G7 Finance Ministers to Thrash Out Ukraine Aid Plan

Finance ministers of G7 nations alongside other officials pose for a photo at Lancaster House in London on June 5, 2021. Henry Nicholls, AP
Finance ministers of G7 nations alongside other officials pose for a photo at Lancaster House in London on June 5, 2021. Henry Nicholls, AP
TT

G7 Finance Ministers to Thrash Out Ukraine Aid Plan

Finance ministers of G7 nations alongside other officials pose for a photo at Lancaster House in London on June 5, 2021. Henry Nicholls, AP
Finance ministers of G7 nations alongside other officials pose for a photo at Lancaster House in London on June 5, 2021. Henry Nicholls, AP

G7 partners meet Thursday hoping to find a solution for Kyiv's budget troubles as the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to roil the global economy.

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are holding talks in Koenigswinter in western Germany to coordinate their response.

"The bilateral and multilateral support announced so far will not be sufficient to address Ukraine's needs, even in the short term," United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a speech in Brussels on Tuesday.

Yellen, who is attending the meeting in Koenigswinter, called on US partners to "join us in increasing their financial support" for war-scarred Ukraine.

The United States has forged ahead with a $40 billion (38 billion euros) aid package to fill Kyiv's coffers and military stores.

But domestically, the world's top economy is faced with soaring inflation, while fears mount that the country could tip into recession.

The story is similar in Europe, where the disruptions caused to supplies of raw materials, components and agricultural goods have darkened the outlook.

The continent's heavy reliance on Russian energy imports also leaves it exposed to further fuel price rises or potential disruptions to supply.

- Financial support -
G7 partners have to "assure Ukraine's solvency within the next days, few weeks," German Finance Minister Christian Lindner told German daily Die Welt ahead of the meeting.

The war has blown a hole in Ukraine's finances, as tax revenue has dropped sharply, leaving it with a shortfall of around $5 billion a month.

Around $7.5 billion of the US aid package is earmarked to help plug the hole in Ukraine's government budget caused by the war, a source close to the G7 organisers said.

Ahead of the meeting on Wednesday, the European Union also proposed to boost its aid to Ukraine by up to nine billion euros.

Announcing the new funding, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was time to think about rebuilding Ukraine whenever the war ends, adding the EU has "a strategic interest" to support the effort.

The discussion on how to finance Ukraine's long-term reconstruction was however "just beginning", Yellen said at a press conference in Koenigswinter Wednesday.

- 'Turbulence' -
The outbreak of the war has diminished growth prospects globally and pushed inflation rates even higher.

The US Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates aggressively in response to high inflation rates has created concerns that the central bank could step on the brakes too hard, hurting growth.

Yellen said Wednesday she did not "expect" a recession in the United States, but warned of the risks for Europe.

The continent, which has also been battling decades-high inflation, was "more vulnerable and of course more exposed on the energy front" as prices rise following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she said.

Europe's reliance on Russian energy imports for much of its needs means further disruptions to supply could come at a heavy cost for industry.

Shortages of raw materials and agricultural products caused by the conflict also threatened to heap extra pressure on consumers.

The rise in energy and food prices was being felt particularly hard in developing nations, German finance minister Lindner said, just as rising dollar interest rates made their debts harder to finance.

The combined pressures "risked turbulence", the G7 host added, calling on China, one of the world's biggest creditors, to be more transparent about its lending.



Ukraine’s New Defense Minister Reveals Scale of Desertions as Millions Avoid the Draft

Ukraine's newly appointed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov attends a parliamentary session in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 January 2026. (EPA)
Ukraine's newly appointed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov attends a parliamentary session in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 January 2026. (EPA)
TT

Ukraine’s New Defense Minister Reveals Scale of Desertions as Millions Avoid the Draft

Ukraine's newly appointed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov attends a parliamentary session in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 January 2026. (EPA)
Ukraine's newly appointed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov attends a parliamentary session in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 January 2026. (EPA)

Wide-scale desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers are among a raft of challenges facing Ukraine's military as Russia presses on with its invasion of its neighbor after almost four years of fighting, the new defense minister said Wednesday.

Mykhailo Fedorov told Ukraine's parliament that other problems facing Ukraine’s armed forces include excessive bureaucracy, a Soviet-style approach to management, and disruptions in the supply of equipment to troops along the about 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

“We cannot fight a war with new technologies but an old organizational structure,” Fedorov said.

