Today's Contents
Reporter's Notepad:
- The maelstrom of events, blow by blow
Just The Facts:
- Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator,' says he 'better move fast' to end war
- US to continue to push for minerals pact with Ukraine despite rejection, sources say
- 19-nation coalition emerges to deal with Ukraine crisis, showing 'how fast things are changing,' Politico says
- Ukraine to handle part of China's cargo heading to Europe, UZ official says
- Israeli investors eye opportunities in Ukraine, UkraineInvest says
Here's What They Think:
- LA Times: Ukraine may stay destabilized even after the war ends
- ECFR: Europeans need to show why they need to be involved in Ukraine talks
Sober Second Thought:
- Latifundist releases 53-page guide to Ukrainian agriculture consisting entirely of infographics
Dear subscribers,
Politics around the war in Ukraine are developing rapidly, with the situation seeming to change dramatically day by day this week. No one media outlet can possibly keep up.
The changes have sweeping implications for the future of Ukraine and, of course, the reconstruction, our focus area.
To help keep you informed, we present here in Reporter's Notepad a review of top news stories of major media following the Tuesday meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh.
The situation is far from clear, but a broad sweep of the headlines, with links to news stories, might at least hint at the direction we're headed.
Below, as succinct as possible, you'll find ..
The Week's Events, So Far (With Links)
Europeans, Ukraine respond to being excluded from talks on Ukraine
In an effort to respond to the US leaving them out of initial negotiations with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine, European leaders on Monday and Wednesday held emergency meetings in Paris.
At the first meeting, the leaders reportedly failed to reach an agreement on sending a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to police a possible peace deal but said they were united in supporting Ukraine. Following the second meeting, France's President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that Ukraine must be involved in the talks about its future and that Europe's security concerns must be taken into account.
Separately, EU nations are preparing to give Ukraine a military aid package worth at least €6 billion as they aim to bolster Ukraine's position on the battlefield amid the talks between Russia and the US, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed EU diplomats.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly said he would not accept any deal reached between the US and Russia without Ukraine's involvement.
Tensions between Trump, Zelensky
Following the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh, hostile rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and Zelensky has been making headlines. On Tuesday, Trump questioned Zelensky's approval ratings and suggested Ukraine was the one that started the war with Russia.
Zelensky responded by saying that Trump was trapped in a "disinformation bubble" and that he seemed to be influenced by Russian propaganda.
On Wednesday, Trump described Zelensky as a "dictator without elections," adding that he "better move fast" to end the war or else he will not have "a country left."
Developments around US, Ukraine minerals deal
Another point of contention between the US and Ukraine in recent days has been a rare minerals deal the US proposed to Ukraine in exchange for military aid during the war with Russia.
The pact, which would reportedly give the US 50% of Ukraine's revenue from resource extraction and includes a demand from the US for Ukraine to hand over $500 billion worth of mineral resources, was again rejected by Zelensky on Wednesday.
Zelensky explained the US has provided Ukraine with $67 billion in weapons and $31.5 billion in direct budget support and that this does not equate to $500 billion. He earlier said the proposed agreement is not in Ukraine's interest as it does not provide the country with security guarantees.
In the latest development, unnamed sources told Reuters the US may pursue a simplified minerals agreement with Ukraine to establish a pact quickly, with details, such as the extent of Ukrainian resources the US could access, to be negotiated later.
News from Russia
Meanwhile in Russia, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Ukraine will not be excluded from the negotiations to end the war but said the level of trust between the US and Russia needs to increase for the conflict to get resolved, Reuters reported.
Also on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Trump for stating that past US support for Ukraine's NATO membership bid was a key factor in triggering the war in Ukraine, as quoted by Reuters.
Latest from the battlefield
Russian Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi said on Thursday that Russian forces have reclaimed over 800 square kilometers (309 square miles) of territory from Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia, amounting to approximately 64% of the land Ukraine had seized since the incursion began last year, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian officials said on Thursday that Russia launched 161 drones and a dozen missiles overnight, striking gas infrastructure in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and disrupting power supply in the southern Odesa region for the second consecutive night, as reported by Reuters.
And now, on with our headlines ...
Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator,' says he 'better move fast' to end war
US President Donald Trump described Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator without elections," adding that he "better move fast" to end the war or else he will not have "a country left."
"In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only … the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the 'gravy train' going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Zelensky became president of Ukraine in May 2019. New elections were planned to be held in the spring of 2024. The elections, however, were not held as Ukraine's law prohibits parliamentary, presidential, and local elections when martial law, which was enforced in Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, is in effect.
Trump's stance toward Zelensky comes as tensions escalate between the two presidents over Trump's approach to resolving the war in Ukraine.
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelensky told a press briefing that Trump was trapped in a "disinformation bubble" after the US President questioned his approval ratings and suggested Ukraine was the one that started the war with Russia.
