Ukraine-EU. In May, Kyiv expects the first assessment of progress in fulfilling the "candidate criteria"

Exclusive. As of March 30

Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv

The CMU submitted a report on the implementation of the Association Agreement for 2022. Ukraine fulfilled 72% of all obligations stipulated by the Agreement, which is an important element of its integration into the internal market of the European Union. The overall progress of implementation of the Agreement for 2022 increased by 9%.

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanyshyn said that the first informal assessment of the European Commission on Ukraine's progress in fulfilling the "candidate criteria" will be presented in May, and by then Kyiv will complete the implementation of most of them.

Ukraine received a list of 29 legislative acts of the European Union, which should become part of Ukrainian national legislation before joining the EU.

Support for Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU among Ukrainians has increased to a record level — 82% and 85%, according to the results of the All-Ukrainian survey of the International Republican Institute (IRI).

The European Union and Ukraine have agreed to extend the agreement, known as "transport visa-free", until June 30, 2024.

Ukraine will join the EU gas procurement platform.

The EU announced the provision of 5700 solar panels to Ukraine

The European Commission handed Ukraine nine dogs trained in demining. A total of 50 dogs will be given to the demining battalion operating as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The ministers of foreign affairs and defense of the EU countries agreed to supply Ukraine with 1 million 155 mm artillery ammunition.

"Ukroboronprom" in cooperation with one of the NATO countries established the production of 122-mm artillery ammunition. The state-owned enterprise has started the production of 125-mm projectiles for tank guns in close partnership with a NATO state outside of Ukraine.

The Council of Europe removed Ukraine from the black list of countries that destroy the fight against corruption. The Council of Europe's Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) concluded that Ukraine had made some improvements, having implemented satisfactorily or satisfactorily 15 of the 31 recommendations, another nine had been partially implemented and seven had not been implemented at all.

The vast majority of Europeans continue to support sanctions against Russia, as well as continued military support for Ukraine. These are the data of the "Eurobarometer" survey organized by the European Commission, which was conducted between January 12 and February 6 in EU countries and 12 countries outside the European Union. Economic sanctions have significant support — 74% of Europeans support them. 65% of Europeans support the supply of weapons and other military aid to Ukraine.

The Council of the EU decided to increase the financial ceiling of the European Peace Fund (EPF), from which funds are allocated for the purchase of weapons for Ukraine, to €7,979 billion by 2027.

The International Center for Prosecution for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine will begin work in The Hague by the beginning of summer, and the creation of its main structures will be completed within two months. This center will store and analyze evidence for future trials, both nationally and internationally. An agreement was signed in The Hague to open a field office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Ukraine. The European Union allocated €10 million to the ISS for work in Ukraine and will provide another €3 million.

On March 22, the President of the European Parliament met with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in Brussels, they discussed holding Russia accountable for the war and crimes committed.

Austria supported the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression, there are already 33 such countries.

Portugal will make a financial contribution to support the collection of evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, and may also send experts from its main criminal investigation body, the Judicial Police, and the National Institute of Forensic Medicine. The Ministry of Justice reported that Minister Katarina Sarmento announced a voluntary contribution of €75 to support the international collection of forensic evidence on the territory of Ukraine, but other forms of cooperation are being considered.

The government of the Czech Republic approved the direction of the mission to investigate war crimes committed by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.

The EU summit supported the creation of an international mechanism for registering damages caused to Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

The European Union plans to organize a conference within the framework of the initiative dedicated to the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children.

The ECtHR set the date of hearings in the interstate case "Ukraine v. Russia" regarding the violation of human rights by the occupation authorities of Crimea for November 8, 2023.

NATO countries provided Ukraine with about $120 billion in aid for the year.

On March 21, the EU paid Ukraine the second tranche of macro-financial assistance in the amount of €1,5 billion from the total package of €18 billion.

EU countries have accepted more than 2 Ukrainians for treatment since the beginning of the full-scale war. The Norwegian government, at the request of the EU and Ukraine, extended the agreement with the SAS airline company on the transportation of Ukrainian patients to hospitals in Europe until August 31.

Last year, EU countries provided temporary protection to more than 4,3 million people from Ukraine fleeing the war. Temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees in the EU can be extended until 2025.

