President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the government has already prepared a special assistance program for Ukrainians who have lost their jobs, under which they will receive UAH 6,500 without any conditions. “The government has already prepared a special assistance program for all Ukrainians who have missed the opportunity to work… Every employee, every sole proprietor, our citizen who was deprived of the opportunity to work by Russia will receive UAH 6,500 without any conditions,” Zelensky said in a video statement on Thursday morning.
The world’s largest European budget carrier Ryanair has canceled all flights to and from Ukraine, in particular, from the airports of Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa, for an unlimited period, this follows from the information in its booking system.
According to one of the correspondents of Interfax-Ukraine, the company, in particular, sent him messages about the cancellation of an already paid flight for August 29, 2022.
The day after Russia launched a war against Ukraine on February 24 and closed the country’s airspace, Ryanair announced that it had suspended and withdrawn from sale flights to/from Ukraine until the end of March, pending further information from EU security authorities.
As of the morning of March 2, flights to and from Ukraine were still in the booking system for dates after March 27.
Earlier in February, before the start of the war, Ryanair removed all flights to Kharkiv and Kherson from sale.
Ryanair’s main competitor among low-cost carriers in Ukraine, Wizz Air, is still selling tickets to and from the country for the period after March 27.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine continues to provide oxygen supplies to COVID clinics, Minister of Health Viktor Liashko has said. “The coronavirus has not disappeared. There is only one pandemic in the world, nothing has disappeared, despite the fact that this topic is not on the front pages,” he said on the air of the 1+1 TV channel on Wednesday.
Liashko noted that the Ministry of Health continues to provide COVID hospitals with oxygen in the required volume.
He also said that there is enough COVID-19 vaccine in Ukraine, but the vaccine campaign is hampered by logistical problems.
Alfa-Bank (Kyiv) denied media reports about its withdrawal from the Ukrainian market, the bank’s press service told Interfax-Ukraine.
“This is a fake. We are now resuming the work of branches in those cities where possible. All information is promptly posted on our social networks,” the press service emphasized.
According to the bank’s Facebook post, there are 26 branches in Ukraine in 16 cities of Ukraine. The list is being updated.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of October 1, 2021 Alfa-Bank ranked sixth in terms of total assets (UAH 115.443 billion) among 71 banks operating in the country.
A dialogue on international guarantees for Ukraine should be started and carried out as soon as possible, adviser to the President’s Office head Mykhailo Podoliak believes.
“It is absolutely realistic to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine from the leading powers,” he said on Wednesday, answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine about the feasibility of developing a guarantee mechanism in the face of a sharp deterioration in relations between the West and Russia.
“For example, Ukraine’s accession to the European Union can be seen as the initial element of such guarantees. But a substantive dialogue on safeguards must be initiated and carried out as quickly as possible. Our partners know exactly what this means. Now is not the time to reveal details publicly, but it is definitely the time to implement a workable safeguards model,” he said.
Systematic support for Ukraine with a plan to restore it for EUR100 billion, tougher sanctions against Russia and overall energy independence are the main postulates that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki presented at a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on March 1.
According to the report on the website of the Polish government, Morawiecki stressed the need for a broader view of the Ukrainian issue.
“It is also very important to prepare an investment package for Ukraine, because the economy needs new investments and new jobs, and energy security is necessary as an important element of recovery after the war, which may end soon,” the official said.
According to him, this will also lead to the fact that this part of Europe will finally become independent of Russian gas, oil and coal.
“This is a necessary condition for peace to reign here in the long term,” the prime minister of Poland summed up.
During his visit to Brussels, Morawiecki demanded the most detailed package of sanctions and stressed that it was necessary.
