Head of European Commission in Kyiv, EU loan to Ukraine and Telegram ban - Friday brief
Collage by RBC-Ukraine
On September 20, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv and announced a €35 billion loan against Russian assets. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military and civil servants were banned from using Telegram on their official devices.
Read more about what happened on Friday, September 20.
The head of the European Commission came to Kyiv and loan of 35 billion euros
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv on Friday, September 20. This is her eighth visit to Ukraine.
Von der Leyen said that the European Commission will provide Ukraine with a loan of 35 billion euros. Kyiv will receive it as part of the G7 commitments.
“We are confident that we can provide this loan to Ukraine very quickly. A loan that is supported by income from frozen russian assets. It will be transferred directly to your state budget,” she said.
According to von der Leyen, this will improve Ukraine's macro-financial stability and provide significant fiscal support.
According to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, these 35 billion euros will be spent primarily on Ukraine's energy sector and defense. In particular, part of the funds will go to domestic weapons production.
Ukraine bans Telegram for military and government employees on work devices
According to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), military personnel and civil servants are prohibited from using Telegram on work devices. However, there are exceptions.
"The National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCCC) has decided to restrict the use of Telegram in government bodies, military formations, and critical infrastructure facilities," the statement reads.
Representatives of the Defense Forces who participated in the meeting noted that the Russian enemy actively uses Telegram for cyberattacks, phishing, spreading malware, determining users' geolocation, and adjusting missile strikes.
"To minimize these threats, a decision was made to prohibit the installation and use of Telegram on work devices of government employees, military personnel, security, and defense sector workers, as well as employees of critical infrastructure operators," participants added.
The only exceptions will be for individuals whose job responsibilities include using this messenger.
US may announce large military aid package for Ukraine next week - CNN
The United States plans to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine next week. But the delivery of weapons may be delayed, reports CNN.
The newspaper reminds that the United States has $5.9 billion left under presidential authority for arms reductions for Ukraine. The funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year in less than two weeks.
According to CNN, the new package is likely to include artillery, air defense systems, and ammunition. Its total value could be higher than the packages announced in the last few months. Those included weapons worth about $200 million.
Earlier, journalists reported that the United States was providing Ukraine with lower-cost military aid packages, as the stockpile of weapons and equipment that the Pentagon was willing to send from its own reserves had dwindled.
But, faced with the possibility of expiring funds, the US may now take a different approach - announcing large military aid packages that will take months to deliver.
Norwegian government proposes to increase aid to Ukraine
The Norwegian government has proposed increasing aid to Ukraine by 5 billion Norwegian kroner (around 430 million euros) this year and providing at least 15 billion Norwegian kroner (about 1.3 billion euros) annually until 2030, states Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
According to JJonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian government has proposed increasing the Nansen program's support for Ukraine to a total of 135 billion Norwegian kroner (11.5 billion euros).
The program is also set to be extended by three years, from 2027 to 2030.
France completes training of first group of Ukrainian pilots on Alphajet aircraft
French instructors are training Ukrainian pilots to operate Alphajet aircraft. The training of the first group of Ukrainians has already been completed, the French Armed Forces say.
“France has just completed the training of the first group of Ukrainian pilots at Alphajet,” the French Armed Forces says in a statement.
They specified that the training of Ukrainian pilots in France began in March this year to meet the operational needs of Ukraine.
Russian command knew: Seized documents show plans to prevent Ukraine’s Kursk operation
Russian military command anticipated the operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) in the Kursk region and had been developing plans to prevent it for several months. Documents were seized from abandoned Russian positions in the region, according to The Guardian.
According to the article, the disclosure of this information makes the panic among Russian troops following Ukraine’s offensive in early August even more humiliating.
The documents provided to The Guardian also reveal Russia’s concern about the morale of its troops in the Kursk region.
