European Council

A Russian missile strike targeted the infrastructure of the Odesa port during Zelenskyy's official visit with the Greek Prime Minister, but did not hit the presidential motorcade, as falsely reported by Russian media.

On March 6, five people were killed in a morning attack on Odesa's port infrastructure by Russians. In addition, there is information about the wounded.

The President of the European Council Charles Michel believes that the shelling of Odesa during the visit of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis demonstrates the cowardly tactics of the russian federation.

The German Finance Minister proposes to use the interest from frozen Russian assets totaling billions of dollars to finance Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.

Europe must increase military spending to deter a more aggressive Russia, says Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

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.

President Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the prime ministers of Italy and Belgium on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy called for further increasing sanctions pressure on Russia to force it to become more rational and lose the war, while announcing new defense support packages from Denmark, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

Zelenskyy and Michel discussed sanctions against Russia, the situation on the Ukrainian-Polish border, and preparations for the 25th anniversary Ukraine-EU summit.

The Kremlin rejects demands for an independent international investigation into the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in prison.

Von der Leyen has announced that she will run for a second term as president of the European Commission.

Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said that the EU accession process should take place in accordance with political and historical circumstances, not technical obstacles, and that politicization of every step delays Ukraine's integration.

G7 foreign ministers issue a joint statement condemning Russia's aggression in Ukraine, North Korea's arms sales to Moscow, and calling on Iran to stop helping the Russian military.

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

In response to the Hungarian Prime Minister's statement about a buffer zone in Ukraine, the Center for Strategic Communications said that Hungary's security depends on Kyiv's survival.

NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg has sharply criticized Donald Trump's statement to attack NATO members who do not fulfill their financial obligations, saying that any attack on the Alliance will be met with a united response, and that undermining allies increases the risks to soldiers.

The President of the European Council criticized Trump's statements about encouraging Russian attacks on NATO allies as only serving Putin's interests and not bringing more security or peace.

The European Commission expects a framework for negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU to be presented in the coming weeks.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for further solidarity between the US and Europe to support Ukraine and prevent Russia from winning Russia's aggression, stating that the consequences of failing to stop Russia and Putin will worsen global security.

European lawmakers have proposed sanctions against Tucker Carlson for his interview with putin, citing that Carlson's pro-russian views may violate EU policy against helping war criminals.

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, met with the Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, to discuss further military assistance to Ukraine, the implementation of the peace formula, EU security guarantees, sanctions against Russia and the confiscation of Russian assets.

By October 2024, the Czech government will request the opinion of the National Economic Council on the feasibility of joining the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) as a prerequisite for the introduction of the euro.

Ukraine's First Deputy Minister of Defense held an online meeting with international partners to discuss improving Ukraine's military command structure and implementing Euro-Atlantic principles and practices, as well as coordinating responses to future security threats.

The President of the European Council called on the U. S. House of Representatives to urgently approve $60 billion in aid for Ukraine's financial stability and emphasized that assistance to Ukraine supports European security.

The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have agreed to establish a €50 billion Ukraine Fund over the next four years to support Ukraine's recovery, reconstruction and modernization efforts.

EU chief of diplomacy calls on allies to increase military spending to support Ukraine.

Ukraine avoided the risk of an annual veto on the allocation of financial support from the EU.

The EU has doubled its budgetary support for Ukraine to €50 billion since Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reports.

President Zelenskyy said that the EU's decision to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine is a clear signal to Moscow that Europe stands united, but also that Ukraine expects decisions from America on security commitments.

The €50 billion aid program for Ukraine approved by EU leaders includes €33 billion in loans and €17 billion in grants, and sets out the prerequisites for receiving the funds and possible revisions to the program.