Ukraine’s GDP grew by 6 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, the Economy Ministry said, reversing five consecutive quarters of negative growth.

The reality is none of the three countries are formal candidates for EU membership in the near future.

The skirmishes have stirred concern about the stability of a late 2020 Moscow-negotiated armistice.

The Belarusian tech industry employs some 70,000 people in the nation of 9.5 million, but this tiny proportion substantially bolsters Belarusian GDP.

National Bank of Ukraine Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko said oligarchs have a "destructive" influence over the county's central bank.