Ukraine, Iceland sign long-term security agreement
Ukraine's President Volodoymyr Zelensky and Iceland's Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson signed a long-term bilateral agreement between the two countries in Stockholm on May 31.
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Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Ukraine's President Volodoymyr Zelensky and Iceland's Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson signed a long-term bilateral agreement between the two countries in Stockholm on May 31.
The number includes service personnel of the Armed Forces and the National Guard, border guards, and four civilians.
Ukraine can use German-supplied weapons to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia, Deutsche Welle reported on May 31, citing a German government spokesperson.
"Our top priorities are to ensure more air defense systems for Ukraine, joint defense industry projects, and weapons for our warriors, as well as global efforts to force Russia to make peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Ukrainian forces struck a ferry crossing and an oil depot at Port Kavkaz in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on May 31, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.
This follows a proposal by the European Commission from March 22, disgned to cut down Moscow's profits and shield the EU market.
A Russian attack against the village of Veletenske in Kherson Oblast on May 30 killed a man, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Naval drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) hit two Russian patrol boats, likely of the KS-701 Tunets model, in occupied Crimea overnight on May 30, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
Argentina has joined the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, Ukraine's chief ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on May 29.
Moscow's troops also launched eight S-300/400 missiles against Kharkiv Oblast, the Air Force said.
Russian forces launched an attack on the city of Kharkiv overnight on May 30, injuring six women and one man and damaging critical infrastructure, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it dramatically changed the continent. The largest conventional war in Europe since World War II demanded Western leaders move away from their peacetime thinking and step in decisively to
The proposal, which has already been supported by the parliament's lower chamber, is seen as a means to curb Russian intelligence activities in the country ahead of the June peace summit for Ukraine.
"We have been urged by the other countries in the coalition to wait with the Gripen system," Defense Minister Pal Jonson told TT in Brussels, adding: "This has to do with the fact that the focus is now on introducing the F-16 system."
U.S. President Joe Biden's absence at the upcoming global peace summit for Ukraine would be met with applause by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference in Brussels on May 28.
"Everything which is covered by this agreement... is for the utilization by the Ukrainian defense forces on Ukrainian territory," Prime Minister Alexander De Croo responded to a journalist's question about whether Ukraine will be able to use Belgian F-16 jets to down Russian jets in Russian airspace.
Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day killed at least five people and injured at least 32, regional authorities said on May 28.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo signed a long-term bilateral security agreement in Brussels on May 28, the Presidential Office announced.
The Netherlands has identified which partners could contribute parts and ammunition from their own stocks and called on them to contribute.
Hungary is blocking three separate 500-million-euro ($540 million) tranches under the European Peace Facility (EFF) fund, as well as 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) allocated for the Ukraine Assistance Fund, established within the EFF's framework.
The Latvian government will invest around 20 million euros ($22 million) in the drone coalition for Ukraine this year, the public broadcaster LSM reported on May 27, citing the country's defense minister, Andris Spruds.
Ukrainian military officials confirmed that Russian forces attacked the Zaporizhzhia International Airport on May 26 with a Kh-59 cruise missile, destroying the terminal. No people were injured in the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on May 27 that its forces had captured the villages of Netailove in Donetsk Oblast and Ivanivka in eastern Kharkiv Oblast.
The EU is discussing how to progress from Ukranie's global peace summit in June to a possible meeting with Russian participation in Saudi Arabia in autumn, Bloomberg reported on May 27, citing undisclosed official sources.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez signed a bilateral security agreement between the two countries on May 27.
The strike hit a self-service car wash, Governor Vitalli Kim added. Two of the injured are a girl and a boy aged 17, he said.
The German government will provide Kyiv with an additional 60 million euros ($65 million) in humanitarian assistance, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on May 27.
The Presidential Office published a video of President Volodymyr Zelensky's arrival. The president was welcomed by King Felipe VI and other senior Spanish officials.
A Russian attack on May 26 hit the Zaporizhzhia International Airport, said Volodymyr Marchuk, an official at the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, in a comment for the Kyiv Independent on May 27.
At Czechia's proposal, the EU has sanctioned former Ukrainian politician and pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, the Czech Foreign Ministry said on May 27.
Russia suffers around 24,000 soldiers killed or seriously injured per month during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, as reported by n-tv on May 26.
Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day killed at least seven people and injured at least 15, regional officials reported on May 27.