Ukraine
Situation critical in Ukraine’s frontline key logistics hub Pokrovsk
Russian infantry units have breached Ukrainian defensive lines and entered the key eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, sparking intense street fighting and threatening to encircle Ukrainian forces as the situation becomes "critical."
Trump–Xi dialogue in Busan aims to cool tariff dispute
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping began direct discussions on October 30, marking their first in person meeting since Trump returned to the White House.
COMMENT: EU's LNG import ban won’t break Russia, but it will render the sector’s further growth fiendishly hard
The European Union’s nineteenth sanctions package against Russia marks a pivotal escalation in the bloc’s energy strategy, which will impose a comprehensive ban on Russian LNG imports beginning January 1, 2027.
The Arctic and Antarctica record "off the charts" heat as polar warming accelerates
Parts of both the Arctic and Antarctic have experienced historically high temperatures in recent weeks, with weather stations in East Antarctica recording record-breaking warmth for the month of October, alarming climate scientists.
Ruble strengthens as sanctioned oil companies repatriate cash
The Russian ruble strengthened after the Trump administration imposed oil sanctions on Russia’s leading oil companies, extending a rally that began after the Biden administration imposed oil sanctions on Russia in January.
Zelenskiy allows the start of controlled arms exports
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ordered Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence to begin the controlled export of domestically produced weapons starting in November for the first time in the hope of boosting production and attracting investment.
Ukraine's trade deficit doubles to $42bn putting new pressure on an already strained economy
Ukraine’s trade deficit has doubled to $42bn as exports fall and imports balloon. The balance of payments deficit is starting to turn into a serious problem that could undermine the country’s macroeconomic stability.
KSE: Ukraine is facing a $53bn budget shortfall, but economy is stable for now
Ukraine is in urgent need of additional financing from partners as the continuation of the war drives up defence spending and reconstruction needs, jeopardizes budget financing, weighs on the balance of payments, and slows economic growth.
MOSCOW BLOG: Lukoil to sell foreign assets due to US oil sanctions
Russian oil major Lukoil said it would sell its foreign assets in a press release yesterday after it was hit with US oil sanctions.
Russia's Lukoil to sell international assets as a result of new US oil sanctions
Russia's second-largest oil producer, the privately owned Lukoil, will sell its international assets as a result of the new oil sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump last week.
Ukraine accuses Russia of using energy blackmail against Serbia
Ukraine says Moscow is repeating tactics it previously deployed against Kyiv after Russia refuses to sell its stake in Serbia's NIS.
MOSCOW BLOG: Dmitriev goes to Washington
That didn’t work well. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on Ukraine who has been leading business talks with the US, shot off to Washington within two days of US President Donald Trump imposing oil sanctions.
Zelenskiy accuses China of aiding Russia’s war effort through industrial and military support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused China of materially supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex, providing key technologies and resources that have enabled Moscow to sustain and scale its war effort against Ukraine.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent blasts “Russian propagandist” special envoy Dmitriev in Washington PR debacle
A trip to Washington by the Kremlin’s special business envoy Kirill Dmitriev days after the US imposed new oil sanctions turned into a debacle after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blasted him as a “Russian propagandist.”
COMMENT: Europe’s “fake it till you make it” war approach cannot hold off Russia’s trillion dollar war machine
In their speeches on the war in Ukraine, European leaders appear like a video clip looped on repeat. Standing before the cameras they declare new packages of support for Kyiv and threaten new measures to pressure Russia as if it was still 2022.
US expands oil sanctions on Russia
US President Donald Trump imposed his first sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies on October 22, the state-owned Rosneft and the privately-owned Lukoil in the latest flip flop by the US president.
Russia test fires its Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile
Russia’s Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile has no analogues in the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, as the Kremlin escalates the unfolding missile arms race with Ukraine another notch.
Russia claims to surround Pokrovsk
Russia’s chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov triumphantly reported to Putin that 31 Ukrainian battalions have been encircled in Pokrovsk and 18 battalions in Kupyansk, the hottest spot in the war.
EU pledges ongoing support for Ukraine, defers decision on Russian assets
European Union leaders pledged continued financial backing for Ukraine over the next two years, but delayed a decision on tapping billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv’s defence
Emerging Europe’s growth holds up but risks loom, says wiiw
Fiscal fragility, weakening industrial demand from Germany, and the prolonged fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine threaten to undermine growth momentum in parts of the region.