Until now Russia was dependent on pipelines crossing Ukraine to pump natural gas to Europe, earning Kyiv $2 billion a year.

The need to ensure women are given the tools to fulfil their potential is not just the key to a healthy society, Kozinchenko argues, but to economic success. While most Western countries, however imperfectly, offer women some chance to balance career and family life, it is an area in which emerging economies fall far behind.

Continuing border skirmishes and incidents have hampered efforts to officially demarcate the border between the countries. Concern is growing about the stability of the late 2020 Moscow-negotiated armistice.

Last week, the participants in the OPEC+ deal agreed on a gradual increase in oil production from August, ending discussions that lasted around three weeks.

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