Economy
Ukraine received €2.3 billion from the EU under the Ukraine Facility programme
The sixth tranche from the European Union will be used for social and humanitarian expenditures. The total amount of support since 2024 has exceeded €26.7 billion
EU extends economic sanctions against Russia for another six months
The European Union has extended economic restrictions against Russia until 31 July 2026 due to the ongoing aggression against Ukraine
US to continue blockade of Venezuelan tankers until US assets are returned
Pentagon says naval interceptions will continue until Maduro regime returns all seized assets to the US
Japan and Central Asian countries agree on a new route for supplying resources to Europe bypassing Russia
Tokyo and five Central Asian states agree to establish the Caspian Sea route for stable supplies of critical minerals and energy
Russia spends about $2.7 billion a week on the war against Ukraine
Russia's military spending in 2025 exceeded the plan by almost 20 per cent and reached almost $200 billion
Sweden will provide Ukraine with $200 million in direct budget support in 2026
Sweden announces $200 million in direct budgetary assistance to Ukraine to finance key state needs during the war
Belarus is building a closed ammunition plant for the armies of the Russian Federation and Belarus with a capacity of up to 450,000 shells per year
Since 2023, a secret project to create a full cycle of artillery and rocket ammunition production has been implemented near Minsk, focused in particular on Russia's war against Ukraine
The Netherlands helps Ukraine restore electricity supply
Dutch companies provide Ukraine with refurbished wind turbines and other renewable energy solutions to compensate for the loss of capacity after Russian strikes and strengthen the resilience of the power grid
China record imports of Russian gold amid rising prices and financial pressure on Russia
In November, China purchased nearly $1 billion worth of gold from Russia, a historic high that comes amid a sharp decline in Russia's gold reserves
US boards third tanker off Venezuela amid rising tensions
The US military and Coast Guard inspected another oil tanker near Venezuela. This increases Washington's pressure on Caracas and raises the risk of escalation in the region
Romania to open Europe's second largest military logistics centre to supply weapons to Ukraine
The new NATO-led logistics hub will be operational from January 2026 and will double the transit capacity of military aid to Ukraine, reducing dependence on a single route through Poland
Portugal to buy €25 million worth of Ukrainian weapons annually for five years
Lisbon reaffirmed its long-term support for Ukraine's defence industry and readiness to invest tens of millions of euros in domestic weapons and joint projects
