The Week Ahead: Key Developments Impacting Global Politics & Markets

Editor’s note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights’ The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Nov. 24-Nov. 30. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday.

It is Thanksgiving next week. Expect significant disruptions to the business and political cycles.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, is expected to travel to the US, aiming to meet with Trump and present an updated victory plan. We believe President-elect Donald Trump has challenged Zelensky’s initial victory plan. Expect Yermak’s overtures to include proposals on lend-lease terms for further military supplies, on business cooperation and mineral rights for American companies (incl. various sweeteners directed specifically at Elon Musk), and on using Ukrainian troops to replace US forces across Europe.

In Romania, the first round of presidential elections, on Nov. 24, is expected to be close. Former far-right football hooligan and founder of the populist Alliance of the Union of Romanians George Simion has surged in the polls to almost 19%. While front-runner Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is expected to comfortably win the first round, splitting of the center-right vote between rival candidates could allow Simion to make it to the final runoff.

Montreal’s NATO Parliamentary Session ends on Monday, Nov. 25 amidst growing fears of Russian hybrid warfare across Europe. Expect the recent sabotage of key communications cables in the Baltic and Trump’s post-inauguration plans to be top of the agenda.

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Other events and milestones:

• Nov. 27-28: 2nd Conference on Advancing Renewable Investments in Ljubljana, Slovenia and online. The event is organized by the Energy Community, European Commission.
• Nov. 28: Multi-year Expert Meeting on Enhancing the Enabling Economic Environment at All Levels in Support of Inclusive and Sustainable Development, and the Promotion of Economic Integration and Cooperation, 7th session. Register online
• Nov. 29: The full-day event “Business Transformation of the Agricultural Market” organized by Agrichange will explore the changes in Ukrainian agribusiness
• Dec. 4 (full day): ІІ Legal Аnti-Сorruption Forum. The event is organized by Legal publication Pravo at the Premier Palace Hotel in Kyiv. Register online (Hr 4,000 offline, free online)