Ukraine: Economic and Political Overview
Following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's government declared martial law, mobilised its armed forces and called on citizens to resist. Western countries adopted an unprecedented range of sanctions against Russia and provided significant financial and humanitarian support, training and weapons to Ukraine. Ukraine launched its biggest counteroffensive in an effort to retake captured regions in the summer of 2024, further intensifying the conflict. However, issues including weak supply lines and a lack of personnel made it less successful. The United States persisted in offering significant military assistance, including cutting-edge equipment and instruction. However, internal disputes and logistical difficulties caused aid shipments to be delayed in the last year of the Biden administration, which had an impact on Ukraine's operational capabilities. In October 2024, the EU and its G7 partners decided to provide USD 50 billion to Ukraine to help with its humanitarian, military, and fiscal needs. In November, President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use powerful long-range American weapons inside Russia, while in September, the EU Parliament passed a resolution calling on member states to allow Ukraine to strike “legitimate military targets on Russian territory” with its own weapons.
Significant changes in the U.S. strategy for the Russo-Ukrainian conflict are expected as Donald Trump takes over as president. In the event that a ceasefire with Russia is reached, the administration is pushing for Ukraine to hold elections before the end of the year. Ukrainian officials, however, have voiced their reservations and called this idea a "failed plan" if it does not include full security guarantees to stop Russian aggression in the future. They contend that the current martial law makes elections impossible and emphasize the necessity of a stronger plan from important allies. In his initial week in office, President Trump halted foreign aid, adding to uncertainties about continued support for Ukraine. Trump has also indicated a desire to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to achieve a significant resolution to the conflict. Furthermore, Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not making a deal with Putin to avoid the war and has mocked Ukraine's reliance on U.S. aid. This approach suggests a potential shift towards bilateral negotiations, possibly sidelining Ukrainian interests. Furthermore, Trump's administration has proposed a ceasefire based on current frontlines, aiming to force both sides into peace talks.
The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).
The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.
Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House
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Latest Update: February 2025
