The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is interested in cooperation with the U.S. intelligence service on a number of important issues related to national security, in particular, cybersecurity, countering hybrid warfare, combating terrorism and professional training of employees, said SBU head Ivan Bakanov.
According to him, cooperation with the United States provides Ukraine with more opportunities to build an effective national security system.
“Partnership with the United States allows us to more effectively defend our state. And this is very important when Ukraine is confronted by such a powerful enemy as Russia. And the presence of this threat requires us to act in a systematic and effective manner,” Bakanov was quoted as saying during a meeting with representatives of American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), the SBU press service said on Monday.
Bakanov noted that the National Security Strategy defines only the Euro-Atlantic vector for Ukraine. And, in his opinion, such a partnership should be expanded today.
“Ukraine seeks to obtain the status of the main U.S. ally outside NATO, and in the future – membership in the Alliance. According to the head of the SBU, this will contribute not only to military cooperation, but also to effectively protect Ukraine from Russian aggression and the de-occupation of Donbas and Crimea,” the SBU said.
They note that during the meeting, the head of the SBU outlined areas of cooperation with the United States, in which the Ukrainian special service is especially interested, among which, in particular, cyber security, countering hybrid war, the fight against terrorism and professional training of employees.
“In addition, the head of the Security Service called on AFPC to facilitate Ukraine’s joining the U.S. President’s Cyber Flag initiative for the collective protection of states in cyberspace,” the SBU said.
The SBU clarifies that the American side at the meeting was represented by President of the American Foreign Policy Council Herman Pirchner, the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE in 2019-2021 James Gilmore, former U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN John Lerner, Director of the Center for U.S.-Ukraine Relations in Washington Mykola Gritskovyan, Senior Fellow at AFPC and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, Alexander Gray.
The SBU also reminds that the American Foreign Policy Council was created in 1982 with headquarters in Washington. It is a non-profit public organization serving as a think tank for the U.S. Congress. Among international issues, AFPC thoroughly investigates changes in the countries of the post-Soviet space, the Eurasian continent as a whole, and makes recommendations to members of the U.S. Congress.
Some 120 Ukrainians have expressed desire to leave the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is in contact with them, said spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with the Ukrainians who have expressed desire to leave the Gaza Strip. There are now 120 of them,” he told Interfax-Ukraine on Saturday. According to him, the embassies in Israel and Egypt, as well as the representative office at the Palestinian National Authority, are now working out possible routes of repatriation.
“We keep this situation under special control,” he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the law on amendments to Section II Final and Transitional Provisions of the law of Ukraine on amending certain laws of Ukraine concerning reducing the shortage of ferrous scrap on the domestic market, by which it is proposed to prolong the export duty in the amount of EUR 58 per tonne for another five years.
“This document extends for five years – until September 15, 2026, the period of validity of the export duty rate of EUR 58 per tonne for waste and scrap of ferrous metals. Thus, conditions are created to prevent a shortage of ferrous scrap in Ukraine, which will contribute to smooth operation of domestic metallurgical industry, preserving jobs and increasing tax revenues to the budgets of all levels,” the press service of the head of state said.
In addition, the document will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which is in line with Ukraine’s intentions to join the European Green Deal, since each tonne of recycled scrap metal saves 1.5 tonnes of CO2, 1.4 tonnes of iron ore and 740 kg of coal.
“Recycling of scrap into steel requires only 1/3 of energy costs in comparison with the production of steel from primary raw materials,” it said.
The law comes into force the next day after its publication.
FERROUS SCRAP METAL, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, PRESIDENT ZELENSKY
The final planning conference for the Ukrainian-American exercises Sea Breeze-2021 ended in Odesa on May 13, the public relations service of the Command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
“The purpose of the event was to finalize the plan, the format for attracting the participating states and reconnaissance of the venues,” the Ukrainian Navy said on its Facebook page.
The conference, together with Ukraine, was attended by 16 member states and partners of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“The Sea Breeze is another important step and the most important event aimed at obtaining the capabilities of the Navy to operate completely according to NATO standards. This year we are returning to a full-scale training format, in which all components are involved,” Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neyizhpapa said.
This year, for the first time, representatives of Senegal and Tunisia took part in the final conference.
In general, it is planned to attract more than 30 ships, 30 aircraft in the naval and air components and more than 1,400 military personnel from various countries in the land component.
The current Sea Breeze exercise brings together a record number of participating countries, namely 27 countries will take part directly with the involvement of units, ships, aircraft and appropriate officers. Taking into account the “observers”, up to 35 countries are planning to take part in the Sea Breeze-2021 exercises.
Last year, due to quarantine restrictions, the Sea Breeze exercises were limited to only the naval phase with the involvement of aviation. All joint activities took place in the Black Sea without personnel contact.
The Sea Breeze exercises have been conducted on the territory of Ukraine since 1997 in accordance with the 1993 Memorandum between the U.S. and Ukrainian Ministries of Defense. The co-organizers of the exercises are Ukraine and the United States.
RATIO OF FERTILITY AND MORTALITY BY REGION IN JAN-FEB 2021
Electrometallurgical plant Dniprospetsstal (Zaporizhia) in January-April this year increased the output of finished rolled products, according to operational data, by 19.1% compared to the same period last year – up to 56,000 tonnes.
Steel production during this period increased by 13.4% – up to 76,000 tonnes, the enterprise told Interfax-Ukraine.
In April, 21,000 tonnes of steel were smelted; 14,000 tonnes of rolled products were produced.
As reported, Dniprospetsstal in 2020 increased the output of finished rolled products by 1.3% compared to 2019, to 154,000 tonnes, steel by 2.7%, to 225,000 tonnes.
Dniprospetsstal is the only Ukrainian manufacturer of long products and forgings from special grades of steel: stainless, tool, high-speed, bearing, structural, as well as from heat-resistant nickel-based alloys.
