According to Serbian Economist, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reaffirmed that the country’s accession to the European Union remains Belgrade’s strategic goal and expressed hope to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a bilateral visit.
Vucic made these remarks in an interview with Rainer Novak, editor-in-chief of the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, published on July 23.
“The European path is our strategic goal. There are no other paths for us. This means that we must cooperate closely with all candidate countries,” said the Serbian president.
According to him, it is in the European Union that he sees his country’s future.
Speaking about relations with Ukraine, Vučić stated that he sees no reason to abandon cooperation with Kyiv. He reiterated that Serbia supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provides it with financial, medical, energy, and humanitarian aid.
“I hope we will be able to welcome him to Serbia on a bilateral basis,” said Vučić, referring to Zelenskyy.
Vucic also announced that Serbia is ready to participate in the reconstruction of one of Ukraine’s smaller cities. In addition, the parties are discussing the development of a road and rail route from Trieste through Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Moldova to Ukraine.
The Serbian president had previously reaffirmed his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but did not sign the final declaration, which condemned Russian aggression and called for increased sanctions pressure on Moscow.
Commenting on criticism of cooperation with Kyiv, Vučić stated that Ukraine had not taken any action against Serbia and had not recognized Kosovo’s independence.
“We cannot oppose someone just because someone else opposes them. I see no reason why we should not cooperate with Ukraine,” he said.
At the same time, Vučić emphasized the need to take into account Serbia’s relations with Asian countries and Russia and reaffirmed the country’s military neutrality.
Serbia was granted EU candidate status in March 2012, and membership negotiations began in January 2014. In recent years, the opening of new negotiation chapters has effectively stalled, despite Belgrade’s statements that it is ready to meet the technical criteria for membership.
According to “Serbian Economist”, the Hungarian government plans to allocate 3.55 trillion forints, or about 9.8 billion euros, by 2035 for the modernization of the national railway network.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Minister of Transport and Investment Dávid Vitézi presented the program on July 22 at the Rakospalota-Újpest station in Budapest. Authorities are calling it one of the largest railway projects in the country’s history.
The program is designed to be implemented in several phases. Its main objectives will be to improve the reliability of transportation, reduce travel times, reconstruct tracks and stations, modernize the rolling stock, and develop international rail routes.
The government intends to ensure competitive rail service to all administrative centers in Hungary, modernize regional lines, and expand commuter service around Budapest and other major cities. Specific areas of focus will include the development of freight transport, the establishment of a rail link to Budapest Airport, and the integration of national and urban transportation systems.
It is planned to allocate 1.1 trillion forints from EU Cohesion Funds and 700 billion forints from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to implement the program. An additional 400 billion forints is planned to be raised through loans from the European Investment Bank, with a similar amount to be secured through concession projects. Approximately 950 billion forints will be allocated to projects under the next EU budget cycle for 2028–2034.
The government plans to purchase at least 35 new InterCity trains and 42 commuter electric trains, as well as begin renovating the country’s ten busiest train stations. The average age of MÁV trains and HÉV commuter trains is currently about 43 years, and 42% of the rail network is subject to significant speed restrictions.
On major routes, the government aims to increase the average speed to 100 km/h. Certain sections are planned to be upgraded to accommodate trains traveling at speeds of 160–200 km/h.
PJSC “Centravis Production Ukraine” (Centravis Production Ukraine, Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast), a subsidiary of Centravis Ltd., reported a 6.6% increase in production for January–June of this year—from 6,770 metric tons to 7,220 metric tons;
According to a press release on Monday, exports in monetary terms increased by nearly 15%—from 2.56 billion UAH to 2.94 billion UAH; the amount of taxes paid rose by nearly 11% to 361.5 million UAH.
“The first half of the year was another challenging period for us, one that put the entire team to the test. First and foremost, this was due to the security situation in Nikopol, where our main production facilities are located. The situation remains consistently difficult, and so far there is no reason to expect a significant improvement in the near future,” said the company’s CEO, Yuriy Atanasov.