In the building of the European Parliament in Brussels, on March 28, a solidarity action was held with the activists of the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement, who are resisting every day in the occupied territories of Ukraine. As part of the solidarity action, the members of the European Parliament could draw graffiti of a yellow ribbon on a large banner with their own hands. The event was opened by the representative of Ukraine at the European Sovereignty, Chentsov, the member of the European Parliament from Lithuania Piatras Aušträvičius, at whose invitation the action was held, and the MEP from Poland, Hanna Fotiga.

Pleased to participate in the @yellowribbonENG event, organized by @petras_petras at @hub_ukrainian and to support the civil resistance movement. 🇺🇦 activists on occupied territories should feel our support. #BeBraveLikeUkraine pic.twitter.com/BCojsdXVgW

— Vsevolod Chentsov (@VVChentsov) March 28, 2023

Ukraine will take part in the meeting of the ministers of European affairs of the countries of the Weimar Triangle, where the main topic will be the enlargement of the EU. The Weimar Triangle is a consultative forum of Germany, France and Poland. The next meeting of this format will take place on May 12 in Kurnicki Castle, near Poznań.

The Polish government handed over the last 10 of 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine and completed the training of Ukrainian tankers. Warsaw will transfer part of its MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. Poland will convince its partners in the European Union of the need for joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU in order to speed up their supply to the Armed Forces. Ukraine buys GROT assault rifles from Poland. The Poles are ready to launch a service center that will maintain and update Leopard tanks for Ukraine.

Czech volunteers purchased the RM-70 multiple rocket launcher and several hundred rockets for the Armed Forces. In the Czech Republic, 15 Viktor mobile anti-aircraft systems were collected for Ukraine thanks to volunteers who collected funds as part of the "Gift to Putin" initiative.

Since August 2022, France has sent 22 cargoes of energy equipment to Ukraine as humanitarian aid with a total weight of 183 tons.

France will double the amount of 155-mm ammunition supplied to Ukraine. The Armed Forces will receive 2000 shells every month. French AMX-10RC armored vehicles are already in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Iceland, Belgium, and France recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Belgium will send 240 Volvo military trucks to Ukraine.

Denmark agreed to create a $1 billion fund to help Ukraine. Denmark and the Mykolaiv Oblast signed a memorandum on restoration. It is about the restoration of housing and workplaces in the Mykolaiv region, which would encourage local residents to return home.

Denmark will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth €130 million.

Lithuania will hand over a mobile town for 36 families to Ukraine. Training of Ukrainian sappers began in Lithuania. The Lithuanian volunteer organization Blue/Yellow purchased tactical radars for Ukraine and began training the Ukrainian military to use them. During the charity event, it was possible to collect €14 million for the purchase of RADA ieMHR tactical airspace surveillance radars. In the new package of military support to Ukraine, Lithuania will transfer 155 mm ammunition. The country has already transferred €409 million in aid to Ukraine and is preparing a new support package.

The Swedish Parliament approved the shipment of Archer artillery systems and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Latvia will give Ukraine €300 worth of medical equipment. Latvia handed over cars confiscated from drunk drivers to the Ukrainian army.

The Ministry of Defense of Hungary confirmed that it participates in the training of military medics from Ukraine.

Finland sent 77 baby packages to Ukraine to support families with newborns during the war. The country handed Kyiv another package of support in the energy sector, which included a solar power plant with a "smart" backup power supply system. The donation was made by the Finnish energy company PlayGreen. In the last few weeks, 29 transformers, large-sized backup power equipment and mobile heat and steam generators also left for Ukraine. Finland will provide Ukraine with an additional €XNUMX million in humanitarian aid and development cooperation support.

Ukraine will receive 6 demining machines from Finland Kyiv submitted a request to Finland to discuss the possibility of transferring F/A-18 Hornet fighters. Helsinki, together with other allies, may consider providing Ukraine with F/A-18 Hornet fighters. Finland allowed Estonia to re-export D-30 howitzers to Ukraine.

From March 31, Ukrainians will be able to issue passports in Berlin outside the embassy. In Germany, an online platform was presented, which is designed to help aid organizations, the private sector and initiatives to join the network for the purpose of restoring Ukraine.

The German arms concern Rheinmetall is negotiating the construction of a tank plant in Ukraine.

