Zelenskyy's visit to Albania, approval of €50 billion for Ukraine, Russians driven out of Krasnohorivka: highlights
The EU Council has finally approved €50 billion in aid to Ukraine. Poland announced negotiations with Ukraine on the temporary closure of the border for trade, but the Ukrainian government denied this. The Third Separate Assault Brigade says the military has driven the Russian army out of the town of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Albania.
€50 billion in aid for Ukraine
The Council of the European Union has finally approved the launch of the Ukraine Facility, which provides €50 billion in aid to Ukraine for 2024-2027.
Earlier, the Ukrainian government claimed that it expects to receive the first payment under the Ukraine Facility program in the amount of €4.5 billion in March.
The Russian units were driven out of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast
On February 28, the Third Separate Assault Brigade announced that the military had driven the Russian army out of the town of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast. They say that the day before, Russian army forces attacked the southeastern part of Krasnohorivka in "rolling attacks" and entered the settlement.
To prevent the Russian troops from gaining a foothold, the defenders conducted a combat operation to clear the town. Today, Krasnohorivka is under the control of Ukraine.
Statements on the closure of the border with Poland
According to Polish media, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Ukraine and Poland were allegedly negotiating a temporary closure of the border for bilateral trade in goods. He said it would be a "temporary and painful decision for both sides."
Later, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine held talks with Poland to unblock the border. The option of closing the border was not mentioned during the conversation.
Later, the Minister of Reconstruction, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said that no one from the Ukrainian side was negotiating the closure of the border with Poland.
Zelenskyy's visit to Albania
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Albania to participate in the Ukraine-South-East Europe Summit. There, he met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. In particular, they discussed Ukraine's urgent defense needs and signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries. Albania will also soon open its embassy in Kyiv.
Military assistance from Belgium and the Netherlands
Belgium will allocate €200 million for the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine, which the Czech Republic sought from a country outside the EU. The Czech government assured that more ammunition will arrive in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands has purchased nine DITA self-propelled artillery systems from the Czech Republic. They will be sent to Ukraine later.
Changes to the requirements for food procurement by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The State Logistics Operator agency has re-announced procurement procedures for the supply of food for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The requirements for suppliers have been removed from the list of rules regarding:
Prohibition of participation in the tender for those suppliers who did not fulfill their obligations to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in 2022-2023;
having at least 15 warehouses to meet security requirements.
The procedures had to be changed after a court ruled in favor of a company that challenged the new procurement procedures. This LLC is associated with the former Trade Commodity group of businessman Andriy Adamovskyi and former Yanukovych government official Vladyslav Yakubovskyi.
Other important news
- Unrecognized "Transnistria" asked Russia for protection from "Moldova's pressure".
- Ukraine received a $760 million grant from Japan and Norway.
- Andriy Zelenchuk, a council member from western Ukraine, was killed at the front.
- Ukraine needs about $3 billion in external financing every month, says Finance Ministry.
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