Eastern Europe / Features
Kremlin sets the conditions for foreign companies to return to Russian market
Thanks to the tangible thaw in US-Russian relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to work out the conditions for firms to return. The list is ready, The Bell reported on April 10.
TULGAN: Of Cheese and Chelnoki, the return of shuttle trading
The Trump Administration’s clumsy introduction of punitive tariffs recalls the days when similarly capricious sanctions wreaked havoc over Moscow food supplies that ended up in a shuttle trade in cheese.
UKRAINE REMONT: INTERVIEW – "Ukraine will boom once reconstruction starts" – EBRD Ukraine head
In an exclusive interview with bne IntelliNews, EBRD’s Ukraine head Arvid Tuerkner discusses the bank’s activities in Ukraine, and why he has great hopes for the country’s postwar recovery.
Ukraine's costly return to gas imports
Russian attacks against Ukraine’s natural gas production facilities have precipitated yet another energy security crisis for the beleaguered country.
UKRAINE REMONT: The battle to build: signs of recovery in Ukraine's construction industry
Ukraine’s construction industry is resilient as it gears up for the restoration of the country’s decimated housing and infrastructure. But the sector has a mountain to climb as it contends with ongoing war and shortages of material and labour.
Russia to capitalise on Africa’s growing energy demand
Russia has been intensifying its efforts to strengthen energy partnerships with African countries, indicating a broader strategy to enhance its geopolitical influence across the continent.
Trump is an amateur, and his maths mistakes mean his tariffs four times too high
President Trump’s Liberation Day tariff formula makes no economic sense and includes some basic mathematical errors that means the tariff rates are four times higher than they should be, according to several economic experts.
Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs will accelerate BRICS bloc trade cooperation
BRICS avowedly seeks to challenge Western-dominated institutions of global economic governance, as well as to displace the US dollar from its entrenched role in the world economy. Its job just got easier thanks to Trump.
COMMENT: EU’s foreign policy chief Kallas’ releases a white paper on European Defence sector plans
EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas recently unveiled a controversial White Paper on the “Future of European Defence: Readiness 2030”, but it received a very mixed reception from EU member states.
INTERVIEW: "It's risky to invest in Ukraine now. But it's more risky not to invest" – AmCham Ukraine
An interview with the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine
Russian household well-being reaches highest level in a decade – BOFIT
The well-being of Russian households has reached its highest level in a decade, a survey carried out by the Bank of Finland institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT) found.
Putin’s upcoming India visit indicates deeper ties despite global shifts
Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to visit India in the near future, marking his first trip to the South Asian nation since December 2021
What exactly is Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision for the transactional multipolar world?
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin just endorse US President Donald Trump’s plan to annex Greenland? And what exactly is Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision for a multipolar world?
Trump's promises of Russian sanctions relief are easier said than done
Friedrich Nietzsche said: “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” and Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly insisted that Western sanctions have only strengthened Russia’s economy. But he still wants to get them lifted.
Trump and Carthage: The end of history revisited
What has gone wrong with the world? Protests and wars have broken out across the globe. Analysts are warning that weak countries could face problems but the strong ones are suffering from a deeper long term rot that will change the world order.
EU holds trump card in Rosselkhozbank sanctions delisting
The EU's jurisdiction over the SWIFT messaging service is a major obstacle to US-Russian proposals to lift sanctions on Russia’s Rosselkhozbank, according to Yuliia Pavytska, head of the sanctions programme at the KSE Institute.
Is Ukraine heading towards Finlandisation?
A frustrated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for action, not protracted negotiations on March 22, ahead of the next round of US-Russia ceasefire talks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Welcome to the new transactional world order
Welcome to the new world order. Values and liberal democracy is giving way to a world run on the basis of deals.
ING: What a potential restart of Russian gas flows could look like
Growing optimism for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine has sparked discussions about the potential resumption of Russian gas flows to Europe. It might happen: a partial restart of flows could drastically change the outlook for the gas market.
Russia's leading discount store Fix Price to move into Serbia
Russian discount retailer Fix Price is preparing to enter the Serbian market, with plans to open several stores by the end of 2025. This marks the company's second attempt to establish a presence in Europe.