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."
Illustrative purposes: A worker walks through a burned-out control room at a power plant of energy provider DTEK, destroyed after an attack, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 19, 2024. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
The Belgian government will provide Ukraine with an additional 9 million euros ($9.7 million) for energy infrastructure restoration, Belgium Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gennez told the media outlet La Libre in an interview published on May 10.
Additional financial aid is part of the new Belgian assistance package for Ukraine, according to La Libre.
Moscow has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, destroying several thermal power plants across the country. This included the Trypillia plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.
Russia carried out a large-scale attack on May 8 against Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, and Vinnytsia oblasts, mainly targeting energy infrastructure. At least two hydroelectric power plants had to be decommissioned as a result of the attack.
The additional funds will be directed to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under which Ukraine received the first generators at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Since then, the UNDP has created a procurement system for equipment supplies to restore infrastructure damaged in Russian attacks.
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Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko
Gennez said that Ukrainian energy infrastructure is "outdated and centralized," making it vulnerable to strikes.
The UNDP pays special attention to "sustainable and decentralized energy sources," such as solar panels, to avoid an immediate power outage for a large number of citizens if one of the facilities is hit, the minister added.
Gennez also recalled recent attacks against Kharkiv Oblast, which suffers nearly every day strikes due to its proximity to the front line and the Russian state border.
"This is (Vladimir) Putin's usual tactic: to make life as difficult as possible for the Ukrainian population behind the front line to break it psychologically," Gennez said.
Belgium previously announced that it would pledge 200 million euros ($213 million) for the German-led air defense initiative and supply Kyiv with missiles, as Ukraine continues to face a shortage of air defense systems amid an uptick in Russian attacks.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Kateryna Denisova
