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."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
A first responder collects icons at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa after it's been severely damaged by a Russian missile strike on the city on July 23, 2023. (Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper via Telegram)
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on July 23 condemned Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa.
The attack killed one civilian, injured 18 others, and damaged 25 historical buildings in Odesa, including the city's Transfiguration Cathedral, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
“Another war crime committed by Russia in Ukraine!” Zurabishvili said, calling the attack a “blunt violation of all norms of international law.”
As of late June, Russia had damaged or destroyed more than 664 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, according to Kateryna Chuyeva, the Ukrainian deputy minister for culture and information policy.
Despite occasionally making statements in support of Ukraine, the Georgian authorities have often taken either a neutral or pro-Kremlin stance during Russia's war against Ukraine. Georgia has so far refused to support Western sanctions against Russia or supply military aid to Ukraine.
In April, Zurabishvili confirmed in her interview with CNN that Georgia would join international financial sanctions against Russia in response to its all-out invasion of Ukraine. But Georgian Prime Minister Iraklii Garibashvili said a month later the country's economy would collapse if it imposed sanctions against Russia.
This year, flights between Georgia and Russia were also resumed. Since June, the Russian airline Red Wings has been allowed to operate flights from Sochi and Moscow three times a week to two cities in Georgia – Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
The Georgian government has also come under fire for jailing ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, a staunch critic of Russia who accuses the authorities of fabricating his case to take revenge on him and please the Kremlin.
Saakashvili's health has rapidly deteriorated in prison but the Georgian authorities had refused to let Western doctors treat Saakashvili until July 12, when Polish medics arrived in Georgia. They are still rejecting his requests for treatment abroad.
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
