Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
An electric tower on a new power line between Latvia and Estonia, constructed as part of Baltic plans to disconnect from Russian electricity. June 2020. (Photo by Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images)
The operators of the electricity systems of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia signed an agreement on Aug. 2 to disconnect from the Russian power system and synchronously connect to the European grid, the Lithuanian Energy Ministry announced.
The disconnection and synchronous connection is set to take place in February 2025.
The nations had previously agreed to join the European continental power system by the end of 2025, but decided to move the deadline up by nearly a year in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine, the risks associated with the energy security of the Baltic States have significantly changed," the Lithuanian Energy Ministry said.
The heads of Litgrid, AST, and Elering, the Baltic states' electricity operators, signed an agreement committing to the new deadline and agreeing to complete necessary work by the agreed date. This includes installing synchronous condensers and reconstructing a power line between Estonia and Latvia.
The agreement also states that the three nations will withdraw from the Russian-controlled BRELL (Belarusian, Russian, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian) system by the summer of 2024, six months before synchronization.
The prime ministers of the three Baltic states are expected to ratify the agreement in the coming days.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Francis Farrell
