Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed two decrees enacting decisions by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to align sanctions with those of the European Union, according to the president’s press service.
“The synchronization of EU sanctions under the 20th package covers 120 individuals and organizations and imposes economic sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy. Some of them are already subject to Ukrainian sanctions. Today’s decision applies to an additional 16 Russian citizens and 31 companies from Russia, Belarus, the UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine,” the statement reads.
Among the individuals are heads of Russian strategic enterprises, state-funded institutions, units of the Russian army, and entities serving Russia in our temporarily occupied territories.
The list also includes Russian defense industry enterprises, manufacturers of electronic warfare equipment, software, and drone components, as well as companies involved in oil, gas, and gold extraction. In particular, restrictions have been imposed on the Russian manufacturer of aerospace products and drone components, LLC
“Atlant Aero,” as well as on the Russian manufacturer of communication systems and components for UAVs and missiles, LLC “Irz-Zvyazok.”
Sanctions have been imposed on companies from the UAE that sell machine tools and laboratory equipment, chemical products, and spare parts for commercial aircraft, as well as on an oil exporter in Belarus.
Ukraine has also imposed restrictive measures on three Russians: Prosecutor Lyudmila Balandina, who was involved in systematic repression and human rights violations against individuals who supported Ukraine or criticized the Russian government; Judge Dmitry Gordeev, also implicated in repression, who issued politically motivated rulings against opposition figures and human rights defenders; and Russian editor and propagandist Maria Sittel, who systematically disseminated disinformation.
Sanctions have also been imposed on 19 Iranian citizens, 7 Sudanese citizens, and 11 Iranian companies involved in Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs.
“We continue to coordinate sanctions regimes with the EU and our partners. We expect further pressure on Russia and all those who help it sustain its aggression. We are already finalizing joint work on draft EU and partner-state sanctions decisions, including the 21st sanctions package,” noted Vladyslav Vlasyuk, the President’s Advisor and Representative on Sanctions Policy.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit Serbia as early as this week at the head of a Ukrainian delegation, Serbian television company N1 reported, citing diplomatic sources in Belgrade. But there has so far been no official confirmation of the visit from Kyiv.
In addition, according to the Telegram channel “Serbian Economist,” the Ukrainian delegation is expected to arrive in Serbia in the coming days, and it is not ruled out that it will be personally headed by Zelenskyy. If the trip takes place, it will be the first visit of the Ukrainian president to Serbia since he took office in 2019. N1 separately indicates that, because of the wartime situation, such a trip may be canceled at any moment. The Serbian television channel also reported that diplomatic sources expect the possible signing of a memorandum on trade cooperation between the two countries.
This directly coincides in time with the already announced Ukrainian business mission to Belgrade on May 19–21, 2026, which is to take place as part of the visit to Serbia by Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka.
According to a statement by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the purpose of the business mission is the participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the Ukrainian-Serbian business forum, the holding of B2B meetings with Serbian companies, visits to enterprises, the establishment of new business contacts, and discussion of potential joint projects. Companies from the agro-industrial complex, fertilizer production, construction, the electrical engineering sector, agricultural machinery manufacturing, energy, and other industries were invited to participate.
On the Ukrainian official side, at the time of preparation of the material, there was no public confirmation of Zelenskyy’s possible visit to Belgrade. At the same time, the fact of the preparation of an economic mission with the participation of Ukrainian business and the visit of Taras Kachka had been publicly announced in advance through the Ukrainian CCI and Interfax-Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s possible arrival would be a notable diplomatic event for the region. Since the beginning of the war, Serbia has maintained a complicated balance: Belgrade recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, but has not joined Western sanctions against Russia. Contacts between Zelenskyy and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić after 2022 have mainly taken place at international venues. In June 2025, Vučić visited Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war, taking part in the “Ukraine — South-Eastern Europe” summit in Odesa. At that time, he met with Zelenskyy but refused to sign the summit’s final declaration.
For economic relations, the possible visit of the Ukrainian delegation has independent significance even without confirmation of Zelenskyy’s participation. Ukraine and Serbia in recent years have been trying to intensify trade contacts, and the new business forum in Belgrade may become a platform for practical agreements between companies, including in the agricultural sector, energy, construction, and machine building.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev efforts to end the war in Ukraine, as well as the possibility of holding the next round of Ukrainian-American-Russian talks in Azerbaijan.
