Politics & Economics

On Tuesday, September 2, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where the two discussed issues related to Ukraine. According to Ukrinform, the BBC Russian Service reports this. Fico said Slovakia takes a “very tough” stance on Ukrainian attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline on Russian territory. He added that he plans to raise the issue during his upcoming meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, scheduled for Friday in Uzhhorod. The Slovak Prime Minister also intends to discuss Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union. According to Fico, while Bratislava supports Kyiv’s potential EU membership,…

France, together with the Ukrainian side, is working on launching drone production for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which could be established in both countries. This was stated by French Ambassador to Ukraine Gael Veyssiere in an interview with Ukrinform. “It (the launch of drone production in Ukraine by a French company – ed.) is still being considered and worked upon. My Minister of Defense did announce that it would be done with a very famous French society, which is called Renault, which is a great specialist of vehicle-building, so it could be very interesting to provide lots of very…

The process of transferring the ownership of the unified asset package of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Sea Commercial Port State Enterprise has been completed. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Shipping Magazine, referring to Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Sea Commercial Port Director Oksana Kiktenko, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. As noted by Kiktenko, a decision on the privatization of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Sea Commercial Port was endorsed over five years ago. “I am grateful to everyone who made public decisions on saving the enterprise and who helped to prepare the port for the auction,” Kiktenko added. A reminder that, on November 7, 2024, the Ukrainian State Property Fund sold…

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the leaders of Germany’s Bundestag coalition groups, Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch, to coordinate joint diplomatic efforts and discuss continued support for Ukraine. Ukrinform reports this with reference to the website of the President of Ukraine. The President thanked Germany and the German people for their European leadership in providing assistance, and specifically noted Germany’s contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and its participation in the new PURL initiative. "We are grateful for the Patriot systems and the missiles for these systems, as well as for the German-made IRIS-T systems. This is important for us…

President of Ukraine held a conversation with Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin, during which they discussed, in particular, work on security guarantees. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "We talked about work on security guarantees. The involvement of all partners is very important for us. Ireland is ready to make its contribution to ensuring security. We also share the view on the need to increase pressure on Russia, including through the introduction of secondary sanctions. We need to do everything possible to make Moscow finally feel that this war is really expensive for them. Only…

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he thanked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for the Alliance’s support during a phone conversation. According to Ukrinform, Zelensky reported this on Telegram. "I spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and thanked him for all the support. We are coordinating our efforts closely. In practical terms, Russia has stolen from peace, plundering much of this year," Zelensky wrote. The President added that this autumn Ukraine must do everything possible to strengthen our positions. Read also: Zelensky discusses security guarantees, joint drone production with Portugal’s PM As reported, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on…

President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the development of security guarantees, the involvement of Portuguese businesses in Ukraine’s recovery, and joint drone production during a conversation with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Zelensky reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. “We discussed the involvement of Portuguese business in Ukraine’s recovery and joint drone production. We agreed that our teams will thoroughly explore all available opportunities for such cooperation. I invited the Prime Minister to visit Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote. He stressed that Portugal has been helping Ukraine since the very beginning of the full-scale war and expressed gratitude for all the support provided,…

An extraordinary meeting of the NATO–Ukraine Council in the format of the Political Committee took place at NATO headquarters in Brussels, convened at Ukraine’s request following recent massive Russian missile strikes. Ukrinform reports this, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA). Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhii Boiev and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Oleksii Serhieiev, who joined the session online, provided allies with detailed updates on the current security situation, an assessment of Russia’s latest tactics, and its likely future plans. Serhieiev briefed participants on the consequences of recent Russian attacks on Ukraine, including the…

French President Emmanuel Macron called Russia's August 28 attack on Kyiv a "barbaric act." He is among those advocating that a European military contingent could take part in a future mission in Ukraine. In addition, France's Ministry of Defense has expressed its readiness to involve leading French automotive and defense companies in producing drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In an interview with Ukrinform, French Ambassador to Ukraine Gael Veyssiere spoke about prospects for military cooperation, French investment in rebuilding Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, and lesser-known shared chapters of history. Veyssiere is a trained economist and historian who began his diplomatic…

The Cabinet of Ministers has delegated representatives to the governing board of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. The board’s first meeting is set to take place on September 3. This was announced by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko following a government meeting on September 1, as reported by Ukrinform, referring to her Telegram channel. “We are forming the governing board of the Reconstruction Investment Fund. The government has delegated representatives to the board of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund,” she wrote. Svyrydenko noted that the upcoming meeting will focus on defining project selection criteria and other operational procedures for the fund.…