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At the World Economic Forum via teleconference, President Donald Trump said he will demand Saudi Arabia and OPEC reduce the cost of oil and will ask Riyadh to increase a planned US investment package to $1T from an initially reported $600B. His remarks come one day after Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed what the White House called the kingdom’s “international economic ambitions” as well as trade issues. “If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war

The US may put forward a condition for the provision of additional military aid to Ukraine – lowering the mobilization age for men. President Zelenskyy has refrained from raising the conscription age, despite its ability to increase enlistment in Ukraine’s military, as the move carries political risk given the population’s war fatigue and widespread draft evasion. The Times notes that if Ukraine agrees to the change, the country will receive significantly more military aid, including modern weapons and Western support.

Economic difficulties are prompting some of the Russian elite to believe that the conflict in Ukraine must be resolved through negotiation. This week, US President Donald Trump said that levying additional sanctions and tariffs against Russia is likely if Putin does not agree to negotiations. According to Reuters, Putin believes that the war’s main objectives have been accomplished. This includes control over the territories connecting the Russian mainland with occupied Crimea, as well as weakening the Ukrainian military. However, a

Vladimir Putin said that last year was successful for the Russian economy, and key macro indicators are positive. Russian budget revenues not related to the sale of hydrocarbons increased by 26% and exceeded their plan by ₽800B, and the banking sector feels “confident” and “has the resources to finance the economy.” However, Putin admitted that inflation was “higher than forecast.” Putin claims that the budget deficit, 1.7% of GDP, is at an “acceptable” level and is several times smaller than

The NBU increased rates on overnight certificates of deposit, three-month certificates of deposit, and refinancing loans by 1 percentage point – to 14.5%, 17%, and 17.5%, respectively. This decision aims to maintain the foreign exchange market’s stability, keeping inflation expectations under control and gradually slowing inflation to the 5% target. The regulator noted that in December 2024, inflation accelerated to 12% per annum and continued rising in January. “The transition of inflation to a double-digit level negatively affects the inflation

Considering security risks and the difficult situation in the labor market, the NBU has worsened its forecast for Ukraine’s 2025 GDP growth from 4.3% to 3.6%. At the same time, the bank predicts the economy’s gradual return to normal operating conditions. Accordingly, in 2026-2027 a moderate acceleration of economic growth is expected – to about 4%. The recovery will be facilitated by investment in energy and production capacities, maintaining a soft fiscal policy, and growing private consumption against increasing household

As reported by Politico and the FT, current talks are focused on forming a deterrent force pulled from five to six different European countries that would guard the line of contact in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine. According to one European official, the British and French have already begun preliminary planning. Ukrainian officials consider it feasible to deploy 40,000 to 50,000 foreign troops along a 1,000-kilometer front line. However, this idea may not be implemented due to both

Representatives from Ukraine and Sweden agreed on a bilateral agreement to support the implementation of joint projects in the defense industry and discussed substantive proposals for their creation, in particular a list of priority products that will be produced. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense emphasized: “Of course, air defense and ammunition remain Ukraine’s priorities. A separate need is the development of long-range capabilities.” It is noted that a favorable decision by the Swedish government is soon expected on allocating a

Top managers at large companies are focused and optimistic about the war in Ukraine ending or, at minimum, the cessation of active hostilities in 2025, said Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko. She reported that at in meeting between President Zelenskyy and members of thebusiness community, new spending totaling €450M were discussed, which indicates active investment discussions are yielding progress in Ukraine. The minister believes that everyone in the world understands Ukraine’s need for security guarantees, and they are an important

In the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olga Stefanishyna, the EU, Denmark, and Lithuania reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s EU accession with their signature establishing the Ukraine2EU-EU Integration Support Programme for Ukraine. The initiative, funded by the EU, Denmark, and Lithuania, has a budget of €14M and will support Ukrainian institutions in managing the EU accession process and implementing necessary reforms. “The future of Ukraine is in the EU, and this program

The Nezlamni Fund, created by the co-founders of Uklon, has invested in developing Frontline, which develops and produces robotic systems. The investment amount was not disclosed, but it is within the framework of the fund’s standard commitment – $100,000-400,000. The funds will be used to accelerate the implementation of plans to develop new products. Frontline is a Ukrainian defense-tech startup that has been developing robotic systems for the Defense Forces of Ukraine since 2023. The company creates both air and

During the war, Ukrainian citizens in Poland have became one of the most active buyers of real estate among foreigners. Analysts point to the many Polish residential and commercial properties that Ukrainians have bought since the war began. In 2019, Ukrainian citizens bought 160,700 square meters of residential real estate in Poland (35.8% of the total area purchased by foreigners) and 16,300 square meters of commercial real estate (25.6%). In 2020, Ukrainians purchased 154,200 (38.1%) and 13,000 square meters (25.6%),

The US Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, believes that Russia currently lacks the military potential for a large-scale breakthrough on the front. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said that there will be many more small offensive actions in the war this year. Meanwhile, on January 21 Ukrainian forces had 121 combat clashes with the enemy along the frontline. The hottest situation remains in the Pokrovsk direction, where half of the fighting occurred. The troops in

US President Donald Trump has instructed his special envoy for the Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, to end the war in 100 days. According to the  WSJ, Kellogg will advise Trump on negotiations, but Kellogg’s former colleagues say he has never been a diplomat and is unlikely to participate in talks. “He will certainly not come up with anything that deviates from what Trump wants,” added a former member of the National Security Council who worked with Kellogg. The special

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Donald Trump’s promise to end the war will become an official priority of US foreign policy. “We do not want the conflict to end and then resume in two, three, or four years. We want to bring stability,” Rubio clarified. According to him, negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine will not be held publicly. “The only way such conflicts end is through tough, energetic diplomacy, which the US seeks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that any effective peacekeeping force deployed in Ukraine must include US troops. He added that European allies do not have enough soldiers to deter Putin effectively, and any other solution could lead to a split within NATO. Zelenskyy is determined to make Kyiv’s voice heard when major powers begin to discuss its future. “We do not want this to happen behind the backs of Ukrainians,” he said. For Ukraine, the key to any deal will

The total reached almost 4.5 million MWh. In contrast, according to Energy Map, electricity exports fell to a record low of only 350,000 MWh. The main reason for this imbalance was Russia’s massive attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Ukraine imported most of its electricity from Hungary (38.4% of the total), Slovakia (23.4%), Romania (18.5%), Poland (14.3%) and Moldova (5.4%). Electricity exports fell by 90% compared to the pre-war year 2021 and amounted to only 348,500 MWh. The main export destinations

The Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF) identified four key areas for expanding cooperation between Ukraine and the US in the next 5-10 years. The first is the development of the critical materials sector. Ukraine has large reserves of minerals that the US defines as strategically important. The creation of a full cycle of extraction, processing, and production of finished products with the participation of American investment is estimated at $2-4B over the next five years. The second area is

In 2025, the Ukrainian defense industry’s production potential could reach €34B, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency. He noted that this requires support from the EU, in particular: funding in the amount of €18B (Ukraine is able to provide €16B) transfer of military technologies partnership with European companies According to Umerov, the EU’s main security priority in 2025 should be to increase investment in the production of military equipment, particularly air defense

This is the largest private investment in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. The project will be the largest wind farm in Eastern Europe to be built in the last decade. To implement the project, DTEK has obtained €370M in loans from international banks and led by Danske Bank, supported by the Export-Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO). EIFO has already financed more than 15 projects in Ukraine. These funds will be used to purchase 64 turbines from