Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine seeks to start negotiations on joining the European Union as soon as possible – no later than June this year, the Communications Department of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine reported on Friday.
“We expect the EU to approve the negotiation framework for us without delay. We see no objective obstacles that could prevent this. We are actively supported by all European countries,” Shmyhal said at the panel “European Integration of Ukraine, its Regions and Territorial Communities” at the forum “Life of Regions in War.”
He added that Ukraine has reliable partners in the EU who are ready to help and share their experience for the successful completion of the negotiation process.
The Prime Minister noted that Ukraine has done all the homework to start negotiations on joining the EU. “The European Commission has confirmed that Ukraine has fulfilled all the conditions. We have demonstrated well-coordinated work. Today, the President announced a proposal to develop an infrastructure for European integration. This should include representatives from the government to communities who will work with European funds,” Shmyhal said.
He added that the Ukrainian government, for its part, is ready to help communities attract as much money as possible from the EU. At the same time, the main problem remains the ability of communities to prepare and present relevant projects. “This should be a priority for communities. Because this year we have access to European funds. Ukraine has moved from candidate status to negotiator status. And this gives us additional opportunities,” Shmyhal said.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) after weakening the official hryvnia exchange rate on Thursday by 14 kopecks on Friday lowered it by another 23 kopecks. – to 39.3990 UAH/$1, which is a new historic low.
As one of the market participants told Interfax-Ukraine news agency, by the end of trading, quotations in the Bloomberg system reached 39.45 UAH/$1 to 39.465 UAH/$1, while the volume of transactions rose to almost $160 million from $123 million the day before.
The reference value of the national currency exchange rate, set by the NBU at 12:00, weakened by 25 kopecks on Friday. – to UAH 39.3489/$1.
In the cash market, the national currency exchange rate on Friday fell by only 4 kopecks. – to UAH 39.49/$1, although during the day it reached UAH 39.55/$1.
Despite the weakening of the official hryvnia exchange rate to a new historic low, the net sale of dollars by the National Bank fell this week to $377.1 million from $454 million a week ago and $652.7-680.4 million in the previous two weeks.
The NBU website indicates that the sale of foreign currency by the regulator decreased to $378.3 million from $483.6 million a week earlier, while the purchase – to $1.3 million from $29.6 million.
As reported, the NBU’s net sales rose to $1.79bn in March from $1.51bn in February, but given the jump in external revenues to a record level of almost $9bn, international reserves increased by 18% or $6.7bn in March to a record level of $43.76bn.
In January, the NBU lowered the forecast of Ukraine’s international reserves at the end of 2024 to $40.4 billion from $44.7 billion and to $42.1 billion from $45 billion at the end of 2025.
The Netherlands has allocated an additional EUR1 billion in military aid and EUR400 million for reconstruction to Ukraine in addition to the commitments under the bilateral security agreement, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
“In a telephone conversation, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has just announced that the Netherlands has allocated another EUR 1 billion for military assistance to Ukraine and EUR 400 million for reconstruction. This is in addition to the obligations under our bilateral security agreement,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and all the people of the Netherlands.
According to him, during the conversation, they also discussed joint work with partners to accelerate the supply of artillery shells, ammunition and air defense systems.
” I thanked him for the effective Justice for Ukraine conference in The Hague and the launch of the Register of Damages as a result of it. He spoke about the preparations for the Peace Summit in Switzerland and invited the Netherlands to join. We also discussed the necessary efforts to ensure that this event is supported by as many countries as possible,” Zelenskyy wrote.
For his part, Rutte said that his country would provide Ukraine with additional military assistance worth EUR1 billion in 2024 and allocate EUR3 billion in defense support for 2025.
“The Netherlands will provide an additional EUR1 billion in military support this year. This is in addition to the EUR2 billion already approved by the authorities. We have also decided that we will allocate EUR3 billion for military support for the next year,” Rutte wrote on social network X.
In addition, according to the Prime Minister, the Netherlands is using EUR400 million “to support the Ukrainian economy and repair vital energy infrastructure.”
Rutte reminded that the Netherlands continues to make efforts to deliver more ammunition and air defense equipment to Ukraine faster, together with international partners, including Denmark and the Czech Republic.
In early March, the Netherlands signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. According to Rutte, his country will provide Ukraine with assistance and support “across the entire spectrum of defense cooperation, as well as in the areas of reconstruction, sanctions support, and the fight for justice.”
Slovakia may begin construction of a highway leading from Kosice to the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint on the border with Ukraine, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance reported on Friday.
The project of building a new highway was discussed at bilateral talks on improving cross-border communication in Slovakia with the participation of Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kava as part of a government delegation headed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“The meeting also discussed the project of building a highway from the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint to the suburbs of Kosice. This is part of Slovakia’s main highway, the D1, which connects the country’s two largest cities, Bratislava and Kosice, and is also part of the pan-European network of expressways,” the statement said.
The parties also discussed the issue of opening the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint not only for cars, but also for pedestrians and cyclists. The checkpoint will be accessible by public transport from both sides of the border without the need to use a car.
“This is especially important for residents and guests of the regional center of Zakarpattia Oblast, as it will provide them with more opportunities for movement,” the press service adds.
In addition, it is planned to expand the automobile part of the checkpoint from four to five lanes, which will increase its capacity.
Kava, quoted in the report, noted that the agreements reached are a step towards creating a smooth and dynamic cross-border connection.
“They will not only improve the daily lives of our citizens, but will also contribute to overall economic growth together with partner countries,” the deputy minister said.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Serhiy Derkach said that a passenger terminal with several lines of traffic for passenger buses would be built at the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint on the border with Slovakia by the end of 2024.
On Saturday, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine invalidated Resolution No. 775 of July 7, 2022 “On Imposing Special Obligations on Electricity Market Participants Engaged in Electricity Export Operations to Ensure Public Interests in the Functioning of the Electricity Market During Martial Law.”
According to the government’s representative in parliament, Taras Melnychuk, this was done “in order to create preconditions for increasing electricity exports to the unified energy system of Ukraine.”
The European Commission expects Kyiv to fulfill the conditions agreed upon earlier and the European Council to approve the Ukraine Plan, which will allow it to disburse another EUR1.5 billion in April and EUR1.9 billion in May under the Ukraine Facility, said Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission’s executive vice president.
“The next disbursement (for the Ukraine Facility) of EUR1.5 billion is scheduled for this month, if the policy conditions are met,” he said in a press statement following the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers (ECOFIN) held on April 12 in Luxembourg.
According to Dombrovskis, the European Commission is currently assessing Ukraine’s plan to draw up quarterly indicators of reforms and investments that need to be made to unlock future disbursements.
“In the near future we will finalize this work and submit the assessment to the (European) Council. Once the approval is received, it will pave the way for Ukraine to receive the pre-financing of EUR1.9 billion, most likely in May,” the Executive Vice President said.
He emphasized that the EUR50 billion Ukraine Facility until 2027 is a lifeline from the EU at an extremely difficult time to help Ukraine maintain key public services and keep the state functioning while Russia wages a brutal war, and recalled that the first tranche of EUR4.5 billion in transitional financing was disbursed in March.
Speaking about the Ukraine Plan, Dombrovskis noted that it will be the main instrument for the implementation of the Ukraine Facility, and it focuses on structural reforms to remove barriers to growth, investments in key sectors, and measures to facilitate Ukraine’s convergence with EU rules and standards as part of its accession path.
As reported, Ukraine expects to receive a total of EUR 2024 billion under the Ukraine Facility, with a total need for external financing of this year’s budget deficit of EUR 37.3 billion.
