Russia
Critical delay hits Russia’s building of Turkey’s first nuclear plant as $7bn fails to show up
Moscow believed to be seeking financial concessions from Ankara.
Trump boosts US nuclear power
US President Donald Trump is seeking to usher in a nuclear renaissance in the United States. He has signed executive orders to boost the non-emissions energy technology.
Washington receives Ukraine draft of conditions for ceasefire deal with Russia
The United States has received a draft proposal for implementing the ceasefire from Ukraine and is now waiting for the Russian version, US Special Representative for Ukraine, during remarks reported by Vedomosti on May 27.
Slovak PM Fico slams German Merz for his comments on EU taking action against Hungary and Slovakia
Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico slammed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for stating that Germany could propose EU block the EU funding for Hungary and Slovakia if the two countries diverge from EU policies.
Russia escalates drone and missile strikes on Ukraine as EU and US weigh stronger response
Russia launched more than 900 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukrainian cities over a three-day period starting on May 23 in a devastating barrage, killing at least six people and injuring 24 others, Ukrainian authorities report.
COMMENT: Falling oil revenues and rising costs triple Russia’s budget deficit, but to a manageable 1.7% GDP
Russia has already spent more than a third of the planned budget expenditures for this year as costs in all three of the major spending categories – housing, social, and military – are up y/y.
Serbia extends Russian gas supply deal until end-September
The temporary extension announced just days before agreement was due to expire as Belgrade and Moscow negotiate a new long-term energy deal.
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Panama tightens ship registry rules to combat Russian sanctions-evading fleet
Panama has moved to impose stricter rules on ship-to-ship (STS) oil transfers in response to growing international scrutiny over its role in facilitating sanctions evasion.
EU allies drop all restrictions on types of weapons available to Ukraine
Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States have lifted restrictions on the types of weapons that can be supplied to Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on May 26.
Putin has gone "CRAZY," Trump says, as Russia rains down missiles on Ukrainian cities
Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone “crazy”, US President Donald Trump said at the weekend, after two days of intense missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.
COMMENT: Ranking the top 60 economies’ exposure to US tariffs
US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 50% tariff hike on the EU has put the cat amongst the pigeons again. If he follows through then Europe, which is highly dependent on US trade, will be amongst the most damaged economies in the world.
Czechia gets nuclear fuel delivery from Westinghouse as it moves away from Russian supplies
Prague is pushing to replace the Russian state agency Rosatom and its TVEL arm, on which Czech nuclear power plants relied for years.
Russia runs down Ukraine’s air defences with a “weekend of hell” drone and missile strikes across the country
Russia has been running down Ukraine’s air defences with a “weekend of hell” with one of the most intense drone and missile barrages since the war began three years ago that struck Kyiv and other major cities.
Kyiv hit by massive Russian airstrike hours after prisoner swap
Kyiv was struck by a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack early on May 23, just hours after Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange in nearly five months.
COMMENT: Can the digital ruble free Russian from the SWIFT sanctions bind?
Russia's central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital ruble, is being positioned as a strategic tool to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and reduce reliance on the SWIFT international payment system.
Countdown to disaster: timelines to cross temperature thresholds tabulated
The Climate Crisis is accelerating and all the main players predict that the world will warm by more than the 1.5C Paris Agreement target by next year and the 2C maximum will be broached by 2037 – far earlier than previously forecast.
Brazil dismantles Russian 'spy factory' in major counterintelligence operation, NYT reports
Brazilian federal agents have exposed a sophisticated Russian intelligence operation that used the South American country as an "assembly line for deep-cover operatives."
KYIV BLOG: How is Ukraine going to fund the rebuild and a growing trade deficit?
The money the West grants to support Ukraine’s economy and military campaign gets a lot of attention. So far, the West has sent a total of $133bn to Ukraine over the last three years, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Sunlight heating effect on earth more than doubles in the last decade
Global warming results from man-made greenhouse gas emissions that have doubled the heating effect from incoming sunlight, which is now more than the heat radiated by earth into space in the last decade, according to a research paper.
Ukraine’s two biggest EU export-earners of corn and metals falling in 2025 as tariff-free deal set to expire
The exports of two of Ukraine’s biggest export earners, corn and metal, are falling, which will squeeze the already cash strapped government and make a €20bn trade deficit with the EU worse in 2025.