Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
"The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7, according to Politico.
EU ambassadors began talks this week on a 17th sanctions package that targets Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
EU's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell addresses media during a press conference in Kyiv on Feb. 7, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
On Oct. 14, EU foreign ministers discussed extending the European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), which trains Ukrainian military forces.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, emphasized the immense pressure on Ukraine's military, stating that "we must provide them with more capabilities and strengthen our training mission."
He confirmed plans to extend the EUMAM mandate for another two years, pending approval from the EU Council.
EUMAM, established in 2022, conducts training primarily in Poland and Germany.
Borrell promised to visit Ukraine once a final decision is made.
He also mentioned progress in unblocking frozen European Peace Facility funds, which reimburse EU countries for military aid to Ukraine.
Hungary, broadly seen as the most Kremlin-proximate EU member, has repeatedly obstructed aid for Ukraine on account that it "prolongs" and "escalates" the ongoing war. These views have been often echoed in Slovakia since Ukraine-skeptic Prime Minister Robert Fico took office last fall.
A proposed reform of the European Peace Facility (EPF) would make financial contributions voluntary, aiming to bypass Hungary's veto on military aid to Ukraine, which has caused a 6.5 billion euro ($7 billion) backlog.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Nate Ostiller
