Ukraine
Kremlin says leaders’ good relations helped Budapest secure summit
Hungary is expected to host a second summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Ukraine after their talks in Alaska in August did not lead to a breakthrough.
EU mulls partial membership plan to ease enlargement and bypass veto risks
Move is aimed at moving forward with enlargement and overcoming resistance from EU members such as Hungary, but reaching consensus to be a challenge.
Ukrainian M&A market grows 22% despite war, driven by local investors
Two large acquisitions by agriculture holding MHP and mobile operator Kyivstar accounted for more than half of the total deal value.
Ukraine’s growing energy crisis promises a cold and dark winter
Since the summer, Kyiv has changed tactics. Given the almost complete failure of Western oil sanctions to curb Russian oil exports, it has been targeting Russian oil refineries. The Kremlin has struck back, targeting Ukraine's power system.
Minsk asks for talks with Kyiv, as Lukashenko seeks to end Belarus’ isolation
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko has opened the door to direct dialogue with Kyiv as part of negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, as he launches a diplomatic drive to break the republic’s isolation and dependence on Russia.
Putin's meeting with Trump in Budapest is a slap in the face for the EU
As preparations get underway for a highly anticipated summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump in Budapest, attention is turning to an unusual but politically sensitive detail: how will Putin get there?
Zelenskiy leaves Washington empty handed, Trump and Putin head to Budapest to talk business
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy went into a White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on October 17 hoping for a big arms deal. He came out of the meeting empty handed.
Ukraine’s credibility crisis: corruption perception still haunts economic recovery
Despite an active reform narrative and growing international engagement, corruption remains the biggest drag on Ukraine’s economic credibility, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
No Tomahawks for Ukraine, Trump to meet Putin in Hungary
The US cannot deplete its own stockpile of Tomahawk cruise missiles by supplying them to Ukraine, President Donald Trump said at a press conference on October 16 following a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Military aid for Ukraine falls despite new Nato PURL initiative – Statista
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy found that military aid to Ukraine dropped sharply in July and August compared to previous months, despite the implementation of the Nato PURL initiative.
Young Ukrainians asylum seekers fleeing the war for Germany surges
The number of young Ukrainian fleeing the war and seeking asylum in Germany has surged, following Ukraine’s decision to partially lift its travel ban for men aged 18 to 22, according to figures from the German Interior Ministry.
IMF: Global economic outlook shows modest change amid policy shifts and complex forces
Dialing down uncertainty, reducing vulnerabilities, and investing in innovation can help deliver durable economic gains.
The Asian nations backing the Russian war effort – from India to Taiwan, China to Indonesia
While many Asian nations have quietly distanced themselves from Moscow in a bid to fall into line with US or European allies, several continue to engage with Russia, providing varying degrees of support that help sustain its military campaign.
The EU needs to change to stay geopolitically relevant
Leading EU figures are pushing for the unanimity rule used to make important decisions to be dropped to enable faster enlargement — one of the bloc’s main tools for geopolitical influence.
Havana rejects US claims over Cuban fighters in Russia's ranks in Ukraine
Cuba's Foreign Ministry has denied allegations from Washington regarding Cuban military participation in Ukraine, as diplomatic tensions ratchet up over recruitment schemes that have allegedly sent thousands of nationals to fight for Russia.
COMMENT: Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian refineries have probably reduced throughput by 30.4%, less than headline figures suggest
Ukraine has been hitting Russian refineries and caused a fuel crisis that has spead across multiple regions. The headline figure is that oil refining has been reduced by 38% since August, but digging into it and the reduction is likely less.
MACRO ADVISORY: The unintended consequences of Western sanctions
Since 2014, Western nations have hit Russia with a total of 26,655 sanctions (to mid-September 2025), with 23,960 coming after February 2022. The largest target group, with 13,611 sanctions, is state officials, business owners, and oligarchs.
Babiš says he will axe state military aid for Ukraine if ANO forms next Czech cabinet
After his ANO party won Czechia's general election, Babis told journalists he won’t give Ukraine a single crown for weapons.
Putin arrives in Tajikistan for meetings with Central Asia, CIS leaders
Calls made for Tajiks to arrest Russian leader under international court warrant, but Dushanbe remains strategic ally of Kremlin.
Austria and Slovenia advocate qualified majority voting to unblock EU enlargement
Dropping unanimity requirement could accelerate the accession process for Ukraine, Moldova and potentially Western Balkans, but faces opposition from within the EU.