European Union

The EU leaders will demand new sanctions against Belarus, North Korea and Iran for helping Russia wage war against Ukraine, further restrictions on Russia's access to military components, and condemn Israel's decision to allow the construction of new settlements in the West Bank.

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 government is preparing an update of the regional development strategy to ensure effective support for the territories, increase the capacity of communities, and continue the decentralization reform.

European companies continue to supply equipment for the Arctic LNG 2 project, one of the largest shareholders of which is billionaire Gennady Timchenko, a close friend of Vladimir Putin.

The Deputy Head of the NACP discussed with Czech officials cooperation in the fight against corruption, in particular, asset identification, countering disinformation, Ukrainian refugees and prevention of war-related corruption.

Thousands of people protested in Bratislava against the pro-russian position of the Slovak government and in support of Ukraine.

Ukraine and the European Union have signed an agreement to provide €6 billion in soft loans to Ukraine, of which €4. 5 billion will be disbursed in March and the remaining €1.5 billion in April 2024 after the reform indicators are met.

The Czech Republic secured an opportunity to purchase an additional 200,000 units of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from third countries.

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.

Nord Stream is suing insurers for about 400 million euros for refusing to cover the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.

The inauguration of the newly elected president of Russia will take place on May 7, followed by the appointment of the prime minister on May 8.

The European Parliament adopted a directive criminalizing the violation and circumvention of EU sanctions, establishing uniform definitions and minimum penalties for such offenses.

Yerevan is threatening to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization if it does not receive clarification from the CSTO on its "zone of responsibility" in Armenia.

EU leaders will support a change in the European Investment Bank's lending policy to allow financing of defense projects to boost European defense production after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine needs Soviet-style ammunition, which can be purchased more cheaply from Balkan countries that have stockpiles, but they refuse to supply directly, so the US and EU can help Ukraine buy it from them.

European Union leaders are ready to impose significant new sanctions on Iran amid reports that Tehran has provided ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine.

The Security Service blocked new schemes to evade mobilization and illegally travel abroad by men of military age, detaining three officials of medical institutions, a lawyer and others involved in the sale of forged documents and certificates. The cost of forgery was up to USD 16 thousand.

The EU finance ministers unanimously supported the candidacy of Kristalina Georgieva for a second five-year term as head of the International Monetary Fund.

The White House proposes to allocate $482 million in support for Ukraine in the budget for the next fiscal year, which will help rebuild Ukraine's economy, strengthen its defense capabilities, and advance reforms for EU accession.

The EU will propose a negotiation framework for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova, but formal negotiations are unlikely to begin before the June 2024 European Parliament elections due to the need for agreement among all 27 EU member states.

President Zelenskyy signed the law on fair lobbying, which is necessary for the start of EU membership negotiations, defining lobbying rules, creating a transparency register, and regulating interaction between officials and stakeholders.

A new book by British-Ukrainian writer Anna Shevchenko, which contains 20 real-life stories about ordinary Ukrainians during the war, was presented in London.

On March 12, the European Commission plans to announce the start of negotiations on Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the EU.

A bill to invalidate the 1954 decision to transfer Crimea from Russia to Ukraine has been submitted to the State Duma.

French President Emmanuel Macron actively supports Ukraine and calls for the defeat of Russia, realizing that Europe must enjoy strategic autonomy and build up its military capabilities in the absence of the US security umbrella.

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.

Ukraine aims to complete its "homework" for EU accession within two years, but the reform process will continue after the accession.

Ukraine faces difficulties in procuring ammunition because the global arms market is monopolized and controlled by large players, forcing Ukraine to use intermediary countries.

This week, the European Commission is expected to approve a draft negotiation framework for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.