He said the military had faced some 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed 34-year-old Fedorov at the start of the year. The former head of Ukraine’s digital transformation policies is credited with spearheading the army's drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms.

His appointment was part of a broad government reshuffle that the Ukrainian leader said aimed to sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy amid a new US-led push to find a peace settlement.

Fedorov said the defense ministry is facing a shortfall of 300 billion hryvnia ($6.9 billion) in funding needs.

The European Union will dedicate most of a massive new loan program to help fund Ukraine’s military and economy over the next two years, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

Fedorov said Ukraine’s defense sector has expanded significantly since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. At the start of the war, he said, the country had seven private drone companies and two firms developing electronic warfare systems. Today, he said, there are nearly 500 drone manufacturers and about 200 electronic warfare companies in Ukraine.

He added that some sectors have emerged from scratch, including private missile producers, which now number about 20, and more than 100 companies manufacturing ground-based robotic systems.


France Explores Sending Eutelsat Terminals to Iran Amid Internet Blackout

 Protesters hold up placards with pictures of victims as they demonstrate in support of anti-government protests in Iran, outside Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
Protesters hold up placards with pictures of victims as they demonstrate in support of anti-government protests in Iran, outside Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
TT

France Explores Sending Eutelsat Terminals to Iran Amid Internet Blackout

 Protesters hold up placards with pictures of victims as they demonstrate in support of anti-government protests in Iran, outside Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
Protesters hold up placards with pictures of victims as they demonstrate in support of anti-government protests in Iran, outside Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)

France is looking into sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens after Iranian authorities imposed a blackout of internet services in a bid to quell the country's most violent domestic unrest in decades.

"We are exploring all options, and the one you have mentioned is among them," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday in ‌the lower house ‌after a lawmaker asked whether France ‌would ⁠send Eutelsat ‌gear to Iran.

Backed by the French and British governments, Eutelsat owns OneWeb, the only low Earth orbit constellation, or group of satellites, besides Elon Musk's Starlink.

The satellites are used to beam internet service from space, providing broadband connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers in underserved areas.

Iranian authorities in recent days have ⁠launched a deadly crackdown that has reportedly killed thousands during protests against clerical rule, ‌and imposed a near-complete shutdown of internet ‍service.

Still, some Iranians have ‍managed to connect to Starlink satellite internet service, three people ‍inside the country said.

Even Starlink service appears to be reduced, Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks said earlier this week.

Eutelsat declined to comment when asked by Reuters about Barrot's remarks and its activities in Iran.

Starlink’s more than 9,000 satellites allow higher speeds than Eutelsat's fleet of over 600, ⁠and its terminals connecting users to the network are cheaper and easier to install.

Eutelsat also provides internet access to Ukraine's military, which has relied on Starlink to maintain battlefield connectivity throughout the war with Russia.

Independent satellite communications adviser Carlos Placido said OneWeb terminals are bulkier than Starlink’s and easier to jam.

"The sheer scale of the Starlink constellation makes jamming more challenging, though certainly not impossible," Placido said. "With OneWeb it is much easier to predict which satellite will become online over a given ‌location at a given time."


China Says It Opposes Outside Interference in Iran’s Internal Affairs

Iranians walk next to a billboard reading "Iran is our Homeland" at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 13 January 2026. (EPA)
Iranians walk next to a billboard reading "Iran is our Homeland" at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 13 January 2026. (EPA)
TT

China Says It Opposes Outside Interference in Iran’s Internal Affairs

Iranians walk next to a billboard reading "Iran is our Homeland" at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 13 January 2026. (EPA)
Iranians walk next to a billboard reading "Iran is our Homeland" at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 13 January 2026. (EPA)

China opposes any outside interference in Iran's ​internal affairs, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington ‌would take "very ‌strong action" ‌against Tehran.

China ⁠does ​not ‌condone the use or the threat of force in international relations, Mao Ning, spokesperson at ⁠the Chinese foreign ministry, said ‌at a ‍regular ‍news conference when ‍asked about China's position following Trump's comments.

Trump told CBS News in ​an interview that the United States would take "very ⁠strong action" if Iran starts hanging protesters.

Trump also urged protesters to keep protesting and said that help was on the way.