The Supreme Court of Israel (High Court) made an interim decision in favor of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday. “The Embassy of Ukraine welcomed the interim decision of the Supreme High Court on a petition related to the admission of Ukrainian citizens to Israel,” the embassy said.
Earlier, Varsh Tomar’s law office in Israel filed a petition with the High Court against the decision of Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to limit the number of Ukrainian refugees in Israel to 5,000. The Embassy of Ukraine said support for the petition.
The plaintiffs demanded the Israeli authorities adhere to interstate agreements on visa-free entry to Israel for citizens of Ukraine. The High Court of Justice at a meeting on March 21, given that the “scheme” for accepting Ukrainian refugees, proposed by the Minister of Internal Affairs Ayelet Shaked, expires on March 27, and the Committee on Internal Affairs must discuss this issue on March 23, took the following decision: the defendants must submit an application for decision within 24 hours after it is made, but no later than March 28.
The embassy said in the statement the court recognized the existence of legal decisions regarding the consideration of the issue of entry of Ukrainian citizens to Israel. The statement also said that “Interior Minister Shaked and the Knesset Home Affairs Committee will ‘rethink’ the current entry policy and allow the entry of Ukrainian citizens ‘without any preconditions.”
The United States may further expand sanctions against Russia, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics Daleep Singh said in an interview with CBS News.
“We can broaden our sanctions. So – take the measures, take the sanctions we’ve already applied, apply them in more targets. Apply them to more sectors. More banks, more sectors that we haven’t touched,” Singh said.
According to him, the sanctions may affect “the commanding heights of the Russian economy.” “It’s mostly about oil and gas, but there are other sectors too,” he said.
Speaking about the possibility of lifting sanctions against Russia, Singh stressed that “we’re nowhere near that point.”
He believes that “the first thing he has to do is to stop – a reckless and barbaric attack on the civilians of Ukraine. That’s not happening.”
Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak at an online meeting with representatives of the world’s leading investment companies spoke about the ongoing bombing of Ukrainian cities, the press service of the President’s Office reports.
“The whole world is talking about the terrible situation in Mariupol today. The situation in Kharkiv, in the settlements around Kyiv, is not much better. But Ukraine will never surrender, will never give up its independence. And the country’s army, which is not a member of NATO, has stopped and continues to fight against one of the largest armies in the world,” Yermak stressed.
He noted that negotiations with the Russian Federation to end the war are not easy, and it is very difficult to predict everything that the parties may eventually agree on. But for Ukraine there are definitely no compromises on its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Yermak expressed his conviction that Russia’s war against Ukraine had destroyed the structure of not only European, but also world security, and it was necessary to build a new one, where Ukraine would hold one of the key positions.
He also noted that after the end of the war, the Ukrainians will very quickly restore their country. For this, Ukraine plans to attract funds from international partners, as well as reparations that the Russian Federation must pay.
He urged businesses to invest in the purchase of war bonds of the Ukrainian government, and responsible companies that have already left or are leaving Russia to reorient themselves to Ukraine in the future. Also, according to Yermak, it would be right to consider the issue of creating special funds or individual programs for the restoration of Ukraine.
“The best response to the inhuman acts that we are now seeing on the territory of our country will be the appearance of the most modern houses and enterprises on the site of the destroyed buildings, where Ukrainians will be able to work. And we really hope that thanks to this, people who are now forced to leave Ukraine, will quickly return to their homeland,” Yermak concluded.
The European cryptocurrency exchange WhiteBIT has launched integration with the Diia public service, the company’s press service reported on Saturday.
WhiteBIT said that thanks to integration with the Diia application, now any user from Ukraine can pass KYC verification on the WhiteBIT exchange in less than one minute. Usually this procedure on all cryptocurrency exchanges requires filling out a questionnaire, scanning documents and time for verification. To pass KYC, it will be enough to select “Quick verification with the Diia app.” After that one needs to confirm the transfer of documents on the Diia app.
“In the conditions of war, cryptocurrency becomes a powerful tool for strengthening the defense capability of our country. It allows raising money for humanitarian aid, the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and terrorist defense. People from all over the world want and are ready to support Ukraine through donations of their cryptoassets. We do not stand aside, but strive be the first to introduce innovations, simplify the path of users and make their interaction with WhiteBIT as comfortable as possible. After all, this, among other things, helps the Ukrainian economy, the army, people who are in trouble because of the war. We are glad that the state is becoming a convenient service and our cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation confirms this. Instead of wasting time on a routine, now our clients can go through the verification procedure in just two clicks,” WhiteBIT CEO Vladimir Nosov is quoted as saying.
In addition, WhiteBIT said that the company has created a joint project with WhitePay, where everyone can choose from more than 90 cryptocurrencies and send funds to help the Ministry of Health or injured civilians, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked American actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who helped raise funds to help refugees from Ukraine.
“Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were among the first to respond to our grief. They have already raised $35 million and are sending it to Flexport and Airbnb to help Ukrainian refugees. Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the world,” Zelensky said on Twitter.
The U.S. oil field service company Halliburton Co. has announced an immediate suspension of future business in Russia in a statement published on the company website.
“The Company complies with sanctions that prohibit transactions and work, including for certain state-owned Russian customers. Halliburton will prioritize safety and reliability as we wind down our remaining operations in Russia,” the statement said.
Halliburton said it has no active joint ventures in Russia, while all shipments of specific sanctioned parts and products to Russia were halted several weeks ago.
“The war in Ukraine deeply saddens us. We have employees in both Ukraine and Russia, and the conflict greatly impacts our people, their families, and loved ones throughout the region. Since the start of this conflict, we prioritized employee safety and compliance with all relevant sanctions,” the statement quoted Halliburton Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Miller as saying.
Halliburton is the world’s second largest oil field service company and the largest U.S. supplier of oil industry equipment, which was cooperating with all major mineral developers of Russia, including Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Rosneft and Lukoil.
