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.
"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.
European Commission Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano speaks during a conference in Brussels, Belgium on March 05, 2020. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The European Union commented on Russia's missile strike against Kyiv Oblast amid an African delegation's visit to the Ukrainian capital on June 16.
"I think this makes them (African leaders) realize very clearly who is the aggressor and how the aggressor behaves, what are its intentions," European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said at a press conference.
A delegation of African countries led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine in the morning. The group is set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky under the African Peace Mission. Their next stop is Russia's St. Petersburg, where the leaders will meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Except for Ramaphosa, the delegation includes leaders of Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the Comoros, and Zambia. Several hours after their arrival, Russia launched 12 missiles at Kyiv Oblast, all of which were shot down by Ukraine's air defenses.
According to Stano, the EU welcomes any serious and meaningful efforts to achieve peace as "no one wants peace more than the Ukrainian and the Europeans."
However, for the peace facilitation efforts to be successful, one needs to talk to the aggression's victim, "to listen, to see firsthand the positions, and the perspectives and the experiences of the victim," the official said. He endorsed the delegation's visit to Kyiv but pointed out that the African Peace Mission took place over a year after Russia's full-scale invasion.
"There could be peace immediately — when Putin stops terrorizing Ukrainian people and withdraws his murdering, torturing, and looting troops from Ukraine's territory," concluded Stano.
Reuters reported on June 15 that the African delegation would propose Ukraine and Russia "confidence-building measures," which might include withdrawing Russian forces from Ukraine, removing tactical nuclear weapons from Belarusian territory, and suspending the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Putin.
According to the Associated Press, the delegation also plans to discuss the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers.
Although most African countries declared neutrality in the war, Moscow has long maintained good relations with the governments of the African continent.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Dinara Khalilova
