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.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
Polish inspector at a train carrying Ukrainian food products into Poland. Feb. 4, 2024. (Michał Kołodziejczak/X)
Poland will clamp down on poor-quality Ukrainian agricultural imports into Poland, the Polish Agricultural Ministry wrote on X on Feb. 4.
Polish Agricultural Minister Czeslaw Siekierski conducted checks at the Medyka and Korczowa crossings with Ukraine over the weekend. He promised strengthened border control and more inspections.
“Excessive import of agricultural products from Ukraine that do not meet the production requirements applicable in the EU threatens the competitiveness of Polish agriculture,” Siekierski said, according to the Polish Agricultural Ministry.
Polish Deputy Agricultural Minister Michal Kolodziejczak also conducted inspections on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 at several checkpoints with Ukraine. He highlighted several products, including rapeseed. of “questionable quality” and sugar with an allegedly “strange smell.”
“Goods that are in transit... should be carefully inspected by Polish services and, if necessary, returned to Ukraine,” he wrote on social media.
In a separate post, Kolodziejczak uploaded a photo of moldy frozen raspberries allegedly discovered at a checkpoint. He concluded that an embargo should be imposed on Ukrainian raspberries.
Polish farmers have held protests on and off since spring 2023. They are protesting the influx of cheap Ukrainian imports to aid Ukraine’s war effort which they claim hurt local agricultural businesses.
They announced a nationwide strike on Feb. 1, pledging to blockade all Polish border crossings with Ukraine following protests on Jan. 24.
Siekierski said he will attempt to halt new blockades through negotiations with protestors. He claims Poland is in bilateral talks with Ukraine over the issue.
The minister said on Feb. 4 that he is in discussions with representatives of the Oszukana Wieś (Deceived Village) farmers association.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Jan. 24 that he would try to address Polish farmers’ concerns in a way that does not violate EU regulations and would be acceptable for the Ukrainian and Polish sides.
Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent. He has written for a number of publications including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.
Nate Ostiller
