Politics & Economics

U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Russia demanding an end to the war in Ukraine within 50 days is a clear boundary set for Vladimir Putin and a signal that peace must come swiftly. This position was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by Pastor Mark Burns, spiritual advisor to President Trump. “President Trump’s recent 50-day ultimatum to Russia is a powerful signal that peace must come, and come quickly,” said Burns. He noted that, ideally, a shorter deadline should have been set for the Kremlin — for example, three days instead of 50 — because each day lost means…

The European Commission plans to allocate 100 billion EUR for Ukraine under its new 2028–2034 EU budget framework through the Ukraine Facility support program. This was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference following a meeting of the EC College, a Ukrinform correspondent reports. “We are setting aside 100 billion euros for Ukraine… to fill up again the Ukraine Facility – to support recovery, resilience, and their path to EU membership,” von der Leyen said. She recalled that following the most recent revision of the current budget, 50 billion EU had already been directed…

Countries of the Baltic region are actively involving Ukraine and drawing on its experience to strengthen their resilience against Russian actions and influence. Warsaw is also preparing new military aid packages for Ukraine. This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski at a joint press conference of the Lublin Triangle foreign ministers (Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania) on Wednesday, July 16, in Lublin, a Ukrinform correspondent reports. “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has directly affected the Baltic region. Deepening cooperation with Ukraine is one of the key elements of our strategy to build resilience in the region. The Council of the Baltic…

Ukraine is open to negotiations for a just peace, but the key to a ceasefire lies in applying pressure on Russia through sanctions and international diplomacy. This was stated by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha during a press conference following the Lublin Triangle meeting, a Ukrinform correspondent reports. Sybiha emphasized that the statements made by Russian war criminals, who will eventually be held accountable, calling for pressure on Ukraine should be viewed primarily as disinformation, propaganda, and an attempt to obscure reality. “That statement by [Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry] Peskov about the need to pressure Ukraine into new negotiations is a…

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision from July 9 in the case Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia could simplify the review of criminal proceedings by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by Margarita Sokorenko, the Commissioner for the European Court of Human Rights, in a comment to Ukrinform. “It’s hard to say whether this decision will accelerate proceedings in other cases, but it will certainly make things easier in terms of the evidence base. It simplifies the work of other judicial bodies in…

Ukraine’s freight transportation market is facing a shortage of personnel. Currently, transport companies lack up to 40,000 drivers. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Communities and Territories Development Deputy Minister Serhii Derkach in a commentary to Ukrinform. “Speaking of large cargo transportation, about 130,000 trucks are currently involved in such operations. According to the data from carriers, 30% of them are standing idle due to a shortage of drivers. Therefore, the deficit is about 30,000-40,000 CE-category drivers. This is a huge figure and a difficult story. Several months ago, we visited a large company. They have 30 new large…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is afraid of the United States, noting that there were no massive attacks following the arrival of U.S. President’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv. According to Ukrinform, the President made this statement in an interview with Newsmax. “Gen. Kellogg arrived and there were no massive bombings for two nights in a row. This is a very interesting example: there were no heavy attacks this night and the previous night, too,” Zelensky remarked. He noted that people are joking about the situation, suggesting that General Kellogg should be given…

As a result of a Russian drone attack, a Polish-owned enterprise in Vinnytsia was damaged. There are injuries, including two individuals with severe burns. This was reported on the social media platform X by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, according to Ukrinform. “Russian drones struck the Barlinek Group factory in Vinnytsia. The factory director just told me that it was done deliberately, from three different directions. There are injured individuals, two of them with severe burns,” the minister stated. He added that Ukrainian emergency services and representatives of the Polish consulate are currently working at the site. “Putin’s criminal war…

The European Parliament believes the European Commission should open clusters in accession talks with Ukraine to advance the country’s EU membership bid as quickly as possible. This was reported by Ukrinform, citing a report from the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, which reviews Ukraine’s progress toward EU accession amid Russia’s military aggression. The committee approved the report on Tuesday, July 15, with 55 votes in favor, 12 against, and 3 abstentions. “The Foreign Affairs Committee recommends the European Commission open negotiating clusters to advance the country’s EU membership bid at the fastest pace possible, subject to its continued implementation of…

Missiles for Patriot systems are already being shipped to Ukraine. According to Ukrinform, US President Donald Trump said this at Andrews Air Force Base, responding to journalists' questions about arms supplies to Ukraine, C-Span reports. The White House chief noted that the missiles he promised for Patriot air defense systems are already being delivered to Ukraine. “They're coming in from Germany and then replaced by Germany. And in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full,” Trump said. The US president still believes that Russian leader Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, despite the fact that…