Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
The government has approved "reform roadmaps in the rule of law, public administration, and democratic institutions, as well as Ukraine’s negotiation position," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who served as deputy defense minister since February 2023, was appointed as the head of Ukraine's Ground Forces by a presidential decree on Feb. 11, 2024. (Defense Ministry/Telegram)
The Ukrainian military aims to form 10 new brigades to defend against further Russian offensives, which could potentially target Kyiv, Oleksandr Pavliuk, Ukraine's Ground Forces commander, said in an interview with The Economist published on May 10.
Pavliuk's statement comes amid the news of Russian troops launching a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast on May 10.
Russia attempted a breakthrough of the Ukrainian defense lines at around 5 a.m. local time. The attack has been repelled, but the heavy battles are continuing, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Pavliuk, the newly created brigades will be partially deployed to protect Ukraine's capital, nearly two and a half years after Russian forces tried to capture Kyiv at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
During the Russian spring offensive of 2022, Kyiv Oblast was partially occupied, but the Ukrainian forces successfully counterattacked and forced the Russian army to withdraw, preventing further advances toward the capital.
"Defending Kyiv remains one of our main concerns, no matter how tough it is in the east. It is the heart of Ukraine, and we know the key role defense of the capital will play in the future," the general said.
Pavliuk insisted that equipment, not personnel, is currently the primary concern, as Ukraine's need for artillery and armored vehicles is still strong. The commander said he hopes that the West would provide these supplies.
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War Notes
The general also noted that the Russian threat is completely different now compared to the start of the war. Russian troops can no longer execute sweeping raids on multiple fronts, he said.
"It (Russia) is using missiles fresh off the factory line, mere weeks after production, rather than from its once vast stockpiles. Ukraine's Armed Forces are also much larger than they were," The Economist's article read.
The Ground Forces commander commented on Ukraine's efforts to ramp up mobilization, saying that every official must show leadership on such unpopular issues.
Pavliuk admitted panic among some of the citizens as well but called it "natural." The commander stressed that people must overcome it and respond to the call to fight if "the country wants to survive."
In early April, Zelensky approved laws to lower the minimum age of compulsory military service from 27 to 25, allowing younger men to be mobilized, and to create an online register for conscripts.
The president also signed an updated mobilization bill on April 16, one of the key points of which is the right of disabled soldiers and those who have returned from captivity to be discharged.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Martin Fornusek
