The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) approved a $40 million loan agreement for a 10-year term for one of the subsidiaries of Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, Astarta Agricultural Holding.
“DFC will co-finance with the International Finance Corporation capital investments and operating expenses related to the construction of a soybean protein concentrate (SPC) plant,” the agricultural holding company said.
According to Vyacheslav Chuk, director of commercial operations and strategic marketing at the agricultural holding, in September 2025, Astarta intends to continue investing in the construction of its soy protein concentrate plant in 2026, with investments amounting to approximately EUR 40 million.
In 2024, Astarta began investing in the construction of a plant for processing soybean meal into soy protein concentrate with a capacity of 500 tons/day (approximately 100,000 tons/year) in the Hlobyn Industrial Complex (Poltava region). The agricultural holding will invest over EUR 76 million in the purchase of equipment and technologies and will create 110 new jobs.
Astarta and its structural unit Astarta Agro Protein signed the first investment agreement with the Ukrainian government to receive compensation from the state for significant investments. Under the agreement, the state will provide the agricultural holding with a number of incentives, including exemption from import duties on new equipment, import VAT on new equipment, and income tax for up to five years.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine and is the largest sugar producer in Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms with 22,000 head of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Hlobyn (Poltava region), seven elevators, and a biogas complex.
In the first half of 2025, Astarta reduced its net profit by 10.3% to EUR47.11 million, and its consolidated revenue decreased by 29.3% to EUR320.71 million.
The US has proposed a meeting between the national security advisors (NSA) of Ukraine, the US, and Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, expressing cautious optimism about the prospects for such a meeting.
“As for Umerov (Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, who is in the US, where he held talks with American and European partners on ending the war), he called me and said that America is now proposing a trilateral meeting of the NSA – America, Ukraine, Russia,” Zelensky said in comments to reporters on Saturday.
The president noted that he is not sure that this meeting will bring anything new, but pointed out that a similar meeting in Turkey resulted in the return of captured military personnel and civilians, so it is worth holding such meetings.
“I believe that this is not everything we wanted, but it is very important. I am very glad that we had exchanges. Our people, our military personnel, especially prisoners, have returned home. And civilians too. And that is why such steps must be taken. And if there can now be a meeting that will unblock the exchanges, or if the result of the trilateral NSA meeting could be an agreement on a trilateral meeting of leaders, and I have said this many times, there are complex issues that must be resolved by the leaders of the states. Therefore, if the results are exchanges or some other agreements, I cannot be against it, we will then support the proposal of the United States of America. Let’s see how it goes,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian bakery chain Lviv Croissants has launched its second location in Washington State, US, the company announced on Instagram.
The new location is in Westfield Southcenter Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in the region and a key traffic hub. The space was prepared for opening for about a year.
“A lot of teamwork went into this opening. We prepared the space for almost a year — carefully, responsibly, and without rushing. And now we can say: it was worth it. We brought to Tacoma what we love most: Lviv hospitality and flavors that are easy to fall in love with,” the company said, adding that the Ukrainian atmosphere of Lviv Croissants is now even closer to Seattle.
The assortment includes traditional croissants with various fillings, as well as beverages to make snacks for an active day convenient and delicious.
As reported, the chain entered the Norwegian market in November.
According to the company’s website, the brand entered the European market in September 2022. Currently, there are 178 establishments throughout Ukraine, 11 in Poland, and one each in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
In April 2025, the Lviv Croissants chain opened its first outlet in South Korea. Korean franchisees invested about $250,000 in the bakery, and the total investment in the opening was about $500,000.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno (Ohio) has announced his intention to introduce the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 to Congress, which effectively abolishes dual citizenship for US citizens. The bill stipulates that Americans will not be able to hold US citizenship and the citizenship of any other country at the same time.
According to specialized media reports, the bill contains two key provisions. First, any person who applies for foreign citizenship after the law comes into force will automatically be considered to have renounced their US citizenship. Second, current dual citizens will be given a one-year transition period during which they must either renounce their foreign passport or notify the authorities in writing of their renunciation of US citizenship. Failure to do so will result in the loss of US citizenship.
Enforcement of the law will be entrusted to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, which will be required to create systems for registering individuals who have lost their citizenship and mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the new rules. The initiative has already sparked debate in the media, particularly because it could affect well-known public figures who hold dual citizenship.
Experts note that the bill will face challenges from both a political and legal standpoint. The US Supreme Court, in a series of decisions, including Afroyim v. Rusk (1967) and Vance v. Terrazas (1980), has clearly established that a citizen cannot be deprived of citizenship without voluntarily renouncing it, and that the mere existence of dual citizenship cannot automatically be interpreted as grounds for its loss.
Given these precedents, as well as the political situation in Congress (resistance from Democrats and likely reservations from some Republicans), the chances of the bill being passed in its current form appear slim. Most likely, the initiative will become part of the domestic political debate on immigration and citizen loyalty.
Prices for RAM in Europe and the US have risen significantly, negatively affecting the electronics and computer market. In Ukraine and neighboring countries, this trend is already beginning to take effect, although there is little accurate domestic data available yet.
According to Reuters, Samsung Electronics raised its contract prices for 64 GB and 96 GB DDR5 modules by more than 30% between September and November 2025.
Analysts at Counterpoint Technology Market Research note that global prices for some DRAM chips have risen 3-11 times since the beginning of 2025.
The GameGPU portal reports that in Europe, a 64 GB DDR5 kit sells for around €550, which is significantly higher than the usual level.
TrendForce predicts that memory prices could rise another 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and another 20% in early 2026.
There are no accurate statistics for Ukraine at the time of publication, but retailers and dealers note that prices for 64 GB DDR5 kits have risen by tens of percent in recent months.
The increase in memory costs leads to higher prices for computers, laptops, game consoles, and servers. There is already information that manufacturers and sellers in the EU are preparing significant price adjustments for models with high memory capacities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has formed a delegation to participate in negotiations with the United States and other international partners of Ukraine, as well as with representatives of the Russian Federation. The delegation will be headed by the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak.
Decree No. 854/2025, signed on November 22, “On the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the negotiation process with the United States of America and other international partners of Ukraine, as well as with representatives of the Russian Federation, to achieve a just and sustainable peace,” is posted on the website of the Office of the President.
The delegation consists of nine high-ranking officials, including the head of the delegation, Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, and Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov. It also includes Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov, Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleg Ivashchenko, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Yevhen Ostryansky, Deputy Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad, and Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleksandr Bevz.
According to the decree, Yermak, as head of the delegation, is authorized to make changes to the composition of the Ukrainian delegation in agreement with the President of Ukraine; to involve, in accordance with the established procedure, employees of state bodies, enterprises, institutions, organizations (in agreement with their heads), scientific advisers, and experts (with their consent) to ensure the work of the Ukrainian delegation.
