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%.
"I am confident that we can act very quickly," said European Council President Charles Michel.
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.
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.
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.
Kyiv would get an estimated 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) a year to boost its defense industry and purchase weapons, according to Bloomberg.
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
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.
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 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.
"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.
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.
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.
Eight hundred Russian citizens are at risk of being deported from Latvia because they have not yet applied for permanent or temporary residence.
The commission's officials plan to put forward a "legally robust proposal" for consideration by the member states, possibly before a meeting of prime ministers on March 21, the outlet said.
European Commission will present a proposal next week on restricting Russian and Belarusian agricultural imports, Polish news outlet RMF24 reported on March 13, citing an anonymous EU diplomat.
EU ambassadors have agreed in principle on 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in defense assistance for Ukraine in 2024 within the framework of the European Peace Facility (EPF), the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council said on March 13.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is in talks to invest in defense companies amid heightened urgency to scale up Europe's defense industry, Bloomberg reported on March 13.
Based on the newly signed agreement, Ukraine's state budget should receive 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) in transitional financing in March and the remaining 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in April "after the European Commission evaluates the completed indicators."
EU countries are close to a deal to add 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) to a fund used to provide military assistance to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on March 12, citing four unnamed officials briefed on the discussions.
The new directive defines the circumvention of sanctions and ensures that it will be treated as an offense punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years in all member states.
Ukraine has implemented all four recommendations needed for the European Commission to approve Ukraine’s framework for accession negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna told reporters at an anti-corruption event in Kyiv on March 11.
Over two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Europe is still addicted to Russian fossil fuels. In spite of 13 sanctions packages against Russia and endless words of solidarity for Ukraine, recent data has revealed that many European Union countries continue to import massive amounts of liquified
Armenia is considering applying for membership in the European Union, aiming to strengthen ties with Western countries amid growing tensions with Russia, Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan revealed in an interview on March 9.
The EU now readies restrictive measures against 35 individuals, including prison and government officials and judges, Bloomberg wrote. The IK-3 and IK-6 penal colonies where Navalny was imprisoned are also reportedly included in the list.
Kyiv is open to trade restrictions with the EU to defuse tensions with Warsaw but urges bloc-wide import bans on Russian grain, Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka told the Financial Times (FT) in a comment published on March 6.
Polish farmers, agrarian workers, foresters, and hunters staged a general strike in Warsaw on March 6 in protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports and EU environmental policies.
Alexandru Musteata, the head of the Moldovan intelligence agency (SIS), said that the SIS possesses "certain information" about Russia's destabilization campaign in the next two years designed to compromise Chisinau's European integration and draw the country back into the Kremlin's orbit.
The European Commission presented the first-ever European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) at the EU level to support the competitiveness and readiness of the bloc’s defense industry, the commission’s press service announced on March 5.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has been using a Serbian national named Novica Antic to infiltrate EU institutions and spread pro-Kremlin views, Politico reported on March 5, citing Western intelligence briefs they had reviewed.
The updates would strengthen the compliance of road haulage operators with the agreement's provisions, tighten rules regarding drivers' documentation, and allow for a temporary suspension of the agreement in certain geographical areas if it leads to a "major disturbance."
The European Union's gas imports from Russia have decreased by 71% since 2021, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson announced on March 4, following an Energy Council meeting in Brussels.