According to him, in June, the EU—one of the company’s key markets—decided to significantly restrict opportunities for exporting Ukrainian steel products. Specifically, the EU set a quota of 6,524 metric tons for Ukrainian seamless stainless steel pipes, even though Ukraine exported 11,306 metric tons last year. “In effect, a single regulatory decision has closed off nearly half of the European market for us. The consequences of this decision could be extremely painful for both the company and the Ukrainian economy,” the CEO stated.
He added that the new trade restrictions could significantly impact Centravis’s production figures in the second half of the year. The market for seamless stainless steel pipes is quite conservative, and finding and attracting new customers in other regions takes time. One consequence of the new trade restrictions was the company’s decision to mothball its production facility in Uzhhorod—which is largely geared toward EU customers—starting September 1.
At the same time, the company plans to continue diversifying its supply geography by stepping up its efforts in the U.S., Latin American, and Middle Eastern markets, where Centravis has sales offices.
As previously reported, Centravis increased its pipe production by 6% in Q1 2026—from 3,210 metric tons in the first quarter of 2025 to 3,400 metric tons in the first quarter of 2026. Export volumes grew even more—by 10%, from 1.24 billion UAH to 1.37 billion UAH. The company also increased its tax payments to budgets at various levels.
In the first three months of 2026, “Centravis” paid 170.6 million UAH in taxes, which is 19% more than during the same period last year.
In 2025, the company produced 13.77 thousand metric tons of products. Almost the entire volume is exported to foreign markets. The company’s main markets remain Europe, the United States, and the Middle East.
Centravis’s production facilities are located in Nikopol and Uzhhorod. The company also has sales offices in the United States, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates.
Centravis was founded in 2000 and ranks among the top ten largest manufacturers of seamless stainless steel pipes in the world. Its main production facilities are located in Nikopol (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast). In 2023, the company opened a branch in Uzhhorod.
The Centravis Ltd. holding company was established on the basis of CJSC “Nikopol Stainless Steel Pipe Plant” and the service and trading companies of LLC “Production and Commercial Enterprise ‘YUVIS’.” Its shareholders are members of the Atanasov family. Centravis Ltd. owns 100% of the shares in Centravis Production Ukraine PJSC.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Taras Kachka will serve as Ukraine’s representative to the European Union in Brussels and, at the same time, perform the duties of Ukraine’s trade representative.
“We are still awaiting decisions on four more clusters. I believe that Taras will be able to implement this most effectively at Ukraine’s Mission to the EU in Brussels. Given Taras’s proven track record and experience in trade policy, he will combine this work with the European Union with the role of Ukraine’s trade representative within the framework of our bilateral trade agreements with key partners,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel on Friday.
European Union countries imported a record amount of liquefied natural gas from Russia’s Yamal LNG project in the first half of 2026, despite the gradual implementation of a ban on Russian gas supplies, the Financial Times reported, citing data from the analytics firm Kpler and the environmental organization Urgewald.
According to the publication, European countries received approximately 9.9 million metric tons of LNG from “Yamal LNG” between January and June, which is about 18% more than during the same period in 2025. This marks the highest half-year figure since exports from the project began in 2017.
Reuters cites slightly different operational data: according to Kpler, shipments to the EU totaled 9.97 million metric tons and increased by 16%. The discrepancy between the figures may be due to updates in information regarding tanker movements and the actual unloading dates of the shipments. Overall, both sources confirm imports of approximately 10 million metric tons and the setting of a new record.
In total, 140 tanker shipments were dispatched from Yamal LNG in the first half of the year. Of these, 136—or more than 97%—arrived at EU ports. China received only four shipments during the same period. Thus, the European market effectively absorbed nearly all exports from Russia’s largest Arctic LNG project.
The estimated value of the shipments delivered to the EU is 5.96 billion euros, or about 6.82 billion dollars. The main destinations were terminals in France, Belgium, and Spain.
The increase in imports occurred as European companies prepared for the final cessation of Russian gas supplies. According to estimates by the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), Russian LNG imports increased by 11% year-over-year in January–May 2026, while Russian pipeline gas supplies rose by 7%. Among the reasons cited by the agency is the early delivery of part of the contracted volumes before new restrictions took effect.
