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

“A peaceful settlement requires clear security guarantees for Ukraine – we, Europeans, are ready for this together with the USA. No negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Johann Wadephul. The head of the German Foreign Ministry also called for additional assistance to Ukraine to force moscow to make concessions for the sake of “a just and lasting peace”.

The Coalition of the Determined has confirmed its readiness to deploy security forces in Ukraine immediately after the cessation of hostilities, as well as to assist with the security of Ukraine’s air and sea space and with the restoration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to a statement by the co-chairs of the Coalition of the Determined – French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“It is important for us to know what security guarantees the USA is promising Ukraine – whether it is simply military support or a real military presence. The USA’s security guarantees for Europe are also important, as is how they will be provided in Ukraine,” said Prime Minister of Latvia Evika Siliņa.

“I emphasized that in order for peace to come, pressure must be exerted on the aggressor, not on the victim of aggression,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski.

Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova has reminded that from the very beginning, the EU has clearly and decisively stated that peace must be based on the principles of international law – on full respect for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “No illusions, no compromises with aggressors,” Mathernova emphasized.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger has called for maintaining high pressure on russia until putin “is ready to silence the weapons”.

In the coming weeks, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen intends to visit EU countries which will cooperate with Ukraine in the defense industry within the SAFE mechanism to coordinate military aid to our country.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Johann Wadephul has criticized China for supporting russia, which is waging an unprovoked large-scale war against Ukraine.

Latvia’s National Electronic Mass Media Council has decided to restrict access to nine more internet resources that spread russian propaganda.

Gazprom has acknowledged the failure of its project to create a joint gas hub with Türkiye. The company’s CEO Aleksei Miller has announced that the issue is closed due to a lack of interest from Türkish partners.

The three largest exporters of russian grain need more than 60 bulk carriers to rebuild their fleet, but the cost of building them in russia is four times higher than in China. In total, russian grain exporters need to replace 61 large-tonnage vessels. With this in mind, the russians plan to place an order for the first ten vessels to be built in China.

Wholesale petrol prices in russia continue to break historical records. On August 18, at the St. Petersburg Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange, the cost of AI-92 petrol reached 71,500 rubles a ton, and of AI-95 – 80,430 rubles a ton. During the day, quotations rose by 1.33 % and 2.2 % respectively, and since the beginning of the year, the price of AI-92 petrol has soared by 38 %, and of AI-95 – by 49 %. To cool down the fuel market, the russian government imposed a complete ban on petrol exports from the country until the end of August, and then extended it until the end of September.

russian taxi companies are preparing to sell off foreign cars en masse starting in March 2026. The reason is a new law that requires the use of only domestically assembled cars for passenger transportation. The new law prohibits carriers from purchasing foreign cars and re-registering foreign cars that are already in use in the transport registry.

According to member of the State Duma and Olympic figure skating champion Irina Rodnina, russian citizens have not done enough for the state to receive a pension from it. In the words of 75-year-old Rodnina, who previously stated that her pension does not exceed 30,000 rubles, like that of a “normal russian person”, a pension is not a salary, but rather old-age assistance.

The majority of russians surveyed (58 %) do not intend to pass the “Ready for Labor and Defense” standards even with the introduction of additional incentives, such as paid days off.

In the first seven months of 2025, belarus produced 16.1 billion rubles worth of agricultural products in all categories of farms, which is by 12.7 % less than last year. Production in agricultural organizations declined by 11.4 % to 15.6 billion rubles.

Patients in belarus complain about widespread chaos in the healthcare sector: long queues, a shortage of doctors, lost documents, and even denial of basic care. Residents of both cities and villages admit that they often hear the same advice: contact the Ministry of Healthcare or the hotline directly. But the main problem is that the country has a catastrophic shortage of specialists and needs order in the organization of work. Doctors, for their part, say that they are “leaving medicine for good. People are angry, doctors are also on the verge. It’s scary to imagine what will happen to medicine in 10 years”.

The belarusian holding company “Amkodor” – one of the largest manufacturers of road construction, municipal, snow removal, forestry, agricultural, and other special equipment in the CIS – was one of the first to be subject to international sanctions and was transferred to state ownership.

Self-proclaimed president of the rb lukashenko has ordered cockroaches to be exterminated from hotels in order to improve the level of tourist services in the country: “If cockroaches crawl on the walls and under the beds in hotels, no tourists will come here”.