Financial Times

Ukraine needs more air defense systems from international partners to protect its underground gas storage facilities, which are crucial to Europe's energy security.

Over the weekend, Baltic ministers warned of the risk of an air disaster due to GPS jamming blamed on Russia, after two Finnish flights were forced to turn around midway due to interference with navigation signals.

The largest Western banks operating in Russia paid more than €800 million in taxes to the Kremlin in 2023, four times the pre-war level, despite promises to minimize their influence after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey is seeking a long-term agreement with ExxonMobil to import up to 2. 5 million tons of LNG annually, which would reduce its dependence on russian gas supplies.

North Korea is seeking to rebuild its economy through trade with russia, benefiting from russian supplies of food, raw materials, and petroleum products.

The arrest and trial of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov hints at the unfavorable fate of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ahead of the expected change of government.

Poland and Lithuania are considering deporting Ukrainian men of conscription age who have not updated their data or extended their right to stay, which could potentially help Ukraine return conscripts from abroad.

Ukraine will propose a $20 billion debt restructuring plan to international bondholders.

Ukraine's NATO and EU partners are pressuring Greece and Spain to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems, such as Patriot, to protect vulnerable regions from Russian attacks.

The US is calling on the EU to lower taxes on income from frozen Russian assets to maximize the funds that can be lent to Ukraine, potentially up to $50 billion this summer, by issuing bonds or loans to be repaid with interest from those assets.

Germany has launched a global initiative called Immediate Action on Air Defense (IAAD) to address Ukraine's air defense gaps, calling on allies and partners to provide air defense systems to protect Ukrainian cities, troops and critical infrastructure.

The Czech Republic has contracted 180,000 rounds of ammunition for Ukraine and is working to contract another 300,000 rounds as part of its initiative to support Ukraine's defense efforts.

Serbia plans to sign a €3 billion deal with France to buy a dozen Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation, diversifying its arms purchases amid Russia's war in Ukraine, despite being one of Moscow's closest allies.

Russia could launch a large-scale offensive in late spring or summer to seize more territory in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as a potential assault on Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.

The US has offered to raise tens of billions of euros of debt for Ukraine against future profits from frozen Russian state assets, while the EU prefers to transfer only the interest earned on these assets.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb called on European countries to focus on immediate assistance to Ukraine and training of their armed forces, rather than speculation about potential Russian aggression outside Ukraine.

David Cameron met with Donald Trump to urge Republicans to support aid to Ukraine amid congressional deadlock over a $60 billion aid package for Kyiv.

European defense contractors warn that dependence on Chinese cotton lint threatens the expansion of ammunition production, which is needed to replenish stocks and support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Russia has enough missiles for one or two more major attacks in the coming weeks.

Elon Musk has accused a Brazilian Supreme Court judge of "shameless betrayal" and refused to comply with demands to delete popular accounts without explanation, risking huge fines to defend freedom of speech over profit in Brazil.

Ukraine expects Russia to intensify its offensive in late spring and early summer, especially in Donbas, moving toward Chasovyi Yar and Pokrovsk, said Kirill Budanov, head of the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate.

U. S. officials warn that China is providing significant assistance to Russia's military-industrial complex, which threatens Ukraine and global security.

The White House rejects a proposal to place the U. S.-led Ramstein Group, which coordinates arms shipments to Ukraine, under NATO leadership, insisting that the United States retain its leadership role.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia is preparing to mobilize 300,000 additional troops for a possible new offensive against Ukraine on June 1.

Drones attacked the territory of an enterprise located in the city of Elabuga in Tatarstan. The attacked enterprise was engaged in the production of drones.

Liberty Media, which owns Formula 1, buys the MotoGP motorcycle series for 4. 2 billion euros.

Extreme temperatures and droughts in Southeast Asia have led to lower coffee bean yields in Vietnam and Indonesia, the world's second and third largest producers, sending global coffee futures to near record highs.

Zelenskiy said that the US reaction to the strikes on Russian energy facilities was not positive.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasizes that russia's veto of the UN resolution on the continuation of sanctions monitoring against North Korea confirms military cooperation between moscow and Pyongyang, which is a violation of sanctions.

russia vetoed a UN resolution to extend the mandate of the group monitoring sanctions against North Korea, defying the 13 other Security Council members who supported it.