Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 19.02 – 25.02
Minister of Defense of Ukraine: Plan for 2024 is already in place, and it will yield results
The government has a Action Plan for the defense of the country in 2024, announced Defense Minister Rustam Umeryov.
«We are doing everything possible and impossible to make a breakthrough. The Plan-2024 is already in existence, and we do not disclose it publicly. It is powerful, it is strong, it not only provides hope but will also yield results in 2024».
Umeryov also mentioned that in Ukraine, «several thousand strongholds» have been established but did not specify the exact number.
He stated that the government has gathered data not only on the needs of the Armed Forces but also on the requirements of the Defense Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and so on.
G7 promises to meet Ukraine's «urgent needs» and never recognize pseudo-elections
Following the online summit on February 24, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) pledged to help address Ukraine's "urgent financial needs," never recognize pseudo-elections in occupied territories, and continue supporting Ukrainian internally displaced persons and refugees.
The signatories emphasize that Russia «should not succeed in destroying the Ukrainian economy to compensate for its failures on the battlefield».
«We will assist Ukraine in meeting its urgent financial needs and support other vulnerable countries severely affected by the consequences of the Russian war», they underscore.
In this regard, the leaders of the Group of Seven welcomed the European Union's adoption of a four-year, 50 billion euro macro-financial support program for Ukraine.
Ukraine signs security agreements with Italy, Canada, and Denmark
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have signed a bilateral security agreement between their countries. According to President Zelensky, this document establishes a strong foundation for a long-term security partnership between Ukraine and Italy.
Additionally, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a «cooperation agreement in the field of security» with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv. The bilateral security agreement was signed during Trudeau's visit to Ukraine on the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion by Russia.
«The document envisages Canada providing over 3 billion Canadian dollars in macro-financial and defense assistance to Ukraine in 2024».
Furthermore, on February 23 in Lviv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of security and long-term support. Zelensky emphasized that Denmark is the first non-"Group of Seven" country with which Ukraine has entered into such an agreement. According to him, the agreement outlines specific levels of support for Ukraine from Denmark.
Czech Republic mobilizing countries to finance delivery of 800,000 munitions to Ukraine
The Czech Republic is working to organize a group of countries to help finance the delivery of 800,000 munitions to Ukraine, as recently mentioned by Czech President Petr Pavel, according to Bloomberg. The Czech Ministry of Defense stated on Friday that it is coordinating efforts and has secured preliminary commitments from Canada and Denmark, as well as other countries that prefer not to be named.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the amount needed for the delivery of munitions to Ukraine is $1.5 billion.
Zelenskyy: We will prepare a new counteroffensive
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that in 2024, Ukraine plans not only to defend itself but also to prepare a new counteroffensive. He shared this information in an interview with FoxNews Speaking about goals for the year, Zelenskyy noted that in the confrontation with a country like Russia, even defense is a significant task and challenge.
Responding to expectations for a more effective counteroffensive in 2023 and a desire to end the war sooner, the president emphasized that during a counteroffensive, one must consider the lives of soldiers. A rapid advance would mean the loss of lives, and if Ukraine loses soldiers, it loses everything.
The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell to tell about current news and events in Ukraine.
Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти про актуальні новини та події в Україні.
