WAR IN UKRAINE: September 20, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II remained engaged with developments in Ukraine and voiced support for the Ukrainian people
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 209
On several occasions today during live coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, her background role in providing guidance to western leaders and policy makers on the war in Ukraine was mentioned. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited the war as one of the topics he discussed in one of his last audiences with the late Queen.
Separately, the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II to pay her respects to the late monarch "on behalf of all Ukrainians." "It is very important for us to know that such a world leader of an epoch, a leader with an impeccable reputation and morals, was with us," Zelenska told BBC News on Sunday. Ukrainians "know that the Queen shared the values that Ukraine stands for today: freedom, the right to one's own home, language, culture and country," she said. "We have repeatedly heard words of support from her."
On Ukrainian Independence Day in August, the late monarch wrote to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: "In this most challenging year, I hope that today will be a time for the Ukrainian people, both in Ukraine and around the world, to celebrate their culture, history and identity," she continued. "May we look to better times in the future," she said. She has previously shared support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. In March, the Disasters Emergency Committee announced she made a "generous donation" to its Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Businesses in Ukraine have picked up from depths early in Russia’s invasion, with some companies in areas away from front lines adding jobs, becoming military suppliers. Ukraine’s economy, while hurting, is stabilizing after the deep crash set off by the war, thanks to a combination of quick policy actions, military resilience and the flexible response of Ukrainian businesses to the damage and dislocation. The uptick is boosting morale in the country along with recent combat breakthroughs in the east after months on the defensive. Early this year, as Russian forces threatened the capital Kyiv, it looked like Ukraine’s economy might collapse, with gross domestic product for the year projected to fall by as much as half. It is still expected to be down about 30%, but summer saw a rebound from the depths of last spring. “Things are bad but stable,” said Tymofiy Mylovanov, head of the Kyiv School of Economics. “It looks and feels like the economy is adapting” - WSJ
Putin says Russia's not responsible for the EU's energy crisis — it just needs to 'push the button' on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to get more natural gas - Business Insider
Turkey's Isbank suspends use of Russian Mir cards. Turkey’s largest private lender Isbank has suspended transactions through the Russian payment system Mir, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 19. The decision came after the U.S. Treasury warned against financial institutions cooperating with the Russian operator. Turkey has not implemented sanctions imposed on Russian institutions due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine - Kyiv Independent