"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.
Refugees from Ukraine stand on a platform at the Messebahnhof Laatzen station in Laatzen, Germany after their arrival on April 15, 2023. (Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Fewer Ukrainians who fled abroad at the start of the full-scale invasion have returned home than forecasts predicted, the National Bank said in its inflation report for October 2023, published on Nov. 2.
While over 6 million people fled Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion, only one million have come back, according to UN figures.
Between June 2023 and September 2023, the number of Ukrainians abroad only fell by around 100,000 people.
The number of people returning to Ukraine is "less than expected," the National Bank reported, citing high security risks as a reason.
In fact, there are likely more Ukrainians abroad than a year ago, as "due to the increased risks of attacks on the energy infrastructure, some citizens are likely to spend the heating season abroad."
As a result, there will be an estimated 200,000 more Ukrainians living outside the country at the end of 2023 than at the end of 2022.
Most Ukrainians who fled the war are in the European Union, where the Temporary Protection Directive allows them live and work inside EU until March 4, 2025.
The countries that host some of the largest numbers of Ukrainians, namely Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, "announced the winding down of support programs" for Ukrainian refugees, according to the National Bank.
This may encourage Ukrainians to consider their come back to their home country next year.
The Bank estimates that about 100,000 people will return to Ukraine in 2024, and approximately 700,000 people will return in 2025.
However, Ukraine's post-war recovery will require the return of 4.5 million of its people, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in an interview published by Forbes Ukraine on Nov. 2.
While polls suggest that the majority of Ukrainians who fled the country want to come home, they will only do so on the condition of "security, housing, and work," the Economy Ministry believes.
Elsa Court
