Hungarian Foreign Minister's visit to Ukraine and €122 million allocation from Netherlands - Monday brief

Russia's war against Ukraine

• Ukrainian Armed Forces destroy 37 vehicles and over 200 Russian drones in Tavria direction;

• Just excuse: Ukraine's intelligence reacts to Putin's statements about Il-76 crash;

• Russian Shahed attack on Ukraine: Air Defense Forces shot down all enemy targets.

Szijjarto in Uzhhorod: All the details of the meeting between the representatives of Ukraine and Hungary

Yesterday, on January 29, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak in Uzhhorod. The talks focused on the normalization of relations between the two countries.

The key topics included the war, minority issues, Ukraine's accession to the EU, and the possibility of a meeting between Viktor Orban and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Read more about the meeting between the Ukrainian and Hungarian delegations in RBC-Ukraine's article.

Ammunition, weaponry, cybersecurity: Ukraine to get €122 million from Netherlands

The Netherlands decided to allocate 122 million euros to Ukraine for ammunition, weapons, and cybersecurity, according to the government of the Netherlands.

Amsterdam allocates 87 million euros for the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine. In addition, 25 million euros will be transferred to the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) for the purchase of weapons.

The government of the Netherlands will also allocate 10 million euros to enhance the cybersecurity of Ukraine.

These contributions are a result of consultations within the Defense and Security Cooperation Group of Ukraine (UDCG), which includes 50 partner countries. They assist Ukraine in acquiring equipment and resources for defense against Russia.

EU ambassadors support use of profits from Russian assets for Ukraine aid

EU ambassadors have agreed to use the profits from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, according to the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union and Radio Liberty correspondent Ricard Jozwiak.

"EU Ambassadors just agreed in principle on a proposal on the use of windfall profits related to immobilized assets to support Ukraine's reconstruction," the statement said.

The Belgian presidency did not disclose further details.

Radio Liberty's correspondent in Brussels, Ricard Jozwiak, said that the EU ambassadors had decided to transfer the proceeds of Russian assets to a separate account.

"Now its all about agreeing next step: actually sending the cash to Ukraine," he added.

Zelenskyy names one of main 2024 tasks for Ukraine's war with Russia

Ukraine aims to surpass Russia in the field of drone operations. This is one of the main tasks for 2024, according to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Military - regarding the situation at the front, on each area of intense fighting. Intelligence - current issues, with special attention to what the enemy is doing, how it is putting pressure on its satellites. I am grateful to all our specialists who receive relevant information for Ukraine," the President said.

He also added that a separate conversation was devoted to drone production, supply, and provision.

"It is clear that this is one of the main tasks of the year - to stay ahead of the enemy in the drone operation field. The more successful Ukrainian drones are, from FPV to strategic drones, the more lives of our soldiers we will save," Zelenskyy emphasized.

EU extends sanctions against Russia for six more months

The European Union Council has extended sanctions against the Russian Federation for another six months, until July 31, 2024, reports the press service of the European Union Council.

The EU Council reminds that sanctions were initially imposed in 2014 and significantly expanded since February 2022 when the Russian Federation engaged in an unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory.

The sanctions include a wide range of sectoral measures, restricting:

• Trade
• Finance
• Technology
• Dual-use goods
• Industry
• Transportation
• Luxury goods

"They also cover: a ban on the import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU, a de-SWIFTing of several Russian banks and the suspension of the broadcasting activities and licenses of several Kremlin-backed disinformation outlets. Additionally, specific measures were introduced to strengthen the ability of the EU to counter sanctions circumvention," adds the press service.

Hungary ready to compromise on €50 billion from EU to Ukraine, Orban's advisor says

Hungary says it is ready for a compromise that will allow it to finance the EU's proposed aid package for Ukraine, Reuters reports.

As the agency notes, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been an ardent critic of the EU's financial and military support for Ukraine and blocked the revision of the bloc's budget, forcing the leaders to develop a plan B and convene an emergency summit.

Balazs Orban, the chief political aide to the Prime Minister, says that Budapest sent a proposal to Brussels on Saturday indicating its readiness to use the EU budget for the aid package and to issue EU common debt to finance it if other "caveats" were added.

Russians claim capture of Tabaivka near Kupiansk, Ukrainian forces refute information

Russian propagandists have begun spreading information online about the alleged capture of Tabaivka in the Kupiansk direction. However, the occupiers' boasting about taking the city does not reflect reality, as fighting continues there, states the head of the public relations service of the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Volodymyr Fityo.

"In the Kupiansk district, the settlement of Krokhmalne is important for Russian troops because it is symbolic; they need to present some kind of victory before the elections. Before the large-scale invasion, 45 people lived in the village of Krokhmalne, and today there are no civilians there; the village is destroyed. The enemy presents this as a victory comparable in scale to the capture of Berlin. This is all the occupiers can boast of today," says Fityo.

According to him, the loss of Krokhmalne is not crucial for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as Ukrainian defenders have moved to more advantageous positions.

"And what the enemy is bragging about Tabaivka in their social media does not correspond to reality. There were ongoing hostilities, so the enemy did not capture any Tabaivka. So these minimal advancements in this area are all the invaders managed to achieve. And from our side, the main thing is to preserve the lives of the servicemen," noted the representative of the Ground Forces.