Ukraine
President Duda says Poland 'ready' to host nuclear weapons
Government queries president's comments, while Moscow attacks them as "provocative".
COMMENT: Can China compensate for Russia’s losses on the European gas market?
“Building the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline from Russia to China is a rational decision that would have made sense even before the war, but the project will never be able to replace Russia’s decimated gas trade with Europe."
Future of Emerging Europe’s hybrid regimes hangs in the balance
With Emerging Europe increasingly polarised between democracies and authoritarian states, it is unclear in which direction the hybrid regimes – which fall between the two camps – will go, says Freedom House.
COLLINGWOOD: Ukraine’s power blackout means a dark future
In the last week, two pieces of legislation have been passed, one in Kyiv and one in Washington, that appear to go some way to addressing the most pressing problems Ukraine faces in its war with Russia. They do not.
US passes Ukraine aid package: what now?
The US stepped forward to rescue Ukraine on April 21 that has been staring defeat in the face, and not a moment too soon. But the aid won't solve many of Ukraine's remaining problems nor will it allow Kyiv to win the war.
Don't mention the "D" word - Ukraine
No one wants to mention the “D” word. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to pretend that Ukraine is not losing and getting closer to being defeated in the war with Russia.
Ukraine cattle and dairy industry in decline due to war, but expected to stabilize in 2024
Many of Ukraine’s cows have found themselves on the front line and some have been killed or were simply slaughtered when their owners fled the country to escape the invading Russian forces in 2022.
SEFE concerned as Russia targets gas storage tanks in Ukraine
German gas trader SEFE has expressed concern over recent Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's largest underground storage facility with a capacity of 30bcm.
UBN: The US Needs to Wake Up
“As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.” – George Orwell, England Your England, 1941
Ukraine's birth rate plummets to 300-year low as country’s population collapses
Ukraine’s population collapsed to 29mn souls last year, according to Ukraine Business News, with just 187,000 births recorded (including in Russian-occupied territories). This is the lowest annual figure in recorded history over the last 300 years.
Russian missile attack kills over a dozen people in Chernihiv, Ukraine
At least 14 people were killed and over 60 others injured, including two children, as Russian forces launched a devastating missile attack on the city of Chernihiv on the morning of April 17, according to reports from the Prosecutor General's Office
Fresh evidence suggests that the April 2022 Istanbul peace deal to end the war in Ukraine was stillborn
Fresh evidence indicates that the peace deal was probably too ambitious and, by failing to include the West in the talks, was stillborn.
Russia's finance ministry re-engineers tax system
By tinkering with the tax system, the Russian Ministry of Finance has created enough cash to pay for the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s war economy boosted by rising oil prices
Brent crude oil prices remained near a six-month high this week, hovering around $90 per barrel amidst fears of an oil price spike driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
US Speaker Johnson releases preliminary details of a new $43bn Ukraine aid package
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has released preliminary details of a new aid package for US allies that he says could be put to a vote this week.
UK, US ban trading in Russian aluminium, copper, nickel
The London Metal Exchange (LME) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) have blocked the trade of aluminium, copper and nickel produced by Russia, the UK government announced late on April 12.
How much damage can Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian oil refineries do?
Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian drones have attacked over two dozen Russian oil refineries and several oil depots in the first sustained campaign against Russia’s oil product producing facilities.
Russia's military forces are 15% bigger than they were at start of war, says US intelligence
Russia is reconstituting its army far faster than initial estimates suggested, US Army General Christopher Cavoli, Nato's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said in a statement on April 10.
Czech opposition tries to hold parliamentary session on PM’s financial affairs
Fiala had a holding in PDZ fund suspected of money laundering.
COMMENT: The Three Seas Initiative's digital imperative
While digital infrastructure in the region is growing, support infrastructure designed to handle the growth in demand is what requires investment.