Ukraine
Orban continues freelance peace mission with visit to Ankara
Orban's solo diplomacy at the start of his rotating EU presidency almost led to Hungary being stripped of its presidency.
Slovakia will continue supplying Czechia with processed Russian oil for another six months
Slovakia prolongs exemption from EU sanctions on oil products from imported Russian oil.
Russian sex workers are moving to occupied Ukraine to make six figures servicing soldiers
Russian sex workers are increasingly relocating to occupied territories in Ukraine, attracted by potential earnings of as much as RUB1.5mn ($14,000) per week from servicing soldiers.
Tusk says no talks underway to send Polish troops to Ukraine once fighting stops
Speculation follows comments by incoming Trump administration about European forces policing a future ceasefire.
Belarus tests new BUK missile system as a low-key arms race in Eastern Europe gathers momentum
Belarus conducted a test launch of a new Buk-MB2 air defence missile near its border with Ukraine on December 10, Ukrinform reports, as all parties to the Ukraine war ramp up their missile development and production capacity.
Ukraine's international reserves rise as financial aid ensures budget stability
Ukraine's international reserves grew by 9.1% in November, reaching $39.92bn, boosted by substantial financial inflows from international partners and a reduction in net currency sales by the National Bank of Ukraine, the central bank reported.
US finally approves $20bn contribution to the G7's $50bn Ukraine loan
After months of wrangling, the US finally released a $20bn loan to Ukraine on December 10, funded by profits from Russia’s frozen $300bn reserve assets, as part of a broader G7 $50bn loan to Ukraine, approved on June 13 at a G7 summit in Italy.
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Moscow is “close to achieving all its war goals", says Russian spy chief
Sergei Naryshkin says Russia holds the "strategic initiative in all areas of the war" after over 1,000 days of fighting in Ukraine.
Russian soldiers ordering taxis to evacuate front line as army bans private cars
Russian forces in Ukraine are increasingly relying on civilian taxis to evacuate wounded soldiers from the front lines in the occupied Donetsk region.
Zelenskiy backs Trump's call to end the war at Notre Dame meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy backed US President-elect Donald Trump’s call to end the war in Ukraine at their first meeting since the US November elections at the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on December 7.
Putin fires Kursk governor amid ongoing Ukrainian occupation
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Aleksey Smirnov as governor of Russia's Kursk Oblast, only seven months after his appointment.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Has Turkey “re-conquered” Aleppo?
HTS militia that led attack dwells near Turkish border under Erdogan regime patronage, while FSA was directly established by Ankara. And both are not Syrian “rebels”, they are foreign mercenaries.
KYIV BLOG: It’s time to drop the charade that Ukraine can join Nato
World leaders are meeting for a Nato summit and Ukraine is top of the agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is calling for accelerated accession to Nato, but it will never happen.
MOSCOW BLOG: Three of US’ key regional allies are in turmoil
Three of the US military outposts in key regions of the world are either under attack or in chaos. Israel in the Middle East, Ukraine in Europe and now South Korea in East Asia are all in turmoil thanks to the rise of geopolitical tensions.
Putin juggles a “friendly” state visit to Kazakhstan with chilling missile threats for Ukraine
Anticipated announcements on big economic deals failed to materialise. Warnings Moscow could hit Kyiv with game-changing “Oreshnik” strikes did.
Fico boasts about Putin’s invitation to Moscow Victory Day Parade
Slovak populist premier's visit will be only the third by a leader of an EU member state since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Tusk calls for unity against Russia, proposes Baltic Sea policing mission
Polish premier's proposal follows recent severing of undersea communication cables linking Finland to Germany and Sweden to Lithuania.
Zaluzhnyi leads Ukrainian presidential poll
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has emerged as the frontrunner by a wide margin in potential scenarios for Ukraine’s next presidential election, according to a new poll.
Alisher Usmanov’s wealth shrinks by $7.29bn on falling markets
The Uzbek-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has seen his wealth drop by $7.29bn in 2023, according to Bloomberg’s billionaires Index. As of November 24, his net worth stood at $13.8bn.
Who is investing in Ukraine?
New research shows both foreign and local investors are currently active in Ukraine.