"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.
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.
Hundreds of trucks wait in line as an ongoing blockade by Polish farmers continues on the Dorohusk Polish-Ukrainian border crossing on Feb. 20, 2024, in Dorohusk, Poland. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)
Kyiv and Warsaw are negotiating a solution to the ongoing border blockade by Polish farmers, as there is no free movement of trucks at any crossing, Ukraine's Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said on air on Feb. 21.
Polish farmers launched a new wave of protests on the border in early February in response to Ukrainian agricultural imports to the EU and in opposition to the Green Deal. The situation escalated on Feb. 20, when protesters restricted the traffic even further and, in one incident, dumped Ukrainian grain on railway tracks.
"Yesterday (on Feb. 20), all checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border were blocked. At some checkpoints, protests were announced for one day," Vysotskyi said.
"But in general, there is very limited movement, and it is currently impossible to deliver basic agricultural products across the Ukrainian-Polish border. Unfortunately, free movement has not been restored at any checkpoint."
Six crossings remain blocked by Polish farmers: Yahodyn-Dorohusk, Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv, Zosin-Ustyluh, Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne, Medyka-Shehyni, and Korczowa-Krakovets.
According to Vysotskyi, the most critical situation remains at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk and the Korczowa-Krakovets crossings. At Dorohusk, the protesters have blocked all kinds of cargo completely, including humanitarian and perishable goods, Ukrinform reported.
The two key demands by Polish farmers include higher subsidies and the postponement of the Green Deal, which aims to halve pesticide use, lower fertilizer use, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Polish Agriculture Deputy Minister Michal Kolodziejczak said that the Polish and Ukrainian agriculture ministers would hold talks on Feb. 21 to discuss exports to Poland and see if an agreement can be reached.
"The ball is in Ukraine's court," Kolodziejczak said, noting that if the talks fail, Warsaw may introduce further restrictions on Ukrainian goods. Warsaw has previously banned imports of grain and several other Ukrainian agricultural products.
Vysotskyi noted that Ukraine has ceased exporting certain critical products to Poland and will maintain the measure until the end of 2024. For the following harvests, Kyiv wants to introduce a licensing system that would effectively limit exports to Poland and prevent disruptions to the Polish market.
Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski voiced hope that an agreement between the two countries could be reached in March.
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.
Martin Fornusek
