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

Exclusive. As of March 30

Summit Ukraine - EU in Kyiv

The CMU presented 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 the implementation of the Agreement for 2022 increased by 9%.

The Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Olga Stefanyshina, said that the first informal evaluation of the European Commission regarding Ukraine's progress in fulfilling the "candidate criteria" will be presented in May, and by then Kyiv will have completed the implementation of most of them.

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

Support for Ukraine's entry into NATO and the EU among Ukrainians has grown to a record level — 82% and 85%, according to the results of the All-Ukrainian poll of the International Republican Institute (MRI).

The European Union and Ukraine have agreed to extend the agreement known as the "transport visa" 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 transferred to the demining battalion operating as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense of the EU agreed on the supply of 1 million 155 mm artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

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

The Council of Europe deleted Ukraine from the black list of countries that are destroying the fight against corruption. The Group of States of the Council of Europe Against Corruption (GRECO) came to the conclusion that Ukraine has achieved certain improvements, fulfilled 15 out of 31 recommendations satisfactorily or satisfactorily, nine more were partially fulfilled, and seven were not fulfilled at all.

The vast majority of Europeans continue to support sanctions against Russia, and also support the continuation of armed 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 EU Council 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.

In The Hague, before the beginning of summer, the International Center for the Investigation of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine will begin work, and the creation of its main structures will be completed within two months. This center will store and analyze evidence for future trials, both at the level of individual countries and at the international level. 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 Ministry of Internal Affairs 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 criminals in Ukraine, and can also send experts from its main body of criminal investigation — 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. in support of the international collection of judicial evidence on the territory of Ukraine, but other forms of cooperation are also considered.

The Government of the Czech Republic approved the direction of the mission to investigate war criminals of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

The EU summit supported the creation of an international mechanism for registering the damage inflicted on Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

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

The ECtHR set the date of the hearing in the interstate case "Ukraine vs. Russia", which concerns 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 per hour.

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

EU countries have accepted more than 2 Ukrainians for treatment since the beginning of the full-scale war. At the request of the EU and Ukraine, the Government of Norway extended the agreement with the SAS airline company on the transportation of Ukrainian patients to European hospitals until August 000.

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 may be extended until 2025.

In the building of the European Parliament in Brussels, on March 28, an action of solidarity with the activists of the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement, which daily resists in the occupied territories of Ukraine, took place. As part of the solidarity action, members of the European Parliament could draw graffiti of a yellow ribbon with their own hands on a large banner. The event was opened by the representative of Ukraine to the European Union Vsevolod Chentsov, the member of the European Parliament from Lithuania Pyatras Austryavichyus, at whose invitation the action took place, and the MEP from Poland Anna Fotyga.

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 be held 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 complexes 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 per 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 Mykolaiv Oblast signed a memorandum on restoration. We are talking about the restoration of housing and workplaces in the Nikolaev region, which would encourage local residents to return home.

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

Lithuania will give Ukraine a mobile town for 36 families. 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 and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

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

Finland sent a thousand "baby packages" to Ukraine to support families with newborns in wartime conditions. 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, 77 transformers, large-sized backup power equipment and mobile heat and steam generators have also been sent from Finland to Ukraine. Finland will provide Ukraine with an additional €29 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 internet platform was presented, designed to help aid organizations, the private sector and initiatives to join a 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 machines to the Ukrainian military. Also, the new support tranche includes 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 projectiles for MARS II rocket systems. Ukraine has already received 34 anti-aircraft Gepard self-propelled guns. Germany must transfer three more units of equipment. Germany will increase production of ammunition to continue military support of Ukraine. The possibilities for repairing weapons and military equipment used by Ukrainian forces will also be increased.

The Government of Slovakia approved the transfer of 13 MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, the first aircraft are already in Ukraine. Germany agreed with Slovakia on the repair of 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 entry and exit terminals for the Ukrainian economy in the northeast of the country. This will allow to unblock Ukrainian exports, in particular metallurgical production.

Italian self-propelled guns M109L arrived in Ukraine.

The Czech company Inflactech, which specializes in the production 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 current production capacity is up to 50 models per month.

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

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

The third mobile hospital, which was handed over 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 machines and two NM189 Ingeniorpanservogn engineering machines to Ukraine. Together with the equipment of the Armed Forces, they 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 Procurement Agency will receive from Norway. Norway will provide additional NASAMS to Ukraine.

The EU Auxiliary Training Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) will complete the training of 11 people by the end of March. military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And by the end of the year, the number of trained Ukrainian soldiers will be 30.

Ukrainian tankers completed training in Spain.

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

Ukrainian Leopard 2 tankers are trained as part of the UNIFIER training mission, which was initiated by Canada. Instructors from Canada, as well as the 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 Armed Forces of Lithuania are training the Ukrainian military to maintain M113 tracked armored personnel carriers.

Sweden has decided to join a training mission to train Ukrainian sappers in Lithuania, in which Norway and Iceland also take part.

Ukraine and Norway begin 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 teaches Ukrainian military medics.

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