Travel, property, and local info for Ukraine

2+ hour, 30+ min ago (732+ words) As the US warns against tapping frozen Russian assets, the EU is pushing to unlock billions for Kyiv " exposing a widening transatlantic divide over how to finance Kyiv's survival. The US has reportedly urged several European governments to push back against an EU proposal to use frozen Russian central bank assets to back a multibillion-euro loan for Ukraine, known as the reparations loan. The planned loan " fiercely opposed by Belgium, which fears legal risks as its Euroclear securities depository holds most of Russia's frozen assets " would tap into those assets, transferring them to fund Ukraine now on the understanding that Ukraine repays only if Russia later pays reparations. Bloomberg, citing unnamed diplomats, reported that the US lobbied several EU governments to oppose the plans. The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US officials argued that the funds should be…...

2+ hour, 36+ min ago (637+ words) Senior US defense officials warned European partners that while military aid to Kyiv is set to rise, Washington will no longer anchor NATO's conventional defenses past 2027. The Trump administration has privately informed European allies that Washington will no longer remain NATO's primary conventional defense provider beyond 2027, three people familiar with classified conversations this week told Kyiv Post. The development marks a dramatic shift that puts Europe on a strict countdown as war rages in Ukraine and uncertainty hangs over transatlantic security. According to briefings delivered to European counterparts mid-week, senior Pentagon officials said the Indo-Pacific remains the administration's top priority and that the US "cannot fight two wars at once," making a structural transfer of NATO's conventional defense responsibilities to Europe non-negotiable. Despite the strategic pivot, officials said that arms deliveries to Ukraine have continued and are expected to increase…...

3+ hour, 38+ min ago (298+ words) In this episode of Off the Record, host Natalka Cmoc speaks with Iryna Mudra " Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine " about Ukraine's legal front in the war against Russia. How Ukraine Builds Justice: Special Tribunal, Reparations&Reforms In this episode of Off the Record, host Natalka Cmoc speaks with Iryna Mudra " Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine " about Ukraine's legal front in the war against Russia. Drawing on details from her work, Iryna explains: JOIN US ON TELEGRAM Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. - Why a new tribunal is needed and how 40 countries joined the effort - How the tribunal will work, including trials in absentia - Timeline for establishing the tribunal in The Hague - Estimated "300 billion in Russian state assets abroad - How the reparation loan works, Belgium's concerns, and why Ukraine…...

4+ hour, 37+ min ago (344+ words) An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said much of the diplomacy is taking place behind the scenes. Published'Dec 06, 2025, 05:01 AM KYIV - Ukrainian negotiators and US officials will hold fresh talks on Washington's plan to end Russia's invasion at a meeting in Miami on Dec 5, a Kyiv official told AFP. The two sides had been scheduled to meet in Florida on Dec 4 in talks involving US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, though officials have not confirmed if that meeting went ahead. "Another meeting is expected today," Mr Oleksandr Bevz, an adviser in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, told AFP after days of frenzied diplomacy on the plan. A first draft of Washington's plan would have seen Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises…...

4+ hour, 54+ min ago (736+ words) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU plans to cover "90 billion of Ukraine's "135 billion financing needs for 2026-27 through new borrowing and a proposed reparations loan. The EU plans to cover "90 billion ($105 billion) of Ukraine's estimated "135 billion ($161 billion) financing needs for 2026-27, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference while presenting the EU's new support proposals. The statement is the first official confirmation of the exact sum earmarked for Ukraine over the next two decisive years, ahead of its shift into the EU's regular financing system. It comes as Russia's full-scale war grinds on " long past the point many in the West assumed it would end. Von der Leyen said Ukraine faces a "critical juncture" as peace-related negotiations continue while Russia intensifies its attacks, raising both civilian and military financing needs. The International Monetary…...

6+ hour, 34+ min ago (188+ words) "The bill was developed by the Ministry of Defense on the instructions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We are responding to key requests of the Ukrainian Army and society," Shmyhal said on Telegram channel. In particular, the bill stipulates that the contract is offered for soldiers, sergeants and officers of all Security and Defense Forces: the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Guard of Ukraine and others. Contracts are proposed to be concluded for a period of one to five years, with a deferral of mobilization for 12 months after the end of the contract, provided that it is concluded for two to five years. The bill provides for annual financial bonuses and additional monthly remuneration for participation in combat operations. New contracts will be able to be concluded by citizens in reserve and reservists, mobilized servicemen....

6+ hour, 47+ min ago (207+ words) A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will assess the condition of more than ten critically important electrical substations essential for nuclear safety and protection during its visit to Ukraine from December 1 to 12, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced. A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will assess the condition of more than ten critically important electrical substations essential for nuclear safety and protection during its visit to Ukraine from December 1 to 12, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced. Previous IAEA missions to the substations have highlighted a continued degradation of the grid and increased challenges to the transmission infrastructure. Based on the mission findings, the IAEA recommends further restoration and protective work of the NSC structure, including humidity control measures and an updated corrosion monitoring programme, as well as an upgrade of an integrated automatic monitoring…...

7+ hour, 4+ min ago (163+ words) Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy, Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna said the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund (UCHF) has already raised more than EUR 4 million in international support. She emphasized that Ukraine is actively working on new agreements. As reported earlier, in July 2025 the Ministry of Culture and its partners presented new international instruments to support Ukrainian culture at the 2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, including the Cultural Resilience Alliance, the Ukrainian Heritage Fund and Team Europe Ukraine. In early November, Copenhagen hosted the second international "Cooperation for Resilience" conference, where the operational mechanism of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund was presented. Following the conference, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK announced that they would invest EUR 3 million in the newly established fund. The Ministry of Culture previously stated that the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund will operate under Belgian law…...

7+ hour, 7+ min ago (168+ words) The State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development said media reports that it intends to spend UAH 6.6 billion to build a road through the Bukovel ski resort in the village of Polianytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, are incorrect, the agency said on its Telegram channel. The State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development said media reports that it intends to spend UAH 6.6 billion to build a road through the Bukovel ski resort in the village of Polianytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, are incorrect, the agency said on its Telegram channel. "We note that this information is incorrect" Funding for construction works has not been planned and has not been allocated," the agency said Friday. As part of the region's road infrastructure development strategy, the regional restoration office in Ivano-Frankivsk is preparing measures related to the development of design and estimate documentation, not to construction....

7+ hour, 9+ min ago (215+ words) The G7 countries and the European Union are negotiating to replace the price cap on Russian oil exports with a complete ban on maritime transportation, Reuters reports, citing six sources familiar with the situation. The G7 countries and the European Union are negotiating to replace the price cap on Russian oil exports with a complete ban on maritime transportation, Reuters reports, citing six sources familiar with the situation. Currently, Western companies cannot provide tankers and related services for the transportation of Russian oil if its price exceeds the established ceiling. It was initially set by the G7 and the EU at $60 per barrel, but was recently lowered by the European Union, Great Britain, Canada and Switzerland to $47 per barrel; the United States did not join this measure. According to Reuters, Russia exports more than a third of its oil by Western tankers, mostly…...