Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"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.
A view of damaged residential buildings after Russia attacked Kyiv, Ukraine, with two KN-23 ballistic missiles on Aug. 18, 2024. (Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
North Korea is expanding a key weapons production complex that assembles KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles used by Russia against Ukraine, Reuters reported on Nov.25, citing researchers at the U.S.-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and satellite images.
Moscow launched around 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles in 2024, CNN reported last week, citing an unnamed Ukrainian defense official. This accounts for nearly one-third of the 194 ballistic missile strikes tracked by Ukraine’s Air Force.
August and September saw a surge in these attacks, with Ukrainian officials publicly identifying the KN-23 as a significant threat.
The facility, known as the February 11 plant, is part of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamhung, the second-largest city in North Korea.
The plant was the only known manufacturer of KN-23 missiles, said Sam Lair, a research fellow at the CNS.
Previously released videos by North Korean state-controlled media showed that the complex produced everything from tank wheels to rocked motor cases, Lair added.
According to October satellite images, an additional assembly building is under construction, as well as a new housing facility that may be intended for workers, the think tank's analysis showed.
The new assembly building is about 60 to 70% the size of the previous one where the missiles were assembled, Reuters reported. The researchers also suggested that the entrances to some of the complex's underground facilities had been improved.
Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership agreement in June, pledging to provide military support to one another if either country comes under attack. The Russian parliament ratified the defense treaty in October, amid reports that North Korea was sending troops along with weapons to aid Moscow's war against Ukraine.
Pyongyang has sent an estimated 10,000 troops to Russia, many of whom are stationed in embattled Kursk Oblast and are engaged in combat, a Pentagon spokesperson said during a Nov. 12 briefing.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
