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."
Demonstrators protest overnight against the Foreign Agent bill in front of the Georgian Parliament building on May 12, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia. (Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto/Getty Images)
The EU will freeze Georgia's membership bid if it enacts its controversial "foreign agents" law, the Financial Times (FT) reported on May 15, citing three undisclosed EU officials.
The bill requires organizations that receive foreign funding to be labeled as "foreign agents" and mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to crack down on Kremlin regime critics.
Georgia's parliament passed the bill in its third and final reading on May 14.
"We have been very clear ... this is a showstopper," a person briefed on discussions between Georgia and the EU told the FT, adding: "(The Georgian government) knows what the score is."
The bill's introduction into the parliament has led to widespread protests across the country and criticism from the EU and the U.S.
On the day it was passed, the U.S. said it would be compelled "to fundamentally reassess" its relationship with Georgia.
"We are deeply troubled by Georgia's Kremlin-style foreign agents legislation," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press briefing.
"(The United States) has been outspoken about our concerns with the legislation which runs counter to democratic values and would move Georgia away from the values of the European Union and also NATO."
The European Parliament overwhelmingly supported a resolution on April 25 condemning the law, emphasizing that "EU accession negotiations should not be opened as long as this law is part of Georgia’s legal order."
Attempts to pass the legislation have resulted in a month of mass protests as well as accusations of violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Police have been witnessed violently attacking demonstrators with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. Many protestors were also beaten by masked officers in scenes that were captured on video and widely spread on social media.
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.
Nate Ostiller
