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Shmyhal and Fico signed a joint statement on strengthening bilateral relations based on mutual trust and respect. With this statement, the parties agreed:
● Further cooperation aimed at respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders.
● On the support for the Peace Formula of Ukraine’s President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
● On Slovakia's participation in the restoration of Ukraine.
● On developing military-technical cooperation on a commercial basis.
EU foreign ministers agree on plan to transfer profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. European Union foreign ministers have reached a political agreement to finalize the work on transferring revenues from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine based on the proposal suggested in December, EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Jan. 22.
The Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas plan to raise $120bn . She believes that the member countries of the Ramstein group, of which there are more than 50, should send Ukraine the equivalent of 0.25% of their GDP annually. She noted that this would amount to at least €120B and would turn the situation around in Ukraine’s favor. "If we do everything right, then there is no point in these gloomy forecasts," she said. According to her, Estonia's plan will become a stable funding source for Ukraine.
Germany will provide €7B in military aid, and France will transfer 40 SCALP missiles and agrees on security guarantees. US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a phone conversation on January 16 to discuss further support for Ukraine. "Germany will provide more than €7B in military goods in 2024," Scholz emphasized. New military assistance from Germany includes Leopard 1 tank ammunition, eight armored personnel carriers, 25 RQ-35 HEIDRUN reconnaissance drones, 50 SatCom communication terminals, eight Zetros trucks, and more.
EU chief says aid package for Ukraine will be approved 'with or without' Hungary's approval. The EU will approve a 50bn euro aid package for Ukraine 'with or without' Hungary's approval, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said in Davos on Jan. 16. "My personal priority is to have an agreement by 27. And if this is not possible, we are prepared for an agreement by 26."
The EU is studying the possibility of transferring €15B in revenues from frozen Russian assets. As the FT points out, Belgium's new responsibilities as the country currently holding the EU presidency may complicate the issue of using blocked Russian assets to help Ukraine. At the same time, while the Big Seven group of countries is considering how to use about €260B belonging to the Russian Central Bank for the benefit of Ukraine, European countries are taking their first steps to use the profits from these assets. European government officials are working on various possibilities to transfer Russian assets to Kyiv but fear their negative consequences. Therefore, they are working to extract only the excess profits of €15B that financial institutions receive from owning these assets. Germany, France, and Belgium, where most frozen assets are located (€210B), are wary of their actual confiscation. "Belgium, where €191B is stuck, promised to continue the work, but it is felt that it does not want to do it," said one of the EU diplomats.
Hungary put forward a condition for lifting its veto on €50B aid to Ukraine. According to Politico, Hungary has said that it could lift the veto on a €50B aid package from the European Union, provided the funding is reviewed every year.
Budapest proposes that the European Council approve a vote to allocate the funds annually. As the publication notes, this would allow Prime Minister Viktor
61 UKRAINE Country Report February 2024 www.intellinews.com