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."
Yekaterina Duntsova speaks to an AFP reporter in Moscow on Dec. 20, 2023. (Vera Savina / AFP via Getty Images)
Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova applied to run against Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the country's March 2024 presidential election, the Associated Press reported Dec. 20.
Duntsova, 40, a local politician in Tver Oblast and mother of three, has publicly supported peace in Ukraine, though she refrains from using the term "war" in her remarks to journalists.
"Sooner or later every armed conflict ends, and I hope that it ends as soon as possible," Duntsova told Reuters in November.
Duntsova submitted documents at Russia's Central Electoral Commission to formally register her candidacy. In order to move forward as a candidate, she must next collect 300,000 signatures from across the country by Jan. 31.
“We’ve made this step, and I think it should inspire people who support us,” Duntsova told reporters on Dec. 20.
Putin was officially nominated as a presidential candidate in the March 15-17 race on Dec. 16. He has held power in Russia since 1999, and is running for his fifth term as president.
His only major opposition figure, activist Alexander Navalny, has been banned from participating in elections and imprisoned since 2021. Navalny's whereabouts are currently unknown.
Duntsova has said that her first act, if elected president, would be to free Rusisa's political prisoners. She has also specifically called for Navalny's release.
Some critics in Russia have accused Duntsova of cooperating with the Kremlin to lend Russia's heavily controlled elections a veneer of legitimacy. Duntsova has denied any such ties.
"Not the Kremlin, not the oligarchs and not big business — they do not support me," Duntsova told Reuters.
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.
Katie Marie Davies
