July 27, 2024 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

On July 26, the European Union sent the first tranche of EUR 1.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine from the proceeds of frozen russian assets, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said. In total, with the consent of the EU Foreign Ministers, Ukraine will receive EUR 2.4 billion in two tranches, received as proceeds of frozen russian assets. The funds will be transferred to the European Peace Fund and used to purchase weapons for Ukraine.

European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni has said that the G7 countries are likely to conclude a framework agreement on a $50 billion loan to Ukraine from the rf's frozen assets by October.

The Pentagon has found additional $2 billion for weapons for Ukraine.

“We must recognize... that the threats to our country (the United Kingdom) and our citizens are no longer theoretical. They are no longer a remote possibility. They are very real in today's Ukraine, where putin's russia has brutally invaded and is attempting to occupy a peaceful, neighboring, independent, successful nation-state”, said former NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the FRG Annalena Baerbock has called on the PRC’s government to work harder for peace in Ukraine.

Chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee Marcus Faber has said that putin should be talked to, but only in the International Criminal Court.

The EU transfers 68 more large generators to Ukraine for critical infrastructure.

Employment of Ukrainians with temporary protection has increased in Estonia – almost 60% are working.

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“I know that russia’s aggression against Ukraine may seem far from Asia. But its consequences, be it inflation or higher food and energy prices, are also being felt by the population, even if the rf is working hard to spread disinformation”, said EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) ministerial meeting in Laos.

During a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on Beijing to give up its supporting the rf, which unleashed a war against Ukraine.

The US Department of the Treasury has warned Indian banks that sanctions could be imposed on them for their cooperation with the russian military-industrial complex. The US Department of the Treasury has given the Indian Banks Association a 30-day deadline to take measures to stop all transactions within the framework of military-technical cooperation with the rf.

Kazakhstan's largest ticketing service Ticketon, part of the international financial conglomerate Freedom Holding Corp, has terminated its partnership with russia's “yandex afisha”.

Amid the russian crisis, the board of directors of the central bank of the rf has raised the key policy rate by 200 basis points – to 18%. The central bank has also warned that it will consider further rate increases at its next meeting on September 13.

According to the latest report from rosstat, in June, “production of machinery and equipment” decreased by 18.6%, mining – by 17.2%, production of coke and petroleum – by 4.4%, of coal – by 3%, of construction materials – by 3%, of clothing – by 2.8%, and metallurgical production – by 1.2%. “There are no new growth factors, and the old ones have exhausted themselves. There is a strong decline not only in oil, but also in its refining, and there is no growth in other processing sectors – food industry, chemicals, and mechanical engineering. The likely rate hike will still work to the downside”, the center for macroeconomic analysis and short-term forecasting said.

The state-owned corporation “rostekh” is once again asking the rf’s government to allow the commissioning of the third power unit at the taman-based “udarnaia” thermal power plant to be postponed to December. The power unit, based on the russian VMD-110M turbine, was supposed to be operational by September, but due to technical problems with russian-made auxiliary equipment, the project cannot be commissioned on time.

“interrao”, the rf’s monopoly operator of export-import of russian electricity, reduced electricity exports by 31.1% in the first half of the year. “The decline in supplies to China was due to restrictions caused by low water content, increased consumption in the Far East, and repairs of generating equipment”, the holding said.

russians are in no hurry to conclude contracts under the long-term savings program: as of the end of July, less than 40 billion rubles have been invested. In the context of the russian crisis, “putin's plan” of 250 billion rubles is unrealistic: the population does not trust the authorities, considering long-term investments for up to 15 years risky, while trust in government programs is low.

The rb introduces six-month licensing for the export of waste container glass to both the EAEU and non-EAEU countries. The website of the belarusian stock exchange lists glass waste as a “promising exchange commodity.”

The formation of a single labor market in the union state helps the rf to fill the shortage of workers in different sectors of the economy with the help of the rb’s labor force. According to experts, by 2025, more than 30 thousand construction workers from the rb alone will be working in the rf.

minister of internal affairs of the rb kubrakov has said that the convicts will be sent to the fields to help farmers harvest the crops. In gomel region, 474 convicts have already been employed to clean up the areas affected by the hurricane.

Representatives of the belarusian state agricultural academy telephone parents of school leavers and invite their children to enroll in the academy. For several years in a row, this university has been experiencing a significant shortage of applicants for state-funded places.

karsiuk, a 29-year-old judge of the minsk district court, has convicted more than 400 people on political grounds in less than four years of his judicial career, including 100 in criminal cases. On July 30, he will begin consideration of a criminal case against a 32-year-old belarusian showman for participating in 2020’s protests.