Zelenskyy visits Türkiye, EU Commission announces first aid tranches for Ukraine - Friday brief

Russia's war against Ukraine: Latest news

• Ukrainian air defense targets Russian aircraft at over 150 km, results being verified
• There have been 74 combat clashes on the front line, Ukrainian soldiers repelled Russian attacks near Terny (Donetsk region) and struck a depot of enemy ammunition.
• Estonian intelligence reports accelerated Russian advance in Ukraine

Zelenskyy visits Türkiye, holds talks with Erdogan

On Friday, March 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Türkiye for a working visit.

The head of state was accompanied by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

The President held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. One of the topics was the liberation of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

After the meeting, Erdogan announced that Türkiye is ready to host a peace summit on the war in Ukraine. Istanbul intends to invite Moscow representatives.

He has reminded that Türkiye has been and continues to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine through negotiations from the very beginning.

"We are ready to host a peace summit to which Russia will be invited," adds the President of Türkiye.

Zelenskyy reacted to the format proposed by Erdogan. According to him, Ukraine does not see representatives of Russia at this summit.

In addition, Ukraine and Türkiye signed an agreement to create a system for the electronic exchange of advance information between the customs of the two states.

Zelenskyy also handed Erdogan a list of Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia. Among them are repressed Crimean Tatars.

European Commission announces €6 billion aid tranche for Ukraine

Ukraine will receive financial assistance from the European Union in the amount of 4.5 billion euros in March and an additional 1.5 billion euros in April. The funds are provided within the framework of the Ukraine Facility program, according to Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis.

He mentions that the European Union is finalizing the mechanism of the Ukraine Facility, under which Ukraine has been promised 50 billion euros by 2027.

The Vice-President of the European Commission states that the first tranche, totaling €4.5 billion, will be disbursed in March, followed by €1.5 billion in April.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved several documents allowing Ukraine to receive tranches of financial assistance from the European Union totaling 6 billion euros.

Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, stated that this year, Ukraine expects to receive around 16 billion euros from the EU within the framework of the Ukraine Facility program. While all agreements are being finalized, Ukraine has already secured emergency funding.

Zelenskyy names Turkish-built corvette for Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named the new corvette manufactured by Türkiye for Ukraine.

According to order No. 150/2024, Zelenskyy decided to name the corvette of the Ada class of the Ukrainian Navy after Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi.

It will henceforth be referred to as the Corvette Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi. This was done to restore the historical traditions of the national military and perpetuate the memory of the outstanding Ukrainian military, political, and state figure, Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host Ivan Vyhovskyi.

The President, while in Türkiye, stated that he signed this decree yesterday. He added that the corvette would definitely appear in Ukrainian territorial waters.

"I am confident that it will also strengthen our Navy," he said.

Canada joins drone coalition for Ukraine

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair has pledged Ottawa's participation in the work of the defense contact group of the coalition to strengthen Ukraine's capabilities in the field of drones, led by Latvia and the United Kingdom.

As a member of this coalition, Canada will continue to explore ways to expand Ukraine's capabilities in the field of drones.

To date, Canada has made a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine's UAV potential by providing over 100 specialized cameras for UAVs manufactured in Canada by L3 Wescam.

In addition to these donations, Blair announced last month the transfer of over 800 UAVs from Teledyne FLIR, based in Waterloo, Ontario.