Germany wants to increase aid to Ukraine to €15 billion. Leopard 2A6 tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles promised by Germany have already arrived in Ukraine. Germany handed over Pionierpanzer Dachs armored engineering vehicles to the Ukrainian military. Also in the new support tranche are 70 MG3 machine guns for Leopard 2 tanks, Marder and Dachs infantry fighting vehicles. Germany handed Ukraine a new package of military aid, which included shells for MARS II rocket systems. Ukraine has already received 34 anti-aircraft Gepard self-propelled guns. Germany is to transfer three more pieces of equipment. Germany will increase production of ammunition to continue military support to Ukraine. Opportunities for repairing weapons and military equipment used by Ukrainian forces will also be increased.

The Government of Slovakia has approved the transfer of 13 MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, the first aircraft are already in Ukraine. Germany agreed with Slovakia to repair German-made armored vehicles, including PzH 2000 howitzers for Ukraine. The USA offered Slovakia 12 new AH-1Z VIPER helicopters to replace the MiG-29 delivered to Ukraine. As part of military assistance, the Slovak government approved the transfer of 2K12 "Kub" anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.

Portugal handed over Leopard 2A tanks to Ukraine

Sweden allocates €11 million to support women in Ukraine and Moldova.

The Swiss parliament is discussing the allocation of more than €5 billion to support Ukraine.

Italy will hold a conference on the restoration of Ukraine on April 26. Italy plans to present at the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which will be held at the end of April in Rome, a project to create input and output terminals for the Ukrainian economy in the northeast of the country. This will allow to unblock Ukrainian exports, in particular, of metallurgical products.

Italian self-propelled guns M109L arrived in Ukraine.

The Czech company Inflactech, which specializes in the manufacture of inflatable models of military equipment to mislead the enemy, has launched the production of fake HIMARS. The company produces more than 30 different inflatable military models — from tanks and armored vehicles to airplanes and howitzers. The production capacity is now up to 50 models per month.

Bulgaria transferred $2,7 billion worth of arms to Ukraine in less than six months.

The Spanish defense company GDELS-SBS is finishing the restoration of Leopard 2A4 tanks for Ukraine.

The third mobile hospital, delivered by the Estonian Defense Investment Center (ECDI) in cooperation with Norway and the Netherlands, has arrived in Ukraine.

Norway sent eight Leopard 2A4NO tanks, two Bergepanzer 2 armored repair and evacuation vehicles and two NM189 Ingeniorpanservogn engineering vehicles to Ukraine. Along with the equipment, the Armed Forces will receive parts for it and ammunition. Ukraine and Norway signed an agreement of intent between the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Norwegian Defense Logistics Agency. This is a letter of intent describing the support that the Defense Acquisition Agency will receive from Norway. Norway will provide additional NASAMS to Ukraine.

The EU auxiliary training mission for Ukraine will complete the training of 11 servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of March. And by the end of the year, the number of trained Ukrainian military personnel will be 30.

Ukrainian tankers completed their training in Spain.

A group of Ukrainian military personnel in Italy completed training on the use of SAMP/T air defense systems. This air defense/anti-missile defense system is jointly transferred to Ukraine by Italy and France.

Ukrainian Leopard 2 tankers are being trained as part of the UNIFIER training mission initiated by Canada. Instructors from Canada, as well as Polish and Norwegian military conduct training on the use of Leopard 2 tanks for Ukrainian defenders in Poland.

The Ukrainian military has completed Leopard 2 training in Germany.

Great Britain and France agreed on joint training of Ukrainian marines.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces are training the Ukrainian military to maintain M113 tracked armored personnel carriers.

Sweden has decided to join the training mission for the training of Ukrainian sappers in Lithuania, in which Norway and Iceland also participate.

Ukraine and Norway are starting to discuss a training mission for Ukrainian pilots.

The Netherlands will hand over M3 Amphibious Rig pontoon crossings to Ukraine, as well as two minesweepers of the Alkmaar class for mine clearance and coastal protection of Ukrainian waters.

The Ukrainian military received 14 armored ambulances from Luxembourg.

Hungary trains Ukrainian military medics.

Tamara Petrenko,
assistant editor-in-chief of Newsky, columnist