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."
French Army Chief of the Defense Staff, General Thierry Burkhard, talks on April 15, 2022, to a group of soldiers from Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic taking part in a training at the Raponda Walker Arboretum forest in Akanda, Gabon. (Photo by Steeve Jordan/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to understand that Western support for Ukraine could extend to troops on the ground, the chief of France’s Armed Forces, General Thierry Burkhard, said on March 21, as reported by AFP.
Putin “has built his operation on the idea that the West will never go into Ukraine but will simply supply arms,” Burkhard said.
"We have to show him that he will not be able to use this logic to go all the way, because this idea is not right," he added.
"The war in Ukraine concerns us because we are involved in its consequences. Europeans must therefore be capable of taking risks to ensure the security of Europe in the decade to come."
Burkhard’s comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that deploying Western troops to Ukraine was not ruled out, marking a significant shift in his country’s stance on the war.
He again refused to rule out the possibility in a March 14 interview, though said today's situation does not call for it.
The remarks sparked a lively discussion among allies, with many NATO members, including Germany and the U.S., rejecting the possibility.
Other countries, such as Estonia or Czechia, said that the deployment of troops, for example for non-combat tasks, should not be completely ruled out.
“The president's (Macron’s) intention is to make Vladimir Putin understand that we are aware of what is at stake in Ukraine,” Burkhard said.
In an interview published on March 16, Macron promised to come to Kyiv and bring "specific solutions" for the war though he did not give a timeline for a visit.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Igor Kossov
