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

“Our goal has been and remains a just and lasting peace based on international law and ensuring full respect for the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Ukraine. Such peace cannot be achieved by concessions to the aggressor or rewards for the aggressor... Nothing can be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine, and about Europe without Europe,” reads the joint statement by the heads of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, and the European Parliament.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas is convening an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on November 26 to discuss the “peace plan” for Ukraine.

The European Parliament is preparing a resolution “The EU’s Position on the Proposed Peace Plan for Ukraine”, which will be put to a vote on November 27.

The European Parliament has adopted a draft law launching the European Defence Industry Program, which provides for the integration of Ukraine’s defense industry into the European Union’s. “This will strengthen both Europe and Ukraine at the same time. Ukraine’s defense can be coordinated with European defense – we need these Ukrainian innovations, even if Ukraine needs us. Joint planning and mutual integration will make our defense systems much more effective and resilient to any threats,” said European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius.

“While the world is focused on negotiations for a peace agreement – an agreement that the Ukrainian government is working intensively on together with the leaders of the EU and the United States – russia has shown its true colors. Just as Ukraine is seeking a path to a just peace, moscow is responding with another brutal blow. russia wants to kill. It wants to intimidate. And it chooses the most insidious way to do so: by killing civilians,” said the European Union’s Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova, regarding the rf’s air attack against Ukraine on the night of November 25.

“It is very important that the current front line remains the starting point for negotiations. After all, an aggressor like russia should not get anything for its aggression. Otherwise, it will only spread. Even if the fighting stopped now, an imperial and aggressive russia would remain, whose ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of the FRG Johann Wadephul.

Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz has pointed out that for any plan to end the rf’s war against Ukraine to succeed, the kremlin must be genuinely willing to negotiate.

“No one can speak for Ukrainians about what territorial concessions they are ready to make... And only Europeans can say – as part of the plan – what to do with frozen russian assets,” said President of France Emmanuel Macron.

“There can be no lasting peace if the Ukrainian Army is limited in its ability to defend itself and deter any aggression. Therefore, the main guarantee of security for Ukrainians and for us is a strong army,” the President of France is also convinced. According to him, after the end of the war, foreign military contingents from France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and other partners may be stationed in large cities, in particular in Kyiv or Odesa, but not near the front line. Their role will be to train Ukrainian units and ensure overall security.

The working group of the Coalition for Mine Action has agreed that by the end of 2025, eight battalions of mine clearance units in Ukraine will be trained and equipped with modern equipment.

Ukraine has received the second tranche of EUR 100 million from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) to implement the project supporting internally displaced persons.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development has approved the DOBRO project for Ukraine, which stands for Development of Business and Opportunities for Rural Areas. The project plans to allocate an initial $15 million to support small farmers.

Japan will finance the restoration of a children’s rehabilitation center in Sumy region. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will also provide Ukraine with two more construction waste processing lines.

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“…America and the rest of the world have many trump cards to play against putin’s russia. “I hope that we will soon be able to find an honorable and just peace. But if putin continues to reject ceasefire agreements, to compromise on peace proposals, and to insist on surrender, then the United States and the rest of the world will have to start playing their cards differently,” said US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

The government of Sweden has announced its decision to invest additional SEK 3.5 billion (EUR316 million) in its air defense system. “The best way to ensure peace and freedom is to invest in defense,” said Minister of Defence of Sweden Paul Jönsson. Sweden will purchase long-range cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,000 kilometers, as russia is actively developing long-range weapon systems.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has said that russia’s return to the G8 format “should definitely not happen”.

Finland has almost completed the construction of an 8-kilometer section of fence on the border with russia in Lapland.

JP Morgan predicts a potential drop in the price of Brent crude oil to $30 per barrel by 2027, which could deal a painful blow to russia’s economy.

Prices for goods shipped from China to the rf and subject to export controls (mostly dual-use products that can be used in the production of weapons) rose by an average of 87 % between 2021 and 2024. Meanwhile, prices for goods shipped to other countries rose by only 9 %.

russia’s oil imports to India in December are expected to reach their lowest level in at least three years as buyers try to avoid violation of  Western sanctions. Purchases may decline to 600,000-650,000 barrels. In October, India imported 1.65 million barrels of russian oil per day.

The American corporation Apple is tightening control over the supply of smartphones from India to prevent their re-export to russia. Official distributors have warned local retailers of heavy fines for activating iPhones with foreign SIM cards within 90 days of purchase.

russian financial authorities have begun to use money issued by the Central Bank to finance the budget deficit, which will amount to almost 6 trillion rubles this year.

At the end of the first nine months of 2025, the budgets of 56 russian regions showed a combined deficit of 169.2 billion rubles, compared to last year’s surplus of 849.1 billion rubles.

The volume of vegetable oil exports from russia in January–October 2025 decreased by 21  % year-on-year.

The volume of consumer loans issued in russia over 10 months decreased by 48.1 % compared to the same period in 2024. The number of credit cards issued decreased by 51.1 %.

The debt collection market reached a record 1.2 trillion rubles in the first nine months of 2025, up by 57.6 % year-on-year. 46.9 million debt cases (+65.7 %) were transferred to collectors.

In russia, 50  to 70 % of the available fiber optic infrastructure on the west-east direction will reach the end of its warranty period in 2025.

High key rates, pressure on exporters, and reduced budgetary stimulus are contributing to an investment pause in russia which means  a threat of expansion  to   the russian market by investors from friendly countries, – complained head of the russian union of industrialists and entrepreneurs Aleksandr Shokhin.

Sales of new trucks weighing more than 14 tons in russia in January-October 2025 decreased by 54 % compared to the first ten months of last year.

The labor shortage in russia in the coming years may reach 2.8 to 5 million people.

The ministry of defense of the rf has announced a shortage of rehabilitation specialists and prosthetists.

In Kostroma region, a draft law has been written to ban the sale of petrol to children and teenagers. Violators, including parents of children, will be punished with administrative liability.

WhatsApp has been blocked in the Siberian and Ural regions. Most complaints come from Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Tomsk, and Kurgan regions, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and Khakassia. Earlier, the state duma stated that the messenger should “prepare for departure”.

Due to the continued raids of weather balloons smuggling goods from belarus to Lithuania, Prime Minister of Lithuania Inga Rūginienė does not rule out the possibility of reclosing border crossings with that country. Due to the resumption of hybrid attacks, Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned a representative of the belarus’ embassy.

lukashenko has instructed that drunk drivers should not have their licenses revoked if they are tractor drivers.