Eastern Europe / Features
Ukraine doesn't have any rare earth metals, and the strategic minerals it does have are not worth trillions of dollars
US President Donald Trump wants a $500bn deal to gain control over Ukraine’s rare earth metals wealth. The problem is, Ukraine doesn’t have any. It does have "strategically important metals", but they are not worth trillions of dollars.
Trump puts Japan between a rock and a hard place on Ukraine
Ukraine's ambassador to Japan comes across as desperate to keep the war with Russia relevant to a nation losing interest.
Sending EU peacekeepers to Ukraine is not going to work
The EU’s main plan for providing Ukraine with security from another Russian attack in a post-war set up is not going to work.
LONG READ: Can Ukraine go it alone (with a little help from the EU) if the US abandons it?
Now that Ukraine’s Nato membership hopes have been dashed and its Western allies are unlikely to offer binding bilateral security guarantees, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia on its own, given the EU continues to support it?
Trump could use Putin to talk to Iran
Russia's Putin is being floated as a possible "Iran whisperer" as part of the Trump administration's latest push to tackle the long-standing Iran problem.
Putin taking Trump talks seriously, appoints a heavy-weight team to lead the talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking the upcoming ceasefire talks with US President Donald Trump very seriously and has put together a heavyweight team of his top officials to conduct the negotiations.
Ukraine's position in ceasefire talks takes turn for the worst as the Munich Security Conference gets underway
Some analysts are claiming that Putin “won the war” after Trump held a phone conversation with Putin on February 12 going over the heads of Europe and without consulting Ukraine. The two leaders plan to meet in Riyadh for one-on-one talks.
Who is Russian sovereign wealth fund boss Kirill Dmitriev, whose Middle East connections helped broker the release of US prisoner Marc Fogel?
RDIF boss Kirill Dmitriev emerges as key broker in Fogel release deal.
Turkey, Germany strike arms deal to ramp up production of 155mm artillery shells
Move comes as US downgrades its role in Nato defence of Europe and concern grows over how Russia is racing ahead in weapons manufacturing.
What is on the table in Munich to bring the war in Ukraine to an end?
The world’s leaders meet in Munich this St Valentine’s day and ending the war in Ukraine will be top of the agenda. But what exactly is on the table for discussion to bring about an end to the conflict in Ukraine?
Russian holiday-makers return to Europe as demand for trips abroad surges
Russian tourists are increasingly booking trips to Europe, with a sharp rise in hotel reservations for Spain, France and Italy, according to leading online travel aggregators.
Russian FDI down to 15-year low as Russia faces "the wrong kind of growth"
Foreign direct investment in Russia has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years, with the total volume decreasing to $235bn by October 2024, according to data from the Central Bank of Russia, Ukrainska Pravda reported on February 8.
Bank deposits are back as Russians' favourite investment in 2024
Depositing money in high-yielding bank deposits is back as Russians' favourite store of wealth to protect their life savings against the ravages of high inflation rates. Total deposits were up by 70% in in 2024.
INTERVIEW: Ukraine's leading logistics company has big plans for its international expansion
Nova Poshta is Ukraine's leading private postal and courier company, and since it was established in 2001 by entrepreneurs Vyacheslav Klymov and Volodymyr Popereshnyuk it has grown by leaps and bounds.
“Unchained” Trump is main risk to broadly positive Emerging Europe growth prospects
Steep US tariffs on the EU or a sudden cut in support for Ukraine are the major downside risks for the region, says new wiiw report.
Europe's gas crisis is back with a vengeance
A year ago, many market watchers were warning that it was premature to say Europe’s gas crisis was over. Now it seems it is back with a vengeance.
EU sanctions envoy takes on delicate “compliance” issues on visit to Kazakhstan
Given Russian-Kazakh economic integration, Europe cannot hope to stop every illicit shipment from the Central Asian country to Moscow’s war economy, but there are some notable successes.
KSE assumes the war in Ukraine will end this year, lifting growth
Ukraine's economic resilience continues to be tested but if the war ends in 2025, economic growth should rise to 6% per year.
Moscow Exchange, SPBX report record trading volumes in 2024 amid market volatility
Russia’s leading stock exchanges reported record increases in total trading volumes in 2024, which saw a Russian IPO boom that is expected to continue this year.
Will the Nord Steam gas pipelines be turned back on soon?
The idea of restarting Russian gas deliveries to Europe via the damaged Nord Stream 1 & 2 pipelines has been introduced as a possible bargaining chip in the mooted Russo-Ukraine ceasefire talks. If it happens it would solve many of Europe's problems.