Politics & Economics

China is pragmatically using cooperation with Belarus to strengthen its influence in Europe, supporting the Lukashenko regime in exchange for geopolitical benefits, in particular Minsk’s transit role of Minsk. This opinion was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by the Director of the Russian and Belarusian Studies Program at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, Candidate of Historical Sciences Yaroslav Chornohor. "China uses cooperation with Russia, Belarus, Brazil, and African countries to strengthen its own positions around the world. Everything that China does is in China's interest. In this regard, Lukashenko is a convenient partner for China – he is…

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal likened Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb in Russia’s rear to the American operation to eliminate "No. 1 terrorist" Osama bin Laden. That’s according to Politico, Ukrinform reports. Senator praised the sophisticated operation as "evidence of Ukraine's agility and resolve". These drone strikes, he added, counter "a false narrative that Ukraine is losing the war" and could shift momentum in Washington in favor of increasing aid for Ukraine. “They can strike air bases 4,000 miles from Ukraine; They can hit anywhere,” Blumenthal said. “Just in the skill and audacity of these attacks, it will rank with the United States…

The UK is investing a record GBP 350m this year to increase the supply of drones to Ukraine from a target of 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025. This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense, according to Ukrinform. As noted, the record investment in drones for Ukraine in the amount of GBP 350 million is part of the UK's GBP 4.5 billion military support this year. "As Ukraine’s Armed Forces have demonstrated the effectiveness of drone warfare in defending against Putin’s illegal invasion, the UK has been doubling down on investment in drones with British defence companies,…

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place later this month in The Hague. According to Ukrinform, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported this, citing its own sources. "NATO Secretary General Rutte has invited Ukrainian President Zelensky to the NATO summit later this month in The Hague. Sources confirmed this to NOS," the report states. Read also: Assistance to Ukraine to be key priority of upcoming NATO summit - Rutte Zelensky had previously said that Ukraine had received an invitation, but left it unclear whether he had been personally invited.…

Ukraine is counting on stronger sanctions from the United States against Russia and emphasizes the importance of aligning those efforts with European partners. Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, made the remarks in an interview with Newsmax during his visit to Washington, according to Ukrinform. "We are looking very much for the new sanctions — the strong, real, strong sanctions against Russia. […] And it is very important that these sanctions be coordinated with our European partners," he said. Yermak pointed to a new bill introduced by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham aimed at ramping up…

Ahead of the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, Russia received a document outlining Ukraine's vision for ending the war, but has not yet responded. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said this in a post on the social media platform X, Ukrinform reports. "Russia has not responded to our document outlining Ukraine's vision for ending the war. We sent it ahead of the meeting. During the meeting, our delegation asked the Russians what their considerations were. They didn't provide any. Neither during the meeting nor after," he said. Ukraine demands a response from Russia, Sybiha said, emphasizing that every day…

The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and the World Bank are working on a loan agreement to support the Development Policy Operation (DPO), with a planned allocation of at least $1 billion. According to Ukrinform, citing the Ministry of Finance’s press service, a team of World Bank experts is working this week alongside representatives from the Ministry of Finance and the Government of Ukraine to finalize key parameters of the new agreement. “The World Bank is one of Ukraine’s key strategic partners in advancing systemic reforms. We are continuing joint work on the new Development Policy Operation (DPO) agreement, which…

There is currently no significant risk of scheduled power outages in Ukraine, even during peak consumption on hot days. The press service of NPC Ukrenergo provided this information in a commentary for Ukrinform’s publication. "At present, there is no significant risk of implementing restrictive measures during the summer, even at peak consumption on the hottest days. The repair campaign at key generation facilities was strategically planned to ensure the power system can fully meet consumer demand," the company said. Read also: Slovakia to allocate EUR 84M for Ukrenergo infrastructure restoration Ukrenergo stated that the power system has not faced attacks…

Russia must genuinely feel the devastating consequences of continuing its war against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this in a video address, Ukrinform reports. “Throughout the day, there were air raid alerts, and there were strikes across almost the entire territory of our state. There have been virtually no days without killings during this whole time, while the United States, Europe, and other global actors have been urging Russia to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war. Russia remains fully committed to war – and they prove this commitment of theirs with both their strikes and their…

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Zelensky shared this in a video address, Ukrinform reports. “Today, I met with Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA. We talked about the obvious security challenges created by the Russian occupation – specifically the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. We are doing everything possible to prevent any radiation or other incidents,” Zelensky said. [embedded content]He noted that the Russian occupation has created an entirely new type of threat that the world…