Travel, property, and local info for Ukraine

29+ min ago (112+ words) Today on Off the Record, Ambassador Natalka Cmoc speaks with Robert M'ller, Austria's Ambassador to Ukraine, about shared history, accountability for war crimes, humanitarian support, returning abducted Ukrainian children, disinformation, energy security, and Austria's role in Ukraine's future reconstruction." " Austria's deep historical and cultural ties with Ukraine " Why accountability and the ICC matter for victims of Russia's war " How Austria helps return children illegally taken to Russia " Support for veterans, trauma recovery, and mental health " The growing challenge of Russian disinformation in Europe " Energy independence and shifting away from Russian gas " Ukraine's cultural renaissance and strengthening identity" What Austria is learning from Ukraine during wartime...

44+ min ago (221+ words) Participants in the negotiation process to end the war in Ukraine must ensure the resolution of three basic issues for holding elections in Ukraine, Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak said. "First " security. During the election campaign and voting, missiles and drones should not strike. In my opinion, this can be achieved only by declaring a ceasefire," Podoliak said in Telegram channel. He called the implementation of electoral rights the second issue. "The fighting continues along the front line, which is more than 1,200 kilometers long. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are taking part in it, and no less live in the front-line zones. How to ensure their right to vote and be elected? The answer: a ceasefire," the President's Office deputy head said. The third issue, Podoliak called the financing of the elections. "We have millions…...

1+ hour, 29+ min ago (333+ words) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and comprehensive efforts to achieve peace in the Ukrainian-Russian war during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Anadolu Agency reported. Turkey ready to host talks between Ukraine and Russia in all formats " Erdogan Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and comprehensive efforts to achieve peace in the Ukrainian-Russian war during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Anadolu Agency reported. "Erdogan said that Turkey is closely following the negotiation process aimed at ending the war and could accept negotiations in all formats in this context," the report said. He stressed that efforts aimed at ending the Ukrainian-Russian war by establishing a just and lasting peace are of great value, and also expressed his belief in the possibility of achieving progress in…...

1+ hour, 34+ min ago (466+ words) Ukraine has presented the U.S. with a revised 20-point framework to end its war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that the issue of ceding territory remains a major sticking point in negotiations. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said the U.S. is offering as a compromise to create a "free economic zone" in the Ukraine-controlled parts of the eastern Donbas which Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede. "They see it as Ukrainian troops withdrawing from the Donetsk region, and the compromise is supposedly that Russian troops will not enter this part of Donetsk region. They do not know who will govern this territory," he said, adding that Russia is referring to it as a "demilitarized zone." However, Zelenskyy said there was still no common understanding on the land issue and that Ukrainians should vote on any territorial concessions…...

1+ hour, 35+ min ago (442+ words) BRUSSELS " The European Union is expected on Friday to lock up Russia's assets held in Europe until it gives up its war in Ukraine and compensates its neighbor for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. The move is an important step that would allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb'n " Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe " accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, "of systematically raping European law." A total of 210 billion euros ($247 billion) in Russian assets are frozen in Europe. The vast majority of the funds " around 193 billion euros…...

1+ hour, 43+ min ago (290+ words) Ukraine will announce a tender for a public-private partnership (PPP, concession) in the Port of Chornomorsk by the end of this year, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Andriy Kashuba said Friday. "As the head of the tender committee, I hope that before the New Year we will be able to launch this process," Kashuba said at the "Infrastructure Day 2025" event organized by the European Business Association (EBA), Interfax-Ukraine's correspondent reported. Taras Boichuk, a World Bank consultant and head of the SPILNO PPP project office at the Ministry, clarified that the tender concerns a container terminal. He added that after the tender is announced, a dedicated event is planned for potential participants and companies interested in the concession. "Expectations are very high. We hope to see real competition among the top global players in this sector, which in turn…...

1+ hour, 53+ min ago (284+ words) According to AUGO, the market currently generates more than UAH 17 billion in annual budget revenues. Association members argue that spending limits for players should be strictly personal and risk-based, not rigid and fixed as currently proposed. AUGO also proposes increasing the allowed weekly and monthly time limits for player participation, because the thresholds in the draft order are unrealistic and would push players toward illegal casinos. The association believes the Law "On Gambling in Ukraine" does not require the establishment of fixed player limits or "caps," making the reference to the law in the draft order incorrect. AUGO cites analysis of data from legal operators' online systems and claims that if a monthly limit of EUR 1,000 per player is imposed, Ukraine's budget would lose about UAH 5.6 billion in annual tax revenue, while 3050% of players would migrate to the illegal sector,…...

2+ hour, 6+ min ago (241+ words) EU Council President Antonio Costa, ahead of the European Council meeting to be held in Brussels on December 18-19 and following his previous contacts with country leaders, has assured that Ukraine's urgent financial needs for 2026-2027, in particular for its military and defense efforts, will be met - Europe is "ready to offer a solution." EU Council President Antonio Costa, ahead of the European Council meeting to be held in Brussels on December 18-19 and following his previous contacts with country leaders, has assured that Ukraine's urgent financial needs for 2026-2027, in particular for its military and defense efforts, will be met - Europe is "ready to offer a solution." "Preparing the upcoming #EUCO in my calls with leaders. Together, we have faced important meetings before - and we will face more. And we're once again ready to deliver solutions," he wrote on the X social network…...

2+ hour, 22+ min ago (304+ words) KYIV: Ukrainian forces said they had retaken parts of the northeastern town of Kupiansk and had encircled Russian troops there as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the area and praised the operation, saying it strengthened Ukraine diplomatically. With US-backed peace efforts underway, Moscow has said it is advancing on all fronts and that it has seized Kupiansk and the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the east. Kyiv has denied this, saying that the fighting is continuing. "Today it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy," Zelenskyy said in the clip. Ukraine's Khartiia Corps of the National Guard said it had liberated several northern districts of Kupiansk. Russian supply routes have been cut off and several hundred Russian troops are surrounded, Khartiia said on the Telegram messaging app. Reuters could not…...

2+ hour, 41+ min ago (292+ words) Russia signalled on Friday that any ceasefire in Ukraine would be possible only if Kyiv's forces fully withdraw from the Donbas region, with Moscow insisting that Ukrainian-held areas be placed under the control of Russia's National Guard. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told Kommersant that a truce could occur "only after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, warning that if this does not happen through negotiations, Russia would seek to seize the remaining territory by force. Russia's National Guard is a 400,000-strong internal security force that has been active in Ukraine since the start of the 2022 invasion. In 2023, it was granted legal authority to procure and use heavy weapons, including tanks and artillery. Economically, supporters of the idea argue that the Donbas " long an industrial and resource-rich region with significant pre-war manufacturing hubs " could gain from an internationally supported economic…...