According to Serbian Economist, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić published an op-ed for the American television network Fox News, in which he presented Serbia as a country ready for a closer partnership with the US, and stated that Donald Trump’s policies are viewed in Belgrade not as a threat, but as an opportunity for stability and economic development.
In the column, Vučić contrasted the attitude of some European elites toward Trump with the mood in Serbia. He wrote that “contempt” for the America First philosophy has spread from Brussels to Berlin, whereas Serbia sees it as an opportunity for a more pragmatic policy focused on results, security, and economic growth.
Vucic emphasized that Serbia, despite the painful memory of the 1999 NATO bombings, has in recent years become one of the few corners of Europe where sympathy for the U.S. has grown. According to him, reflexive anti-Americanism—which he believes has spread throughout much of Europe—is rarely found in the country today.
Separately, the Serbian president described his experience interacting with Trump and his team during his first presidential term. According to Vučić, his meetings at the White House following difficult negotiations left him with the impression that Serbia’s position was listened to without prejudice or arrogance. He also wrote that the image of Trump as an “aggressive bully” did not match his personal experience of interacting with him.
The column’s key political thesis is that Serbia’s European path should not mean distancing itself from the U.S. Vucic stated that for Belgrade, the path to Brussels “does not require distancing from Washington,” and that Serbia’s special relationship with the U.S. could be an asset for the stability and growth of the entire European continent.
The economic section of the text was built around the idea of Serbia as a modern and strategically important partner for the West. Vučić noted that Serbia is one of Europe’s most dynamic economies, with GDP growth exceeding that of the Eurozone, and is becoming a hub for future technologies—from data centers to supply chains for electric vehicles.
He gave special attention to the lithium agenda. According to the president, Serbia has the second-largest lithium reserves in Europe, and this resource is key to Western industrial independence. Vucic also emphasized that Serbia is not seeking aid, but rather “deals” that secure supply chains, accelerate energy independence, and create jobs.
This is an important signal for the Serbian economy. Belgrade is attempting to position the country not only as an EU candidate and a regional player in the Western Balkans, but also as a potential component of American and European industrial strategy. In this context, lithium, energy, infrastructure, IT, data centers, and manufacturing for the electric vehicle industry are not separate projects but part of Serbia’s broader geo-economic agenda.
Vucic also effectively urged Washington to reconsider its view of the region. He stated that it is time for the U.S. to stop viewing the Balkans through the lens of the 1990s and to pay attention to Serbia as the largest economy in the Western Balkans, an “anchor of stability,” and a country that remembers its friends.
The most striking part of the column was the invitation to Trump to visit Belgrade. Vucic noted that no American president has visited the Serbian capital in over half a century since Richard Nixon’s visit in 1970, and stated that if Trump were to come to Belgrade, he would receive “a welcome the likes of which Europe hasn’t seen since Nixon.”
Ukraine is interested not only in developing partnerships with countries in Europe, North America, and the Persian Gulf, but also with other regions of the world, particularly Africa, Asia, and Latin America, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga.
According to him, Ukraine’s unique defense capabilities and experience in protecting lives are of great interest to many countries around the world. “Countries around the world are watching developments in the Middle East and seeing just how cost-effective and technologically advanced Ukraine’s capabilities are,” Sibiga noted in a post published on social media platform X.
The minister emphasized that years of brutal Russian war have brought immense suffering and destruction to the Ukrainian people, but at the same time have forced Ukraine to develop its own unprecedented strength. Modern Ukraine is a guarantor of security and a reliable partner for those who share its values and seek to protect life from any threats.
“From this new perspective, it is also difficult to understand why any decision-maker in any NATO member country would prefer to have Ukrainian strength outside the Alliance rather than integrated into it,” the minister added.
Deputy Head of the Department for Financial Technologies, Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan Hikmatilla Ubaidullaev said that the first working meeting with OpenAI representatives was held. Valerie Fokke, Dips Patel, Shaig Ali, and Carlotta Serrano, Heads of Education and Partnerships, participated in the meeting.
The main topic of the talks was the introduction of ChatGPT EDU platform for teachers and students. This tool will allow using powerful OpenAI language models in a secure environment, creating personalized learning materials and own AI assistants.
The parties paid special attention to personalized learning, where artificial intelligence helps to adapt the educational process to the individual characteristics of each student, such as their pace, level of knowledge, and interests. Such a system will allow teachers to quickly identify gaps, create individualized assignments, automate work checking, and reduce bureaucratic procedures.
It was agreed that OpenAI will not create a separate program but will join the national initiative 1 Million AI Leaders, supplementing it with its own courses and expertise. This will allow Uzbek schoolchildren, students, and teachers to master artificial intelligence technologies at the level of world standards.