Zelensky also commented on a proposed economic partnership deal with the US and rejected a demand from the US for Ukraine to hand over $500 billion worth of mineral resources to repay for the military aid the US provided the country during the war with Russia.
Zelensky said the US has provided Ukraine with $67 billion in weapons and $31.5 billion in direct budget support.
"You can't call this 500 billion and ask us to return 500 billion in minerals or something else. This is not a serious conversation," he said, adding: "I defend Ukraine, I can't sell our country."
Also on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine will not be excluded from the negotiations to end the war but noted the level of trust between the US and Russia needs to increase for the conflict to get resolved, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday, the US and Russian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, agreeing to appoint high-level teams as soon as possible to start paving the way to end the conflict in Ukraine. Kyiv was not involved in the negotiations.
US to continue to push for minerals pact with Ukraine despite rejection, sources say
The US may seek to sign a simplified minerals deal with Ukraine to get a pact in place soon, then negotiate the details, such as the amount of Ukrainian resources the US could claim, later, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources.
The comments, by two people with knowledge of the matter, come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly rejected a proposal under which the US would take half of Ukraine's critical minerals in exchange for aid in the war.
When asked by Reuters if the US officials would still pursue a deal, an adviser to US President Donald Trump adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about Zelensky: "Absolutely, we need to get this guy back to reality."
The sources said it's important to Trump that he show the American people that he is recouping the aid the US has given to Ukraine over the last three years of war with Russia.
Zelensky was set to meet Keith Kellog, the US envoy to Ukraine who is in Kyiv this week, on Thursday to discuss the "parameters of a revised pact," Reuters reported.
It wasn't clear if the comments by the unnamed sources were made after US President Donald Trump called Zelensky a "dictator without elections" late Wednesday.
19-nation coalition emerges to deal with Ukraine crisis, showing 'how fast things are changing,' Politico says
A coalition of nations that is emerging to deal with the European security crisis has expanded to 19 nations who are questioning the "very foundations" of their relationship of firm allies of the United States, Politico newspaper reported.
The new coalition, which includes Canada and the non-European Union members Norway and Iceland, is wrestling with questions of how to "respond to the new Trump world order," particularly as he apparently takes a stance against Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Other members of the group, which started to form at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, then solidified in a meeting in France on Monday and a second meeting in France on Wednesday, include the leaders of France, the UK, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, and others, Politico said.
The heads of NATO, the European Commission and the European Council are also members of the new group, which rallied behind comments by French President Emmanuel Macron that it was unacceptable for the US and Russia to try to negotiate and end to the war in Ukraine without the presence of European or Ukrainian officials.
The US isn't a part of the group, and neither are Hungary and Slovakia, the newspaper said. Turkey, a NATO member, is not included either, although some have called for its inclusion.
"There's an ideological dimension to this group, post-Munich," Luuk van Middelaar, founding director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, told Politico. "The fact that we are talking in this format one week after the Trump-Putin phone call is a sign of how fast things are changing in the world."
Ukraine to handle part of China's cargo heading to Europe, UZ official says
A portion of the cargo traveling along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which links China and Europe, is expected to be routed through Ukraine, Tymofiy Murakhovsky, commercial and logistics director at state-owned Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia), stated on Wednesday.
For this purpose, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to establish a subsidiary in Kazakhstan, the UZ Cargo East, which would work along the so-called Middle Corridor from China to Europe via Ukraine, according to Murakhovsky.
Two Ukrzaliznytsia ferries will transport container trains from Caspian ports to Baku in Azerbaijan, then from the Georgian port of Poti to Odessa in Ukraine, from the cargo would be sent to Europe, Murakhovsky said at a meeting of exporters in Kyiv, as quoted by Interfax Ukraine.
"We will become an operator not only of rail transportation, but also of sea transportation. The ultimate goal is to create a corridor that will provide turnkey services to our clients from China to Europe," said Murakhovsky.
Murakhovsky declined to comment on when the project may be launched but said the ferries will be able to transport at least two container trains per day, which will allow for a significant increase in cargo turnover between China and Europe.
The Middle Corridor is a key logistics pathway that connects Europe and Asia, offering an alternative to the traditional overland routes like the Northern Corridor through Russia. It stretches from China, traverses Central Asia and the Caspian Sea, continues through the Caucasus region, and links to Europe via Turkey.\
Israeli investors eye opportunities in Ukraine, UkraineInvest says
The Ukrainian government's investment promotion office, UkraineInvest, said on Wednesday that Israeli investors are exploring opportunities in Ukraine.
The statement came following a meeting between UkraineInvest acting Executive Director Oleksandr Melnychenko and Israel's ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky.
The two discussed the "prospects for developing bilateral investment relations and opportunities for Israeli business on the Ukrainian market," UkraineInvest said in a press release.
