
Ukraine Updates: New PM Svyrydenko seeks fresh IMF loan – DW – 07/22/2025
Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in an interview that she is likely to discuss a fresh loan program with the IMF next month.
Ukraine and Russia set to hold the third round of peace talks Istanbul on Wednesday.Ukraine's new Prime MinisterYulia Svyrydenko said she will likely seek fresh financing from the International Monetray Fund to cushion the country's fiscal needs in its defense of Russia's war, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The report outlined that global donors have so far only earmarked half of the estimated $75 billion (€ 64.18 billion) budget that the war-strained country requires over the next two years.
With the IMF's roughly $16 billion (€13.69 illion) loan program set to expire in 2027, new discussions will likely be held at a lender's review planned for August, especially since the end to the war is not in sight, she told the media house.
Meanwhile Ukraine's Defense Minister took to messaging app Telegram, saying the country will need at least $120 billion (€102.68 billion) for defense spending next year and that negotiations were ongoing with NATO and the EU over $60 billion (€51.34 billion) in funding from partners.
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On Monday, the UK and Germany led a virtual meeting on how to help Ukraine acquire the weapons it needs to defend itself against the Russian aggression.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he will "contribute to providing" five Patriot missile defense systemsto Ukraine, DW's Teri Schultz reported from Brussels. This includes two systems Berlin had previously discussed, with an additional one expected to be financed by Norway.
It is not clear whether Germany would pay for remaining two defense systems itself, or if it will seek contributions from other NATO members.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's former prime minister and newly appointed Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, who was also part of the meeting, said Kyiv needs more than $6 billion (€5.13 billion) worth of additional military spending to increase its own weapons production.
The UK imposed new sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" which will target 135 oil tankers and two Russian companies involved in circumventing oil sanctions on Moscow.
Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Russia will hold another round of talks on Wednesday.
Two previous rounds held in Istanbul failed to yield any meaningful progress on a ceasefire.
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Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.
Both Ukraine and Russia continue to exchange drones and missiles, aiming at each other's capital cities.
Overnight Monday, Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Kyiv, just hours before the UK and Germany chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the US' plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons it needs.
Stay tuned for the latest news and analysis from the ongoing war.
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DW
an hour ago
- DW
Germany has no short-term plans to recognize Palestine – DW – 07/25/2025
After France announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood, Germany said it still supported a two-state solution but saw other priorities regarding the situation in the Palestinian territories. DW has more. France's decision to formally recognize Palestinian statehood continues to garner worldwide attention. However, Berlin said it has no short term plans to follow in Paris' footsteps The US and Israel are the strongest critics, while the move was hailed in the Middle East and by European countries that have already taken the step. Meanwhile, a Reuters report suggests a USAID analysis found no massive theft of Gaza France's announcement that it plans to recognize Palestinian statehood later this year, Germany said on Friday it has no such plans in the short term. In a statement, the German government stressed it "remains convinced that only a negotiated two-state solution will bring lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians." But it reiterated that its position that recognizing Palestinian statehood is "one of the final steps" for a two-state solution, stressing that "Israel's security is of paramount importance to the German government." Germany said it was helping create the conditions for Palestinian statehood, including support for the Palestinian Authority. It added that it agreed with France, the UK and its regional partners on the importance of the two-state solution "regardless of the well-known differences of opinion on the question of the right time for recognition." Berlin went on to list what it considers more pressing priorities for the time being, including an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, including German nationals, and the disarming of Hamas. "Israel must immediately and drastically improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and provide the suffering civilian population with urgently needed supplies in a humane manner," the statement read. Germany also said that "there must be no further step towards the annexation of the West Bank," after a vote in the Knesset backed the annexation of the Palestinian-occupied territory. The French NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of deliberately starving the Palestinians in Gaza as a weapon of war, warning that its own staff in the enclave were themselves struggling to find sufficient food. In a statement released on Friday, the MSF reported that one out of every four children between the ages of six months and five years old, as well as one out of every four pregnant and breastfeeding women, were malnourished in the devastated enclave. Since May 18, the number of people enrolled for malnutrition treatment has quadrupled, whereas rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled in the last two weeks. "This is not just hunger — it is deliberate starvation, manufactured by the Israeli authorities," the statement read. "The weaponization of food to exert pressure on a civilian population must not be normalized." The organization also lambasted the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) over the nearly daily deaths of Palestinians shot by Israeli authorities near its distribution centers. