Germany's readiness to act as a guarantor of Ukraine's security and new weapons from the EU: main events on March 30

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WAR

1. The German government wants to quickly offer Ukraine additional weapons systems in order to strengthen the resistance of the Russian army.

2. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in an address to the Norwegian Parliament, said that Ukraine needs anti-ship weapons and anti-aircraft systems, means of destruction of armored vehicles and artillery systems to repel Russian aggression.

3. The British government has hinted that they are thinking about providing Ukraine with offensive weapons, given the need to expel Russian troops from the occupied territories.

4. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said Wednesday that he supports sending S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine.

Most importantly: British intelligence believes that by its statement about the concentration of the main efforts in the Donbass, Russia acknowledged the difficulties in supporting more than one significant offensive direction.

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SANCTIONS

1. The French branch of the Russian propaganda TV channel RT France was refused by the EU Court of General Jurisdiction to suspend the sanctions imposed by the EU Council.

2. European Union officials raided the offices of the German divisions of the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom as part of an investigation into its role in raising prices on the continent to record levels.

3. German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock said on Tuesday that German politicians were aware of the danger of increased energy dependence on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and are now paying the price for ignoring the problem.

4. The European branch of the Russian bank VTB is put up for sale after the parent bank was under US and UK sanctions.

Key: European countries are considering expanding restrictions on more banks, imposing sanctions on additional family members of oligarchs, and tightening restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions in order to strengthen sanctions against Russia.

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POLITICS

1. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his country "as a whole" is ready to act as a guarantor of Ukraine's security.

2. Britain will consider Ukraine's request for the opportunity to become a guarantor of its security, but excludes the assumption of obligations that NATO members have within the Alliance.

3. The White House said that it would be possible to talk about a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin only after a tangible de-escalation in Ukraine.

4. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba complained about the lack of support for Ukraine from the West and, above all, from Germany.

Most importantly, France shares the caution of other Western countries in assessing the prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine thanks to the negotiations and statements by the Russian side on de-escalation in the Kiev and Chernihiv regions.

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SOLIDARITY

1. Currently, about 800 doctors from Germany have agreed to work in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

2. The European Commission will provide the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Moldova with 70,000 vaccines to vaccinate children of Ukrainian refugees.

3. Ukrainians in Italy who left the country after the Russian invasion will be granted a residence permit for 12 months, which will give them access to healthcare, the labor market, education and some social benefits.

4. The United States intends to provide the government of Ukraine with $500 million in direct budgetary assistance.

The main thing: The majority of members of the federal parliament of Canada supported the immediate abolition of the visa regime with Ukraine.