Editor’s Note:

– Less than two years ago, I attended a conference of Ukrainian car makers at the Premier Palace. With production falling to 1% of the 2008 peak of 424,000 cars, the forum was a depressing affair. Given a microphone, I noted that Ukraine has Europe’s largest proven reserves of lithium and then asked about plans for car battery production. This question was met with blank looks by the panelists. Today, it is good to see that the European Commission is shaking things up with a high-level conference, featuring Prime Minister Shmyhal and EU Vice President Šefčovič. The clear signal is that batteries should be a dynamic industry for Ukraine in the 2020s. With Best Regards, James Brooke.