"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.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participate in a joint press conference at the State Department on January 29, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
International support for Ukraine is not charity but an investment in global security, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to the Pentagon on Jan. 29.
Stoltenberg is visiting Washington, D.C. to persuade U.S. legislators to approve a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine that has been stalled by congressional Republicans since October 2023.
“NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine, and it’s important that we continue to do so,” Stoltenberg said at a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.
“Our support is not charity; it’s an investment in our own security because the world will become more dangerous if (Russian) President Putin wins in Ukraine.”
Later on Jan. 29, Stoltenberg held a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which the leaders stressed that supporting Ukraine is a joint effort.
Stoltenberg noted that NATO allies and partners, when combined, have contributed more financial assistance to Ukraine than the U.S. has alone.
Blinken said there is still "strong bipartisan support" for Ukraine in Congress, and that it was "absolutely vital" to provide continued funding for Ukrainian troops.
"There is no other magic pot of money, and we are now currently out of the military assistance we've been providing for Ukraine, and we're even seeing some evidence of what that means on the battlefield," Blinken said.
Stoltenberg hopes to persuade Republicans in Congress to release long-delayed funds that are urgently needed on Ukraine's front line.
Senate Republicans blocked the funding bill in December, demanding tighter restrictions on border and immigration policy.
Stoltenberg will hold talks with lawmakers on Jan. 30, meeting with Republicans and Democrats from both chambers of Congress. He will also speak at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation on Jan. 31, issuing a direct appeal to the most vocal opponents of Ukraine aid.
Allies of former U.S. President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump have argued against additional financial assistance for Kyiv.
CNN reported on Jan. 26 that Senate negotiators had reached a deal on border bolicy and funding for Ukraine, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has already said that any such proposal will be "dead on arrival" when it advances to the House.
Stoltenberg told reporters during the joint press conference that peace would not be possible without the defeat of Russian troops.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Nate Ostiller
