March 2, 2024 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

In 2024, Ukraine will receive EUR 16 billion from the EU aid package totaling EUR 50 billion.

Ukraine and the Netherlands have signed a 10-year security cooperation agreement. It provides for: the Netherlands to continue and expand assistance to Ukraine in defending against russian aggression; providing Ukraine with EUR 2 billion in military aid in 2024 and continuing defence support for 10 years; obtaining modern military equipment and supporting the defence industry, with priority given to providing air defence, artillery, armoured vehicles, support for maritime and long-range capabilities and air forces; strengthening assistance to Ukraine in economic recovery and reconstruction, countering hybrid threats, in intelligence, cyber and information security, in combating organized crime, as well as in critical infrastructure; expansion of blocs regarding sanctions, compensation for damages and holding russia accountable, as well as the Netherlands' support for Ukraine’s cultural heritage; the Netherlands' support for Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO.

The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 14 rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), as well as 8 river patrol boats and CB90 combat boats, the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands has announced.

President of France Emmanuel Macron has said that all his words about russia's full-scale war against Ukraine – including the possibility of sending Western troops, which caused a resonance – were “balanced, thoughtful and measured”.

Minister of the Armed Forces of France Sébastien Lecornu has said that France will focus on providing the Ukrainian Armed Forces with bombs that can be adapted to soviet-made aircrafts. France will also order 100 UAVs to be delivered to Ukraine this summer.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Stéphane Sejourne has said that the French will not die for Ukraine, but France will do everything possible to prevent russia from winning. At the same time, the Minister believes that the West should not allow the scenario of “appeasement of the aggressor” to be repeated, as it was before World War II, which eventually failed to prevent an even worse war.

Minister of Defence of Canada Bill Blair has admitted the possibility that Canadian instructors could return to Ukraine to train Ukrainian servicemen.

Greece's Permanent Representative to NATO Spiros Lambridis has said that the country is preparing a new package of military aid to Ukraine, which “may include air defence and anti-aircraft weapons”. At the same time, the Greek government is considering increasing military aid to our country.

Slovenia will provide Ukraine with €1.5 million for humanitarian mine clearing.

Ireland is building a new centre in County Kildare to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. The opening of the centre is scheduled for March this year.

The European Union has stressed that it considers russia's holding of the so-called presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to be a violation of international law and will never recognise their results.

Since the launch of the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, donors have actually transferred EUR 396.4 million to its accounts.

Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises have already received €100 million in support from the EU.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided IT equipment and IT solutions to support and backup daily operational and dispatching processes for the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (OGTSU).

The Ministries of Transport of Ukraine and Turkiye have agreed to continue liberalizing freight transportation, or transport visa-free regime, at least until the end of the war with russia.

Minister of Agriculture of Lithuania Kęstutis Navickas states there have been no cases of imported Ukrainian grain being falsely labelled as a domestic product and re-exported to Poland.

In February, the cargo turnover of the ports of Greater Odesa reached a record high of 8 million tons since the full-scale invasion, of which 5.2 million tons were products of Ukrainian farmers. Right now 113 vessels are waiting to enter the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, with almost 3 million tons of cargo to be exported.

The UNITY program of affordable Black Sea marine insurance, implemented by Marsh McLennan and Lloyd's of London in cooperation with the Ukrainian government, is being extended to all vessels carrying non-military cargo.

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By the next G7 summit in June, the USA will prepare a plan for using frozen russian assets to help Ukraine.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen believes that any plan to confiscate or monetize $300 billion of frozen russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine cannot be seen as a substitute for urgently needed aid that has been delayed in Congress. At the same time, the United States has asked France to help develop options for the use of frozen russian assets for Ukraine.

“...If Ukraine falls (in the war with russia), I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with russia,”, said Chief of Pentagon Lloyd Austin.

“A defeat of Ukraine would bring new resources to the victors and open the door for more “special military operations” in Central and Eastern Europe”, said Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský.

“...In Moldova, putin is using the same blatant scenario with the separatists in transnistria”, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Mihai Popșoi has warned that russia will continue its hybrid war in Moldova in 2024, ahead of the presidential election and referendum on his country's accession to the European Union.

