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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on July 18, 2023 at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Pentagon will run out of funds to replenish arms and equipment sent to Ukraine on Dec. 30 unless Congress passes additional funding, Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord said in a letter to congressional defense committees made public on Dec. 18.
U.S. President Joe Biden's Administration's top officials have repeatedly warned that Ukraine funds may run out by the end of the year as an additional $61 billion remains stuck in Congress.
The remaining $1.07 billion for stock replenishment would not be disbursed "until 15 days have passed following submissions of this notification," McCord's letter dated Dec. 15 read.
"Once these funds are obligated, the Department (of Defense) will have exhausted the funding available us for security assistance for Ukraine," McCord said.
"It is essential that Congress act without delay on the Administration's pending supplemental request."
Absent congressional action, the Pentagon expects only one additional drawdown package for Ukraine to be possible, McCord added.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also said that one more package of military aid for Ukraine will be announced before the end of the year, adding it could be the last one unless Congress passes the administration's funding request.
"When that is done, we'll have no more replenishment authority available to us," Kirby told reporters.
Due to diminishing funds, U.S. aid packages have grown slimmer in recent weeks. Washington announced its previous tranche of $200 million on Dec. 12.
There is around $4.4 billion left in the presidential drawdown authority (PDA), which provides Kyiv with weaponry directly from U.S. stocks.
While the PDA funds would have run out by now, the Pentagon discovered in June it had overstated the value of supplies sent to Kyiv by $6.2 billion. This left Ukraine with "store credit" that has by now whittled down to the aforementioned $4.4 billion.
Although this figure suggests that Washington could keep sending smaller packages for months to come, some of the weaponry is simply not available in the U.S. military arsenals even though the credit exists.
Only a quarter of that amount is available for replenishment of existing stocks, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said on Dec. 14.
A second source of funding next to the PDA is the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which facilitates long-term security contracts.
The USAI ran out earlier this year, but a new defense spending budget approved by Congress last week allocated $300 million to Ukraine under the initiative.
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.
Martin Fornusek
