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."
People walk past posters announcing the upcoming European elections, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on Jan. 17, 2024. (Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images)
The draft manifesto of the European People's Party (EPP), the largest party in the European Parliament, proposes the European Commission create an EU Defense Commissioner position to improve defense coordination in the bloc, Euractiv reported on Jan. 18.
Euractiv said it had seen a copy of the draft manifesto, which will be published ahead of the upcoming European Parliament elections in June, and that the proposed reshuffle would radically change how the European Commission deals with foreign affairs and defense.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is currently the chief diplomat of the EU.
The separate post of Commissioner for Defense would take on tasks "currently shared by both the EU diplomacy boss Borrell as well as Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, who has been in charge of the bloc's defense industry," Euractiv reported.
A Defense Commissioner would promote cooperation on defense issues and ensure that there is a defense budget of at least 0.5% of EU GDP, the EPP believes.
"Ultimately, we should create a Single Market for Defense," the draft manifesto states, according to Euractiv.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren also called for a European commissioner dedicated to defense in an interview with CNBC on Jan. 17. "We cannot do it the old way," she said, referring to European defense production.
Breton has a "huge portfolio," whereas a European Commissioner could "dedicate almost all his or her time to dealing with this defense industry" and related issues like standardization, interoperability, and creating new funding for the industry, Ollongren said.
"What we need is more focus on the issue of the defense industry" at a European level, Ollongren said. "We have to step up production."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba commented in November that Europe was unlikely to meet its pledge of delivering one million shells to Ukraine not due to a lack of political will, but a "lot of unsynchronized issues, a lot of bureaucracy."
The bloc's plan to ramp up shell production to boost Ukraine's artillery capabilities has been plagued by bureaucracy and protectionism of individual countries, an investigation by the Kyiv Independent and its partners revealed.
Oleksiy Sorokin
