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.
According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk across the South Lawn while returning to the White House on Feb. 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Feb. 19 he is willing to meet U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to discuss a funding bill for Ukraine’s security needs, Reuters reported.
On Feb. 13, the Senate passed the bill, which contains $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, after months of deadlock. The bill now faces an uphill battle in the Republican-led House of Representatives.
Johnson preemptively signaled he opposed the legislation before the Senate even passed it.
“I’d be happy to meet with him (Johnson) if he has anything to say," Biden told reporters at the White House.
On Feb. 14, NBC reported, citing a source close to Johnson, that he wanted an in-person, one-on-one meeting with Biden before he took any action on the funding bill.
Johnson has requested personal meetings with Biden several times in recent weeks, which Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise claimed the president has "refused," according to the reports.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Nate Ostiller
