The new Czech government is working on changes to the rules on temporary protection and social support for Ukrainian citizens: assistance will focus on those who are objectively unable to support themselves (the elderly, people with disabilities, parents with young children), while payments for those who are able to work but are unemployed may be reduced or cancelled, according to Czech media reports. The Ukrainian publication ZN.ua, citing Novinky.cz, reports that the government is also preparing to adjust the conditions for temporary protection status. The specific parameters of the reform have not yet been made public.
According to Novinky.cz and previous EU decisions, temporary protection for Ukrainians in the Czech Republic will remain in effect until at least March 2027. In previous years, the government has already adjusted humanitarian payments (through Lex Ukrajina) and announced a transition to a more ‘activating’ model of support that encourages employment.
In June, the European Union agreed to extend the temporary protection mechanism until March 2027; Czech ministers had previously confirmed their commitment to longer-term protection with gradually increasing integration requirements (work, education, housing). Against the backdrop of these changes, the government is preparing further technical amendments to the national package of laws known as Lex Ukrajina.
After the publication of the government draft (expected in autumn-winter), the document must undergo interdepartmental approval and parliament. Details of the amounts and criteria for payments will be known from the text of the draft law and accompanying methodological materials from the Ministry of Labour.
Under temporary protection: there are currently approximately 395-400 thousand people in the Czech Republic (current estimates by the Czech media based on data from the Ministry of the Interior; in February 2025, the UNHCR recorded about 390 thousand).
The total number of Ukrainian citizens with various types of residence (officially registered foreigners) is approximately 560-581 thousand (data from the Czech Ministry of the Interior for Q1-Q2 2025). Informal/incomplete records may vary due to seasonal migration and repeated departures and arrivals; the total estimate in public sources is approximately 600 thousand.
During a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to hold an international conference on assistance to Ukraine in the coming winter in Paris on December 13, the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday.
“The President of the Republic (…) expressed his determination to help Ukraine weather the approach of winter (…). He indicated that France would increase its support in this regard and take part in international mobilization (aid). The two presidents agreed to organize on December 13 in Paris an international conference in support of the civil resilience of the country during the winter period,” the presidential office said in a communiqué.
We are talking, in particular, about the restoration of infrastructure, electricity and water supply.
The document says that for this “preparatory work with other partners of Ukraine will begin in the near future.”
In addition, according to the communiqué, Macron and Zelensky also agreed on the organization of a bilateral conference aimed at helping Ukraine from French enterprises, which will be held on December 12.
On Tuesday, the EU Council officially decided to provide Ukraine with an urgent additional macro-financial assistance (MFA) in the amount of 5 billion euros, the press service of the European Council reports.
“On September 9, EU finance ministers agreed on a statement in support of this additional €5 billion assistance to Ukraine at an informal meeting of the Ecofin Council in Prague. Today, this additional assistance was formally accepted after the necessary formal steps were completed in just 11 days,” he said. the message says.
It clarifies that this financial assistance is in addition to other European Union support to Ukraine already provided in the humanitarian, customs, defense and development sectors.
Israel has made a strategic decision to provide assistance to Ukraine, but it has to exercise caution when providing military assistance, Israel’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“Israel, unfortunately, is located in a dysfunctional region. It is such a powder keg on top of which Israel sits. The security threats to Israel, the threats to the lives of both Israeli soldiers and Israeli citizens are colossal. Ukraine today is facing a very powerful adversary, a superpower, from Israel in this sense, the situation is different, the threats are different, but nevertheless, this is also a serious war, a war on terror, which requires maximum resources, maximum mobilization of society.For these reasons, and because of the sensitive relationship that we have with Russia, we We think first of all about our own interests and are forced to exercise caution,” he said.
“This does not mean that we do not help Ukraine. From the first day we made a strategic decision to provide the maximum assistance to Ukraine that we can afford. Without crossing the “red lines” and without endangering our national interests. Without endangering the lives of ordinary Israelis “, – note the diplomat.
Brodsky noted “hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid that we supplied – medicine, food, fresh water, generators, water desalination plants. This is a field hospital, which is located in the Lviv region, during the stay of Israeli doctors there they provided assistance to 6 thousand Ukrainians – refugees and local residents.
In addition, he recalled “dozens of people who were taken to Israel for treatment. These are children from the Okhmatdet hospital with oncological diseases. These are patients who were in the Israeli field hospital, whom it was then decided to transfer to Israel and continue treatment there” .
According to Brodsky, “the healthcare sector is an area in which Israel should actively help Ukraine after the war, too. It will be necessary to restore the entire infrastructure, including healthcare. I think it will be right that Israel will contribute to the creation of a new, modern system healthcare in Ukraine”.
Australian Prime Minister Entino Albenizi announced that Ukraine will be provided with additional military-technical assistance worth $100 million.
“Today we are announcing an additional $100 million in military-technical assistance. In total, we have already provided $390 million,” he said Sunday at a briefing in Kyiv after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We also provide an additional 14 armored personnel carriers and 20 Bushmaster armored vehicles. Thus, the total number of Bushmasters is 60 units,” he said.
According to the prime minister, Australia will also provide additional military equipment, drones.
“We will also provide additional assistance to the border troops of Ukraine,” he said.
According to the prime minister, “we will also reduce duties on Ukrainian goods. We will join the work of the International Court of Justice, announce additional sanctions and travel bans against 16 Russian ministers and big businessmen.”
Australia, according to the prime minister, will also ban the import of Russian gold.
German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen discussed with Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko the provision of further financial assistance to Ukraine.
“I discussed with Finance Minister Serhiy Merchenko the current state of the financial sector and the provision of grant (1 billion euros) assistance to Ukraine from Germany. I am glad for close cooperation between the ministries of finance of our countries,” Feldhusen wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
