Today's Contents
Just The Facts:
- Trump says he will speak with Putin and Zelensky on Monday about ending war
- Denmark announces DKK 4.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine
- Ukraine's debt chief tells investors there's no rush on GDP warrants restructuring, sources say
- Ukraine opens new EIB-funded surgical unit in Zhytomyr hospital
Here's What They Think:
- Detroit Free Press: 'I was US ambassador to Ukraine. I resigned because of Trump's foreign policy.'
- CEPA: US minerals deal a chance for Ukraine to attract investments, speed up reconstruction
Sober Second Thought:
- War displacement drives tuberculosis surge in Central Ukraine, while conflict zones see apparent decline, study finds
The Rebuilder's Social:
- 'Put your borsch where your mouth is': Borsch as a lesson on cross-cultural communication. Plus, Svyrydenko celebrates a $20 million hemp factory and Nova Post launches 'mini branches.'
Trump says he will speak with Putin and Zelensky on Monday about ending war
US President Donald Trump said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, after peace talks in Istanbul failed to secure a temporary ceasefire.
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday that he will speak to Putin at 10 a.m. ET (4 p.m. EET) on Monday. "THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE "BLOODBATH" THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE," Trump wrote.
He also said he will then speak to Zelensky and various NATO members. "HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!," Trump wrote.
Ukraine and Russia's negotiating teams met for the first time in over three years in Istanbul on Friday, but failed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire.
The negotiations resulted in an agreement to soon exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each and to resume negotiations after both sides outlined their visions for a future ceasefire, Reuters reported.
Ukraine and its allies have demanded that Russia agree to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.
An unnamed Ukrainian source told Reuters, however, that Russia in Istanbul sought the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, with a ceasefire to take place only after that.
Denmark announces DKK 4.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine
Denmark has announced its 26th military aid package for Ukraine, valued at DKK 4.2 billion ($629 million), the Danish defense ministry said on Saturday.
The package includes artillery and shells through the Czech ammunition initiative, equipment for fighter jets, and funding to expand training capacity for Ukrainian troops, the ministry said in a press release.
"Unfortunately, Ukraine's need for help and support has not diminished. I am happy and proud that we can once again allocate funds for donations that will make a difference on the battlefield in both the short and long term," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated.
Denmark's latest military aid package is financed under the country's Ukraine Fund and the European Peace Facility (EPF). The assistance covers the years 2025-2028.
The Ukraine Fund has allocated a total of DKK 66.1 billion for military support to Ukraine for the 2023-2028 period, as per the statement.
Ukraine's debt chief tells investors there's no rush on GDP warrants restructuring, sources say
Ukraine's governmental commissioner for Public Debt Management, Yuriy Butsa, told investors in London last week that Kyiv is in no rush to restructure its debt linked to economic growth or so-called GDP warrants, Reuters reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Ukraine is due to make a payment of over $500 million on its $3.2 billion in GDP warrants by early June, after restructuring talks with key holders collapsed last month.
Butsa told investors Ukraine would prioritize securing the right deal over rushing to meet the upcoming deadline, according to the sources who spoke to Reuters.
"They've made it clear there is a moratorium in place and ... there is no cross default to the bonds," one investor told the newswire.
The sources told Reuters that Butsa emphasized to investors that finding a near-term solution to restructure the warrants is a priority, but that Ukraine isn't worried about missing the payment.
The warrants, issued during a debt overhaul in 2015, have disbursements linked to Ukraine’s economic performance. They were excluded from a $20-billion bond restructuring agreement reached last year between holders of Ukraine’s international bonds and the government.
Ukraine opens new EIB-funded surgical unit in Zhytomyr hospital
Ukraine has opened a new surgical unit at V.P. Pavlusenko Hospital No.2 in the northwestern Zhytomyr region following a European Investment Bank (EIB)-funded reconstruction.
The unit now features modern medical systems and upgraded infrastructure, doubling the hospital's patient capacity to 6,000, the EIB said in a press release on Friday.
The upgrade, with a cost of around €511,000, was carried out through the Ukraine Recovery Programme, a joint initiative of the European Union and the EIB, aimed at helping Ukrainian municipalities rebuild social infrastructure.
The Ukraine Recovery Programme is implemented in partnership with Ukraine's Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories, the Ministry of Finance, and the local authorities, with technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine.
A total of 13 projects worth nearly €20 million under EIB-financed recovery programmes have been completed or are underway in the Zhytomyr region, as per the statement. These include the rehabilitation of healthcare and education facilities, an administrative building, and critical water and sanitation infrastructure.
Detroit Free Press: I was US ambassador to Ukraine. I resigned because of Trump's foreign policy.
Bridget Brink, who resigned last month as US ambassador to Ukraine without offering an explanation, wrote an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press attributing her resignation to President Donald Trump's handling of the war in Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, the policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia," she wrote. "As such, I could no longer in good faith carry out the administration’s policy and felt it was my duty to step down. After nearly three decades serving our country, I resigned as our ambassador to Ukraine."
