Politics & Economics

Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak met with Minister of Enterprises and Production Adolfo of Italy Adolfo Urso in Rome. Yermak wrote this on his Telegram account, Ukrinform reports. “We discussed topical issues of strengthening cooperation between Ukrainian and Italian businesses, particularly preparations for the Made in Italy meets Made in Ukraine forum. In addition, we discussed areas of cooperation within the framework of Italy's G7 presidency and preparations for Ukraine’s Recovery Conference to be held in Rome next summer,” Yermak posted. Read also: Zelensky meets with Pope As reported by Ukrinform, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto at…

Slovakia is ready to expand military equipment repair operations on the border with Ukraine. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said this after talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in Berlin on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "I assured Ms. Minister that our cooperation as part of the service hub that we have with a German company near Michalovce will continue, and we want to expand it so as to clearly meet the needs of the German side in the repair and maintenance of military equipment. The Ministry of Defense is interested in expanding this hub near Kosice," Blanar…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine's Victory Plan to the leaders of European countries this week and emphasized that joint efforts must be made now, in the next few months. The head of state said this in his nightly video address to the nation, Ukrinform reports. "Here in Germany, and yesterday in three countries in one day – Britain, France, Italy – I presented our Victory Plan to European leaders. To Prime Minister Starmer, to President Macron, to the Head of the Italian Government Giorgia Meloni. And today during my conversation with Olaf. All the details of our strategy for…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed Ukraine’s urgent energy needs amid ongoing Russian attacks on the power grid. Ukrainian President posted this on Facebook, seen by Ukrinform. According to him, the meeting focused on Ukraine’s security situation, the challenges posed by sustained Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure, and active combat zones, as well as the development of regional partnerships. Zelensky expressed gratitude to Germany for its leadership in supporting Ukraine, particularly in defense, emphasizing the importance of maintaining assistance at current levels into the next year. According to Ukraine’s Presidential Office, they also discussed…

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a phone conversation with his UK counterpart, Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, where they discussed the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, and other pressing issues. This was reported by the Pentagon, according to Ukrinform. "Both Secretaries reaffirmed their resolve to support Ukraine against Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war," stated the U.S. Department of Defense. The ministers also agreed on the importance of deterring Iran and its allied groups from further escalating the conflict in the Middle East. Read also: Umerov meets with Italian defense minister As previously reported, a…

President Volodymyr Zelensky described today’s meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as one of the most important since the onset of the full-scale war. The President shared this in a message on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "Today is our third meeting this fall with Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, and perhaps one of the most important throughout the entire period of the full-scale war. We are now presenting our key friends with our strategy for bringing peace to Ukraine — a plan of absolutely clear and realistic steps that can push the whole situation towards real peace," Zelensky stated. Read…

On October 11, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko signed the Fourth Additional Agreement with Canada for an additional loan of CAD 400 million (nearly USD 300 million). This was reported by the Ministry of Finance, as cited by Ukrinform. The funds from this agreement will be directed toward priority expenditures of Ukraine's state budget and will be facilitated through the IMF’s Administered Account. “Canada is one of the leaders in supporting Ukraine and a strategic partner that has provided significant assistance since the first days of the full-scale invasion. Direct budgetary support since February 2022 has reached more than USD 5 billion.…

Germany will provide Ukraine with direct military assistance worth EUR 4 billion next year. By the end of the current year, Germany and its partners will provide Ukraine with a support package worth EUR 1.4 billion. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced this before talks with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. “We will also continue our military support for Ukraine next year. The budget envisages 4 billion euros in direct bilateral assistance,” he said. Scholz stated that Germany has provided Ukraine with a new military aid package worth 600 million euros, which includes a…

The World Bank's Board of Directors has approved the creation of a special financial trust fund for Ukraine, which will amount to at least USD 10 billion. According to Ukrinform, citing the government portal, this was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a government meeting on October 11. “The World Bank Board of Directors has approved the creation of a special financial trust fund for Ukraine. The size of this fund will be at least USD 10 billion. The main donors will be the United States and several other countries, and in the future the size of the fund…