“We must not succumb to his (putin's) blackmail, but redouble our efforts to arm Ukraine, strengthen our own defence and not allow him to draw any red lines”, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs commented on putin's address.

The government of Japan has imposed new anti-russian sanctions against 12 individuals and 36 organisations, including “kalashnikov” and “almaz-antey” arms manufacturing concerns, “bazalt”, united shipbuilding corporation, tinkoff bank, “atomflot”, uralvagonzavod, “aviadvigatel”, “aeroskan”, “neva elektronika”, “angstrom”(a chip manufacturing company), scientific and industrial associations “avrora” and “impuls”, and a design bureau “novator”.

Japan has also banned the import of russian diamonds for non-industrial use from third countries.

At the same time, Japan has imposed personal sanctions against ombudspersons for children's rights in kaluga and rostov regions ageyeva and cherkasova respectively, ombudsperson for human rights in chechnya soltayev, head of the chechnya government khuchiyev, commander of the ahmat-haji special police regiment chalaev, director of the artek children's camp fedorenko, chief of staff of the yunarmiya department in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol kovalenko, son of the former governor of the krasnoyarsk territory uss.

Canada has imposed additional restrictions on imports of russian diamonds.

In Bulgaria, a complete ban on the import of russian oil into the country comes into force today. This comes after Bulgaria banned the export of products made from russian raw materials on January 1.

Kazakhstan has banned the export of ferrous scrap to russia, which will have a major impact on the operations of russian electrometallurgical enterprises that process scrap into construction steel. The deficit of scrap in the domestic market may increase to 500,000 tons.

The ministry of industry and trade and the state corporation “rostekh” have officially announced the postponement of the delivery of all russian passenger aircraft being developed to replace foreign-made aircrafts, including the sj-100, ms-21, tu-214, “Baikal” and il-114-300. The authorities promised that supplies would begin in 2024, but the deadline has been postponed to 2025-2026 with the prospect of further delays. It is stated that for various reasons, the characteristics of all the aircrafts do not meet the declared ones, which is why they do not have time to pass certification.

According to the comprehensive strategy for the development of the russian aviation industry approved in 2022, 1,036 passenger aircrafts were to be put into operation by 2030, including six ms-21s in 2024, 12 in 2025, and 22 in 2026. The first sj-100s were to be supplied in 2023, and 20 aircrafts were to be produced starting in 2024. The first three tu-214s were also promised to be built in 2023, another seven in 2024, and ten in 2025. Ten il-114s were also promised to be put into service by 2025.

On March 1, the russian government imposed a one-year duty on the export of russian coal (4% to 7% depending on the ruble exchange rate), which will have a negative impact on russian coal mining companies, as they will be unable to compete with foreign companies amid falling world prices.

On March 1, putin signed a decree to call up russians in the reserve for military training.

The demographic crisis in russia continues. In 2021, according to rosstat, the population of the rf decreased by one million people. In 2022 – by another 55 thousand. In 2023, the rf lost another 600 thousand people.

In 2024, the trend of 2023 continued in the rb, when the number of dismissals exceeded the number of new hires. In January, companies fired 2013 more people, according to the belstat. In total, 41.38 thousand people were hired in January 2024, while almost 43.4 thousand were fired.

Officially unemployed foreigners in the rb will be included in the database of able-bodied citizens not employed in the economy and will be required to reimburse the state 100% of the cost of housing and communal services.

belarusian tax authorities have taken up the issue of tips the customers leave to employees, particularly in the service sector. The laws are going to specify whether these funds belong to the employee who received them or to the employer. The main purpose of this initiative, according to independent economists, is to create another niche for tax collection.

The ministry of internal affairs of the rb has updated its list of people involved in extremist activities by adding 26 names, bringing the total number of people on the list to 3,845.

self-proclaimed president of the rb lukashenko has proposed to award “the most worthy members of parliament of the outgoing convocation” – members of the house of representatives of the VI convocation, responsible, in particular, for expanding the use of the death penalty, “countering extremism”, and fighting dissent, deprivation of citizenship, which is contrary to the Constitution, further restriction of citizens' rights to freedom of assembly, adoption of a unilateral repressive law on the media and other legislative initiatives that curtail citizens' rights and negatively affect the country's development.