CEPA: US minerals deal a chance for Ukraine to attract investments, speed up reconstruction
The recently agreed investment plan between the US and Ukraine provides a framework to strengthen and formalize cooperation between the two countries, offering a major opportunity for Ukraine to attract investment, speed up post-war reconstruction, and take greater control of its economic future, Kateryna Odarchenko, a partner of the SIC Group Ukraine, and Serhii Kolisnyk, managing partner of the Kyiv office of Lobby Club, wrote in an op-ed for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).
The agreement marks a pivotal step in Kyiv's efforts to rebuild its war-torn economy, reduce dependence on outdated industries, and assert sovereignty over its natural resources. At the same time, it signals growing US interest in diversifying critical mineral supply chains away from China and underscores Washington's strategic commitment to Ukraine in the face of Moscow, the authors wrote.
Wartime conditions drive tuberculosis surge in central Ukraine, apparent decline in east, study finds
The war has led to a jump in tuberculosis (TB) cases in central Ukraine, while reported cases have sharply declined in conflict-affected eastern territories—an apparent paradox likely driven by population displacement and gaps in disease surveillance, according to a study conducted by scientists from Juntendo University's Faculty of Medicine.
Analyzing public health data from 2013 to 2023, the researchers found that TB cases in central Ukraine surged to 62.75 per 100,000 population during the 2022–2023 period - up from 36.55 per 100,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic years (2020–2021). In particular, the Dnipro and Kirovohrad regions recorded some of the highest increases, with Dnipro reaching 92.6 per 100,000 in 2022 and Kirovohrad peaking at 92.1 per 100,000 in 2023.
The authors argue that the uptick in TB in central regions is likely fueled by poor living conditions among displaced populations, delays in seeking care, and overburdened health infrastructure in host areas.
In contrast, eastern Ukraine saw TB rates fall dramatically during the same period, dropping to 14.95 per 100,000 in 2022–2023 from 37 per 100,000 during the pandemic and 50.36 in the pre-pandemic years.
However, the authors caution that this decline likely reflects disrupted health services and underreporting from war-torn areas, rather than a genuine reduction in TB transmission. The war has made large parts of eastern Ukraine inaccessible to public health monitoring, resulting in unreliable surveillance data.
The overall number of new TB cases in Ukraine dropped from 30,819 in 2013 to 19,851 in 2023. This decline, however, was interrupted in 2022, when incidence rose by 26% from the previous year. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB), while also affected by the war and pandemic, remains a persistent problem in southeastern and central regions, particularly in the Dnipro region, where rates remain elevated despite a national decrease, as per the study.
Ukraine has long struggled with a high TB burden, particularly of the multidrug-resistant variety. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and ensuing economic crisis, TB cases soared. A national reform effort beginning in 2002, including adoption of the WHO's DOTS treatment strategy, had gradually reduced TB rates until 2020. However, the 2014 Russian occupation of Crimea and parts of Donbas began a period of surveillance disruption, a trend worsened by the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The pandemic further compounded these challenges. In 2020 alone, TB cases fell by 31% compared to 2019, a drop the authors attribute largely to under-diagnosis and reduced testing amid lockdowns and overwhelmed healthcare systems. The war has introduced a new layer of complexity, particularly due to massive internal displacement, which the study links to rising TB cases in regions hosting large numbers of refugees from the east and south.
The authors emphasize that addressing Ukraine's TB burden will require bolstering surveillance systems, especially in regions receiving large numbers of displaced people. The study also calls for stronger coordination with European countries, particularly those bordering Ukraine, to monitor and manage TB among refugees and returnees. The authors highlight that 32% of Ukrainian refugees have returned home at least once, increasing the potential for cross-border TB transmission.
Notable Social Media Posts
$20 million hemp factory
Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko celebrated a $20 million investment by Ukrainian hemp producer Ma'Rijany Hemp Company to build a newly opened hemp processing plant in Ukraine.
"At this stage, the company will export processed hemp fiber — the primary product of industrial hemp processing. The plant's annual capacity is up to 14,000 tons of retted hemp, producing about 4,500 tons of finished fiber. The next step is launching the full-cycle hemp processing in Ukraine," she wrote.
Nova Post launches 'mini-branches'
Viacheslav Klymov, co-founder of NOVA Group, announced that group international courier firm Nova Post has started opening "mini-branches" in Ukraine that handle specifically parcels of up to 10 kilograms.
"The goal? To ease the load on busy urban branches and bring services even closer to where people live. Four of these branches have already opened in Kyiv’s Teremky district."
Cross cultural communications - and borsch
Kostiantyn Koshelenko, the author of Management in Times of War and former Deputy Minister for Digital Development at the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, wrote a post "borschifying" 10 classic business idioms.
'Why? Because that’s how culture sticks — with flavor, humor, and heart," he wrote, explaining that the effort was in the spirit of improving cross-cultural communications.
URN Daily: Sense Bank and Ukrgasbank for sale? And US seeks to cancel $4.7 billion of Ukraine's debt
