Economy

Ukraine could receive the first tranche of a €90 billion loan from the European Union in the second half of 2026. The European Commission has stated that it is ready to implement this support package.

As of mid-April 2026, Ukrainian farmers had sown 927,000 hectares of cereals and legumes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed Law No. 4822-IX, which ratifies a financial agreement with the European Investment Bank. The legislation makes €134 million available to Ukraine for the restoration of road infrastructure and critical export routes.

Ukraine is currently unable to raise the minimum subsistence level, as it is still linked to around 170 different benefits. The Ministry of Social Policy states that the calculation system itself must first be reformed, four draft laws must be passed, and this indicator must be decoupled from the benefits that are currently automatically dependent on it.

The Economic Security Bureau could exhaust its entire budget for 2026 as early as September. This would lead to the complete collapse of the ESBU. Meanwhile, the government has allocated 199 billion hryvnias this year to a special reserve for the security and defence sector, which is intended to be funded by the proceeds from the formalisation of the economy.

Under a joint memorandum on financing the restoration of energy infrastructure, banks have provided loans totalling 41.5 billion hryvnias to businesses and households. The funds are being channelled towards projects in 21 regions of Ukraine following Russia’s large-scale attacks.

The United States has announced a naval blockade of Iranian ports following the collapse of negotiations, with the aim of restricting Iran’s oil exports. The decision could have an impact on global energy markets and the future course of the conflict.

Former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson has sharply criticised the British leadership for its approach to defence and highlighted the gap between the government’s rhetoric and actual investment. According to the Financial Times, disputes over the funding of defence plans in the UK have been ongoing for several months, with the funding shortfall estimated at around £28 billion.

Following the recent drone strikes, operations at key berths in Russia’s largest Black Sea port have not yet been fully resumed. Oil loading is currently taking place at only one of the berths.

The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Administrative Court has ruled that tax assessments totalling over 1.6 million hryvnias against blogger Yelyzaveta Vasylenko were unlawful. The tax authorities had sought to recover these funds in respect of income allegedly received in 2022.

In the first quarter of 2026, the Russian economy contracted by 1.5% year-on-year. The forecast for the year has also been revised downwards.

On Monday, European Commissioners discussed measures to address the energy challenges arising from the war in the Middle East. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in the 44 days since the conflict began, the EU has already spent over €22 billion extra on fossil fuel imports.