Politics & Economics

Russia may pay North Korea for deploying soldiers and supplying ballistic missiles by sharing nuclear technology and increasing the capabilities of Pyongyang’s defense industrial complex. Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha stated this during a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "North Korea already supplied to Russia ballistic missiles. And yesterday, or two days ago, in New York, we had special Security Council meeting dedicated to 1,000 days of Russian aggression. And during this meeting, we demonstrated the piece of the North Korean ballistic missiles, they supplied. And the…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees as too soft the Group of 20 resolution on assessing Russia's actions in its war against Ukraine, but at the same time defends his decision to refrain from handing Ukraine long-range capabilities at Germany’s disposal. He said this at a press conference following the G20 Summit in Brazil, Ukrinform reports. Scholz noted that at the meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the parties discussed the brutal war Russia has been waging against Ukraine for a thousand days, during which the Russian leader has allowed merciless bombing of Ukraine. "These are a thousand days during which people…

Ukraine sees opportunities in cooperation with Donald Trump’s future administration to speed up the process of achieving a just and comprehensive peace. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha said this during a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart in Vienna on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "President Zelensky and President-elect Trump, they already established direct contacts. That's important. Now teams are working on establishing also direct working realistic channels to exchange views on different pending issues," Sybiha said, commenting on the issue of Ukraine's cooperation with the upcoming U.S. administration. Read also: Austria allocates another EUR…

On Wednesday, November 20, electricity consumption is increasing in Ukraine so the grid operator has scheduled imports from five countries for today. That’s according to NEC Ukrenergo, Ukrinform reports. "Consumption is increasing. Today, November 20, as of 5:00, its level was 1.6% higher against the previous day, Tuesday, November 19. This is explained by the ongoing resumption of supplies to consumers blacked out after Russian shelling of Odesa. Emergency recovery works in the region are in progress," the statement says. It is noted that on November 19, the daily consumption high was recorded in the evening at 6% higher than…

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss a truce agreement for Ukraine with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, but has ruled out any significant territorial concessions and is insisting that Kyiv abandon its bid to join NATO. This was reported by Reuters with reference to five current and former Russian officials, Ukrinform reports. According to interlocutors, Putin may generally agree to freeze the conflict along the existing front lines. At the same time, three sources noted that options for dividing the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which Russia now claims its own but does not fully control are on…

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine believes that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is weaker than the United States, which has more opportunities to stop Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader said this in an interview with Fox News, Ukrinform reports. Zelensky emphasized that diplomacy is the only way to end the war. When asked whether Putin can make a decision on ending the war, Zelensky said: "I am sure that as of today a lot depends on Putin, really. He can do that. He can be willing to end this war." However, according to the head of the…

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot considers Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats to be nothing more than the rhetoric he has been using for the past few years. The minister spoke with CNEWS on Wednesday, Ukrinform reports. "Putin's nuclear threat is a rhetoric he has been using for two and a half years," Barro said. He added that such words are not new for Europeans. "This is no surprise for us, since a week ago he announced an update of his doctrine. As the president of the Republic said, Russia needs to return to its commitment before the world as a nuclear…

The Canadian parliament has passed a resolution calling on the government to strengthen support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the resolution, submitted by MP Heather McPherson, received unanimous support from members of the House of Commons. The House of Commons called on the federal government “to continue to provide substantial military and humanitarian support to Ukraine in order to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace”. In addition, the MPs called for a ban on “all forms” of Russian state media in Canada, support for Ukraine's future membership in NATO, and increased…

As part of her official visit to Ukraine, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited the Kyiv region. In particular, she visited the Angels of Victory memorial in the village of Moshchun. The press service of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration wrote this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.  The delegation was greeted by Zhanna Osypenko, the deputy head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration. Frederiksen honored the memory of the fallen Heroes by laying flowers at the memorial. She also observed the consequences of the destruction caused by Russian aggression and expressed her support for the Ukrainian people. This visit…

The Cabinet of Ministers has dismissed Deputy Minister of Education and Science Yevhenia Smirnova. The government's permanent representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. “The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dismissed Yevhenia Smirnova from the post of Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine,” he wrote. In addition, according to Melnychuk, the government dismissed Iryna Kondratova from the post of deputy head of the National Health Service of Ukraine. Read also: Government dismisses State Service for Geology head and deputy defense minister As reported, in June 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed Smirnova…