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "What we are seeing is unconscionable; an entire people being deliberately cut off from food and water, all while the Israeli forces commit daily massacres as people scramble for scraps of food at distribution sites," says Amande Bazerolle, MSF head of emergency response in Gaza. "Any shred of humanity in Gaza has been wiped out in the ongoing genocide." The report noted that the scarcity of food "is no longer about what people can afford. There is barely any food available in most of the strip." Meanwhile, Reuters interviewed United Nations and humanitarian agency representatives, who said the enclave was on the brink of running out of the specialized therapeutic food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children. Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for UNICEF in Amman, Jordan told Reuters that supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a crucial treatment, would be depleted by mid-August if nothing changed. An analysis within the US government found no evidence supporting Israeli and US claims that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was systematically stealing US-funded humanitarian supplies. The US and Israel have backed a new armed private aid operation under the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The operation has seen around 1,000 Palestinians seeking food supplies shot and killed by Israeli forces near the GHF militarized distribution site. The analysis was conducted by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and made public via an exclusive report by the Reuters news agency. It was completed in late June, examining 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies reported between October 2023 and May of this year. Reuters cited a US State Department spokesperson as disputing the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid but stopping short of providing such evidence. Israel insists it is committed to allowing in aid but that it must control it to prevent theft by Hamas. The UN World Food Program estimates that a quarter of Gaza's over 2 million Palestinians face famine-like conditions, while thousands suffer from acute malnutrition. World Health Organization officials and doctors in the enclave report that children and others are dying of starvation. Israel blames Hamas for the crisis, which has intensified since Israel intensified its blockade on Gaza in March, followed by making the GHF the sole distributor of aid in the enclave in May, replacing UN-led humanitarian aid distributors. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video France's plans to recognize Palestinian statehood were met with widespread approval in the Middle East. The Saudi Foreign Ministry called it a "historic decision," calling on other countries to follow in France's "positive" steps and "adopt serious positions that support peace and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." France and Saudi Arabia cohost a ministerial United Nations meeting on Palestinian statehood next week. Jordan's Foreign Ministry also expressed appreciation for the decision, describing it as "a step in the right direction toward the realisation of the two-state solution and the end of the occupation." Palestinians also welcomed the move. Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh said it "reflects France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state." The militant group Hamas, which Israel, the United States, the European Union and others designated as a terrorist organization, said the move would do "justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and support their legitimate right to self-determination." Spain, an EU member which recognized Palestinian statehood last year, also welcomed the move. "Together, we must protect what Netanyahu is trying to destroy. The two-state solution is the only solution," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel's offensive in Gaza. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The US and Israel are so far the strongest opponents of France's decision to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plans on Thursday. According to a tally by the French AFP news agency, it would bring the number of countries that now recognize or plan to recognize Palestinian statehood to at least 142. France would be the first G7 power to do so. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "reckless decision." "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7," Rubio wrote on X. Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, left 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. Around 250 more were abducted and taken hostage in Gaza. Israel's subsequent war has so far killed over 59,000, according to the health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. The UN considers the figures reliable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became." "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel - not to live in peace beside it," he said. The world is still reeling from France's announcement that it plans to recognize Palestinian statehood in September. This comes amid a new humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip. Media organizations are warning that their journalists, who have reported on the war for nearly two years, are now among Gaza's starving population. This blog will bring you the latest on the dire situation in Gaza as well as news, videos and analyses on the broader Middle East region.


