Politics & Economics

Warsaw welcomes the opening of new Ukrainian consular offices in Poland. Paweł Wroński, spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told this to Ukrinform, when commenting on the announcement made by Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha on Friday in the Ukrainian parliament about plans to open two new consular offices of Ukraine in Poland - in Poznan and Rzesznw.  “We are in favor of Ukrainian citizens having the widest possible consular care (in Poland - ed.). So I don't think there will be any problems in this regard,” Wroński said. He added that the Ministries of Foreign…

Germany has allocated up to EUR 8 billion to support Ukrainian asylum seekers who have arrived since the onset of the full-scale war. These figures were shared by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during comments to journalists regarding the outcomes of the European Council meeting, a Ukrinform correspondent reports. “Our expenditure on supporting over one million refugees who have arrived in Germany amounts to approximately EUR 7-8 billion,” the Chancellor stated. Scholz also noted that Germany has "delivered or pledged weapons, some of which will soon be delivered, totaling EUR 28 billion" and assured continued military support next year. He announced the upcoming delivery…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is against the easing of sanctions against Russia’s Gazprombank and hopes that the corresponding step by the United States for Turkey and Hungary is temporary. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi wrote this on social media platform X, Ukrinform reports. “With all due regard for our partners' special needs, we believe that international sanctions against Gazprombank should remain in full force, as any weakening undermines collective efforts to increase pressure on the aggressor and restore regional peace, security, and stability,” he wrote. Tykhyi expressed hope that this step is temporary and short-term, and…

Kyiv aims to convey to Keith Kellogg, the prospective Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia from Donald Trump’s team, crucial information to consider when shaping strategies for achieving a just peace. This was stated by Spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Heorhii Tykhyi, during a briefing on Friday, a Ukrinform correspondent reports. “We (the MFA) are involved in preparing Special Envoy Keith Kellogg’s visit to Ukraine. A preliminary date for this visit has been set. I will not disclose the date for security reasons, but I can confirm that we are expecting General Kellogg in Ukraine,” he said.…

Lithuania has expressed its readiness to invest in the production of Ukraine's Palianytsia missile-drone, a part of the country's long-range capabilities program. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this on Telegram following intergovernmental consultations with a Lithuanian delegation led by Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, Ukrinform reports. "We held intergovernmental consultations with our Lithuanian colleagues. The strategic partnership between Ukraine and Lithuania is vital for Europe, and today we have taken significant steps to strengthen this partnership. We discussed key issues related to our further joint work, particularly strengthening the defense capabilities of Ukraine and Europe. We highly appreciate Lithuania's comprehensive…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has announced the appointment of candidates for a number of ambassadorial positions - some of them have already been approved or are awaiting approval. The statement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi at a briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “I can confirm that a number of ambassadors are indeed expected to be replaced, a number of ambassadors announced by the President of Ukraine back in November. The Minister has submitted a number of candidates. Some of them have already been approved, some of them are awaiting agreement, and…

A Lithuanian ministerial delegation, led by newly appointed Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, has arrived in Kyiv for intergovernmental consultations with Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this on the Telegram messaging app, Ukrinform reports. "We are beginning intergovernmental consultations with our Lithuanian colleagues. Today, a delegation of ministers led by Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas arrived in Kyiv. We have a full agenda to discuss, including European defense and security, Ukraine's EU and NATO membership aspirations, the recovery program, strengthening sanctions against Russia and confiscating frozen Russian assets, and deepening our economic and trade cooperation," Shmyhal said. Read…

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry plans to establish two additional consular offices in the Polish cities of Rzeszow and Poznan while expanding its consular presence in Romania, Slovakia, Germany, and France. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the plans during a government question-and-answer session in the Verkhovna Rada on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. Sybiha said that today, Poland hosts the second-largest Ukrainian community, encompassing both its long-established autochthonous population and newly arrived Ukrainian citizens. "We are talking about approximately one million people. We will strengthen our consular presence. It is planned to open two additional consular institutions in Rzeszow…

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has announced that officials from the incoming U.S. administration are scheduled to make significant visits to Ukraine in January 2025. He said this during a government question-and-answer session in the Verkhovna Rada on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "We have already established practical contacts with the new administration. As part of developing these ties, we anticipate key visits in January next year, which will provide an opportunity to directly convey critical positions and the concept of 'peace through strength' to representatives of the new administration," Sybiha said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously confirmed that Keith…

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin continues to falsely posture Russia's economy as strong and stable, shifting responsibility for economic problems onto others and manipulating facts. This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as cited by Ukrinform. Analysts note that Putin described Russia’s economy as "stable and reliable" but acknowledged that inflation had reached 9.2–9.3% and blamed the Central Bank for this. "Putin insinuated that the Russian Central Bank and its head, Elvira Nabiullina, mishandled rising Russian interest rates and noted that the Russian government's economic policies had ‘some shortcomings,’ likely in an attempt…