Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants signed a contract at the Eastern Economic Forum to build the two-unit Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant with a total generating capacity of 2,400 MW. ^[1] Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explicitly rejected a ceasefire that would freeze the war along current contact lines. ^[2] President Vladimir Putin stated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Russians and Ukrainians are one people and that the entire territory of Ukraine is Russian. ^[3] Russia's defense spending was reduced by approximately 11 percent in the current budget for the first time since the full-scale invasion, despite having reached 7.5 percent of GDP in the previous year. ^[4] The federal budget deficit reached 2.8 percent of GDP, significantly exceeding the government's annual target of 1.6 percent, with the deficit including regional budgets and pension funds reaching nearly 4 percent of GDP in 2025. ^[5] Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said that Rosatom will carry out design work and establish an international consortium of equipment suppliers for the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant project. ^[6] Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev stated that the project aims to build and commission power units that meet the strictest international safety and efficiency requirements. ^[7]