Page 16 - UKRRptFeb24

2.6 Politics - misc
● International Politics
Turkey formally ratifies Sweden's Nato accession. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed into force the parliament's ratification of Sweden's Nato membership, Reuters reported on January 25, citing the Turkish presidency's official gazette.
Slovak PM promises to block Ukraine's NATO entry, says it must cede territory. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Jan. 24. Then on January 24, the heads of government of Ukraine and Slovakia discussed relations between the two countries The Slovak prime minister promised not to block the allocation of 50bn euros to Ukraine from the #EU. Also, Slovakia will not block Ukraine's purchase of weapons and equipment from local businesses. In addition, Fico said that Slovakia fully supports Ukraine's European integration intentions.
Reuters: EU unlikely to confiscate Russian central bank assets. European officials believe it is unlikely that the EU will seize Russian central bank assets, partly due to the legal risks, Reuters reported on Jan. 23.
Zelensky invites Trump to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has extended an invitation to Donald Trump to visit Kyiv, with a specific condition attached: the former U.S. president must demonstrate his ability to bring an end to the war with Russia within 24 hours, as he once promised.
100 years of partnership and £2.5B of military support: The results from the British Prime Minister's visit to Kyiv. During Prime Minister of the UK Rishi Sunak's visit to Kyiv on January 12, he announced the provision of £2.5B (over $3B) in military support to Ukraine over the next financial year. The aid package includes long-range missiles, air defence, and artillery shells. Around £200M will go towards drones, including long-range reconnaissance, strike, and maritime drones. The UK will also provide an additional £18M in humanitarian aid in addition to the already allocated £340M. This will help to overcome the consequences of Russian airstrikes and strengthen energy infrastructure protection. In addition, Kyiv and London signed an agreement on bilateral security guarantees for Ukraine. The agreement envisages a 100-year partnership, annual aid for 10 years, and automatic provision of arms to Ukraine in the event of any aggression. It formalizes support for several programs Britain already provides and will continue to provide in intelligence sharing, cyber security, and military cooperation. Since the beginning of the war, Britain has given almost £12B in aid to Ukraine.
EU needs to reform before further enlargement. Speaking at a Brussels press conference together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said that the Belgian presidency would work on a negotiating framework for the entry of the two candidate countries.
By winning elections in the European Parliament, Charles Michel might give more power to Victor Orban. The current president of the European Council will be a candidate in the elections for the European Parliament, and this will also be the first time he will leave office early. Suppose current
16 UKRAINE Country Report February 2024 www.intellinews.com