Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
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.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (L), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and presidential office head Andriy Yermak (R) at a meeting in Uzhhorod on Jan. 29, 2024. (Office of the President)
Ukraine is addressing demands from Hungary to deal with the unresolved issues of Ukraine's national minorities in order to unblock the eighth tranche of the 500 million euros to the European Peace Facility, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on April 4.
The European Peace Facility (EPF) was designed to exist apart from the regular EU budget to reimburse member states for military aid they send Ukraine. The fund has been largely depleted as member states have disagreed on the best way to replenish it and unlock further cash for Ukraine.
In response to a question from Ukrainian news outlet European Pravda, Kuleba said at a press conference that Ukraine is working with Hungary to unblock the eighth tranche of the 500 million euros designated for the EPF.
"There is one issue that has been hanging in the air for a long time," Kuleba said. "That is Hungary's blocking of the eighth tranche to the European Peace Facility in the amount of 500 million euros."
Funding to the EPF is provided through tranches that can be blocked by individual member states. Hungary recently refused to approve a 500 million euro replenishment of the EPF fund.
Ukraine is reportedly taking all the necessary steps to unblock the aid.
“There is Ukraine’s response to the 11 points that Hungary conveyed to us in Uzhgorod. We are ready to move, and experts continue to work to resolve these 11 points."
Budapest has repeatedly accused Kyiv of oppressing the rights of Hungarian minorities that live in the western regions of Ukraine, near the border between the two countries. Ukraine's language law, which has long been a source of strife between Hungary and Ukraine, was instituted in 2017 and requires at least 70% of education above fifth grade to be conducted in Ukrainian.
Earlier this year, Kuleba met with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Uzhhorod in Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. The officials announced an agreement to establish a special commission to deal with the issues of national minorities.
During his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the all-out Russia war, Szijjarto said that Budapest had formulated an 11-point request to Ukraine regarding the rights of national minorities.
The list includes the restoration of the status of a national school, the ability to take a high school diploma in Hungarian, and the ability to use Hungarian in public life. Budapest also wants to return the rights its minority had before 2015.
Ukraine has significant Hungarian and Romanian minorities, and both countries have criticized Ukraine's language law as discriminatory. Kyiv responded that it does not intend to crack down on its minorities, only to ensure that every Ukrainian citizen has sufficient knowledge of Ukraine's official language.
In September 2023, the Ukrainian parliament approved changes to national minorities law, which was one of seven steps recommended by the European Commission in June 2022 for Ukraine's potential accession to the European Union. The changes were signed into law by President Volodymyr Zelensky last year.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
