Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Chancellor of the FRG Friedrich Merz, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni will attend  the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump on August 18. “We will exchange views with US President Trump on the state of peace efforts, security guarantees, territorial issues, and further support for Ukraine,” said Friedrich Merz.

Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz has called the USA’s willingness to join in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security “great progress”. The Chancellor also intends to discuss with US President Donald Trump and other leaders who will participate in the talks on August 18 the issue of maintaining sanctions against russia.

Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney has welcomed the USA’s openness to providing security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement in the russian-Ukrainian war.

Ukraine must choose its own future, including its territory and the possibility of future accession to the EU and NATO – this is the position of the Government of Poland.

“Europe must take action and increase pressure on russia. Every nation has the right to choose its own future. Only Ukraine can determine a just peace,” said President of Estonia Alar Karis.

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda has called for more pressure on russia.

“...Unfortunately, there is still no decision on a ceasefire, and russia continues its aggression against Ukraine,” President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs commented on the preliminary results of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and putin.

President of Türkiye Recep Erdogan has said that the meeting in Alaska was a new impetus in the search for ways to put an end to the war between russia and Ukraine and could lay the foundation for lasting peace.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye Hakan Fidan has stressed that lasting peace can only be achieved through a process involving Ukraine, and Türkiye is ready to contribute to its establishment.

rf

Based on information published by the rf ministry of finance on the formation of oil and gas revenues in russia, a record final deficit of the russian federal budget for 2025 is expected, amounting to 8 trillion rubles. The federal budget deficit accumulated over seven months reached 4.88 trillion rubles. In July, the budget deficit grew by a huge amount, which is unusual for the middle of the year – 1.185 trillion rubles, indicating an inevitable September adjustment of this year’s budget towards an increase in the deficit.

The Constitutional Court of the rf has abolished the statute of limitations on privatization transactions, which has significantly weakened the institution of private property in russia. As a result, businesses do not even mention the investment climate and institutions, for the quality of which russia ranks 126th out of 130 countries worldwide.

Due to high levels of debt, a quarter of russian developers are on the verge of bankruptcy. From July 2024 to June 2025, 458,727 apartments in new buildings with a total area of 21.9 million square meters were sold in russia, which is by 38.7 % fewer in lots and by 37.2 % less in square meters than a year earlier.

Due to a shortage, filling stations in the temporarily occupied Crimea and the Transbaikal Territory of the rf began selling petrol only to enterprises and organizations using cards.

The Ministry of Labor of the rf plans to reduce the permissible share of foreign workers in nine types of economic activity in 2026, and in some industries, to ban people without russian citizenship from working altogether. It is proposed to limit the share of foreign workers in construction to 50 %; in 2025, it was no more than 80 %. In vegetable growing, wholesale trade in wood raw materials, timber and sawn timber, as well as in forestry and logging, wood processing and the production of wood and cork products, the limit will be 40 %, previously it was up to 50  %.

Migrant workers who come to russia should be prohibited from bringing their families to the country. This statement was made by leader of the “Fair russia – For Truth” party Sergei Mironov.

Migrants who obtained russian citizenship through fictitious marriages and “fake” registrations should be identified and expelled from the country. This was stated by Mikhail Ivanov, member of the Bryansk Regional Duma and head of the All-russian public movement “Orthodox russia”.

Uzbekistan’s authorities are organizing the return of 100 of their citizens from St. Petersburg, who found themselves in a difficult situation after the new law on migrants came into force in the rf.

Shareholders of “Lenzoloto” have decided to liquidate the company.

The Kaluga region government has approved a plan with specific targets for the number of pregnant schoolgirls and students who will receive 100,000 rubles for early childbirth over the next three years. The authorities expect that a total of 396 girls will participate in the program. The Kaluga region authorities introduced payments for pregnant schoolgirls and female students at the end of 2024. Similar measures are also in place in seven regions: Bryansk, Voronezh, Kemerovo, Oryol, and Tver regions, the Altai Krai, and Chuvashia. The amount of the financial incentive for early childbirth ranges from 100,000 to 150,000 rubles. Meanwhile, the demographic situation in russia continues to deteriorate: in May, the total fertility rate (the average number of children per woman) fell to 1.376, the lowest since 2006.