The Associated Press news agency tried to figure out how much foreign financial aid would be enough for Ukraine to keep the state fully functioning, despite spending on war and terrorist attacks by Russia. Now the key difficult task of Ukrainian government officials is to have enough money for all the necessary payments and to prevent hyperinflation. At the same time, inflation jumps are already occurring ― as well as, accordingly, prices, due to which the most vulnerable sections of the population are already forced to save significantly on products. The next year is expected to be no easier economically than the current one, and the situation with the budget for 2023 is a marker of this. Of the 2.6 trillion hryvnias provided for in the spending part, the deficit is 1.3 trillion — and it can be compensated mainly by Ukraineʼs foreign partners. Almost half of this budget is spent on the army and war in general, that is, there is no question of significant development in other areas. However, the Kyiv School of Economics is optimistic ― they predict that by the middle of next year, the economic situation in Ukraine will significantly improve, while in Russia, on the contrary, it will worsen. And in order to survive next year, Ukraine will need $50 billion, more than ten of which have already been promised by the United States. The media draws attention to the fact that the EU countries, which so far have promised more than they have actually done, could help in this area. Also, this dependence of Ukraine on foreign aid can become a good tool to reduce the level of corruption in the country ― if the aid is given under the conditions of anti-corruption reforms.
A year has passed since Angela Merkel left the post of Chancellor of Germany, and "her portrait, which has not yet been framed, is already fading," writes the Singaporean news agency CNA. The reason for the rapid loss of authority is that Merkel left Germany unprepared for a full-scale, large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also, the politician who was considered an outpost of democracy in the Western world against the background of the star of Trump and other populist politicians, could be much tougher with Russia ― and, perhaps, in the end, take away from it the opportunity to start a big war in Europe. "Sometimes realpolitik (a partial compromise on declarative principles in exchange for a real benefit) is necessary for the success of oneʼs own country," says Hedwig Richter, professor of modern history at the Bundeswehr University of Munich. "But amorality is another thing." Merkel is now accused of insisting on continuing the construction of the Nord Stream despite the outbreak of the war in 2014, and of not diversifying Germanyʼs sources of fuel. As a result, the country is now anxiously awaiting winter cold weather, and fuel and electricity prices have already risen significantly. Merkel, who now rarely appears in public, replies that she acted as conscientiously as she could under the current conditions.
Today, a Ukrainian choir performed the Christmas song Shchedryk in New Yorkʼs Carnegie Hall ― a hundred years after its first performance in the same place. The World publication wrote many details about the rehearsals of this performance by the childrenʼs choir of the same name. A hundred years ago, this song became a tool for winning the support of the then Ukrainian state from the communist invasion. This time the story is similar: Ukrainians are trying to draw the worldʼs attention to a new disaster in their land with Schedryk. Some of the choir members have been living abroad since February: they fled from the Russian invasion. Since then, the children have performed frequently in Europe and the US to help raise aid for both Ukrainian refugees and the army. "The history of Shchedryk is the history of Ukraineʼs struggle for independence," the publication quotes researcher Tina Peresunko. The author of the song, Mykola Leontovych, wrote it in 1916. Since 1918, the choir has been actively touring the world with performances, and this song was the biggest hit. And in 1921, Leontovych, who became an important symbol of Ukraine, was killed by an agent of the Soviet special services. "Just like a hundred years ago, this song helps to fight against the Russian occupation and the claims of Russian propaganda that the Ukrainian nation donʼt exist," says Peresunko.