Turkey

Turkey ratified the free trade agreement with Ukraine signed in February 2022. This is expected to increase bilateral trade from $7.3 billion to $10 billion in a short period of time.

Ukraine hopes for Turkey's active participation in ensuring food security and navigation safety in the Black Sea. The parties also discussed the ratification of the Free Trade Agreement and strengthening economic cooperation.

Turkey has blocked access to Instagram after the platform blocked condolence posts for the slain Hamas leader. The regulator did not specify the reason and duration of the ban, but it happened after an official criticized Instagram's actions.

The launching ceremony of the second Ukrainian Ada-class corvette Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky (F-212) took place at RMK Marine shipyard in Istanbul. This is the second corvette built in Turkey for Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden announced the exchange of 24 prisoners between the US and Russia, including Americans and Russians. The exchange took place with the participation of Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey.

The largest prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia since the Cold War took place at a Turkish airport. Among those released are journalists, politicians, and other citizens, a total of 24 people from both sides.

Exports of goods from Turkey to Russia fell by 28. 3% in the first half of 2024 due to the threat of US sanctions. Turkish banks are closing accounts of Russian companies and reducing imports of Russian energy.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran, prompting threats of Israeli retaliation. The assassination heightened concerns about the expansion of the Gaza conflict to the Middle East.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on NATO to expel Turkey over Erdogan's threats to invade Israel. Katz instructed diplomats to contact NATO members to condemn Turkey and demand its expulsion from the alliance.

The German Foreign Ministry recommends that citizens leave Lebanon due to the escalating situation on the border with Israel. The government warns of a possible escalation of the conflict and calls for the use of commercial flights to evacuate.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry reacted to the comparison of Erdogan with Hussein made by the Israeli Foreign Minister. In response, Turkish diplomats compared Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hitler.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to Erdogan's threat to invade Israel by comparing him to Saddam Hussein. Katz recalled the dictator's fate, hinting at possible consequences for Erdogan.

Turkish President Erdogan has declared the country's readiness to act as decisively against Israel as it did in Karabakh and Libya.

Turkish President Erdogan hit a child who did not kiss his hand during an official ceremony. This is not the first time the Turkish leader has hit children in public.

Russia is facing economic challenges due to the war in Ukraine. Inflation has reached 9%, the Central Bank has raised its key policy rate to 18%, and military spending has become a major drag on economic growth.

Vasyl Bodnar said that a ceasefire without the withdrawal of russian troops would allow the aggressor to strengthen its forces. He emphasized that in this case, 25% of Ukraine's territory would remain under Russian control.

The expert named the most popular destinations for buying real estate abroad and opportunities for investors.

Banks in countries that trade with Russia are delaying payments due to the risk of secondary US sanctions. This complicates Russia's transactions with China and India, disrupting trade with key economic partners.

Turkish police have detained Russian citizen Yevgeny Serebryakov, suspected of organizing a car bombing in Moscow. The suspect entered Turkey as a tourist and was not on the wanted list at the time of entry.

Turkey's chief ombudsman says Russia ignores requests to visit Ukrainian prisoners of war. Turkey plans to appeal to the UN if it does not receive a response from Russia.

Turkey will assist Ukraine in restoring the energy sector and developing distributed generation. The parties discussed cooperation in the supply of equipment and the involvement of Turkish specialists in the restoration of energy infrastructure.

Ukraine's agricultural exports increased by 5% to $12. 45 billion in the first half of 2024. The EU remains the main importer, and exports to Africa increased 1.7 times.

A Greek border guard was injured as a result of shelling from the Turkish side of the border. The incident occurred during an attempt to prevent migrants from crossing the border illegally in the area of the Evros River.

Turkey has set its sights on Niger's uranium deposits after canceling the rights of French and Canadian companies. This comes amid Russia's growing presence in Africa through nuclear agreements with several countries.

Ukraine has sent 1000 tons of wheat flour to Palestine as part of the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program. In total, it is planned to deliver more than 7,000 tons of flour and 750 tons of oil to help families in the Gaza Strip.

The Ukrainian youth national team (players born in 2005 and younger) will take part in the European Championship among players under 19 in Northern Ireland, the opening match against the hosts of which began on July 15 at 9:00 PM Kyiv time.

Zelenskyy set a goal to have a fully prepared plan for the second Peace Summit in November, where he believes Russian representatives should be present, despite Russia's refusal to participate.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban presents the "Orban Plan" for peace talks to EU leaders after visiting Ukraine, Russia, and China on a "peacekeeping mission.

Zelenskyy met with Erdogan at the NATO summit to discuss Ukraine's efforts to bring people home, plans to hold a conference in Turkey on food security and freedom of navigation, and Erdogan's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Ukraine has simplified the process of obtaining permits for irregular road transportation by allowing carriers to order permits online through an electronic cabinet, eliminating the need for personal visits and reducing time, resources and corruption risks.