Standing beside a sleepy village in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad Oblast, the Zavalivskiy mine lies beneath layers of brown and pink earth, holding some 7.5 million metric tons of graphite ore — the second largest flake graphite mine in Europe. Like many mining companies in Ukraine, Zavalivskiy Graphite has lost nearly a third of its workforce over the last three years of Russia’s invasion. Its production plummeted from around 15,000 metric tons pre-war to 860 metric tons last year. Back in 201

Editor's note: An original version of this article stated that every passenger on a bus hit in Russia's missile attack on Sumy had been killed in the strike, but reports the following morning found that a boy had managed to escape and rescue fellow passengers, including his mother. The burnt shell of a red bus lied in the center of Sumy after Russia launched two ballistic missiles hurtled at city on April 13 — it was believed everyone on the bus had been killed instantly, Anna Shpurik, a journa

The following is the April 9, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. President Trump shocked the world on April 2 when he announced what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” slapping tariffs on allies and rivals alike. Ukraine was hit with a 10% tariff on all its goods, apart from metal products, which already had a 25% tariff imposed on them in March. This will be “difficult but n

U.S. President Donald Trump has inadvertently hit Russia’s economy after his "Liberation Day" tariffs caused oil prices to drop drastically on April 7, with potentially massive ramifications for the Kremlin's ability to fund its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russia has so far failed to agree to a full ceasefire, and while Trump has been vocal about being "pissed off" and "very angry" with the Kremlin, he is yet to take any concrete action to force Russia to end its full-scale invasion. He has multip

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 unleashed what he has dubbed "Liberation Day," imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world — including war-torn Ukraine. Kyiv got off lighter than most with only a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, compared to 20% on the EU, and 54% on China. Nonetheless, it follows a previous round of 25% tariffs in March that thrashed Ukraine's metallurgy sector — the source of its main exports to the U.S. Notably, the U.S. did not include Russia on its tari

The following is the April 1, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Washington proudly announced on March 25 that it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to "eliminate the use of force" in the sea after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia. Details are still missing from the “ceasefire,” most crucially the start date. Kyiv said it was ready to go, but Moscow

The ongoing saga of the U.S.-Ukraine natural resources deal has already caused seismic ruptures between Kyiv and Washington, temporarily costing Ukraine American military support and crucial intelligence sharing. Yet in the quest to placate U.S. President Donald Trump, and secure his support in the fight against Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv faces another hurdle — signing a deal that doesn't threaten its coveted accession into the EU. Ukraine confirmed on April 1 that it had received a ne

With much fanfare, the U.S. on March 25 announced it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia. But while Kyiv said it was ready to abide by it straight away, Moscow stalled, insisting the U.S. lift some of the sanctions imposed on it since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has innocuously framed its request as a badly-needed boost to its global food and fertilizer tra

While the White House celebrates a ceasefire in the Black Sea after a 12-hour meeting in Riyadh, in Ukraine, the enthusiasm is muted. The agreement is missing crucial securities that Ukraine urgently needs, including protecting its ports from Russian attacks as well as opening up the blockaded Mykolaiv port. The deal negotiated by the U.S. and Russia leans more in Moscow’s favor, experts told the Kyiv Independent. Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow agreed to a ceasefire on March 25 to “eliminate the

The restart of flights is vital for rebuilding Ukraine's economy, a process that cannot start unless "somebody gives the airports a kick up the backside," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said.

"G7 decision that those assets are not going back to Russia unless Russia pays for its damages is something which is already decided. And it's important to stick with this decision," EU Economy and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly ready to lift sanctions on Russia imposed after the start of the full-scale invasion, in a reversal of U.S. policy toward Moscow during its war against Ukraine. The White House is preparing a plan to potentially give Russia sanctions relief for several entities and Russian citizens as part of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported on March 3. The move is a stark shift from a sanctions policy by former President Joe Bid

An agreement on Ukraine’s natural resources collapsed after a heated argument in the Oval Office on Feb. 28 between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, casting doubt on the deal’s future. Following weeks of tough negotiations, Kyiv and Washington eventually came to an agreement on Ukraine’s critical minerals, oil, gas, and infrastructure. After the Trump Administration dropped some of Kyiv’s major objections to earlier versions

As Kyiv and Washington celebrate agreeing to jointly develop Ukraine’s natural resources after weeks of tense negotiations, the deal still has a long way to go before the money starts flowing. Officials, experts, and those close to the deal say the current version of the agreement is an improvement to earlier drafts. But they caution this is just the first step to more negotiations rather than a concrete deal. And with no signatures yet on paper, things could change in the coming days. “It’s d

LATEST: Kyiv, Washington reach agreement on minerals deal. The media cycle around a natural resources deal between Washington and Kyiv has been nonstop as the two sides lock horns over an agreement that has escalated from speculative critical minerals to Ukraine’s fruitful oil and gas sector. The relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine has been tense since negotiations began at the start of the month. The U.S. has reportedly put forth three proposals, of which the first two have been turned