Politics & Economics

U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to suspend all foreign aid for 90 days does not impact security assistance programs for Ukraine, according to the Pentagon. In a statement to the Ukrainian Service of Voice of America, reported by Ukrinform, the U.S. Department of Defense clarified: "Security assistance to Ukraine is not subject to the restrictions of the recent decree on foreign aid, as it only applies to development programs, not military support," the Pentagon noted. It was further specified that contracts for weapons production for Ukraine under the USAI (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative) program, authorized by the Biden administration,…

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that energy resources, particularly oil, are among the most critical tools to compel Russia to seek peace. The Ukrainian head of state made this statement in his address, as reported by Ukrinform. "We are coordinating our international efforts, and today, we held relevant meetings – primarily concerning the United States and our European partners. Peace through strength is possible, and we are absolutely confident in this. The key is to keep up the momentum and put pressure on Russia – the sole entity that wants this war and that is guilty of this war.…

Poland’s government has added border checkpoints to its list of critical infrastructure to restrict potential attempts to block the Polish-Ukrainian border in the future. This was stated during a meeting with journalists by Paweł Kowal, the Polish government’s commissioner for cooperation with Ukraine and chairman of the Polish Sejm's Foreign Affairs Committee, according to a Ukrinform correspondent. "The government has implemented rules related to critical infrastructure, which slightly reduced the inconveniences associated with protests (at the border – ed.)," Kowal noted. He emphasized that "the list of what is considered critical infrastructure has been expanded." Kowal remarked that it is…

Recognition of the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko after the “vote” in Belarus is not relevant for Ukraine, which also stands in solidarity with the position of democratic countries on the lack of conditions for holding elections in Belarus in accordance with OSCE standards. This was stated at a briefing by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhyi, Ukrinform reports. He emphasized that there are no grounds to call the voting in Belarus an election and noted that its results are known in advance, and Lukashenko himself will continue to be an ally and accomplice of…

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is trying to intimidate Slovak society with his statements about the activities of an “expert group” that allegedly worked on the Maidan in Ukraine. This was stated at a briefing by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Georgiy Tykhyi, Ukrinform reports. “We regard these statements as an attempt to intimidate Slovak society and consolidate its electorate. No more and no less. The leadership in Georgia did the same thing. This is a standard fairy tale,” he said. The diplomat emphasized that the Slovak prime minister should pay attention to his own…

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence plans to discuss behind closed doors the issues regarding the recent arrests of officers from the 125th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces and the Anne of Kyiv 155th Brigade. This was reported on Facebook by MP Iryna Friz, a committee member, Ukrinform saw. “The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence plans to discuss in closed-door mode the issues regarding the arrests of combat officers,” she informed. Friz noted that tentative reports have already been heard on both the 125th and 155th brigades without a decision being…

Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine discussed joint efforts to counter Russian disinformation with Google Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe Annette Kroeber-Riel. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy announced this on X following the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrinform reports. “Great meeting with Google Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe Annette Kroeber-Riel. We focused on joint efforts to counter Russian disinformation. We also agreed to explore avenues for further digitalisation of state services for Ukrainians abroad,” Sybiga wrote. Read also: Disinformation ‘pandemic’ is…

The new 20-year agreement on the "comprehensive strategic partnership", signed by Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, covers a range of areas, but it is unlikely to significantly boost bilateral relations, as distrust between the two countries persists. This was reported on X by the British Ministry of Defense, citing intelligence, Ukrinform reports. As noted, the partnership between Russia and Iran was almost certainly driven by mutual security and economic interests, as the two states growing closer since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "Russia has remained reliant on Iranian military support as the war in Ukraine has continued. However,…

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on yesterday's statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he called for an immediate end to the war against Ukraine and threatened Russia with sanctions and new tariffs. This was reported by the BBC Russian service, Ukrinform saw. "We see no particularly new elements here. You know that Trump, in his first term, was the American president who most often resorted to sanctions methods. He likes these methods. At least he liked them during his first presidency," Peskov said. He added that the Russian side "is very closely monitoring all the rhetoric, all the…

The future peace agreement should ensure respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and not become a bargain that will consolidate Russia's occupation. This was stated by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković during the Ukrainian Breakfast in Davos, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The head of the Croatian government noted that over the past few years, the world has seen not only Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine, but also the growth of Russian influence in the democratic world. In this context, Plenković noted that elections are taking place in Western countries, as a…