Economy
Ukraine has attracted almost USD 200 million under Japanese guarantees as part of the World Bank's SURGE project
In December, Ukraine received $196.3 million in concessional financing from the World Bank under the guarantee of the Japanese government. The funds are aimed at strengthening fiscal management and budget sustainability
Klitschko's deputy Petro Panteleev heads the supervisory board of the capitalised Kyivmiskbud
Petro Panteleev, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, became the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kyivmiskbud. The company received UAH 2.56 billion in additional capitalisation and renewed its management board as part of its anti-crisis plan
Sanctions reduced Russian budget revenues by tens of billions of dollars in 2025
The sanctions have led to a reduction in real budget revenues by tens of billions of dollars in 2025. Russia's oil and gas revenues and export earnings have fallen significantly
Nvidia signs a record $20 billion deal for assets of Groq startup
Nvidia has agreed to acquire the assets of startup Groq for approximately $20 billion in cash. It is the largest deal in the company's history and strengthens its position in the AI inference and real-time segment
The US will block Venezuelan oil for at least two more months, relying on economic pressure
Washington will focus on the "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil over the next two months. The United States is increasing sanctions pressure on the regime of Nicolas Maduro and building up its military presence in the Caribbean
Avian influenza outbreak in the Netherlands: almost 100,000 chickens are destroyed in Limburg
A new outbreak of bird flu has been reported in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. Around 100,000 laying hens will be destroyed at a poultry farm in the village of Weulen, and quarantine restrictions are in place.
Record-breaking batch of illegal cigarettes seized in Romania, transported by a Ukrainian citizen
Romanian customs officers seized 1.2 million counterfeit cigarettes without excise stamps. The cargo was in transit through Romania, and the final market was to be the UK
Estonia to allocate EUR 2 million for resilience of Ukraine's energy system
Estonia to contribute EUR 2 million to the Energy Fund of Ukraine to restore energy infrastructure and overcome winter consumption peaks
The US bans imports of foreign drones without approval from law enforcement agencies
The Federal Communications Commission has banned the import of new foreign drones without the permission of the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, calling them a risk to national security
Russian oil stuck at sea due to tanker congestion off Asia
The volume of Russian oil on tankers has increased by almost 50 percent since the end of August. Despite record exports, dozens of ships are unable to unload at ports in China and India
Zelenskyy estimates Ukraine's losses from the war at $800bn and outlines approach to recovery
The President spoke about the scale of economic losses, sources of funding for reconstruction, the cost of restoring the Kakhovka dam, the return of abducted children and the principle of allocating funds only to the controlled territories
Zelenskyy: Referendum and presidential elections can be held simultaneously after peace deal
President outlines possible election dates, ceasefire monitoring mechanisms, vision of joining the EU, effectiveness of Ukrainian missiles and approach to sanctions against Russia