“We also discussed peace efforts. It is very important for Ukraine that Russia finds the strength to end this unjust war. Of course, we highly value the role of our partners in mediating this process,” Zelenskyy said during a joint statement with Aliyev in the city of Gabala (Azerbaijan) on Saturday.
He emphasized that Ukraine is ready for trilateral talks. “We had such talks in Turkey; we had such talks with our American partners in Switzerland. Undoubtedly, we are ready for the upcoming talks in Azerbaijan if Russia is ready for diplomacy,” Zelenskyy added.
As reported, on February 26, following a meeting between the Ukrainian negotiating team led by Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia and U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced an increased readiness to hold the next trilateral meeting, likely in early March in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The last round of talks took place in Geneva (Switzerland), and the previous ones in Abu Dhabi.
On March 2, Zelenskyy clarified that the trilateral Ukraine-U.S.-Russia meeting was tentatively scheduled for March 5–6 in Abu Dhabi; however, due to hostilities, the Ukrainian side cannot confirm that the meeting will take place there, though no one has canceled it.
On March 5, a source close to the negotiating delegation told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency that the next meeting as part of the trilateral Ukraine-U.S.-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine has been postponed indefinitely for the time being.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presided over a ceremony to receive the credentials of new diplomatic representatives from foreign countries and discussed issues of international security and support for Ukraine.
The newly appointed ambassadors who presented their credentials to Zelenskyy are Ahmed Ouail of Algeria, Alan Deniega of the Philippines, Jeff Bowan of Australia, and Victor Kirile of Moldova. The President congratulated them on the start of their diplomatic missions and thanked them for supporting Ukraine’s independence.
During the meeting, they discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine, the protection of citizens, as well as the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region. According to Zelenskyy, partners emphasize the importance of Ukraine’s security mission and cooperation with countries currently under attack by the Iranian regime.
“Our goal is absolutely clear: we must enhance security everywhere and do everything possible to end the war and ensure reliable protection. We are counting heavily on coordination and mutual support. Ukraine is open to cooperation with everyone who truly values peace,” the president emphasized.
ALGERIA, AMBASSADOR, AUSTRALIA, MOLDOVA, PHILIPPINES, ZELENSKYY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to hold a meeting of his team with representatives of the business community on Friday, June 27, to discuss pressing issues.
As it became known to the agency “Interfax-Ukraine”, the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs (UEU), the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham) are invited to the meeting, but the international business community Board is not invited.
“I, as the founder of the Board and as chairman of the Coalition of Business Communities for the Modernization of Ukraine, was not invited. In a strange way,” said Andriy Dligach, founder of Advanter Group and the Board community, in a comment to the agency.
President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa called the visit of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Pretoria “historic” as it was the first time the Ukrainian head of state had come to South Africa since the establishment of official diplomatic relations between the countries.
“This official working visit reflects our common desire to strengthen bilateral relations between our countries for the benefit of our peoples. This is in many ways a historic visit, because it is the first visit of a Ukrainian head of state to South Africa in 33 years since the establishment of official diplomatic relations between South Africa and Ukraine,” he said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Pretoria on Thursday.
According to Ramaphosa, he held “successful talks” with President Zelensky, during which the leaders exchanged views on how to strengthen and deepen bilateral relations between the two countries. They also discussed how ministers from both sides can work together to deepen and broaden these relations.
They also noted the growing interest in expanding relations in the areas of diplomacy, post-conflict reconstruction, development and empowerment of peoples, especially women.
“We also discussed opportunities for cooperation in areas such as agriculture, trade, education, infrastructure and energy, as well as other social issues,” the president added.
In addition, Ramaphosa noted the significant steps taken by Ukraine, and President Zelensky in particular, to expand relations with the African continent. These include the provision of grain in the food sector, the expansion of agricultural cooperation, and the opening of a grain hub to the port of Mombasa in Kenya.
According to him, today’s meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the common interest in promoting peace, security, stability and sustainable development on the continent, in Ukraine and around the world.
