrete steps to be defense-ready and put the EU’s economy on a “war footing”," European Council President Charles Michel said
Borrell wants to use 90% of Russian assets profits to buy arms for Ukraine
The remaining 10% would be allocated to the EU's budget to boost Ukraine's defense industry, Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels. The official said he would submit the proposal to member states on March 20.
PM Shmyhal arrives in Luxembourg, meets with Luxembourgish counterpart
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that he and his Luxembourgish counterpart Luc Frieden would discuss Luxembourg's support for Ukraine and the potential future confiscation of Russian assets.
Financial Times: EU to impose tariffs on grain from Russia, Belarus
The European Union is planning to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus to appease farmers and some member states, the Financial Times (FT) reported on March 19, citing people familiar with the plans.
Bloomberg: EU drafts proposal on funneling profits from Russian assets to Ukraine
Kyiv would get an estimated 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) a year to boost its defense industry and purchase weapons, according to Bloomberg.
EU set to approve fresh sanctions against Russia over Navalny's death
Bloomberg reported earlier in March that the EU was readying a new package targeting around 30 individuals in response to Alexei Navalny's death in February.
Charles Michel: ‘Europe must prepare for war’
If Europe wants to exist in peace it must shift to a “war economy” mode and significantly bolster defense capabilities in the face of the threat posed by Russia, European Council President Charles Michel said on March 18.
Ukraine war latest: EU gives final approval of $5.5 billion in defense aid to Kyiv
Key developments on March 17-18: * EU gives final approval to $5.5 billion for military aid to Ukraine * Deputy minister: Russia fires 7 times more shells than Ukraine * US Senator Graham in Kyiv: 'If you want aid to Ukraine, you'd better start talking to American taxpayers' * Ukrainian government allocating $128
EU gives final approval to $5.5 billion for military aid to Ukraine
EU foreign ministers finally agreed to allocate an additional 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in defense assistance for Ukraine in 2024 within the European Peace Facility (EPF) framework, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced on March 18.
EU condemns Russia's illegal election in occupied Ukraine, organizers to 'face consequences'
The results of Russia's election in occupied territories of Ukraine are "null and void," and the election organizers "will face consequences of these illegal actions," Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, said in a statement on behalf of EU member states on March 18.
PM Shmyhal: Ukraine hopes EU accession talks will begin in first half of 2024
The Ukrainian government believes the negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union can start in the first half of 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Euractiv in an interview published on March 18.
Czechia to propose EU-wide grain import ban on Russia, Belarus
Czechia is planning to propose a ban on grain imports from Russia and Belarus into European Union countries at next week's European Council meeting, Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny said on March 17.
Macron promises to visit Kyiv with 'specific solutions' for the war
"I will definitely come. I have a rule that my visit should be as useful as possible for Ukraine," French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview published on March 16.
EU pressures European importers to cut down Russian LNG purchases in 2024
"My message was that this year must bring further disengagement from Russian exports," Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told Bloomberg following an EU-U.S. Energy Council meeting in Washington.
EU to transfer 4.5 billion euros to Ukraine
Ukraine will receive 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) from the European Union through its four-year Ukraine Facility program next week, Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, announced on March 15.
RFE/RL: Hungary again criticizes Ukraine's national minority policies in letter to EU
Hungary has sent a document to the EU member states criticizing Ukraine's policies on national minorities, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on March 15, citing the Hungarian statement.
EU allocates $544 million to ramp up ammunition production
The European Commission allocated 500 million euros (around $544 million) to increase the EU's ammunition production capacity to 2 million shells per year by the end of 2025, the commission's press service announced on March 15.
Belarus Weekly: EU seeks to criminalize sanctions circumvention, standardizing penalties across member states
Following sham elections, Belarus revives the All-Belarus People’s Assembly – crafted as a sanctuary for dictator Alexander Lukashenko and afforded extensive powers. EU Parliament seeks to criminalize sanctions violations and circumvention, standardizing penalties across member states. Lithuanian citizen dies in Belarusian prison: Lithuanian foreign ministry protests violation of consular rights,
Michel mockingly congratulates Putin on ‘landslide victory’ as Russian presidential elections begin
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, mocked Vladimir Putin on the first day of the Russian pseudo-democratic presidential elections that are expected to grant him six more years in power.
Latvia may deport hundreds of Russian nationals
Eight hundred Russian citizens are at risk of being deported from Latvia because they have not yet applied for permanent or temporary residence.
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