Biden comes to Kyiv, Russia blocks IAEA rotation at ZNPP, Zelenska on her marriage

•   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, who arrived in Ukraine for an unannounced visit for the first time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Zelenskyy met Biden at the entrance to Mariinskyi Palace in downtown Kyiv, before visiting several other locations in the capital, including St. Andrew’s Cathedral. The Ukrainian president called Biden’s unexpected arrival “a significant moment of support for Ukraine.” Biden was officially expected to be in Poland for a three-day trip — his sudden appearance in Kyiv proved to be a welcome surprise for many Ukrainians.

•   NV published photos of the historic visit.

•   Biden announced $500 in additional military aid during his meeting with Zelenskyy.

Biden said the package would include more military equipment, including artillery ammunition, more javelins and howitzers. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure,” Biden said.

•   In addition, the U.S. leader also announced new sanctions on Russia in light of their continuing invasion.

•   First Lady Olena Zelenska spoke about how the war has affected her relationship with her husband.

In an interview with German newspaper Zeit, the first lady revealed the struggles of being married to the President of Ukraine, and the gratitude she feels for his support in trying times. According to the first lady, Zelenskyy, like other people, gets tired, but he always finds the strength to continue working.

•   The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will invest a total of up to $24.5 million and will to take a stake of up to 35% in the M10 Lviv Industrial Park project.

The project, which is headed by Dragon Capital (which owns the New Voice of Ukraine), is intended to provide new logistics and production capacities in western Ukraine to meet humanitarian and economic demand both during war time and post-war reconstruction. The M10 Lviv Industrial Park is worth $70 million and is located 60 km away from the Ukrainian-Polish border. $5.5 million will be invested in completing the first phase of the project.

•   In 2022, The Office of the Prosecutor General served 27 suspects in Euromaidan cases with indictments.

25 cases involving 55 suspects were brought to court and four guilty verdicts were passed, convicting four people. In total, since 2014, 383 suspects have been served with indictments during the investigations supervised by PGO prosecutors, the office says. Of those, 165 cases involving 301 suspects have been brought to court. Guilty verdicts were delivered against 29 people.

•   Italy is reportedly ready to donate five Tornado or AMX fighter jets to Ukraine, but only if it is not the first country to do so.

According to la Repubblica, Rome, for political reasons, wants to create an impression that it is forced to follow a long line of other partner nations led by the United Kingdom, as the UK is one of the more vocal countries calling for the donation of aviation for Ukraine.

•   China's ComNav Technology, which supplies navigation and radar equipment for Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system, has been added to the list of international sponsors of war.

The Chinese entity produces and still supplies navigation and radar equipment to the aggressor state. In particular, navigation modules with support for the Russian GLONASS system (similar to GPS). “Such modules can be used in Russian and Iranian drones, as well as in Russian missile systems for striking Ukraine,” Ukraine’s National Agency for Prevention of Corruption said in a statement.

•   Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation plans to launch a military tech cluster in spring 2023.
The project is aimed at supporting specialists developing military technologies. Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, noted that this will be a platform for combining public and private initiatives to develop innovative solutions in the interests of domestic military industry, which will help Ukraine achieve technological superiority over Russia and bring victory closer.

•   Russian forces continue to actively militarize the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (NPP) and are blocking the rotation of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“The Russian Federation grossly violates international law, undermines nuclear and radiation safety standards, and demonstrates complete disregard for the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors, which require Russia to immediately withdraw military equipment and Russian personnel from the ZNPP,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

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