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.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
A photograph shows the Utrenneye field, the resource base for Novatek's Arctic LNG 2 project, located in the Gydan Peninsula on the Kara Sea shore line in the Arctic circle, some 2500 km from Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 30, 2021. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
The EU is increasing pressure on European buyers to limit purchases of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) in 2024, Bloomberg reported on March 16, citing EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.
Western countries imposed extensive sanctions against Russian fossil fuels after the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine to undermine one of Moscow's chief revenue sources.
While the flow of Russian pipeline gas into the EU dropped in 2022, several European countries saw record purchases of Russian LNG last year. The EU has not imposed any restrictions on buying LNG from Russia.
"My message was that this year must bring further disengagement from Russian exports," Simson told Bloomberg following an EU-U.S. Energy Council meeting in Washington.
"In the EU, we are progressively building up pressure on European players to reduce Russian LNG purchases, and here again confidence in U.S. supplies is important."
The U.S. plays an important role in the EU's plan to phase out Russian gas by 2027, being its leading LNG supplier, followed by Qatar and Russia. According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, half of Russian LNG exports between December 2022 and October 2023 were directed to the EU market.
To reduce the flow of Russian LNG, the EU is preparing to allow member states to ban Russian and Belarusian companies from buying capacities in their gas pipelines and LNG terminals, the Financial Times wrote.
Several countries, such as Latvia and Lithuania, have already stopped buying LNG from Russia. Finland said it would also impose an import ban in 2025.
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.
Svitlana Romanko
