"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.
Employees work at a production line as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a new munitions factory of German defence contractor Rheinmetall on Feb. 12, 2024, in Unterluess, Germany. (Fabian Bimmer - Pool/Getty Images)
EU officials are discussing ways to mobilize hundreds of billions of euros for defense spending amid the U.S.'s foreign policy shift away from Europe, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 27, citing undisclosed officials.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he expects Europe to take responsibility for its own security, leading some to doubt his commitment to NATO and mutual defense.
This led to calls for a rapid increase in defense spending across the continent as Russia continues to wage its full-scale war against Ukraine, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.
The EU faces major challenges in this effort, namely an undersized defense industry and empty stocks after delivering billions in arms and ammunition to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.
To address the issue, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a three-step plan to ramp up defense spending, officials told the outlet.
This reportedly includes allowing member states to spend more by loosening fiscal rules – potentially freeing up at least 160 billion euros ($168 billion) – creating a joint EU instrument for defense investment, and loosening investment constraints on the European Investment Bank.
Separately, von der Leyen also reportedly proposed redirecting the largely unused 392-billion-euro ($410 billion) Covid recovery fund to finance defense projects, Bloomberg wrote.
EU officials are expected to discuss joint security during an emergency meeting on March 6, with the new defense industrial strategy to be unveiled on March 16.
Individual European countries are also taking steps to boost defense spending. Germany's incoming leaders are reportedly in talks on a special defense spending fund of 200 billion euros ($210 billion).
Outside the EU, the U.K. has committed to raising defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027.
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.
