Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that during his visit to Kiev he “focused on the problems of the war and the ways of its peaceful settlement.”
“Saudi Arabia would like to do everything possible to reduce the severity of hostilities. Any war ends at the negotiating table, but it should be under the auspices of the UN and with respect for international law,” he said Sunday at a briefing in Kiev.
The minister said that “President Zelensky’s peace initiatives should be at the core of the peace settlement.”
According to him, the sides “discussed Saudi Arabia’s mediation for the release of prisoners of war.” “It was a victory for Saudi Arabia, we hope to continue these efforts,” he said of the fall 2022 exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia mediated by Saudi Arabia.
According to the minister, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he gave him a greeting from the king of Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia signed documents on Sunday in Kiev to provide Kiev with a $400 million aid package, $100 million in humanitarian aid and $300 million in oil products, Ukrainian President Andrei Yermak said in his Telegram channel.
“There is a successful visit to Kiev of the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. He met with President Vladimir Zelensky and the team. This is the first official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries (14 April 1993). And I am personally grateful to Prince Feisal bin Farhan Al Saud for the constructive dialogue that eventually led us to this meeting,” he wrote.
In particular, Yermak also wrote, “we are talking about a joint cooperation program with the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid and Relief and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Development Fund.”
“I would like to remind you that Ukraine and Saudi Arabia have common challenges and experience in dealing with them. We are talking about Iranian UAVs, which were supplied to certain ‘insurgents’ and carried out attacks on Saudi oil facilities,” he also wrote.
Yermak reminded that “starting last year, the same Iranian UAVs ended up with Russian terrorists and carry out attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Therefore, we also share experience in fighting terrorists.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal believes that Ukraine is completing the development of anti-corruption infrastructure, while tolerance for corruption in Ukrainian society has become zero.
“Ukraine is completing the development of anti-corruption infrastructure. Institutions are fully operational and checking all levels for corruption. Society has changed as a result of this war and no longer forgives signs of possible wrongdoing. We have zero tolerance for corruption,” said Shmygal in an interview with the German newspaper Focus, which is published by the press service of the Ukrainian government.
At the same time, the prime minister pointed out that the reaction to manifestations of corruption in Ukraine is now instant, which is manifested in the rapid arrest of people suspected of corruption crimes.
According to the head of the government, this indicates a change in Ukraine’s approach to these issues.
“Today there is no system corruption in Ukraine. Single manifestations of corruption – I emphasize the word “single” – are not tolerated, they are immediately dealt with”, – summed up Shmygal.
The European Union on Saturday, February 25, enacted the tenth package of sanctions against Russia, the EU press service said.
“The Council decided to introduce restrictive measures against 87 more individuals and 34 legal entities,” the text of the communiqué reads.
The list of restrictive measures includes Russian officials, military leaders, propagandists and, among others, the former general director of Motor Sich, Vyacheslav Boguslayev. He is on trial in Ukraine for treason.
In particular, the sanctions will affect such organizations as Alfa Bank, Rosbank and Tinkoff Bank, Commercial Automobiles – GAZ Group LLC, a number of Rosatom companies, Patriot media group, National Reinsurance Company, and Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, Deputy Head of Moscow Region Government Vyacheslav Dukhin for deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, surgeon Leonid Roshal, head of Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights Valery Fadeev, Rosatomflot enterprise, which operates the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet, the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Kirill Kleimenov, Deputy General Director of Channel One, Alexander Akopov, Deputy General Director of National Media Group, and military commander Alexei Avdeev, Mikhail Teplinsky, military commander, Sergei Karakaev, Rossiya Segodnya media group and executive director Kirill Vyshinsky, Rossiya 24 chief executive Yevgeny Bekasov, Literaturnaya Gazeta chief executive Maxim Zamshev, Regnum agency chief Marina Akhmedova, and Sputnik news agency.
The sanctions also affected four Iranian citizens, including the managing director of the aerospace company Qods Aviation Industry.
The sanctions include an asset freeze, a ban on entry and transit through EU countries and a ban on citizens and companies in the EU providing funds to them.
“We will continue to increase the pressure on Russia for as long as necessary,” said Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy.
Source
Poland will provide treatment and rehabilitation for 2,500 wounded Ukrainian soldiers, Vladimir Zelenski said at a press conference after talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Kiev on Friday.
“I will separately note the interaction on the treatment and rehabilitation of our soldiers. 2,500 of our military will be able to receive such assistance,” Zielenski said.
According to him, “Poland was with us every minute of this year and will be with us until the joint victory.”
Zelensky reminded that Poland is one of the top partners of Ukraine in defense support. “Poland has become one of the founders of the ‘tank coalition.’ Today we can report the first tanks (received – IF) from Poland,” he said.
The head of state also expressed the hope that “we will be able to overcome the taboo on the ‘air coalition’. This will strengthen the Ukrainian army and security of our airspace”.
The president also said that during the negotiations the simplification of “processes at the border” was discussed. “Supply chains were built across the border. When the war started, these chains gave everything – water, food, weapons, people. Gradually we simplified the procedures to keep our people alive,” he said.
The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed corruption of the head of the Odessa department of expertise and research specialized laboratory of the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
According to the website of the security service on Saturday, the official has established a mechanism of systematic extortion of money from businessmen.
“For a bribe, the official promised importers of food products not to create artificial obstacles during the examination of the quality of foreign goods imported into Ukraine. In addition, he “guaranteed” to entrepreneurs the “accelerated” process of preparation of the corresponding documents with positive conclusions of the expertise. For each “extraordinary” examination the official demanded 300 dollars. Every day dozens of representatives of commercial structures passed through the customs laboratory in Odessa, who transported foreign products to Ukraine”, – the report says.
SBU officers have documented numerous facts of unlawful receipt of benefits by the perpetrator and detained him at his workplace while receiving another bribe.
He was notified of suspicion under Part 3 Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an undue advantage by an official). The issue of a measure of restraint is being decided.
