British Intelligence, Sanctions, G20 and Refugees: April 1 Highlights

WAR

1. Kuleba called on nine countries on the eastern flank of NATO to provide Ukraine with more weapons and increase sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation.

2. The German Ministry of Defense decided to approve the supply of infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine from the stocks of the former GDR, which are located in the Czech Republic.

3. The EU called the Russian conscription campaign in the occupied Crimea another violation of international humanitarian law.

4. Italian citizen Edi Ongaro, who joined militant groups since 2015, died in the battles in eastern Ukraine.

Key: British intelligence reports that Ukraine continues to conduct successful but limited counterattacks east and northeast of Kiev.

SANCTIONS

1. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Eva-Maria Liimets, proposed to redirect part of the payments for Russian energy resources to pay for the costs of restoring Ukraine.

2. Serbian ministers in the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina blocked the decision to deny access of Russia and Belarus to the funds of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and member of the presidium Milorad Dodik announced the strengthening of energy cooperation with Russia.

3. The Saeima of Latvia unanimously approved in the first reading the amendments to the law "On Immigration" regarding the stay in the country of foreigners - primarily citizens of Russia and Belarus.

4. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom looks set to divest its subsidiary Gazprom Germania.

The main thing: the European Commission next week should present a package of legislation that should "close the gaps" in four packages of sanctions against the Russian Federation.

POLITICS

1. French President Emmanuel Macron met at the Elysee Palace with the mayor of the temporarily occupied Melitopol, Ivan Fyodorov, who was released from Russian captivity.

2. The United States and its allies believe that the West can provide Ukraine with alternative security guarantees if it abandons its bid for NATO membership as a concession to Russia to end the war.

3. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that the main condition for a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine is that it should not freeze the conflict and consolidate the current positions of the parties.

4. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Ukraine did not receive a response from Russia to its proposals voiced at the talks in Istanbul.

Key: The G20 countries should reconsider the involvement of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin. This statement was made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

SOLIDARITY

1. The Embassy of the Netherlands in the Russian Federation curtails work due to the war in Ukraine

2. According to the representative of the Estonian shipping company, at least some residents of Mariupol who were forcibly taken to the Russian Federation managed to come to Estonia.

3. Almost 295 thousand refugees from Ukraine are registered in Germany.

4. Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, more than 2.4 million people have fled to neighboring Poland.

The main thing: The European Commission has approved a proposal to convert cash hryvnia into the currency of the host member states by persons fleeing the war in Ukraine.