Against the backdrop of growing tensions between India and Pakistan, a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club highlights Ukrainians’ views on how they see our country’s diplomatic position in the event of an escalation of the conflict between these two nuclear powers.
According to the poll, the vast majority of Ukrainians — 90.3% — are in favor of Ukraine taking a neutral position in the event of a full-scale Indo-Pakistani war. This shows that people want diplomatic restraint on issues that don’t directly affect national interests.
Only 8% of respondents expressed support for some form of support for India (4.7% — full support, 3.3% — partial support). As for Pakistan, only 1.6% supported this country (0.3% — partial support, 1.3% — full support for Pakistan’s position).
These results echo Ukrainians’ broader perceptions of these two countries. According to separate surveys
26.7% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward India, while 55.3% are neutral.
26.7% have a positive attitude toward Pakistan, while 55.3% are neutral.
“The predominance of neutrality in the choice of diplomatic course towards India and Pakistan indicates a low level of inclusion of the topic in Ukraine’s information space. At the same time, this is a sign of a mature approach to foreign policy in the eyes of citizens,” notes Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Despite the fact that some respondents show moderate sympathy for India, the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens adhere to a position of non-interference. This may indicate a high level of awareness of armed conflicts outside their own region.
The American investment company Franklin Templeton Asset Management has begun managing the assets of the National Investment Fund of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The company’s participation in the management of the investment fund was announced in February of this year.
This agreement is being implemented with the aim of supporting Uzbekistan’s economic development and attracting international investors.
As part of the cooperation, Franklin Templeton will manage an investment portfolio of 18 state-owned enterprises and commercial banks owned by the Fund and implement transformation programs aimed at increasing their investment attractiveness. After the implementation of these programs, the shares of the Fund, as well as the enterprises and banks under its management, will be listed on local and international stock exchanges.
To this end, Franklin Templeton will implement transformation programs, including reviewing the development strategies of state-owned enterprises and banks, bringing their corporate governance, financial performance, internal audit, and risk management systems into line with international standards, and improving staff skills.
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz has been elected federal chancellor of Germany on his second attempt, tagesschau.de reported on Tuesday.
“In the second round of voting, the Bundestag elected Friedrich Merz as federal chancellor. The CDU leader received 325 votes. A majority of 316 votes was required. In the first round of voting, Merz received only 310 votes,” the report said.
As reported, CDU leader Friedrich Merz lost the first round of voting for the Bundestag chancellor election on Tuesday morning. In a secret ballot, he received 310 votes in favor, six fewer than the required majority of 316 votes. The CDU/CSU and SPD coalition parties together hold 328 seats in parliament.
This is an “unprecedented event” in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. Never before has a designated chancellor failed to be elected by the Bundestag after federal elections and successful coalition negotiations.
The relocation of businesses during the war has opened up opportunities for Ukrainian businesses to renew themselves and enter new markets. This was stated by CCIP President Gennady Chyzhykov in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“We helped entrepreneurs relocate their production, advised them on regulatory conditions, and created channels for partnership. Support for SMEs, the most vulnerable sector, was particularly important,” he said.
Chizhikov added that in regions such as Volyn, programs have been implemented to integrate relocated businesses into the economy, including joint projects with the Czech Republic.
For more details, see the interview at https://interfax.com.ua/news/interview/1069297.html
Registrations of new commercial vehicles (trucks and special vehicles) in Ukraine in April 2025 decreased by 6% compared to the same month in 2024, to 982 units, according to UkrAvtoprom on its website.
Compared to March 2025, demand for such vehicles decreased by 1.4% (14 vehicles).
According to the report, MAN was the leader of the month with 128 vehicles registered (in April 2024, it was tenth in the ranking with 40 vehicles).
Citroen rose to second place with 118 units (last year it had 41 cars and was in ninth place), and last year’s leader Renault came in third with a nearly 2.3-fold decrease in registrations to 113 units.
The top five also included Peugeot with 78 units (74 units in April 2024) and Ford with 75 units (51 units).
“Since the beginning of the year, 3,820 new vehicles have been added to the Ukrainian fleet of trucks and special-purpose vehicles, which is 2% less than in the same period last year,” UkrAvtoprom reports.
As reported, in April 2024, the market for new commercial vehicles grew by 12.7% compared to April 2023, to 1,049 units, and in January-April, the market grew by 24%, to 3,193 thousand units.
According to UkrAvtoprom, 12,900 new commercial vehicles were registered in Ukraine in 2024, which is 14% more than a year earlier.
Ukrainian companies are maintaining their export activity despite military action and internal restrictions. As Gennady Chizhikov said in an exclusive interview with the news agency Interfax-Ukraine, at the end of 2024, exports amounted to 129.2 million tons of goods worth $41 billion.
“Even in wartime, Ukrainian businesses continue to export. This confirms not only their resilience but also their ability to adapt to new global realities,” Chyzhykov said.
According to him, the CCI actively supports businesses in matters of certification, technical regulation, and digitalization of export processes.
For more details, see the interview at https://interfax.com.ua/news/interview/1069297.html