Local Germany
an hour ago
- Local Germany
Berlin metro station gets rainbow makeover after Reichstag Pride flag row
When Berlin's annual Pride parade, called Christopher Street Day or CSD, kicks off on Saturday, there will be no rainbow flag flying over the Reichstag. Germany's conservative leaders of the Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) have taken a... well, conservative, stance on Pride this year - which is to say they wont be caught supporting it. Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) announced at the beginning of the month that the rainbow flag wouldn't be hoisted in front of the Reichstag this year, breaking with a tradition introduced in 2022 by the previous traffic light government. Klöckner also ordered members of parliament to remove rainbow flags displayed in their offices, citing Bundestag house rules that prohibit the posting of notices, posters and other signs on doors and walls. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) doubled down in comments he gave to ARD , saying the Reichstag building "is not a circus tent". A number of German leaders from opposition parties criticised the decision, as well as the Chancellor's comments in particular. The former mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, who came out in 2001, told ZDF that Merz had a "great responsibility" and that he shouldn't "make such stupid comments". READ ALSO: Hundreds of thousands at Christopher Street Day Pride parade in Cologne Advertisement Interestingly, Berlin's municipal transport company has taken it upon itself to put more rainbow colours on display around Germany's political centre. People walk up a staircase painted in rainbows in the Bundestag U-bahn station. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Malin Wunderlich On Wednesday, BVG decorated the Bundestag U-Bahn station with a rainbow colours on the stairs and a Pride flag painted on its entrance. In a post on its Instagram page, BVG wrote "We are happy to help you fly the flag." In the photo's caption, BVG added "So our Bundestag is not ready for CSD." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Weil wir dich lieben (@bvg_weilwirdichlieben) READ ALSO: U-Bahn service disruptions in Berlin highlight systemic issues Germany's largest Pride parade Berlin's CSD demo is set to kick off on Saturday at 12pm at Leipziger Straße / Charlottenstraße and make its way past the Bundesrat to Nollendorfplatz and then around to the Brandenburg Gate. The theme for this year is "Never again quiet!" On the event website , the CSD organisers write, "At a time when the achievements of recent decades are being questioned and attacks on the queer community are increasing, protest remains indispensable this year."


Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
New Cryptocurrency May Be Aiding Russia To Dodge Sanctions
Russia could be turning to a new cryptocurrency called A7A5 to allow money to flow in and out of the country and avoid Western sanctions, experts have told AFP. Multiple rounds of international sanctions have been imposed on Moscow since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine seeking to ramp up economic pressure to halt the war. But the launch of A7A5 in February this year opened up an alternative payment method for Russian businesses and individuals to sidestep sanctions when trading with foreign partners, the UK-based non-profit Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) said in a report. A7A5 is a stablecoin -- a form of cryptocurrency backed by traditional assets -- in this case pegged to the ruble, making it harder for Western authorities to monitor than dollar-based alternatives. It was launched by a pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch and a Russian state-owned bank as "the first ever ruble-pegged stablecoin," George Voloshin from anti-money laundering group ACAMS told AFP. While it is not widely used yet, experts say its creation marks a significant step in Russia's efforts to reduce its dependence on major crypto companies -- many of which cooperate with Western governments. Since Russia was kicked out of the international banking system SWIFT and hit with asset freezes and investment bans, Moscow has already turned to crypto to sidestep financial restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies. Stablecoins are especially attractive because they are less volatile than other cryptocurrencies. People have also used cryptocurrency to donate directly to both the Ukrainian army and Russian militias, according to several analytics firms such as Elliptic. But Russia has faced a problem: USDT, the most popular stablecoin, is tied to the US dollar and controlled by a company called Tether, which cooperates with US and European authorities. Earlier this year, Tether blocked $28 million in USDT held in wallets on Garantex, Russia's largest crypto exchange, which was shut down following a global crackdown on illegal transactions. "That was a real wake-up call" for Russia, said Elise Thomas, senior investigator at CIR. "It made them think that they need their own stablecoin, they need something that they control," she added. Just before Garantex was shut down, tens of millions of dollars were moved from USDT into A7A5, according to data from crypto tracking firm Global Ledger. A7A5 is backed by deposits in Promsvyazbank, a Russian bank under sanctions for its ties to the government and the military. The coin is traded on Grinex, a crypto exchange based in Kyrgyzstan -- a country seen as friendlier to Russian interests and less vulnerable to Western pressure. A7A5 is also registered in Kyrgyzstan rather than Russia because the country offers a crypto-friendly legal environment and is less exposed to "sanctions and other economic pressures," project director Leonid Shumakov said in an interview posted online. Less than six months after its launch, around $150 million is now held in A7A5. These transactions are not necessarily illegal, but they could become problematic if used by sanctioned individuals or entities to reconnect with the global financial system, warned ACAMS's Voloshin. The man behind the A7 group, which developed A7A5, is Ilan Shor, a Moldovan businessman and politician now living in Russia. Investigators found links between A7A5 and Shor's political activities in Moldova, including websites related to both sharing the same IP address. These findings have suggested that the cryptocurrency could be used as a tool for political influence. Shor and his company have already been sanctioned by the UK, and more recently by the European Union, which accused them of trying to meddle in Moldova's 2024 presidential election and its referendum on joining the EU -- all while keeping close ties with Moscow.