President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that the European Union should give Ukraine hope for a European perspective.
“Ukraine, more than ever before, now looks to the European Union as its destination. We must respond with honesty but also with the hope that they desperately need. Of course, every country must have its own path, which can be a complex one, but the European future of Ukraine should not be in doubt,” the head of the European Parliament said, speaking on Thursday at the European Council summit in Brussels.
“We must be ready, but more importantly we must be willing to do what is necessary to provide a future without fear for those arriving at our borders,” Metsola said.
According to her, the EU has an obligation to play a leading role in organizing these efforts.
“The face of Europe we must show must be one of open hearts and open homes,” the head of the European Parliament said.
In response to Belarus’ unfriendly actions against employees of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions in Minsk and Brest, Ukraine has taken a number of measures, in particular, reducing the number of staff of the Belarusian embassy in Ukraine to five people, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleh Nikolenko has said.
In addition, the Foreign Ministry said that Ukraine is canceling the diplomatic accreditation of other employees of the Belarusian embassy. Their and the family members’ stay on the territory of Ukraine is declared undesirable.
In addition, Ukraine establishes for Belarusian diplomats after their return to the country a permissive regime of movement outside the 40-kilometer zone from the center of Kyiv, and also cancels the exequatur of the honorary consul of Belarus in Lviv.
“We warn the Belarusian authorities that any further unfriendly steps towards Ukraine will receive an immediate and decisive response,” Nikolenko said on his Facebook.
Earlier, the Belarusian authorities decided to expel some Ukrainian diplomats and close the Consulate General of Ukraine in Brest, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.
From February 24, 2022, when Russia started the war against Ukraine, until 24:00 on March 23, 2022, civilian casualties amounted to 2,685 people (in the report a day earlier – 2,571), including 1,035 dead (977), reports the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Wednesday.
“UNHCHR believes that the real numbers are much higher, especially in government-controlled territory, and especially in recent days, as information from some places where there has been intense fighting has been delayed, and many reports are still awaiting confirmation,” it said.
According to him, this applies, for example, to Mariupol and Volnovakha (Donetsk region), Izium (Kharkiv region), Severodonetsk and Rubizhne (Luhansk region), Trostianets (Sumy region), where there are reports of numerous civilian casualties. They are subject to further verification and are not included in the above statistics.
“The majority of civilian deaths or injuries were caused by the use of explosive devices with a wide area of effect, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as rocket and air strikes,” the report says.
According to confirmed UN data, 214 men, 160 women, 28 boys and 14 girls died, while the sex of 48 children and 571 adults has not yet been determined.
Among the 1,650 injured, there are 28 girls and 23 boys, as well as 67 children, whose sex has not yet been determined.
Compared to the previous day, nine children were killed and ten were injured, according to the UN.
The office indicates that in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as of midnight on March 24, there were 255 (224) dead and 646 (621) injured in government-controlled territory, and 56 (55) dead and 211 (202) injured in the non-controlled territory.
In other regions of Ukraine under government control (in Kyiv, as well as in Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions), the UN recorded 724 (698) dead and 793 (771) injured.
The United States is ready to accept 100,000 refugees from Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
Many Ukrainian refugees want to stay in Europe, closer to home, but we also welcome 100,000 Ukrainians to the U.S. with a focus on family reunification, Biden said at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.
Preliminary entry into Ukrainian universities in 2022 can be carried out on a multi-subject online test (Ukrainian language, history of Ukraine, mathematics), MP from the Holos faction, secretary of the parliamentary committee on education, science and innovation Natalia Pipa said.
“Changes are possible depending on the situation with the front. Today, the following is planned: a multi-subject online test (Ukrainian language, history of Ukraine, mathematics), which must be taken in safe places. Passing at Ukrainian embassies and consulates abroad is being considered. It is planned to be held in July,” Pipa said on Facebook.
At the same time, she said the decision is not final.
“Changes are possible. Testing will continue to be carried out by the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment. The Ministry of Education and Science is developing a procedure in detail. The Cabinet of Ministers is to approve,” she said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had a conversation with Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, who assured that Barcelona would continue to provide humanitarian aid to Kyiv and hand over special equipment to the city.
“Today I talked online with the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau. She noted that she understands what is really happening in Ukraine. And she focused on political support for Kyiv and Ukraine. She also testified to her readiness to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Kyiv. Of the necessary, I named medicines, protective equipment for doctors and rescuers, means of civil protection of the population. And my colleague also promised that Barcelona would transfer special equipment for the needs of Kyiv,” Klitschko said on his Facebook page.
In the conversation, Klitschko noted that the war concerns every European, since Russia has challenged the entire civilized world.
