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.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
A BAE Systems employee works on the tail section of 81mm High Explosive Mortar munitions in the UK on Nov. 8, 2023. (Oli Scarff / AFP)
The United Kingdom will significantly ramp up domestic production of military-grade explosives to reduce its reliance on U.S. and French imports, the Times reported on April 20.
The effort is part of a wider trend among European and other allies to become less dependent on U.S.-sourced weaponry after President Donald Trump took office.
Shipping containers will be deployed across the country to produce RDX explosives, which are a key ingredient in NATO-standard 155 mm artillery shells. These rounds are used in British Army systems like the AS-90 and the Archer self-propelled howitzers and have been supplied to Ukrainian forces.
BAE Systems, the U.K.’s largest defense contractor, also plans to construct three new production sites to increase resilience against potential attacks, according to the Times.
BAE’s new facility in Glascoed, South Wales, set to open this summer, will deliver a 16-fold increase in 155 mm shell production compared to pre-Russia-Ukraine war levels. The Times, which was briefed on current production volumes, reported that officials have withheld the exact number for national security reasons.
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey called the expansion "an important step in learning the lessons from Ukraine, boosting our industrial resilience and making defense an engine for growth.”
BAE, which currently imports RDX from the U.S. and France, aims to make its munitions "Itar-free" — meaning exempt from the U.S.'s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (Itar), which can restrict the sale and export of weapons containing U.S. components. The company’s innovative approach will use smaller, dispersed facilities capable of producing 100 metric tons of explosives annually.
The concern over U.S. reliability is not limited to the UK. In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a new defense plan on April 19, pledging around $22.4 billion in military spending in response to Trump's expansionist rhetoric.
"In this crisis, we have to prepare for America’s threats to our very sovereignty," Carney said, as reported by Politico on April 19. "They want our land, our resources, they want our water, they want our country."
Carney’s plan emphasizes Arctic security, increased spending on military infrastructure, and investments in artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Trump has called into question the U.S.'s commitment to NATO's collective defense principle, signaled reduced interest in Europe's security, and even publicly floated plans to annex Greenland from Denmark and make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Martin Fornusek
