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.
The aftermath of the attacks in Kharkiv Oblast on May 29. (Source: Oleh Syniehubov / Official Telegram channel)
Russian forces launched massive strikes using artillery, drones, and aircraft on multiple oblasts over the past day, leaving three injured civilians and causing property damage, officials reported on May 29.
Russian forces shelled four districts of Kharkiv Oblast, injuring two civilians, the local Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Telegram.
Settlements in Kharkiv, Kupiansk, Chuhuiiv, and Izium districts came under fire.
In Bohuslavka, Izium district, artillery shelling damaged a residential building, leaving one 49-year-old civilian injured.
A 73-year-old woman was wounded in the shelling of Kucherivka, Kupiansk district. Also in this district, several private houses and residential buildings were damaged.
The aftermath of the attacks in Kharkiv Oblast on May 29. (Source: Oleh Syniehubov / Official Telegram channel)
The aftermath of the attacks in Kharkiv Oblast on May 29. (Source: Oleh Syniehubov / Official Telegram channel)
The aftermath of the attacks in Kharkiv Oblast on May 29. (Source: Oleh Syniehubov / Official Telegram channel)
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, 20 settlements were shelled overnight, leaving no casualties but damaging 11 private houses and other property, Governor Yurii Malashko wrote.
The villages of Huliaipole, Orikhiv, Kamianske, and several others were hit by artillery, Stepnohirsk, Malynivtsi, and Temyrivtsi were struck by missile artillery, and a drone strike targeted Olhivske.
In Kherson Oblast, Russia launched 67 strikes over the past day, using artillery, mortars, tanks, drones, and aircraft, leaving one person injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote.
The city of Kherson itself was hit six times.
Russian troops targeted heavily populated residential areas in Kherson Oblast, as well as a hospital and a factory in the Beryslav district.
Regional Military Administration in Khmelnytskyi Oblast reported that a Russian air strike damaged a local military facility, causing a fire in warehouses for fuel and military equipment and damaging five planes.
The fires are being put out and restoration work is underway.
The area of Katerynivka, Sumy Oblast, was shelled three times by Russian artillery. At the moment, there is no information about causalities or damage, the Northern Operational Command reported.
According to the local authorities in Poltava, Mykolaiv, Lviv, Kirovohrad, and Odesa oblasts, local air defenses shot down several drones and missiles, leaving some property damage but no causalities.
A farm building was damaged by debris from a downed missile in the Zolochiv district of Lviv Oblast, and in Odesa, wreckage from a destroyed drone fell on the port infrastructure.
In the Novoukrainsky district in Kirovohrad Oblast, a downed drone damaged a house and a railway track.
Kyiv experienced Russia's 15th air assault on the city in May, marking the second consecutive overnight attack of similar intensity. Fortunately, no significant damages or casualties were reported in Kyiv.
Russia launched up to 40 cruise missiles and 35 attack drones in the overnight attack, Ukraine's Air Force reported on May 29.
Ukraine’s air defenses successfully intercepted 29 Shahed kamikaze drones, one reconnaissance drone, and 37 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
