Eastern Europe / Features

Europe unlikely to tackle Russian LNG imports anytime soon

Newsbase April 23, 2024

The European Parliament voted in favour of rules earlier this month that would enable individual EU member states to block Russian LNG imports, by preventing Russian companies from booking capacity at gas infrastructure.

Future of Emerging Europe’s hybrid regimes hangs in the balance

Clare Nuttall in Glasgow April 23, 2024

With Emerging Europe increasingly polarised between democracies and authoritarian states, it is unclear in which direction the hybrid regimes – which fall between the two camps – will go, says Freedom House.

US passes Ukraine aid package: what now?

Ben Aris in Berlin April 21, 2024

The US stepped forward to rescue Ukraine on April 21 that has been staring defeat in the face, and not a moment too soon. But the aid won't solve many of Ukraine's remaining problems nor will it allow Kyiv to win the war.

Don't mention the "D" word - Ukraine

Ben Aris in Berlin April 20, 2024

No one wants to mention the “D” word. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to pretend that Ukraine is not losing and getting closer to being defeated in the war with Russia.

Ukraine cattle and dairy industry in decline due to war, but expected to stabilize in 2024

bne IntelliNews April 19, 2024

Many of Ukraine’s cows have found themselves on the front line and some have been killed or were simply slaughtered when their owners fled the country to escape the invading Russian forces in 2022.

Will the Baku-Supsa pipeline become Azerbaijan's second oil export artery?

Seymur Mammadov in Baku April 19, 2024

Despite the global "green transition," predictions of decreasing demand for fossil fuels have not yet been realized. And sanctions imposed on Russia are rewriting energy export routes.

Russia’s economy stabilising but growth to slow – CBR macro survey

bne IntelliNews April 18, 2024

Russia’s economy is stabilising with the spread in predictions of what’s coming later this year narrowing, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) reported in its monthly macroeconomic survey. However, growth will also slow this year to 2.1%.

Fresh evidence suggests that the April 2022 Istanbul peace deal to end the war in Ukraine was stillborn

Ben Aris in Berlin April 17, 2024

Fresh evidence indicates that the peace deal was probably too ambitious and, by failing to include the West in the talks, was stillborn.

Russia's finance ministry re-engineers tax system

Ben Aris in Berlin April 16, 2024

By tinkering with the tax system, the Russian Ministry of Finance has created enough cash to pay for the war in Ukraine.

How much damage can Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian oil refineries do?

Ben Aris in Berlin April 13, 2024

Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian drones have attacked over two dozen Russian oil refineries and several oil depots in the first sustained campaign against Russia’s oil product producing facilities.

Ukraine faces agricultural sector pressures in EU accession talks

bne IntelliNews April 10, 2024

Tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products are a pivotal sticking point in EU accession negotiations, sparking the need for a major reform of the bloc's Common Agricultural Policy.

Leading emerging markets move rapidly up World Bank’s PPP GDP and FDI confidence rankings

Ben Aris in Berlin April 9, 2024

The world’s leading Emerging Markets are moving rapidly up the World Bank’s latest GDP rankings in PPP (purchase power parity) terms as well as the annual foreign direct investment confidence ranking.

How Chinese oil imports are helping to support the regimes in Moscow and Tehran

Mark Buckton April 4, 2024

A new report by the Atlantic Council has suggested that China – using a so-called dark fleet in conjunction with Russian and Iran – is effectively getting around existing sanctions on oil purchases from both countries.

INTERVIEW: Nobel Peace Prize nominee Olga Karatch on the squandered chance to change Belarus

Linas Jegelevicius in Vilnius April 1, 2024

After failing to oust Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, Belarus’ exiled opposition politicians are divided and increasingly unwelcome in neighbouring Lithuania.

Weak ties: Why trade between Iran and Russia is falling

bne IntelliNews March 29, 2024

In spite of repeated memoranda signed between Iran and Russia in recent years, trade had dramatically declined by the end of 2023, according to new data released by the Russian Federation.

THE BELL: Russians have never lived as well as they do today

The Bell March 24, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin would have probably won the elections even if they had been free and fair, as Russians have never lived as well as they do today. The economy would have powered Putin to victory.

An epic insurance brawl over Russia’s seizure of planes is going nowhere

bne IntelliNews March 21, 2024

An epic brawl in the aviation insurance business is going nowhere as Western firms try to recover something from the Russian government, which seized billions of dollars’ worth of leased planes impounded by Russia.

One year on: Russia’s budget deficit already at end of year forecast level

Ben Aris in Berlin March 21, 2024

This time last year and a cheer went up from amongst Ukraine’s supporters. The twin oil sanctions were moving into place and it looked like they were going to work as Russia’s oil revenue collapsed and the budget deficit blew out.

BOFIT: Russian growth fades, but budget spending up sharply. Has the military Keynesianism maxed out?

Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition (BOFIT) March 18, 2024

Based on the monthly estimate released by Russia’s ministry for economic development, on-year GDP growth has slowed in recent months, while budget spending is up sharply.

India to headline the rapid catch up of global emerging markets by 2050 – Capital Economics

Ben Aris in Berlin March 18, 2024

Emerging markets will overtake the Western world in terms of the collective nominal size of their economies by 2050, with China and India as the second and third largest behind the US, according to Capital Economics’ long-term forecasts.

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