International trade
Against the backdrop of the ban by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to buy Russian energy, traders are looking at thermal coal.
WASHINGTON, DC – The purpose of international sanctions is to inflict economic damage on an adversary. If you’re the United States, you do this by seizing assets or banning transactions with certain countries, often targeting specific people or organizations close to the targeted regime. Given the global reach of the dollar system, U.S. sanctions tend to strike fear everywhere. But now the U.S. finds itself in the shoes of the one receiving them.
US President Donald Trump has listed the goals of the military operation in Iran.
For the second year in a row, Kernel Agroholding has maintained absolute leadership in the country’s two key export categories – cereals and sunflower oil – and holds the first position in the overall ranking. In the structure of Ukraine’s exports, every tenth dollar is Kernel’s contribution.
Orban, speaking to reporters after blocking a 90 billion euro loan to Kiev, said he and his government “have other tools” besides withholding the financial aid Ukraine needs.
Moldova’s debt to the CIS amounts to 1.6 million lei. Foreign Minister Mihail Popşoi made it clear that Moldova is ready to repay it.
In Bulgaria, exceeding of permissible pesticide norms was detected in a consignment of Argentine sunflower delivered by the third ship. According to laboratory tests, the level of deltamethrin in the samples is twice as high as the established norms. The samples were taken by inspectors of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) in the presence of local agricultural producers.
Russian oil company Lukoil has completely devalued its investments in foreign assets amid US sanctions.
In February 2026, the Moldovan grain market saw an increase in wheat export supplies. Last month, compared to the previous month, the volume of external wheat supplies almost doubled – from 40.4 thousand tons to 72.2 thousand tons. Apparently, farmers sold off their stocks to replenish working capital on the eve of the spring field work campaign.
The chaotic crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has made clear how power works in the twenty-first century. It reminds us that the greatest long-term threat to the United States is not China’s military buildup or Russian aggression, but the gradual fragmentation of the system of alliances that has provided its global leadership since World War II.
The Parliament adopted in the first reading two draft laws on the regulation of short supply chains of agri-food products, one from PAS and one from Democrația Acasă. The opposition faction used a special “argument” for clarity: the deputies were given bulbs.
Kazakh grain supplies resumed after a two-week break since the beginning of the war in the Middle East. This week Ak Bidai Terminal in Aktau started transshipment of grain to Iran.
In the period from July 2025 to February 2026 inclusive, the Republic of Moldova exported 66.8 thousand tons of sunflower oil, which is almost six times higher than the extremely low volume of the previous season (only 11.65 thousand tons). In the current season, the processing of products inside the country resumed.
After three-hour talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, U.S. Special Envoy John Cole said that President Donald Trump calls Lukashenko his friend and a respected world leader.
Due to the crisis in the Middle East, global gas prices have increased. However, Moldova has not suffered yet – the country does not import gas from this region. Moreover, purchases are made under contracts indexed one month in advance. The director general of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), Aleksey Taran, assured that the regulated gas price will remain unchanged for the time being.
In January-February 2026, Moldova sent more than 17 thousand tons of grapes to foreign markets. Its exports continue in March, but the purchase prices of winegrowers are discouraging.
In the first two months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, Ukraine increased exports of rapeseed oil in value terms by 34 times – from $3 million to $102 million.
The war in Iran is shaking the world economy more and more thoroughly. Global financial markets are showing signs of growing panic amid escalating conflict in the Middle East and a sharp jump in energy prices, analysts say.
Swiss watch exports showed strong growth in February 2026, reinforcing the signal of recovering demand for luxury goods. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, shipments abroad increased by 9.2% year-on-year to CHF 2.168 billion, compared to a 3.6% decline a month earlier.
At the opening of the session, oil was trading around $110 per barrel. As of 5:55 Moscow time, the cost of May futures for Brent increased by 4.5% to $112.26 per barrel. In general, oil rose in price by about 11% during the week, and for the month the growth exceeded 50%.
