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President's Office denies Ukraine has softened its position on peace talks. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous European officials, that Ukraine didn't press the demand for a full withdrawal of Russian troops to start peace talks at the Aug. 5 meeting in Saudi Arabia. Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation denied it to the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine, UK start talks on security guarantees. The governments of Ukraine and the U.K. began bilateral negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said on Aug. 11.
The German finance minister arrived in Kyiv for the first time since the beginning of the war to discuss support. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, discussed with the German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, the prospects of Ukraine's cooperation with the Credit Institution for Reconstruction. Ukraine and KfW are implementing five joint investment projects worth €247M and preparing three more worth an additional €73M. The head of the Ukrainian government notes that our state received more than €1.5B in macro-financial assistance from Germany. According to Shmyhal, Ukraine anticipates participation from German businesses in Ukraine's reconstruction. In addition, Lindner assured Shmyhal of further support for Ukraine and long-term cooperation. Lindner signed a declaration that outlines the strengthening of cooperation between the two ministries with his Ukrainian colleague, Serhii Marchenko. At a joint press conference, the German minister emphasized that Germany has allocated €22B to support Ukraine, of which €12B is for military aid.
NATO Official retracts controversial suggestion about Ukraine exchanging territory for NATO membership. Stian Jenssen, chief of staff to the NATO secretary-general, walked back his previous comments about Ukraine potentially giving up territory to Russia in return for NATO membership, the Norwegian newspaper VG reported on Aug. 16.
Czech Republic freezes around €350M of sanctioned Russian assets. The Czech Republic froze €347.36 million of Russian sanctioned assets, the Czech Ambassador to Ukraine Radek Matula announced on Aug. 15 during a meeting with the head of Ukraine's Agency for Search and Asset Management (ARMA).
Zelensky rules out giving away Ukrainian territory in return for peace. Ukraine will not consider giving away part of the country's territory to Russia in some kind of "exchange” as a part of a potential peace deal, president Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Aug. 20 in Eindhoven.
Leaders from the Balkan countries support Ukraine's EU membership, and Greece supports NATO membership. Leaders from 11 countries signed a declaration of support for Ukraine at the Ukraine-Balkans summit in Athens on August 21. Against the background of Russian aggression, the summit participants expressed unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The document also emphasizes that the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova, geographically adjacent to the EU states, share a common European heritage, history, and future. Therefore, for the sake of peace, security, and stability in Europe, it is crucial that these regions are accepted as full members
10 UKRAINE Country Report September 2023 www.intellinews.com