However, it is not yet accurate to say that the purchase of all Russian LNG is already banned in the EU. As of April 25, 2026, the ban applies to imports under short-term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025. Deliveries under previously concluded long-term contracts may continue until January 1, 2027. After that date, a complete ban on Russian LNG imports is set to take effect.
Therefore, a significant portion of Yamal LNG deliveries in the first half of the year could have been made under existing long-term contracts and did not formally violate European restrictions.
Data on the increase in the share of Russian gas in EU imports from 12% to 14% also requires clarification. According to the European Commission and the Council of the EU, Russian LNG and pipeline gas accounted for approximately 12% of European gas imports in 2025 overall. ACER estimated Russia’s share during the 2025–2026 winter season at approximately 14%. These figures relate to different periods and therefore cannot be directly interpreted as a definitive annual increase in market share of two percentage points.
The increase in supplies was also driven by the current restriction on the transshipment of Russian LNG at European ports for onward shipment to third countries. As a result, most of the gas arriving at EU terminals remains on the European market rather than being transshipped to other vessels for transport to Asia.
These record purchases highlight the tension between the EU’s policy of phasing out Russian energy sources and the need to ensure stable gas supplies amid a tight global market. At the same time, they highlight the Yamal LNG project’s dependence on European port, shipping, and financial infrastructure: with limited access to Asian routes, Russia has so far been unable to redirect a significant portion of its Arctic LNG to China.
The Yamal LNG project is located on the Yamal Peninsula in the Russian Arctic and is controlled by the Russian company Novatek. Novatek owns 50.1% of the project, with France’s TotalEnergies and China’s CNPC each holding 20%, and the Silk Road Fund holding 9.9%. The project’s production capacity is approximately 17.4 million metric tons of LNG per year.
The EU finalized its phased phase-out of Russian natural gas on January 26, 2026. A complete ban on Russian LNG is set to take effect on January 1, 2027, and on pipeline gas in the fall of 2027. In the event of a serious threat to energy supplies, the European Commission will be able to temporarily suspend certain restrictions for up to four weeks.
Original source Financial Times
EU countries have agreed to extend temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine for another year—until March 2028—but have imposed restrictions on granting it to new applicants who are subject to military service.
The decision was announced on Wednesday in Brussels, according to the EU Council’s press service.
“Today, EU countries agreed to extend the temporary protection status granted to refugees from Ukraine until March 4, 2028, fulfilling the EU’s commitment to support Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary. Extending protection for another year will provide clarity and predictability for all those fleeing the war,” the statement said.
At the same time, “recognizing both the need to protect displaced persons and Ukraine’s need to defend itself against Russia’s illegal war, EU countries agreed that temporary protection should be granted only to those who fulfill their military obligations in Ukraine.”
The press release notes that, “given Ukraine’s evolving defense needs, temporary protection will henceforth be granted only to those who are fulfilling their military obligations in Ukraine,” but this restriction will apply only to new applicants for temporary protection. “It will not apply to those who are already benefiting from temporary protection in the EU,” the press release explains.
The statement also clarifies that, in practice, to obtain temporary protection, individuals displaced from Ukraine will have to prove that they have fulfilled their military obligations. “ “For example, this can be done by presenting a passport with an exit stamp issued by the Ukrainian authorities, which confirms that they legally left Ukraine and, therefore, have fulfilled their military obligations. It can also be done by presenting a document, in paper or electronic format, confirming discharge from military service or the fulfillment of military obligations,” the statement notes.
Temporary protection has currently been extended until March 4, 2027, and since March 2022, more than 4 million displaced persons from Ukraine have been receiving protection in the EU.
Commenting on the decision, Jim O’Callaghan, Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration and current EU Presidency holder, said: “We remain unwavering in our support for Ukraine against Russia’s illegal war of aggression. Today, we decided to extend the protection status we provide to those fleeing the war for another year, until March 2028. This provides stability for those who have found safety in the EU. The message is clear: we continue to support Ukraine. And as part of our support, we also want to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself. That is why our temporary protection scheme takes into account Ukraine’s legitimate needs.”
The Council of the EU will formally adopt the decision to extend temporary protection in the coming weeks. The decision will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force the following day.
