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With the move, the state expects to receive ₴10B annually from Glovo, Bolt, Uklon, and others. In April 2025, the Ukrainian government must submit to parliament a bill on the taxation of digital platforms, such as Bolt, Uklon, or Glovo. This is one of the government’s commitments on Ukraine’s path to the EU, and one of the IMF’s beacons. The parliament’s finance committee reported that digital platforms employ several hundred thousand individuals in more than two dozen companies, so taxation

The European Commission is working on a roadmap to end its dependence on Russian gas, said EC spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen. “Much has already been done. With the advent of the new year, an important milestone was reached: The agreement on the Ukrainian transit of Russian gas was completed, and Europe was prepared for this gas to no longer be on the market,” she said. According to Itkonen, the following stages will be based on specific proposals. “The presentation of the

Currently, price conditions in the real estate market are more favorable than before the full-scale invasion, but due to war risks, Ukrainians are not ready to invest in housing, the national bank said in its December Financial Stability Report. The NBU claims that buying a home has become more profitable than long-term leasing and purchasing 70 square meters of housing in Kyiv for a family will cost, on average, the equivalent of its 10-year income. In addition, the cost of

In 2024, Ukrainian citizens made more than 30.1 million border crossings, with about 2% (443,000 people) not returning, 230% more than in 2023. In total, over the almost three years of the war, around three million Ukrainians have left and not returned to the country. This is approximately the same number that was recorded in the 11 years before the invasion (2011-2021), when the number of non-returns was 3.3 million people. In turn, Norway has expanded the list of Ukrainian

Ukrainian startup LetsData, which uses artificial intelligence to detect disinformation campaigns, has raised $1.6M in a pre-seed round led by SMOK Ventures, with participation from Wayra, Tilia Impact Ventures, 1991 Ventures, Google’s Ukraine Support Fund, and Startup Wise Guys. Angel investors also contributed to the total. The startup plans to use the funds to scale its technology in the US and EU markets. LetsData uses AI to analyze open-source data on over 100 million websites and social networks, covering over

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on European Alliance countries to increase their defense budgets. Otherwise, he noted, Europeans will have to “finish Russian language courses or go to New Zealand,” Politico reports. “On average, European countries easily spend up to 25% of their national income on pensions, healthcare, and social security systems, and we need only a small part of this money to strengthen defense significantly,” Rutte said. He notes that 24 of 32 NATO members have reached the

Ukraine’s European allies have held a series of private talks with Donald Trump’s team, during which the partners justified the need to provide further support for Kyiv, and feel cautiously optimistic that the new US president will not force Ukraine into premature talks with Russia. According to the Europeans, this exchange of views gives reason to believe that the future administration can help Ukraine regain strength before negotiations begin. Trump officials seem to have been receptive to two arguments: The

At least 65 oil tankers have dropped anchor off the coast of China and Russia after the US announced a new package of sanctions. Data from ship tracking services show that five tankers have stopped moving near Chinese ports, another seven have dropped anchor off the coast of Singapore, along with others off the Russian coast in the Baltic Sea and in the Far East. In total, 183 ships carrying Russian oil were sanctioned on January 10. Analysts have estimated

The government is completing internal preparations for negotiations with the EU on signing an agreement on industrial visa-free travel. Ukraine also seeks to extend economic visa-free travel and consolidate it permanently through amendments to the Association Agreement, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. He added that 60% of everything that Ukrainian businesses sell abroad goes to the EU. “Last year, we exported goods there for almost $25B (+6% compared to 2023). One of the success factors was economic visa-free travel, in

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection helped Ukrainian agricultural producers open access to 16 new foreign markets. State officials note that these results illustrate that key trading partners – China, Canada, the US, and EU member states recognize the Ukrainian control system. Last year, Ukrainian producers gained access to foreign markets for the following goods: honey in China, marine and freshwater aquatic animals and products in Kuwait, poultry meat and

In 2025, the state may face a shortage of more than half a million qualified workers. The lack of qualified personnel is already significantly affecting wage dynamics, which in the context of GDP growth raises questions among economists, noted the President of the Confederation of Employers, Mykhailo Miroshnychenko. “GDP is growing by 4%, and wages are increasing by 14%. Yes, wage growth should be greater than price and GDP growth, but not in such proportions,” he said. Competition between state

After a meeting with his colleagues from Poland, France, Italy, and Britain, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius noted that European arms manufacturers will only benefit if they utilize free production capacities in Ukraine, which will also allow them to improve their products, taking into account the experience of their Ukrainian partners. This will stimulate Europe’s defense industry. Therefore, the five countries decided to create a joint working group to exchange best practices and look for ways to increase efficiency in

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denied claims that he was blocking new assistance to Ukraine and added that the draft 2025 German budget provides €12B for Ukrainian aid. At the same time, Scholz stressed that financing such aid should not be carried out by reducing funding for Germany’s domestic programs. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on Germany to reverse its decision and transfer long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. He added that removing all restrictions on the use of long-range weapons

Biden aides have tried to convince his European allies to support the transfer of frozen Russian assets to a new account that will only be released if a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is reached. Most of Russia’s frozen assets are in European bank accounts. According to CNN, the seizure of assets will be a message to the Kremlin: “If you want your money back, you will have to come and talk.” The Biden administration has been closely discussing

The First Deputy Chairman of the Lviv Regional Development Agency, Andriy Godyk, met with representatives from the South Korean company HD Hyundai XiteSolution to discuss the supply of specialized equipment for infrastructure restoration and Korean aid programs. The talks centered on the creation of a customs and logistics hub and a training center and localizing production in the Lviv region. Following the meeting, representatives from the South Korean company will prepare a concept for the projects that were presented. In

In 2024, hryvnia bank deposits increased by 15.8% (+₴257B) to ₴1.885T, and deposits in foreign currency increased by 4.2% (+$0.8B) to $20.1B, said Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance. According to him, bank deposits continued to grow last year, although at half the pace seen in 2023. This is partly due to a reduction in interest rates for new deposits and a decrease in their profitability, partly to a higher average rate of hryvnia devaluation during

In 2024, 181 new buildings were put into operation in Ukraine. The largest number of completed objects is in the Kyiv and Lviv regions (excluding Kyiv). The average cost per square meter in dollars is the highest in Kyiv – $1,342 – but decreased by 4% over the year. The Zakarpattia region takes the second place with $1,171 (+14% over the year). In third place is the Lviv region, where the average price increased by 3% to $1,090. According to

Future US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz said that US President-elect Donald Trump is ready to lift restrictions on the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine to force Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. Waltz is also convinced that the US can impose energy sanctions against Russia to support Ukraine. In addition, the new administration will want to see “real stabilization of the front” and will therefore ask that the draft age be lowered from 25 to 18

The White House stated that new restrictions imposed against Russia are “the most significant sanctions against its energy sector.” They will cost Russia billions of dollars every month, affecting the country’s entire oil production and delivery chain. US President Joe Biden believes that with these sanctions, Ukraine has a “real chance to win,” provided it continues receiving support from the West. The new sanctions will significantly complicate the export of Russian oil to its main buyers – India and China.

Russia’s oil export revenues fell by $1.1B to $14.6B in November 2024 due to lower oil prices and export volumes, according to a study by the KSE. In November, Russian crude oil exports by sea fell by 4.2%. During the month, all Russia’s exports from Pacific and Arctic ports relied entirely on the shadow fleet. The 196 shadow tankers that left Russian ports provided 90% of crude oil exports and 36% of petroleum product shipments, allowing Moscow to bypass the