News about International trade
For the first quarter of 2026, Ukrainian ports fulfilled the transshipment plan by 98% – more than 21 million tons of cargo.
This is how the initiative of Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu to abandon the 5+2 format and create a new negotiating mechanism for the Transnistrian settlement was commented by the chairman of the Alliance of Moldovans party, Dumitru Roibu.
Berlin has shifted its focus from the auto industry to armaments and is actually becoming a key production base for armaments in Europe.
The dollar, considered a defensive asset, rebounded amid renewed tensions between the US and Iran. Hopes for a peace agreement are fading as Iran has said it will not participate in the talks. The Strait of Hormuz in the spotlight: Iran has once again blocked this crucial waterway.
The European Commission forecasts for 2026 an increase in sunflower plantings in the countries of the Union by 5%, the harvest – by 1.2 million tons (up to 9.6 million tons). As a result, production of this raw material in the EU may turn out to be the highest in the last three years.
Ferroalloy enterprises of Ukraine almost stopped exporting products according to the results of Q1 2026.
France’s restaurant industry is facing a dramatic shift in demand: traditional establishments are closing and the market is shifting towards delivery and low-cost formats.
Ukrainian shellfish producers shipped 244 tons of products to foreign markets in the first quarter, which is 27.1% more than in the same period last year.
If a store customer wants to make sure that the minimum shelf life of purchased chicken eggs has not yet expired, he or she will be able to do so. This week, a government decree was officially published and came into force, obliging egg producers to provide detailed information on the packaging.
Kazakhstan took 78th place in the world ranking of globalization by the end of 2025. The country scored 64.17 points and became the leader of the rating in Central Asia. In particular, Kyrgyzstan took only 93rd place (60.79 points), Uzbekistan – 125th place (52.27 points), Tajikistan – 129th place (51.55 points), Turkmenistan – 184th place (41.64 points).
Bulgaria’s former president Radev, whose party is leading in the country’s elections, expressed readiness to develop relations with Russia. Radev is called Moscow’s “Trojan horse” and a possible second Viktor Orban, Logos Press reported citing RBC.
The investigation into the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 is still ongoing. German authorities suspect a group of Ukrainians in this sabotage, one suspect was detained in Italy and extradited to Germany. Investigative journalist Bojan Panchevski offers a new version – he claims that he personally met with the organizers and perpetrators and learned how the operation was planned and carried out.
A key defense metal has found itself at the center of a conflict. The beneficiary of the struggle between the U.S. and China for control of rare earth supply chains could be Vietnam, which, despite its rich reserves, has so far been unable to effectively utilize its natural resources.
Jeremy Allaire, CEO and co-founder of Circle Internet Group (issuer of the world’s second-largest steiblcoin USDC), said there is a “tremendous opportunity” to create a Chinese yuan-backed steiblcoin.
A luxury residential 70-story skyscraper is set to be built in Tbilisi – these are the plans of The Trump Organization, the real estate company of US President Donald Trump’s family.
Lithuania is ready to support Moldova in the areas of countering disinformation, cyber security and military training, including professional training of military personnel and training of non-commissioned officers. This was discussed at a meeting of the two countries’ defense ministers. Earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that Vilnius would provide Moldova with 6m euros in military aid.
Radu Savopol, the founder of the Romanian chain of 5 to go coffee shops operating in Moldova, launches a new business – a chain of establishments called Atelier Matcha.
The flow of foreign capital into Greek real estate has fallen sharply. In 2025, foreign investment fell by 22% and amounted to 2.05 billion euros against 2.75 billion a year earlier. Such data is given by the Bank of Greece.
The U.S. has lifted restrictions on Russian oil purchases for another month, although it had “ruled out” such an option a few days ago.
In March 2026, only 742 thousand tons of sunflower oil were exported from Moldova. This is literally a collapse of external supplies compared to their dynamics in February – 3.2 thousand tons.
