Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
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."
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in a photo on March 23, 2019. (Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Poland's new Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has urged Western allies to further develop plans for long-term military production amid Russia's onslaught of aggression in Europe, the Polish Foreign Minister said in an interview with The Guardian on Dec. 23.
As Russia continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Minister Sikorski emphasized the need for European nations to prioritize offering long-term contracts to arms companies, or fund manufacturing themselves to match Russia's wartime economic mobilization, warning that industrial capacities ultimately decide wars.
"As the West, we are 20 times richer than Russia, but if Russia puts its economy on a wartime footing and we continue on a peacetime basis, they can outproduce us,” Sikorski warned.
Sikorski's comments come as the foreign minister returns from his first trip to Kyiv since being appointed to his new role on Dec. 13. Sikorski met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in a bilateral meeting on Dec. 22, hoping to turn "a new page in our relations" with its European neighbor.
Sikorski met with Zelensky at a time when the Ukrainians fear that Western support is waning, with major funding packages from both the EU and U.S. being held up. Pentagon officials have previously warned that U.S. funds to replenish arms and equipment sent to Ukraine will run out on Dec. 30.
“The Ukrainians are tired, but they are the only people who are entitled to be tired by this war. We in this West are either inconvenienced or bored, but we don’t have the right to be tired, because we are not making any sacrifices,” Sikorski said. "If Putin conquers Ukraine, all our other issues will become microscopic by comparison."
Against the backdrop of ongoing threats from Russia, including saber-rattling the use of nuclear weapons, Poland's national security agency has estimated that NATO could face an attack from Russia within 36 months.
Polish officials have previously suggested that Russia might target a NATO alliance member in Eastern Europe, including countries such as Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Lithuania.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