During the meeting, Melnychenko introduced Ukrainian legislation on state support for investors with significant investments, explained the role of UkraineInvest as a government office for investment attraction and facilitation and outlined the legal incentives and benefits available to investors.
Israeli businesses are actively interested in Ukraine’s investment climate and opportunities, with business risk insurance guarantees being a key priority for investors, Brodsky said, as cited by UkraineInvest.
The parties focused on Ukraine's pressing reconstruction needs and the vital role of private capital in the effort, as per the statement.
"Strategic cooperation between UkraineInvest and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine creates significant opportunities for investment in key sectors of the Ukrainian economy (particularly in processing industry, logistics, warehousing, healthcare, electronic communications and mining), which will contribute to its recovery and modernization in the post-war period," UkraineInvest said.
LA Times: Ukraine may stay destabilized even after the war ends
The aftermath of the war in Ukraine may be nearly as destabilizing for the country as the conflict itself is due to internal frictions, Sergey Maidukov, Kyiv-based author, wrote in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times.
Financial support, infrastructure development, and comprehensive mental health services will be essential for veteran reintegration and sustaining stability, Maidukov argued, noting Ukraine will need support from its Western allies to prevent the country's post-war collapse.
ECFR: Europeans need to show why they need to be involved in Ukraine talks
European leaders need to demonstrate why they need to be part of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine instead of wondering why the US has cut them off, Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) wrote in an op-ed.
The Europeans must showcase not only their assets but also their ability to strategically use or withhold them in negotiations, which requires developing their own peace plan and demonstrating the unity needed for its effective implementation, Shapiro wrote.
Latifundist releases 53-page guide to Ukrainian agriculture consisting entirely of infographics
The amount of farmland under irrigation in Ukraine dropped 78% in the first two years of the full-scale invasion, according to a report compiled by Latifundist, a national website for agricultural professionals.
The drop was most pronounced in the production of oilseed crops, was saw the amount of irrigated land fall by 89% between 2021 and 2023, followed by irrigated land used for grains, which dropped 81%.
The data, originally from the government, was presented in Agribusiness of Ukraine 2023/24, a 53-page report consisting entirely of infographics on the development of the Ukrainian agricultural sector between 2021 and 2024.
The report attributed the decline to the presence of active combat in certain areas, Russian occupation of some Ukrainian territory, and the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in 2023, which flooded large swathes of farmland.
Overall, Ukraine's agricultural sector has suffered indirect losses totaling $69.8 billion between 2022 and 2024 due to a reduction in crop production, the report says.
It defines indirect losses as the difference between actual output and the output that likely would have been achieved had the full-scale invasion not taken place. The losses in 2024 are based on estimates.
Meanwhile, direct losses, or the dollar value of assets that were destroyed, stolen or partially damaged, totaled $10.3 billion in 2022 and 2023, according to the report.
Direct loss of agricultural machinery totaled $5.8 billion, while lost production cost $2 billion and the loss of grain elevators totaled $1.8 billion, the report says.
Also, "due to the deaths and forced slaughter of animals: 238,000 cattle, 544,000 pigs, 131,000 sheep and goats, and almost 13,000,000 poultry were lost," it says.
The report included an infographic breaking down the changes in the types of crops grown in the various regions of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion, with corn grown more in the west and less in the east, and rapeseed increasing in central Ukraine.
Specialization toward soybean crops increased in many areas of the west, center and south of the country while it declined in the east, along with virtually all other agricultural products.
The most widespread reduction in regional specialisation came in the cattle industry, followed by pigs, poultry and milk output, according to the report.
Social Media Posts
Formatsia Industrial Park Almost Done
Invest in Lviv, the promotion agency of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, posted that construction of the first phase of the municipal Formatsia Industrial Park is nearly done, including five production buildings with a total area of 36,990 m².
"The first official resident of the industrial park is USP Panels, which, in accordance with the law, will receive tax and customs benefits. The construction of the new Pozhmashina plant in the industrial park will begin soon."
Grants for 'Fair' Berry Processors
Bank Lviv has announced that grants of up to $150,000, funded by the European Union, are available to processors that collaborate with small farms by purchasing their berry and vegetable products under "fair and transparent conditions."
"The grant will also support investments in training and infrastructure development, such as warehouses, packaging facilities, logistics, etc. Priority will be given to those who implement environmentally responsible and innovative business solutions."
Delivery in Rain, Shine, or Combat
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliya Svyrydenko highlighted the story of a single branch of delivery firm Nova Poshta in the frontline town of Pokrovsk, where staff refused to stop working despite the danger.
"For two years, Nova Poshta stood strong in Pokrovsk, just 5 km from the frontline. Until yesterday, of the original 10 pre-war post office locations, only one remained – kept alive by three determined employees, whom locals dubbed “guardian angels.,"
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