"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.
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 Palestinian man walks amid the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air strikes in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern of Gaza Strip, on Oct. 16, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the Ukrainians evacuated from Israel on flights organized by Ukraine's Embassy said she had to pay 415 euros ($437) for her ticket, RF/ERL's Ukrainian service reported on Oct. 16.
After the embassy arranged for flights out of Israel for Ukrainian citizens, the woman claimed that there was an accompanying message on the embassy's website saying the flights would be free of charge.
However, after she registered, she found out she would have to purchase her own ticket, which started at 399 euros ($420) per person. Without a better alternative, the woman purchased the tickets for herself and her children.
Yevhen Korniichuk, Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, told the Hromadkse media outlet that he did not know how the woman got the idea that the tickets would be free. He claimed it was not written anywhere on the website.
Moreover, Korniichuk said there were no available funds in the budget to pay for the evacuation of all the Ukrainians who wanted to leave Israel.
"We really find an opportunity to finance the most vulnerable situations. But this is an exception to the rule," he added.
The embassy was able to negotiate with the airlines to find prices similar to those before Hamas' attack on Oct. 7. Without the embassy's help, Korniichuk said the tickets would likely cost more than $1,000 per person.
A one-way ticket on the low-cost airline WizzAir from Tel-Aviv to Bucharest, Romania, where the first evacuation flight landed, could typically cost as little as $20, according to the WizzAir website.
Ukrainians were not alone in their surprise at having to pay out-of-pocket for their evacuation from Israel. A report by NBC on Oct. 12 found that Americans would also have to compensate the government for the second leg of their flights home. Flights out of Israel, however, were apparently provided free of charge.
On Oct. 14, the first evacuation flight left Israel with 207 Ukrainians. On Oct. 16, another flight landed in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca with another 155 Ukrainians.
At the time of this publication, it is unclear how many more Ukrainians in Israel are trying to exit the country.
In addition, around 260 Ukrainian nationals are still located in Gaza and have not been able to evacuate from the besieged territory.
Although there were reports from Palestinian officials that the Rafah border crossing into Egypt would be available for foreigners to use, Israeli authorities denied it was open.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Anastasiia Lapatina
