Hennadii Kats

The U.S. and India are establishing relations; Ukraine's counteroffensive continues, but success reports are yet to come. Meanwhile, the EU introduced new restrictions on Russian oil in the 11th package of sanctions; and evidence emerged of China selling gunpowder to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

An African delegation arrived in Kyiv, seeking to mediate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia; the United States evaluated the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive; a two-day Ukraine reconstruction conference starts in the United Kingdom on June 21; while the Czech president suggested that Russian citizens living abroad should be under scrutiny of security services.

Ukraine is negotiating the creation of a "sky shield" of air defense; the EU seeks to find allies for Kyiv in Asia; and the United States has passed a bill allowing them to avert default. Meanwhile, Turkey is still blocking Sweden’s NATO accession..

Western media continue to cover the full-scale war in Ukraine. Thus, at the end of the May 22–26 business week, they wrote about why Ukraine’s counteroffensive was delayed but its start wouldn’t be announced; how the weather impacts the advancement of Ukrainian forces; and how the U.S. public’s attitude towards Russia’s war in Ukraine changed.

G7 countries pledge to step up sanctions against Russia so that it cannot evade them and use imported materials for its military industry.

Russian propagandists deny the successes of Ukrainian forces and lie that Ukraine’s counteroffensive has already started; 12 EU countries rebuked the European Commission over the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain.

The trial of Donald Trump may be held amid the presidential race, Yevgeniy Prigozhin threatens Russia’s leadership with a retreat of the Warner Group from Bakhmut, and the United States has dismissed Moscow’s accusations of being involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin as lies.

In the U.S. Senate, the Biden administration was chastised for the slow pace at which Abrams tanks were supplied to Ukraine, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia’s F.S.B. and Iranian intelligence services, and Xi Jinping’s call with Volodimir Zelenskyy was said to be damage control after controversial comments by China’s ambassador to France.

Ukraine hasn’t ceased fighting for Bakhmut despite warnings from the U.S. and hasn’t allowed the enemy to encircle the city. Meanwhile, as Joe Biden prepares to announce his entry into the presidential race, a new Democratic rival for him emerges: Robert Kennedy Jr.

Russia’s losses in Ukraine have been so severe that it would need years to reconstitute its special operations forces. Meanwhile, Germany spoke about helping the United States if China invaded Taiwan, and Serbia claimed that it didn’t supply weapons to either Ukraine or Russia.

The classified U.S. and NATO documents that leaked on social media could be forged; the Brazilian president got a response to his suggestion about ceding Crimea to Russia; and public endorsement for Donald Trump has even grown after he was indicted.

Ex-President Donald Trump is to be arrested on April 4, the European Commission agreed on countermeasures against economic coercion, and the Kremlin plans to get ammunition from North Korea.

The International Criminal Court opens a field office in Ukraine to investigate Russia’s war crimes, Raiffeisen is urged to provide a plan for unwinding its Russian business, while Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and probable candidate for the U.S. presidency, has explained his statement on Ukraine that caused outrage.

The dates of Xi Jinping's visit to meet Putin in Moscow have been disclosed, while evidence of China’s aid to Russia, which includes weapons and components to military equipment, was also revealed.

The U.S. found that it needs to scale up the capabilities of the country's defense industries, Xi Jinping has been reinstated as Chinese leader, Moscow continues its disinformation war and cyber attacks on Moldova, and London and Paris assure Kyiv that peace negotiations with Russia will take place only when Ukraine is ready for them.