Council of the European Union

Ukraine expects to start accession negotiations with the EU in the first half of 2024 after the European Council approves the negotiation framework.

Next week, Ukraine will receive €4. 5 billion from the EU as part of a €50 billion aid package for 2024-2027.

According to the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Ukraine expects to receive more than $10 billion in international aid from its partners in March-April.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution proposing to consider Armenia's membership in the European Union if it continues to implement sustainable reforms aimed at strengthening democracy.

The European Union has removed from the sanctions list arkady volozh, the founder of yandex, sergey mndoyants, one of the representatives of the company that owns MTS, and josef gambalek, the head of the European branch of the pro-putin biker club.

The EU has extended individual sanctions against Russians responsible for undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity for another six months until September 15, 2024, while maintaining restrictions on more than 2,100 individuals and entities supporting Russia's military aggression in Ukraine.

The European Commission has recommended starting EU accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, citing the country's progress in reforms, improving the judiciary, fighting corruption, and alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The European Commission has submitted to the EU Council proposals for a draft negotiation framework for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU, which sets out the guidelines and principles for accession negotiations with the two candidate countries.

According to European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission is expected to soon propose how to use the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. The proposals are likely to appear before the March EU summit, according to a senior EU official.

The European Union has agreed on changes to cybersecurity laws to strengthen protection against hacker attacks and to create a cybersecurity alert system and emergency response mechanism across the EU.

Estonia, France and Poland are calling on the European Commission to increase funding for the defense industry to speed up joint procurement and production of military equipment across Europe.

The EU Council has reached a political agreement to recommend further coordinated reductions in gas demand among member states to prepare for potential supply disruptions in the winter.

In March, the European Commission will present to the EU Council a framework for negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership.

Turkish exports to Russia dropped by 33% in February 2024 amid sanctions imposed by the US and EU on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The White House wants the G7 countries to prepare proposals to confiscate Russian assets to help fund Ukraine's budget and reconstruction needs before the next G7 summit in June.

The EU Council approves a four-year, €50 billion aid plan called the Ukraine Facility to support Ukraine's economic recovery.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell is forced to miss a debate in the European Parliament because his doctors advised him to avoid public events for a short time due to minor health problems.

The EU Council has decided to extend sanctions against Belarus for another year until February 2025 due to ongoing repression in the country and continued support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

Latvia has banned imports of Russian grain at the legislative level and called for similar sanctions from the EU, as Ukrainian grain could replace Russian imports.

Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Kroo discussed the continuation of military and financial support for Ukraine.

Hungary blocks a joint EU statement on the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

EU ambassadors approve the extension of preferential trade terms for Ukraine for another year without changes.

The European Union will impose sanctions against russians and belarusians involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children to the occupied territories, according to the draft 13th package of sanctions against russia.

Legal experts have approved the seizure of $300 billion worth of frozen assets from the russian central bank to compensate Ukraine for losses from the russian invasion, as allowed by international law.

The EU has agreed on its 13th package of sanctions against russia against about 200 individuals and entities, targeting organizations that help Russia circumvent trade sanctions.

The EU agrees to create the first registry to certify and trade carbon sequestration units from organic agriculture and industry to help achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

The EU has extended sanctions against Russia for another year, until February 24, 2025, in response to Russia's ongoing illegal occupation of certain areas of Ukraine.

The EU Council adopts a decision allowing the proceeds from the frozen assets of the Russian central bank to be used to compensate Ukraine for its losses from the war.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister thanked international partners for paving the way for the use of funds from frozen russian assets to help Ukraine.

Following the meeting with Macron, Tusk said that the positions of the parties are very similar, especially in the context of Russia's aggression in Ukraine.