"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.
According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
A Japanese flag flies outside the Bank of Japan (BOJ) headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Shoko Takayasu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Japanese government announced on April 5 its decision to ban exports of 164 goods to Russia, such as automobile engine oil and optical equipment, the Jiji Press news agency reported.
The ban, which will take effect on April 17, will be implemented as part of Tokyo's sanctions against Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine. The items included on the list are those that could strengthen Russia's industrial base, the news agency wrote.
"We will make every effort to implement the ban on exports to and imports from Russia in cooperation with the international community," Japanese Trade Minister Ken Saito said at a press conference.
The Japanese Trade Ministry also revised a ministerial notice to ban imports of Russian non-industrial diamonds that are used in jewelry. The measure enters into effect on May 10, Jiji Press wrote.
The Group of Seven (G7) countries, including Japan, announced in December 2023 that they would begin imposing import bans on Russian diamonds from the beginning of 2024.
While not providing military aid to Kyiv, Tokyo has been supportive of Ukraine's struggle against the full-scale Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that the East Asian country has already provided Ukraine with more than $12 billion in non-military assistance since the start of the full-scale war.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Nate Ostiller
