"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
The flag of the European Union flies in the wind in front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France on May 29, 2024. (Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The U.S. has proposed that a $50 billion loan to Ukraine could be repaid by profits from frozen Russian assets, on the condition that the EU agrees to extend sanctions against Russia until it ends the war, the Financial Times reported on June 5, citing a leaked EU discussion paper.
Ukraine's Western partners and other allies froze around $300 billion in Russian assets at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Roughly two-thirds are held in the Belgium-based financial services company Euroclear.
After months of debate, EU ambassadors agreed on May 8 that the windfall profits from these assets should be used to fund Ukraine's recovery and military needs.
Precise details of the proposed $50 billion loan, such as the interest rate and whether it would be provided directly or through an institution like the World Bank, "remain to be determined," the FT said.
One issue with the idea is that the U.S. would potentially be liable "should the profits fall short of required repayments," the FT said.
The biggest issue, however, is that EU sanctions against Russia require an extension every six months, unless renewed by unanimous consent.
Washington wants to ensure the sanctions are made indefinite "until the end of the war to ensure the U.S. is not left on the hook for repayments," the FT said.
The FT highlighted that such a change to the EU's sanction regime "would require the approval of leaders including Hungary's Viktor Orban, who has jealously guarded his regular veto rights over sanctions decisions."
Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU, sanctions on Russia, undermined Western aid efforts for Ukraine, and maintained close relationswith Moscow throughout the full-scale war.
The FT reported in May that Orban was responsible for holding up EU legislation that would fast-track payments funneled from profits in frozen Russian assets to Kyiv.
The proposal is being discussed ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy from June 13 to June 15.
Tetiana Khutor
