European Union

The Verkhovna Rada has supported a draft law that establishes new fines for illegal trade in beer, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and e-cigarette liquids without state registration or permits.

The Verkhovna Rada supported a draft law to create a new system of regulation and control over activities related to forest reproductive resources, ensure the preservation and restoration of unique forest ecosystems, preserve genetic diversity, increase forest cover and bring them in line with EU legislation.

The Ministry of Economy has submitted a draft National Energy and Climate Plan to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management. This is a key strategic document expected by the EU from Ukraine.

Ukraine and Brazil plan to intensify economic cooperation and increase trade between the two countries.

Germany pressures the United States and other NATO allies to provide Ukraine with more Patriot missile defense systems and other equipment to strengthen its air defense against massive Russian air strikes.

Hungary threatens to block €2 billion in EU aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv stops discriminating against Hungarian companies operating in Ukraine.

The draft law No. 9450 on international territorial cooperation was updated with several important changes, including expanding its scope to cover more territories, dividing cooperation into inter-territorial, cross-border and transnational, prohibiting cooperation with the aggressor state, allowing district councils and heads of military administrations to initiate cooperation, providing a clear algorithm for implementing joint projects funded by the EU, and introducing a detailed procedure for approving cooperation agreements.

The EU is threatening to ban TikTok Lite's paid feature due to concerns about its potential negative impact on children's mental health and safety.

Ukraine has launched a coordination center for integrated border management to monitor and report on the situation at the state border, facilitate coordination between border agencies, and prepare situational reports.

Ukraine switched to the updated NCTS Phase 5 IT system on time, fulfilling its obligation to join the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure, which is a prerequisite for accession to the European Union.

The next meeting of the contact group on Ukraine's defense in the Ramstein format will take place at the end of this week, the head of the Dutch Defense Ministry said.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Andriy Umerov said that air defense systems are crucial to protecting Ukrainian skies from massive Russian attacks, including the unprecedented use of 1. 5-ton guided bombs. Air defense will also allow Ukrainian troops to repel Russian aggression and force them to retreat.

EU ministers failed to promise Ukraine additional Patriot air defense systems at a key meeting, despite pressure to provide more support in the air defense sector amid increased attacks by Russia.

The Czech Republic will once again propose to restrict the movement of russian diplomats in the Schengen area to combat the threat of russian intelligence and espionage activities in Europe.

EU ministers discussed but failed to approve a €500 million tranche of military aid to Ukraine due to the ongoing blockade, despite changing circumstances.

International experts have praised the evidence base prepared by Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise. It will not allow Russia to avoid responsibility for war crimes against Ukraine.

EU allies insist on maintaining strong support for Ukraine after the US approves a $61 billion aid package.

Latvia plans to gradually replace Russian as a second foreign language in schools with one of the official languages of the European Union starting in the 2026/2027 school year.

Sweden proposes to include in the new package of sanctions against russia restrictions on russia's shadow fleet of tankers transporting oil in circumvention of sanctions.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hopes that today's meeting of EU foreign ministers will lead to concrete steps to support Ukraine, as the bloc is working daily to analyze the situation and prepare solutions to help Kyiv.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on international partners to take decisive action and strengthen Ukraine's air defense by providing additional Patriot and SAMP/T systems and ammunition.

Ukraine's NATO and EU partners are pressuring Greece and Spain to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems, such as Patriot, to protect vulnerable regions from Russian attacks.

The European Union will take over assistance to Ukraine after significant support from the United States, and Europe is considering strengthening Ukraine's air defense and using frozen Russian assets to finance further assistance.

In 2022, Ukraine's population growth rate was an alarming 0. 9. There were 187,000 reported newborns and a high premature mortality rate, exacerbated by the war and the massive emigration of up to 7 million citizens.

The National Bank of Ukraine devalued the hryvnia by 18 kopecks, setting the official dollar exchange rate at 39. 7879 UAH/USD.

Due to a malfunction of the Polish customs service, the movement of trucks traveling from Ukraine to Poland slowed down on the Ukrainian-Polish border, causing problems with registration and customs clearance of trucks.

German defense companies are becoming more attractive amid increased orders due to the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the automotive industry: companies such as Hensoldt, Rheinmetall, and Renk are actively hiring and expecting to increase sales.

The US is calling on the EU to lower taxes on income from frozen Russian assets to maximize the funds that can be lent to Ukraine, potentially up to $50 billion this summer, by issuing bonds or loans to be repaid with interest from those assets.

The heads of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies met with the G7 and EU ambassadors to discuss ongoing efforts, challenges, and the importance of transparency and accountability in public administration.

Finland is calling on the EU to take action to help stem the flow of migrants arriving through Russia, accusing Moscow of using migration flows as a weapon.