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To force the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to the table and begin serious peace talks, US President Donald Trump needs leverage. Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, believes that this should include military aid to Ukraine, strengthening Russian sanctions, and working with the G7 to seize frozen Russian assets. Trump’s first step should be to request a bill from Congress that would provide $40-50B in military aid to Ukraine. This money would be spent in the US

The US President’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said that the US is mulling the possibility of purchasing American weapons for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets. “This will be discussed with the president,” he added. At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the Alliance should invest more in its defense and increase production and aid to Ukraine. “If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine from its defense industrial

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal Alibrahim, in response to US President Donald Trump’s call to reduce oil prices, noted that his country is focused on the oil market’s long-term stability, so he is not yet ready to discuss the issue of lowering prices. Meanwhile, the US plans to sharply increase its oil supplies to the global market as it attempts to lower the price to $40 per barrel, or even lower, if Putin does not agree to

On January 24, the US State Department paused most foreign aid programs for 90 days. USAID representatives were ordered to stop all projects related to Ukraine. These include projects in health care, education, and to benefit civil society. Economic programs for energy infrastructure development will also be under threat. The State Department plans to review these decisions within the next 85 days. American diplomats asked that the ban not extend to USAID’s activities in Ukraine. However, the Pentagon has given

“Regarding the structure of the negotiations: I hope Ukraine, America, Europe, and the Russians will be there. I want Europe to take part because we will be members of the European Union,” said President Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, Russian dictator Putin has spoken of the possibility of negotiations. According to him, Zelensky’s decision to ban dialogue with the Russian Federation “makes possible negotiations illegitimate.” However, he is convinced that “Kyiv’s allies will force Zelenskyy to cancel the ban on negotiations with the

The US Department of Homeland Security has suspended programs that allowed migrants to temporarily settle in the US, in particular a key initiative that provides entry for Ukrainians. The Uniting for Ukraine program, launched under the presidency of Joe Biden, provides Ukrainian refugees with permission to live and work in the US for two years from the moment of their arrival. As of September 2023, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have entered the US under this program. In the meantime, Ukraine

Confiscating frozen Russian assets could have unintended consequences that would hurt the international financial system, said Valerie Urben, Euroclear CEO, which holds most of Russia’s frozen assets. “Russia can always take countermeasures that could further destabilize financial markets,” she said. Urben noted that US President Donald Trump is trying to persuade Ukraine to negotiate with Russia. The fate of Russia’s frozen assets could become one topic of the negotiations, with some officials preferring to move forward with asset confiscation. “We

Significant reserves of critical raw materials are capable of becoming an essential factor in Ukraine’s economic development and could help it to integrate into global processes, says We Build Ukraine co-founder Oleksandr Kubrakov. In his opinion, one barrier to investment is the closed nature of Ukraine’s subsoil use industry. In particular, the expert proposes that Ukrainian reporting standards on mineral reserves be updated in order to harmonize them with internationally recognized standards, simplify the procedure for obtaining land plots for

The Czech plan covers specific measures in energy, agriculture, telecommunications, and several other sectors. The initiative has already received support from eight EU countries, including Germany, Sweden, and Estonia, with expectations that other states will join. The initiative will be officially presented on January 28 at a meeting of the EU Council. It is noted that deepening Ukraine and Moldova’s economic integration, primarily through the expansion of free trade agreements, will contribute to their resilience to the Russian Federation’s influence.

Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, is discussing the possibility of acquiring Uklon, which has developed an online platform for ordering transportation and delivery. The price to purchase Uklon could range from $40-80M. For Kyivstar, investing in Uklon is a logical step in building an integrated digital ecosystem, an essential stage of inorganic growth and business scaling that will help to fulfill a $1B investment commitment by 2027. At the same time, the deal will allow Uklon to increase its investments

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