A peace agreement in Ukraine is unlikely to be reached before spring, and European allies must continue to support Kiev despite the corruption scandal, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with the Associated Press.
“A peace agreement in Ukraine is unlikely to be reached before spring. European allies need to continue their support despite the corruption scandal that has engulfed Kiev,” he said.
Stubb is using his good relations with US President Donald Trump to defend Ukraine’s position: “I can explain to President Trump what Finland has gone through, how I see the situation on the battlefield, or how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And then, you know, if he accepts one of my ten ideas, that’s good,” he said.
He also recalled Finland’s historical experience: in the 1940s, after two wars with Russia, the country lost about 10% of its territory and remained militarily neutral. Finland’s neutral position was only revised after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the country joined NATO.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine may resume in Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with broadcaster A Haber.
“Well, of course, we cannot go into details for reasons that you will understand, I mean, I think it (the talks – IF-U) could happen in Turkey, it could happen in other places. But this peace not only must happen, it will happen,” the minister said.
Fidan stressed that the war is now at its “darkest moment” and that both sides, according to him, are focused on destroying each other’s infrastructure. He noted that the use of drones and “kamikaze” drones makes it difficult to move around and conduct operations, and that the successes of the Ukrainian and Russian forces come at a high human cost.
According to Serbian Economist, the average annual salary of full-time employees in the EU in 2024 was €39,800, which is 5.2% higher than in 2023, according to Eurostat.
The highest average salaries were recorded in Luxembourg (€82,969), Denmark (€71,565), and Ireland (€61,051).
The lowest figures were in Bulgaria (€15,387), Greece (€17,954), and Hungary (€18,461).
The full list for EU countries in 2024 is as follows:
Luxembourg — €82,969;
Denmark — €71,565;
Ireland — 61,051;
Belgium — 59,632;
Austria — 58,600;
Germany — 53,791;
Finland — 49,428;
Sweden — 46,525;
France — 43,790;
Slovenia — 35,133;
Spain — 33,700;
Italy — 33,523;
Malta — 33,499;
Lithuania — 29,104;
Cyprus — 27,611;
Estonia — 26,546;
Portugal — 24,818;
Czech Republic — 23,998;
Croatia — 23,446;
Latvia — 22,262;
Poland — 21,246;
Romania — 21,108;
Slovakia — 20,287;
Hungary — 18,461;
Greece — 17,954;
Bulgaria — 15,387.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1760
The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center warns of difficult weather conditions on Monday, November 17.
“On November 17, in the Carpathians, during the day and in the western, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr regions, gusts of 15-20 m/s (hazard level I, yellow) are expected,” the warning states.
It is noted that weather conditions may complicate the work of energy, construction, and utility companies, as well as traffic.
In January-October of this year, Ukraine reduced exports of carbon steel semi-finished products in physical terms by 35.5% compared to the same period last year, to 1 million 79,360 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Wednesday, in monetary terms, exports of carbon steel semi-finished products fell by 38% to $512.964 million.
The main exports were mainly to Bulgaria (35.78% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (17.72%), and Turkey (16.54%).
During the period in question, Ukraine imported 83,788 thousand tons of semi-finished products worth $62.282 million, mainly from Oman (35.57%), Germany (23.53%), and the Czech Republic (15.84%), while in the first 10 months of 2024, it imported 15 tons of semi-finished products worth $33 thousand.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased its exports of semi-finished carbon steel products in physical terms by 56.7% compared to 2023, to 1 million 886,090 tons, while revenue in monetary terms increased by 52.4% to $927.554 million. The main exports were to Bulgaria (32.06% of supplies in monetary terms), Egypt (18.50%), and Turkey (11.14%).
In 2024, Ukraine imported 306 tons of semi-finished products worth $278 thousand from the Czech Republic (88.13%), Romania (7.19%), and Poland (2.88%), while in 2023, it imported 96 tons worth $172 thousand.
The American AIRO Group Holdings Inc. and the Ukrainian company Nord Drone Group LLC (NDG) have signed a final agreement to establish AIRO Nord-Drone, LLC, a transatlantic defense joint venture that will meet the needs of key defense industry markets, including Ukraine, the US, and NATO countries.
According to the press release, the joint venture will combine AIRO’s manufacturing and procurement expertise in the US with battle-tested technologies and European manufacturing capabilities.
“Our partnership with AIRO creates a powerful platform for the distribution of our battle-tested technologies in the service of the US and NATO armed forces,” said NDG CEO Yevgeny Kotukh in the press release.
The Nord-Drone group of companies currently produces approximately 4,000 drones per month, including FPV strike units, with the potential to increase production to 25,000 units, long-endurance munitions, and multi-role bombers, with the possibility of scaling, supported by established production capacities and relationships in the defense sector.
Under the proposed structure, AIRO will provide oversight of manufacturing, research and development, and expertise in government procurement, while Nord Drone will provide its own technology, manufacturing capabilities, and established connections in the defense sector. This collaboration will integrate Nord Drone’s large-scale, battle-proven platforms with the RQ-35 Heidrun and AIRO’s broad portfolio of unmanned systems.
It is noted that the establishment of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, including compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and other conditions precedent set forth in the definitive agreement.
