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.
Ship to shore cranes at the Black Sea Port of Odesa in Odesa on March 17, 2022. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to Ukraine's Operational Command “South,” Russian forces attacked the Black Sea trade port in Odesa with Kalibr cruise missiles on July 23.
Two missiles were shot down by Ukraine’s air defense, while the other two hit the port's facilities, the military said.
A minor fire broke out at the port's pumping station, but there was no significant damage to port infrastructure or grain storage facilities, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the command said. Humeniuk also said the blast waves from the attack damaged nearby homes.
The attack came a day after Russia and Ukraine signed UN-backed agreements to resume exports of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. The deal aimed to unblock crucial grain exports and ease fears of a looming global food crisis. It envisioned safe passage of Ukrainian grain from three southwestern ports in Odesa Oblast, including the one in Odesa.
Following the strike, the Ministry of Agriculture told Suspilne media outlet that there was grain stored at the port at the time of the attack. The grain was expected to be exported in the next couple of days, according to the ministry's comment.
Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said that the attack calls into question “agreements and promises” given by Russia to the UN and Turkey under the deal it signed in Istanbul on July 22.
Nikolenko called on the UN and Turkey to ensure Russia's “compliance with its obligations within the framework of the safe functioning of the grain corridor.”
“In case of failure to fulfill the agreements reached, Russia will bear full responsibility for the deepening of the global food crisis,” he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement "unequivocally condemned" the strikes, saying that on July 22, "all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets."
"Full implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Turkey is imperative," Guterres said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said on Twitter that Russia is “systematically creating a food crisis, doing everything to make people suffer.”
According to Yermak, effective sanctions against Russia, as well as more weapons for Ukraine would be the best “guarantees of food safety.”
"The terror of starvation continues. The world must act," Yermak wrote.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
