Presidents of Ukraine and Montenegro Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Jakov Milatovic discussed regional security issues and coordinated cooperation between the two countries on international platforms in Tirana as part of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit, the press service of the Ukrainian president reports.
“In the framework of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Tirana, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Montenegrin President Jakob Milatovic,” the press service of the Ukrainian president said on Wednesday.
The President of Ukraine expressed gratitude for the Montenegrin side’s support for the Vilnius Declaration of the Group of Seven and the Ukrainian Peace Formula, and informed the Montenegrin president about preparations for the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. Zelenskyy spoke about the joint architecture of Ukraine’s efforts to restore a just and lasting peace.
“The leaders coordinated cooperation between the two countries on international platforms,” the press service said.
Zelenskyy also thanked Montenegro for sheltering Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes due to the full-scale Russian invasion. The parties discussed the treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers in Montenegro.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss the Ukrainian formula for peace and the return of prisoners and deportees, the Head of State said.
“Arrived in Saudi Arabia to continue our regular dialogue with His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
“The number one topic is the Formula for Peace. Last year in Jeddah, we held an effective meeting at the level of advisers on its implementation. We are now close to holding the first Peace Summit and look forward to continued active support from Saudi Arabia,” the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, topic number two is “the return of prisoners and deportees. Saudi leadership has already contributed to the release of our people. I am confident that this meeting will bring results.”
The parties also plan to discuss “promising areas of economic cooperation and Saudi Arabia’s participation in the restoration of Ukraine.”
The issue of resetting the government in Ukraine depends on the financial deficit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday.
“We have a conversation with the Prime Minister. And it is based solely on the deficit of money. If the corresponding deficit continues, we will do everything to ensure that the infrastructure, and this is not just the Cabinet of Ministers, that the infrastructure of our state’s management is reduced,” he said.
“Reducing the number of ministries, reducing the number of ministers, coordinated management. That is why we have an absolutely open dialog here, and we are ready for it. I think the indicator will be an understanding of what we will have in the spring. A little later, in a month or two, we will understand everything,” Zelensky said.
Presidential Press Secretary Serhiy Nikiforov has announced a major conference on February 25 on the future path of Ukraine, which will be attended by “all top speakers from the government, the military and political leadership, and the Prime Minister.”
“On February 25, we are preparing something special. It will be a conference, an honest conversation about our path forward, our path in 2024. All the top speakers from the government, the military and political leadership, the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Security Service, the GUR, the Ministry of Strategic Industries will be there. The first lady will be there, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Presidential Office and, of course, the president himself,” said presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov on the air of a nationwide telethon on Wednesday evening.
“It will be an honest conversation about our way forward, our way in 2024,” Nikiforov said.
He said that “we will talk about various aspects of Ukraine’s future, including the future of the army and its development, the introduction of modern technologies, our integration into the EU and NATO, what has already been done, security guarantees. We will talk about mental and physical health. We will talk about business support. We will talk about many aspects of the country’s life…”
“Following this conference, the President of Ukraine will take the floor and hold a press conference. He will outline his vision of the topics and answer the main questions,” Nikiforov added.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden online in the near future. The Head of State told Inter TV journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Conference on Saturday, February 17.
“We will be in constant contact with Biden, we have agreed on this. I won’t tell you some details, but I think we will meet online in the framework of the G7 meeting in the near future,” the president said.
He noted that he was in constant contact with the United States at various levels, with the White House and with congressmen.
Zelenskyy also emphasized that during a telephone conversation with the American president on February 17, he assured him that he would support Ukraine and do everything to ensure a positive outcome.
“I am confident that the United States will remain our strategic partner,” the head of state said.
Cypriot citizen Vadym Iermolaiev, owner of the 18-enterprise Alef diversified corporation, whose assets were estimated by Forbes Ukraine at $220 million before the war, has been added to the Ukrainian sanctions list.
Presidential Decree No. 850 of December 23, among other things, blocks its assets for 10 years, revokes or suspends licenses and other permits, prohibits participation in privatization and the purchase of land, and suspends the fulfillment of economic and financial obligations.
Alef-Vinal-Crimea LLC is also on the list of legal entities subject to sanctions.
According to the website, the main assets of the Alef Corporation include UDK Gazbeton, manufacturers of PVC profile Miroplast and window and door fittings Axor Industry, apple exporter Sady Dnipra and Agroalliance, ALEF Estate, SEZ Potoky, medical device manufacturer ABM Technology, pipe manufacturer Oscar, and concrete producer Elba.
The corporation and Mr. Yermolaiev have not yet publicly commented on the sanctions.
Another decree No. 851 of the same day imposed sanctions, in particular, against Leonid (Len) Blavatnik, a British citizen, ex-partner of Russian businessmen Viktor Vekselberg and Oleg Deripaska, founder and chairman of the board of directors of Acces Industries, a holding company and investment firm that estimates its diversified portfolio of investments worldwide at more than $35 billion. In particular, it is the majority owner of Warner Music Group. Other assets include DAZN Group and LyondelBassel.
The list also includes Ukrainian citizen Vyacheslav Yutkin, who until 2016 was the first deputy chairman of Prominvestbank, a Ukrainian subsidiary of the Russian VEB that invested in Ukrainian real estate.
As of May 2018, he was the owner of the Hlibivka country house hotel near Kyiv, the Yaremche Club boutique hotel (Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk region), the Pushcha Congress Hotel (Pushcha-Vodytsia, Kyiv region), and the five-star boutique hotel Bank Hotel Congress Hall Art Butik (Lviv).
