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."
A worker standing on the uploading dock of Cavaou LNG terminal in Fos-sur-Mer, France, on June 22, 2023. (Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images)
France has paid Russia 600 million euros ($644 million) for liquified natural gas (LNG) imports in just the first three months of 2024, making it the fastest-growing consumer of Russian LNG in the EU, Politico reported on April 11.
While several European countries saw record purchases of Russian LNG in 2023, data from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air that showed that Russian LNG deliveries "to France grew more than to any other country in the EU compared to last year," Politico said.
The EU has banned the supply of equipment to Russia for the production of LNG, but there are no EU-wide sanctions on buying LNG from Russia, unlike other Russian fossil fuels.
A key issue is that some European energy companies have long-term contracts with Russian companies, meaning that stopping imports would require paying compensation to Russia.
France also insists that it is "locked into a long-term agreement with Russia that is legally complex to escape," Politico said.
According to Politico, critics argue that Paris' inaction is in part due to resistance from French energy giant TotalEnergies, which has a 20% stake in the Yamal LNG project in Siberia.
"Under a long-term contract, the French firm is forced to keep buying at least 4 million tons of LNG from the facility each year until 2032," Politico said.
Politico cited an Energy Ministry official who argued that it would be pointless to pay for gas that is not imported.
In a similar case, news emerged in October 2023 that a German state-owned company continues to ship Russian LNG to India, as canceling the contract could cost over $10 billion in taxpayer money.
Some countries, such as the U.K., Latvia, and Lithuania, have already stopped buying LNG from Russia, while Finland announced in January that it plans to ban Russian LNG from 2025.
The European Parliament passed a motion on April 11 to allow member states to ban Russian and Belarusian companies from buying capacities in their gas pipelines and LNG terminals, effectively meaning European energy firms could leave contracts with Russian suppliers without paying fees or fines.
Svitlana Romanko
