Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
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."
Robert Fico at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Slovakia on Oct. 2, 2023. (Vladimir Simicek/AFP via Getty Images)
Robert Fico, Slovakia's former prime minister whose party SMER won the recent parliamentary elections, has signed a deal to form a coalition government, the Associated Press (AP) reported Oct. 11.
SMER now has the right to appoint the next prime minister, paving the way for Fico to take office again.
The coalition government will be made up of Fico's populist SMER party, the left-wing Hlas party, and the ultra-nationalist pro-Russian Slovak National Party.
The Oct. 11 agreement grants SMER 42 seats in parliament, with Hlas receiving 27 and the Slovak National Party gaining 10.
The deal leaves the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, which took second place in the Sept. 30 elections, in the opposition. They hold 32 seats.
Fico's party won the parliamentary elections after running on a pro-Russian, populist platform. One of his key campaign promises was to immediately end all military aid to Ukraine.
Shortly thereafter, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova refused to sign a new assistance package prepared by the defense ministry, saying it was necessary to respect the outcome of the elections.
It is not clear when Caputova will swear in the new government.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Matej Kandrík
