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."
U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, DC on Dec. 21, 2022. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington, D.C., on Dec. 21 to meet his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden, leaving the country for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
Biden and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden greeted Zelensky before they went inside for what the White House dubbed an “in-depth strategic discussion on the way ahead on the battlefield.”
Speaking at a joint news conference following their discussions, Biden condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inhumane, brutal war” which is threatening civilians, including children. Biden added that Moscow is “going to fail.”
Biden said the U.S. will do “everything in its power” to strengthen Ukraine, especially as Russia is “using winter as a weapon” to make ordinary Ukrainians suffer amid its battlefield setbacks.
“We are going to give Ukraine what it needs to succeed on the battlefield,” Biden said.
Zelensky said that the topics discussed with Biden included strategic steps that Ukraine would take to defend itself, as well as “what to expect next year and for what we are preparing for.”
Thanking Biden for his “candid support” and understanding of Ukraine, Zelensky hailed Washington’s new military aid for his country.
Zelensky’s carefully planned visit, which he said is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s “resilience and defense capabilities,” comes as Russia intensifies its months-long missile and drone campaign to take out Ukraine’s energy system. Heavy fighting continues to rage in the country's east and south.
But in recent months, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has kicked off successfully, allowing Kyiv to recapture more than half of the territories that Russia had occupied since its February invasion. Moscow’s most recent humiliating defeat was its withdrawal from Kherson in November – the only regional capital it managed to seize this year.
Biden invited Zelensky to the U.S. because he “really believes” that the war has reached “a new phase” and it is “a good time for the two leaders to sit down face-to-face and talk,” John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the U.S. National Security Council, told CNN.
The two leaders, who communicated regularly over the phone but are meeting in person for the first time since 2021, are also expected to discuss how the war might end, Kirby added.
Shortly before Zelensky’s arrival in Washington, the U.S. announced $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, which includes the first transfer of Kyiv’s long-sought Patriot air defense system.
However, the Patriot system is unlikely to arrive in Ukraine before spring, with the accompanying U.S.-led training expected to take place before the equipment transfer, the Washington Post reported, citing an anonymous official who spoke to reporters before the official announcement.
Earlier, Moscow had warned Washington against handing over the Patriot system to Kyiv, and it threatened to target the advanced air defense equipment if it were to arrive in Ukraine.
While international attention was focused on Zelensky’s highly sensitive visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready to provide an unlimited financial buffer for his military to continue the raging war against Ukraine.
In his speech to senior Russian defense officials in Moscow, Putin claimed that his army should fix problems within and the government was ready to provide any equipment and hardware that it needed.
Putin did not comment on Zelensky’s trip to the U.S., or Washington’s newly-announced military assistance for Ukraine.
Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
