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."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III speaks during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on the first day of the NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting at the NATO Headquarters on June 13, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
The Pentagon has no new announcements on a possible supply of an additional Patriot missile system to Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on June 13 during a Ramstein-format meeting, adding that Washington continues to work on boosting Ukraine's air defenses.
The statement came shortly after the New York Times reported that the U.S. is planning to deliver another Patriot battery to Ukraine. The outlet claimed that this should concern a system placed in Poland, which Warsaw denied.
"I don't have any announcements on Patriot batteries today, but what I can tell you is I continue to work (on) this, I'm in constant contact with my Ukrainian counterpart (Rustem Umerov), and we're gonna do everything we can to make sure that they have the capability they need," Austin said at a press briefing following a Ramstein group meeting in Brussels.
"Air defense has been on top of my agenda for a long time... (As) you know, we've provided a Patriot to them already," Austin noted, adding that Washington has also been encouraging other partners to provide missiles and other systems like NASAMS and SAMP/T.
Ukraine operates at least two Patriot systems supplied by Germany and one sent by the U.S. The Netherlands previously supplied two launchers and founded an initiative to jointly supply a full new system in cooperation with other partners.
Berlin also pledged its third Patriot, which is bound to arrive in Ukraine within the coming months, but German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius denied rumors about providing a fourth system.
"We already provided three (Patriot) systems, which means a quarter of our capacities. So, there is no space to provide even more than those three systems," Pistorius said in Brussels on June 13.
Another system confirmed to soon arrive in Ukraine is a SAMP/T air defense battery, pledged by Italy in addition to the one supplied by Paris and Rome in 2023.
Kyiv has been repeatedly appealing to its partners to provide additional air defenses as Russian forces continue to hammer the country's energy infrastructure and population centers with drones and 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.
Olena Goncharova
