On March 4, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that in 2024, the government has allocated about 525 million USD for the construction of defense lines and fortifications.
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| Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. (Source: Cabinet of Ukraine) |
Ukraine's Fakty website quoted Mr. Shmyhal as emphasizing that the coordination headquarters operates almost every day, while many agencies and ministries coordinate with each other to carry out work effectively and quickly to have a reliable defense line and rear.
The bulk of the funding – $105 million – was allocated to building fortifications in the eastern Kharkiv region.
In addition, the government has also allocated about 1 billion USD to purchase various types of drones.
In a related development, on the same day, at a conference organized by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the West would not be able to defeat Russia in Ukraine, but Moscow would not be able to win there either.
TASS quoted Mr. Orban's comment that there is only one solution: " peace talks must start sooner or later" and the sooner it happens, the better for everyone.
However, the Hungarian Prime Minister also assessed: "Europeans have not been able to contain the conflict, but on the contrary, have only expanded it and missed the right time to quickly sign a peace agreement, when even the Russians are interested in this goal."
It is hoped that Russia and Ukraine will reach a peace agreement sooner or later with the participation of the United States, but the Hungarian leader said that in such a situation, it is likely that the opinion of the European Union (EU) will no longer be taken into account in the negotiations.
Budapest has repeatedly stated that not only Ukraine and Russia, but also the United States - the main financial and military backer of Kiev - should participate in negotiations to resolve the conflict.
Prime Minister Orban does not hide his view that, on this issue, he places great hope in Donald Trump winning the upcoming November election and returning to the White House.
Reuters reported that the Hungarian leader will meet former US President Trump in Florida this Friday, March 8.
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