Politics & Economics

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the World Bank's Managing Director for Operations Activities Anna Bjerde, with whom he discussed Ukraine's financial stability and support programs. The head of state announced this in a video address to the nation, Ukrinform reports. [embedded content] "I met with the World Bank's Managing Director of Operations. We talked about our financial sustainability, support programs and funds from Russian assets. It is absolutely justified that Russian funds should be used to defend against Russian aggression itself," Zelenskyy said. He emphasized: "The perpetrator of the war must pay for it. Pay and be held accountable." Read…

French intellectuals and military experts call on President Emmanuel Macron to initiate a European coalition of military instructors to operate in Ukraine. This is stated in an open letter by French supporters of Ukraine published by Le Monde, Ukrinform reports. "We are appealing to the President of the Republic to create a coalition of allied countries. Nothing will better demonstrate the steadfastness of European commitments to Ukraine than deploying military instructors," the signatories declare. In their opinion, this will correspond to France's desire to strengthen European defense and assert its position as a leader on the international stage. Read also:…

Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin has made it clear that he wants war and continues to use the language of ultimatums, so he must forced into peace, rather than asked to do so. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated this during a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Wednesday. "Russia continues its brutal attacks on Ukraine's energy system, and the latest such attack was one of the largest. Russian missiles were even aimed at facilities in our nuclear system. This is important to emphasize, as this created a real risk…

Austria has committed an additional EUR 2 million to support the Ukrainian-led Grain from Ukraine initiative, aimed at addressing global food insecurity exacerbated by Russia's war against Ukraine. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said this during a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Vienna on Wednesday. "We are ready to support the Grain from Ukraine initiative with another EUR 2 million through the Austrian Development Agency to mitigate the impact of Putin's war on global food security," he said. The Austrian minister said that the consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine…

Head of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service Serhii Deineko and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Border Guard Robert Bagan met in Chelm to discuss the status and security of the common border, as well as joint measures to combat cross-border crime. This is according to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, Ukrinform reports. "The parties noted that the situation on the common state border remains fully controlled," the statement reads. Deineko and Bagan also discussed the stable flow of border traffic, with increased intensity attributed to the ongoing effects of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. Both sides reviewed organizational and infrastructure enhancements…

The Executive Board of the UN World Food Programme has approved an interim strategic plan for Ukraine for the period of 2025-2027, with a budget of $2.1 billion. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. “The Executive Board of the UN World Food Programme has approved an interim strategic plan for Ukraine for the period of 2025-2027 with a total budget of $2.1 billion,” he wrote. Shmyhal specified that the plan provides for humanitarian assistance, support for civilians, continuation of mine clearance and support for Ukraine's export potential in supplying agricultural products to international markets. Read also:…

Defense Ministers of Ukraine and Denmark Rustem Umerov and Troels Lund Poulsen discussed further cooperation for 2025, including an increase in military support to EUR 2.2 billion. According to Ukrinform, Umerov posted this on Facebook. “We discussed further cooperation for 2025, including increasing military support to €2.2 billion. This assistance will form the foundation for training our brigades and equipping them with modern technology,” Umerov noted. According to him, special attention was devoted to joint projects in the defense industry. “Ukraine continues to demonstrate the effectiveness of its developments, which include the missile program, such as Neptune, and combat drones…

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…