Russia intensifies cooperation with its allies striving to strengthen its international position and overcome the negative effects of the sanctions regime. Ukrainian partners keep looking for mechanisms not to let Ukraine lose its existential war. Meanwhile, Ukraine is seeking ways to find common ground with its neighbours, in particular Slovakia. This is our weekly roundup of key events and trends in and around Ukraine. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, is joined by Anastasiia Herasymchuk and Dariia Synhaievska, analysts and journalists at UkraineWorld, to discuss key events and trends in and around Ukraine over the past week. Listen on various platforms: li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/ukraineworld We provide exclusive content for our patrons. You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.