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During his visit to Budapest, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump is counting on Viktor Orbán's victory in the parliamentary elections on 12 April. The parties also agreed to expand their energy partnership, including the supply of American LNG and cooperation in civil nuclear energy.
Ukrainian military forces struck a number of Russian military targets in the temporarily occupied territories, hitting areas where personnel were concentrated, a communications hub, and a drone control centre. Meanwhile, a fire was reported at an oil refinery in the Krasnodar Krai region of the Russian Federation.
During the Munich Security Conference, Norway and Germany signed a bilateral defence agreement called the Hansa Arrangement. The document is intended to consolidate all cooperation between the two countries in the field of security and strengthen Europe's contribution to the distribution of responsibilities within NATO.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the Ewald von Kleist Award in Munich, which this year was awarded to the Ukrainian people for their determination, resilience and contribution to the defence of freedom in Europe.
At the 9th Ukrainian lunch during the Munich Security Conference, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated that real pressure on Russia requires unity between the US and Europe and coordinated action with China, while Czech President Petr Pavel called on Europe to adopt the Scandinavian spirit of determination and not to be afraid of Moscow's threats.
In the south-east of Pokrovsk, Ukrainian paratroopers thwarted a second attempt by Russian forces to amass equipment and personnel in the area of a garage cooperative, destroying enemy transport and manpower.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the start of negotiations with the French president on European nuclear deterrence and announced a large-scale rearmament of the Bundeswehr with funding at the level of 5% of GDP.
US President Donald Trump has stated that the Democrats' interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case is purely political and directed against him as a "very popular president."
The High Anti-Corruption Court changed the preventive measure for two suspects in a case involving the misappropriation of land in the capital, who are linked to the activities of a criminal organisation headed by a former member of the Kyiv City Council. The reason for this was the failure to pay bail amounting to tens of millions of hryvnias.
The German government has nominated Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer for the position of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. The decision on the election of the new head is to be made by the Alliance member states in September.
According to estimates by Western officials, in January Russia lost approximately 9,000 more soldiers on the battlefield in Ukraine than it was able to replenish through recruitment, while Moscow did not achieve any significant territorial gains.
London has announced that over the next three years it will increase its military presence in Norway from 1,000 to 2,000 troops and join a series of NATO exercises and missions in the Arctic. The British Ministry of Defence has reported Russia's renewed military presence in the region and increased submarine activity near British waters.
