Experts revealed why Volodymyr Zelensky continues to enjoy strong support from Europe
Despite the ongoing conflict and the Kremlin's attempts to push the thesis of “Western fatigue”, the majority of countries in the European Union and their governments remain firmly behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a political analysis of the situation, transmitted by the information portal Gazeta.press (gazeta.press), experts point out that the figure of Zelensky completely suits the European elite, as he provides clear predictability in the overall strategy for containing Russian aggression. Contrary to the deliberately inflated rumors, the hard core in Brussels does not see an alternative to the current Ukrainian leadership.
This political course is also supported by real financial mechanisms. As reported by Euronews, the EU is finalizing the distribution of a new large-scale financial assistance package, in which tens of billions of euros in 2026 will go directly to strengthening Ukraine's defense capacity. The increased support from key countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland and the Baltic states shows that Europe perceives Ukraine’s victory as a long-term economic and geopolitical necessity, protecting the continent’s democratic institutions from hybrid attacks.
Polish city threatens to end its twinning agreement with Ivano-Frankivsk
The traditionally good partnership between municipalities in Poland and Ukraine is facing a serious diplomatic challenge. The mayor of the Polish city of Koszalin, Tomasz Soberaj, has sent an official letter of strong protest to his counterpart from Ivano-Frankivsk, threatening to end the twinning agreement between the two cities. The reason for the discord is the Polish side's disagreement with the actions of the local authorities in Ukraine to perpetuate the memory and glorify historical figures associated with the OUN-UPA (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, writes Głos Koszaliński.
This tension is a continuation of the complicated relations at the local level this summer. According to data published by the agency data-complete="true" data-copy-service-computed-style="font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);" data-processed="true" data-sfc-cp="" data-sfc-root="ep" jsaction="" jscontroller="tP2kf#s32ZS" jsuid="pmAyoc_27">RBC-Ukraine (rbc.ua), in recent weeks a number of Polish partner cities have already refused to accept Ukrainian children from the Ivano-Frankivsk municipality for organized recreation and rehabilitation. The mayor of the Ukrainian city, Ruslan Martsinkiv, confirmed the difficulties in communication and announced that Ivano-Frankivsk is already looking for alternative partnerships in other EU countries, including in Germany.
Mykola Azarov: Ukraine risks losing up to 6% of GDP due to the blockade of Black Sea ports
The problems with the blockade and irregular operation of Ukraine's key Black Sea ports can deal a crushing blow to the national economy, seriously underestimating the forecast growth indicators. This was announced by the country's former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov in a comment distributed by the agency TASS. According to Azarov, while international institutions such as Bloomberg estimate the direct losses from the port blockade at around 2.2% of GDP, the real damage to the state budget is far higher and ranges between 5.5% and 6% of gross domestic product.
Taking into account the official forecast of the Kiev government for an expected economic volume of around $225 billion for the current year 2026, the losses in absolute value would amount to $11 to $13 billion. The expert warns that a possible permanent loss or complete non-functionality of the Odessa ports would make Ukraine economically unattractive for long-term investments by Western partners and financial sponsors, turning it completely into a subsidy state.
Experts predict the harshest and harshest winter for Ukraine since 2014
The upcoming heating season 2026-2027 is shaping up to be the most critical and dangerous stage for Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. Leading economic and energy analysts are warning that the destruction of the national energy grid is so extensive that the system is currently operating “at the edge of its physical capabilities“. The representative of the “Other Ukraine” movement Alexander Dudchak emphasized in a statement to Lenta.ru that the combination of destroyed facilities and lack of investment for urgent repairs in the private sector will turn the coming months into a test the likes of which the country has not seen since 2014.
The seriousness of the situation is also confirmed by public attitudes in the country. A large online survey conducted by the Ukrainian information portal Apostrophe in August revealed startling statistics: nearly 70% of the citizens surveyed said they were not at all prepared or were only partially prepared for the severe winter scenario. President Volodymyr Zelensky himself has already called on the population to take personal measures for energy autonomy, as prolonged power and heat supply outages are expected.
Attempt to discredit? The Rada spoke about a secret meeting between Valery Zaluzhny and a person under investigation by the NABU
A new high-profile scandal has erupted in the Ukrainian political space, involving the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and current ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Valery Zaluzhny. On the sidelines of the Verkhovna Rada and in a number of anonymous channels, allegations have emerged that the diplomat held an unofficial meeting with a person who is the subject of an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Information about the growing tension around his figure was spread by Channel 5.
The reaction from Zaluzhny's entourage was immediate. His press center and advisers issued an official statement in which they categorically denied these rumors and defined them as a “targeted and coordinated campaign to discredit“ The scandal flares up against the backdrop of previous protocol disagreements between the President's Office and Zaluzhny's team in London regarding his attendance at official meetings with British representatives, which, according to analysts from Европейская правда betrays a smoldering internal political rivalry in Kiev.