Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine have agreed to introduce unified transit permits for freight transport. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Transport.
The relevant intergovernmental agreement was signed on May 15 of this year at a meeting of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission in Astana. It provides for the introduction of a single transit permit form in all five countries.
The document will allow carriers to cross the territories of several participating states using a single form without additional documents. The decision aims to eliminate administrative barriers and speed up transit.
AZERBAIJAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, transit permits, UKRAINE, UZBEKISTAN
British energy company BP announced the acquisition of a 40% stake in a production-sharing agreement covering six oil and gas exploration blocks in the Ustyurt region of Uzbekistan. This marks the company’s return to traditional energy investments.
BP had previously scaled back its exploration activities in the region in 2021 as part of a “green” energy strategy adopted under former CEO Bernard Looney, who committed to reducing oil and gas production by 40% by 2030.
Since then, the company has refocused on fossil fuels.
“We believe Uzbekistan has significant resource potential and view this as an opportunity to support the exploration and development of the country’s oil and gas resources,” said Joe Cristofoli.
BP, GAS, OIL, UZBEKISTAN
Imports of transformers, inductors, and chokes into Ukraine in January–April 2026 increased by 96% compared to the same period in 2025—reaching $661.9 million, according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the published data, imports of these products in April, in particular, rose 2.7-fold compared to April of last year, but fell by 34% compared to March of this year—to $150.5 million.
China remains the largest supplier of these products to Ukraine. Over four months, $611 million worth was imported (92.3% of total imports of these goods), while a year earlier, $279 million worth of transformers and chokes was imported from this country (82.4%).
In addition, transformers were imported from Turkey ($7.2 million) and Japan ($6.5 million), while last year imports from Germany amounted to $17.4 million and from Turkey to $13.9 million.
Furthermore, the State Customs Service reported that in January–April, Ukraine exported transformers, inductors, and chokes worth $13.3 million (compared to $8.4 million last year), primarily supplying them to Germany, Poland, and Hungary.
Imports of electric generating sets and rotating electrical converters into Ukraine in January–April 2026 decreased by 30.4% compared to the same period in 2025, down to $359.1 million, according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the data, in April alone, imports of this equipment fell by 27.4% compared to April 2025 and by 23.3% compared to March 2026, to $60.3 million.
As reported with reference to the State Customs Service, in 2025, imports of transformers, inductors, and chokes into Ukraine rose by 88% compared to 2024—to $1.12 billion. At the same time, imports from China were 2.3 times higher—amounting to $957.3 million.
Since the beginning of last year, the volume of transformer imports has significantly exceeded the levels of the year before last. In particular, imports increased sixfold in January, but the growth rate gradually slowed, and in January 2026, it fell by nearly 23% compared to January 2025—to $98.6 million.
At the end of July 2024, Ukraine exempted imports of electric generator equipment and batteries into the country from customs duties and VAT.
According to the State Customs Service, in 2025 Ukraine increased imports of electric generators and converters by 2.3 times compared to 2024—to $1.69 billion—and batteries by 55% to $1.48 billion. At the same time, in January 2025, imports of electric generators increased eightfold compared to January 2024, and imports of batteries tripled.
In April, China increased oil production by 1.2% compared to the same month last year, reaching 17.94 million tons, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. From January to April, production rose by 0.5% to 72.74 million tons.
Oil refining volumes fell by 5.8% last month to 54.65 million tons, the lowest level since August 2022. From January to April, the figure decreased by 0.5% to 238.95 million tons.
Natural gas production in April rose by 3% to 23.4 billion cubic meters; since the start of the year, production has increased by 2.7% to 90 billion cubic meters.
The Nauru Parliament has approved a constitutional amendment to officially change the country’s name from Nauru to Naoero, Xinhua reports, citing a statement from the island nation’s government. The next step will be to hold a national referendum, as public support is required for the change to be finalized.
The amendment was approved by parliament on May 12, 2026. According to the Pacific Islands News Association, the vote was unanimous, and the government links the name change to the recognition of the country’s national heritage and identity.
The new name—Naoero—corresponds to the country’s local self-designation. Nauru’s authorities note that, if finally approved, it will be used in official state documents, institutions, and the country’s international representation.
The parliament’s decision does not yet mean an immediate renaming of the state. The constitutional procedure requires a referendum, after which the change can officially take effect. The date of the vote has not yet been specified in published government and media reports.
Nauru is a small island nation in Micronesia in the central Pacific Ocean. The country gained independence in 1968 and is one of the world’s smallest republics in terms of territory and population. In recent years, Nauru has also attracted international attention due to changes in its foreign policy: in January 2024, the country severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and reestablished relations with the PR
Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), the parent company of an international vertically integrated mining and metallurgical group, has paid another coupon on its 2029 Eurobonds and, despite the war in Ukraine, continues to meet its debt obligations, particularly to Eurobond holders.
“We can confirm the payment of the coupon on the 2029 bonds,” Andriy Burlakov, head of the Metinvest Group’s press service, told the agency “Interfax-Ukraine” in response to an inquiry.
The next coupon payment date for the 2029 Eurobonds is May 17.
“Coupon payment dates are May 17 and November 17 (each year),” according to the information regarding the 2029 bonds.
The coupon rate is 7.750% per annum.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its facilities are located in Ukraine—in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions—as well as in European Union countries, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The holding’s main shareholders are the SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.