A separate area of discussion was the support of local startups. OpenAI expressed its readiness to consider providing preferential access to APIs and loans, as well as participation in hackathons and acceleration programs in Uzbekistan. This will create additional opportunities for young teams developing their own AI products in education and business.
The Uzbek side also presented plans to create a GPU cluster and an Uzbek-language data corpus for localization and adaptation of AI models. OpenAI representatives noted that their systems already demonstrate a high level of understanding of the Uzbek language and expressed interest in further cooperation in this area.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in three key areas:
1) implementation of ChatGPT EDU at universities;
2) development of mass AI education;
3) support for startups and hackathons.
The European pharmaceutical association Medicines for Europe, the Ministry of Health, and the Association of Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (AVLU) have signed a memorandum of partnership in the field of critical medicines. The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) in Rome last week.
According to Adrian Van Den Goevaert, CEO of Medicines for Europe, Ukraine’s participation in the Critical Medicines Alliance and its experience in sharing responses, together with regulatory integration into EU systems based on alignment with EU technical and procedural rules, anti-corruption measures, the creation of an independent medicines agency in Ukraine, and mutual recognition of GMP certificates are becoming key priorities for EU-Ukraine pharmaceutical cooperation.
For his part, Anatoliy Reder, CEO of the pharmaceutical company Interchem (Odessa), noted that the memorandum will enable Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies to participate in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for EU countries.
“The memorandum shows that Ukraine is highly developed in the field of pharmaceutical production and is ready to participate in supplying critical medicines to EU countries. We already have certain positions from the list of critical medicines and can very quickly ensure the production of the rest. We can produce APIs in the quantities required by the EU,” he said.
According to Reder, the production of APIs and drugs from the critical list will be convenient for both Ukraine and the EU.
“Ukraine has a highly developed and modern production control system. The requirements for the production of medicines in Ukraine are sometimes higher than in European countries, so we can ensure reliable supplies of high-quality products,” he said.
At the same time, Reder noted that in order to launch a project for the production of critical medicines, European manufacturers need support from European official bodies so that they can include Ukrainian production sites in their dossiers as additional sources of APIs.
Medicines for Europe, MEMORANDUM, Ministry of Health, PARTNERSHIP, PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS
The Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with the Belt and Road Trade and Investment Promotion Center in Ukraine, organized a bilateral business event.
The event, held on May 22, 2025, brought together hundreds of representatives of Ukrainian and Chinese companies interested in establishing direct cooperation at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“China remains Ukraine’s main trading partner. Despite the distance, complex logistics, and tensions, cooperation between companies continues. This is because many sectors of the Ukrainian economy need affordable Chinese imports. And the Chinese market needs Ukrainian products. I hope that the business dialogue will be a prelude to deeper mutual understanding at all levels,” said Gennady Chizhikov, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during the opening of the forum.
The Chinese delegation included representatives of 11 Chinese companies. Among them were manufacturers of building materials and thermal insulation solutions; packaging and food equipment; consumer electronics and household goods; pharmaceutical products, electric vehicles, rehabilitation equipment, and prosthetics; companies providing logistics, tourism, consulting services, green energy, and agricultural technology.
Business representatives took part in B2B negotiations with potential partners. Chinese entrepreneurs expressed interest in investment activities in most sectors of Ukraine’s economy.
Interfax-Ukraine is the information partner of the forum.
The cooperation between HC Tryzub and Ukrnafta will be aimed at developing hockey in Ukraine and will help attract young people to the sport. The partnership will enable the club not only to strengthen its position in Ukrainian hockey, but also to reach a new level of development. Financial stability and support from one of the country’s largest enterprises will allow HC Tryzub to implement its ambitious plans and reach new heights.
Yevhenii Zyk, General Manager of HC Tryzub, said:
“We are very pleased to start cooperation with Ukrnafta. This partnership opens up new opportunities for our club and, first of all, contributes to the popularization of hockey in Ukraine. We are grateful to our new partners for their support and trust in our project.”
“In its statement, Ukrnafta emphasized the importance of supporting sports initiatives aimed at developing youth and promoting a healthy lifestyle. “We are proud to become a partner of HC Tryzub. Sport plays an important role in the life of our country, as it not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, but also fosters team spirit and resilience. By supporting youth hockey, we are investing in the future of Ukraine, because these young men and women will become the leaders of our country tomorrow,” said Maksym Miklashevskyi, Director of Marketing at PJSC Ukrnafta.
This partnership promises to be long-lasting and mutually beneficial, contributing not only to the success of HC Tryzub on the ice, but also to the overall development of hockey in Ukraine.
Tryzub Hockey Club and Ukrnafta invite all fans to support the team in the new season!
