Politics & Economics

Foreign exchange reserves of Russia’s energy giant Gazprom HQ plunged in 2024 by a staggering 98.5% against the previous year. This was reported on Telegram by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports. “In 2024, foreign exchange reserves of the PJSC Gazprom HQ, the monopoly supplier of pipeline gas from Russia for export, decreased from $862 million to $13.5 million — that is, by 98.5%. Over the year, the company's total ‘cash cushion’ has also shrunk by approximately $650 million. And these are only the statistics of Gazprom Group’s mother company…

President Volodymyr Zelensky believes he defended Ukraine’s dignity of Ukraine during a tense conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in late February. The president expressed his opinion in an interview with Time, Ukrinform reports. "In that conversation, I was defending the dignity of Ukraine," Zelensky said. He recalled that it was precisely because of a sense of dignity that Ukrainians began to defend themselves from the very outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. "Why did the Ukrainians defend themselves at the start of this war? It was because of dignity. We do not consider ourselves some kind…

By redeploying its military contingent from Syria to Libya, Russia will try to exert more influence on southern European countries, in particular Greece and Italy. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for National Defense of Poland Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who spoke at the Interparliamentary Conference on Common Foreign, Security, and Defense Policy on Monday in Warsaw, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. As Kosiniak-Kamysz noted, even the war in Ukraine did not make such an impression on Europe as the change in the geopolitical situation (Donald Trump's election win in the USA - ed.), after which the European Union actively took…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to participate in the "Coalition of the Willing" meeting in Paris on Thursday, where concrete decisions may be reached. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit confirmed this at a briefing, announcing that the chancellor will attend the summit of Ukraine's supporters on March 27. Hebestreit said that the German delegation would continue close cooperation with European partners and allies on supporting Ukraine, potential peace negotiations, and broader European security issues. He stressed that the Paris meeting is expected to focus on specific agreements that participants will aim to finalize. Discussions will…

Polish Sejm Marshal Szymon Holownia has said that Europe should transfer all frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, rather than just the interest generated from them, and assist Kyiv in managing them effectively. According to Ukrinform's correspondent, Holownia made this statement on Monday during the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defense Policy in Warsaw. He emphasized that Russia, as the aggressor, should be held accountable by paying with its assets, not merely the interest they generate. He also noted that Europe's focus should be on ensuring that Ukraine utilizes these funds wisely…

A meeting between American and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia on Monday is to be followed by another round of talks between U.S. and Ukrainian teams. The separate meetings are set to discuss details of a pause in long-range attacks against energy facilities and civilian infrastructure and a halt on attacks in the Black Sea to ensure safe commercial shipping, Ukrinform reports, citing The Guardian. Read also: Ukrainian delegation remains in Saudi Arabia for possible further consultations – Leshchenko Negotiations between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations took place in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, March 23. Meanwhile, the Russian delegation arrived…

The Ukrainian delegation stays in Saudi Arabia to hold consultations following negotiations between the American and Russian delegations. Serhii Leshchenko, an advisor to the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, said this on Ukrainian television, according to Ukrinform. "Indeed, the Ukrainian delegation remains in Saudi Arabia and is not returning yet. This is to ensure that after the negotiations between the United States and the aggressor state, we also conduct our consultations. These talks will continue for some time, but they do not necessarily have to end with high-profile headlines. This is just another round, after which higher-level meetings on peace…

On March 23, 2025, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof held a phone conversation with his British counterpart Keir Starmer, during which the two sides discussed the support and commitments of the Coalition of the Willing with respect to reliable security guarantees for Ukraine. As reported by Ukrinform, Schoof shared this information on social media platform X. "We discussed the importance of unwavering support and the commitment expressed by the coalition of the willing with respect to robust security guarantees – a key condition for lasting peace in Ukraine," the post reads. Schoof also noted that the meeting of military planners…