Category: Politics

PoliticsWar The UK allows Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles deep inside Russia. Thursday, November 21, 2024

According to The Times, the change in London’s position may have resulted from the US giving permission for Ukraine to use its ATACMS long-range missiles, which was announced on November 17.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has wanted to allow Ukraine to use weapons as it needed and put pressure on Washington. However, his public statements were cautious. This is because Storm Shadow missiles use American targeting technology. However, Starmer later threw caution to the wind and hinted that using Storm Shadow missiles for long-range strikes was only a matter of time.

Bloomberg reported that on November 20 Ukraine struck Russian territory for the first time using the British Storm Shadow. Wreckage of the British rockets was reported to be found in the Kursk region, and two more missiles were intercepted in the sky over the Krasnodar region. However, this information has not yet been confirmed.

PoliticsWar Putin is ready to freeze the war at the current front line on the condition that Ukraine renounces NATO. Thursday, November 21, 2024

Officials close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is reportedly ready to discuss with Donald Trump a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine and freezing the war in place. The “separation” of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions will probably be discussed during the negotiations. In return, Russia may be ready to withdraw from the small areas of territory it holds in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions. But “the future of Crimea is not up for discussion.”

Putin’s conditions also include Ukraine refusing NATO membership and Alliance troops being stationed on its territory. But the Kremlin is “open to discussing security guarantees for Kyiv.” In addition, Russia may demand that Ukraine limit the size of its armed forces and undertake not to restrict the use of the Russian language. Putin could present such an agreement to Russians as “a victory that ensured the protection of the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine and protected the land bridge to Crimea.”

FinancePolitics The largest EU economies will issue joint defense bonds to stop the Russian Federation’s “imperial ambitions.” Friday, November 22, 2024

During a meeting of heads of foreign affairs from five EU countries, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland gave their support to a proposal to create joint European defense bonds to strengthen the bloc’s defense industry.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, called this event “a big deal.” He added that the development would help “Europe to strongly oppose the imperial ambitions of the Russian Federation.”

Sikorsky continued, “We agreed that Europe should take greater responsibility for its own security, and this includes a more balanced distribution of the burden among NATO members.”

The heads of foreign affairs discussed the strengthening of Europe’s military support for Ukraine, as well as ties with the US under incoming US President Trump’s leadership, who has repeatedly stated that he expects Europe to make a greater effort to defend itself in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

InvestmentsPoliticsWar Ukraine and 12 European countries unite in a new defense cooperation format. Friday, November 22, 2024

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced the beginning of a collaboration with 12 countries within the Nordic Group-Ukraine framework, which will strengthen Ukraine’s security and provide support. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and the UK have joined the cooperative.

Umerov stated that investment in the Ukrainian defense industry is a separate priority. More countries are joining to finance Ukrainian weapon production, particularly Sweden, Norway, and Lithuania within the framework of the Danish model.

Norway has allocated NRK 500M ($45M) to finance the production of weapons and military equipment by Ukrainian enterprises for the Armed Forces.

The Canadian government submitted a budget document to the House of Commons containing a request to allocate about $587M for Ukrainian military aid. The document also includes about $307M for financial assistance and $35M for demining and strengthening Ukraine’s cyber security.

Also, the Hungarian government ordered the deployment of air defense systems near the Ukrainian border due to fears of an escalation in the war.

PoliticsWar New long-range strikes on Russia will help Trump conduct negotiations with Russia; the American president-elect is against an unfavorable agreement for Ukraine. Friday, November 22, 2024

When US President Joe Biden allowed the Ukraine’s military to use US weapons to strike targets in Russia, he did his successor, Donald Trump, a great strategic favor, according to Bloomberg. This development should force the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to conduct genuine negotiations and not continue empty talks. “Putin is trying to be as aggressive as possible in Ukraine to strengthen his position before the new era of geopolitics,” the analyst explains, referring to Trump’s return to office.

In turn, British Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lammy is convinced that Trump will not support an unfavorable agreement for Ukraine in the context of ending the war.

“He wants to get the right deal for the American people. And that is sustainable peace in Europe, not Russia achieving its goals and returning for new conquests in the years to come,” Lammy said.

FinancePolitics The Biden administration plans to cancel over $4.6B of Ukraine’s debt. Friday, November 22, 2024

US President Joe Biden submitted a statement to the US Congress stating his intention to forgive half of Ukraine’s debt for economic assistance that was received as a loan.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the amount of forgiven debt is approximately $4.65B. In the spring, the US Congress passed the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, which provided about $61B in funding for Ukraine. The terms indicate that about $10B in economic aid were provided to Ukraine a conditional revolving loan, rather than a grant. The terms also give the US president the authority to forgive 50% of this loan, and the next US president can forgive the remaining 50% after January 1, 2026. However, the US Congress may protest this by passing a resolution of disapproval.

“I would be surprised if Congress took such a step, given the overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress for aid to Ukraine. But we will abide by the law,” Miller added.