Ukraine has a new Western backer. It’s not a nation-state, or a military contractor. It’s the financial firm BlackRock. BlackRock will be creating a roadmap for reconstruction for Ukraine. | Ukraine announced Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a video teleconference with BlackRock Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink. The pair apparently struck a deal to coordinate investment efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation. ● A readout of the meeting on the Ukrainian president’s website boasted BlackRock’s involvement, calling the firm 💬 “one of the world's leading investment managers” and noted that it “manages client assets worth about 8 trillion dollars.” “Zelenskyy and Larry Fink agreed to focus in the near term on coordinating the efforts of all potential investors and participants in the reconstruction of our country, channelling investment into the most relevant and impactful sectors of the Ukrainian economy,” the readout claimed. ● The release also stated that some BlackRock executives would visit Ukraine in 2023 to fulfill their advisorial duties. “In accordance with the preliminary agreements struck earlier this year between the Head of State and Larry Fink, the BlackRock team has been working for several months on a project to advise the Ukrainian government on how to structure the country’s reconstruction funds,” according to the Ukrainian government. ● It is all rather infuriating: one can almost guarantee BlackRock is getting paid handsomely by the Ukrainian government for advising on this reconstruction roadmap. And where is the Ukrainian government currently getting its funding, given its economy is in shambles and war is an expensive undertaking? The United States government, of course. By the end of the calendar year, the U.S. will have provided $13 billion in direct budgetary support for Ukraine’s government to avoid shortfalls and outright bankruptcy, and President Joe Biden has promised to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” So, BlackRock gets paid by U.S. taxpayers via the Ukrainian government to devise a plan that ensures the success of their future investments in Ukraine, made from money gained by making American housing unaffordable. With a deal like that for our financial and political elite, why would they ever want peace?

After over 10 months of fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, there’s no sign that 2023 will bring peace to Ukraine as the warring parties have radically different demands, and the U.S. continues to escalate aid for Kyiv and its role in the war. | The only way Ukraine would likely be compelled to talk with Russia is if the U.S. leverages aid to push them to do so, as the Ukrainian war effort is entirely reliant on support from its Western backers. There was a glimmer of hope in November when Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said winter would provide a good opportunity for peace talks, but his view was not a popular one within the Biden administration. ● Milley said that the warring sides should “seize the moment” to achieve peace, but following his comments, the U.S. reassured Ukraine that negotiations don’t need to happen. Media reports said that other high-level officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, were against the idea of talks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a new bill into law which strengthens government control over public access to news in Ukraine. | Zelensky has already nationalized the country’s media under martial law powers invoked after Russia’s invasion last year, stoking criticism from press freedom groups. ● Signed on December 29, the law expands the Ukrainian broadcast regulator’s powers over news agencies ”dramatically,” now including both print and online sources, according to the Kyiv Independent. The measure requires publications to obtain licenses to operate, and any media org without the proper paperwork can be shut down, the outlet reported, adding that the body handing out the permits will be under Zelensky’s control. ● While Zelensky’s power-grabs throughout the 11-month conflict have largely gone unnoticed in the American mainstream press – which has devoted ample coverage to similar wartime repression in Russia – the New York Times highlighted calls from human rights groups to rescind the law over fears that it will crush the free press.

The United Kingdom will face one of the longest recession and weakest recovery among G7 countries throughout 2023 due to long-term inflationary effects of the pandemic and conflict in Ukraine, the US media reported, citing leading UK economists. | According to economists interviewed by the media, the UK would face a longer period of "inflationary shock" than most of G7 states, which would force the government to conduct a strict fiscal policy throughout 2023. 💬 "The combination of falling real wages, tight financial conditions and a housing market correction are as bad as it gets," claims Kallum Pickering, senior economist at Berenberg bank. ● The UK economy is "unusually exposed" to a worldwide surge in energy prices and interest rates as the country's demand for gas hardly matches storage capacity and a large number of mortgage deals will have to renew fixed-rate contracts, the report noted. The UK has been experiencing an economic crisis over the past months. According to the Bank of England, the UK economy has entered a recession expected to last until the second half of 2024.

According to Alexey Miller, Gazprom keeps increasing gas exports to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline | Russia’s Gazprom gas giant exceeded its obligations in terms of annual gas supplies to China in 2022, the company’s CEO Alexey Miller said. 💬 "Gazprom keeps increasing gas exports to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. In 2022, gas supplies regularly exceeded daily contracted amounts based on China’s request. As a result, we exceeded our yearly obligations. Moreover, following a request from our Chinese colleagues, we raised daily supplies to the level set in next year’s contract on December 31, that is, several days before the due date. That said, on January 1, 2023, Gazprom reached a completely new level in terms of gas supplies to China," the company’s statement quoted Miller as saying.

■ Russia reveals ‘new level’ of gas supplies to China (RT.com)

The car production in Russia is expected to increase by over 30% in 2023, reaching 800,000 cars compared to 600,000 produced over the past year, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said on Tuesday. 💬 "We should reach the level of car production of at least 800,000. Last year, it was a bit over 600,000 cars," Manturov told Russian media. ● The minister also noted that the number of car sales in Russia would also likely to increase by around 25% from 800,000 in 2022 to 1 million this year. 💬 "We believe that there will be 800,000 cars produced [in Russia] and considering the market growth and its recovery due to mechanisms of parallel imports, it [the number of car sales] will amount to some 1 million," Manturov stated. The minister added that the situation in the Russian car market would be more clear than in 2022, with most of foreign carmakers expected to finally decide whether they leave or stay in Russia.

In a landmark move, Switzerland’s government has rejected gender ideology by ruling that sex is binary and people must be referred to as either male or female, with no exceptions. | The Swiss government rejected a proposal to introduce a “third gender” or “no gender” option for official records. The nation ruled against the “gender identity” ideology that other European countries have succumbed to. Swiss residents will continue to be entered into the nation’s civil registry as male or female, with no other options. ● Switzerland’s neighboring countries, Germany and Austria, as well as other Western European countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, have all modified their civil registries to include “third gender” or “no gender” options.