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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Germany has no short-term plans to recognize Palestine – DW – 07/25/2025
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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. 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"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." 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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. 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New Cryptocurrency May Be Aiding Russia To Dodge Sanctions
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