"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
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.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) and President Volodymyr Zelensky speak at a news conference in Kyiv on April 20, 2023. (Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A group of Western allies, including the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany are engaged in "frantic, last-minute" negotiations over a security assurance declaration for Ukraine ahead of the Vilnius NATO summit, Politico reported.
According to an undisclosed French official, the allies are “very hopeful" the negotiations "can be concluded by the end of the summit."
The objective is to establish a broad-based plan to secure ongoing military aid to Ukraine, accommodating diverse terms and conditions from country to country.
While a security assurance declaration may simply consolidate the aid allies currently provide Ukraine, the aim of the declaration is to offer a more enduring demonstration of unity among member nations.
“It is basically a guarantee towards Ukraine that we will, for a very long time to come, we will equip their armed forces, we will finance them, we will advise them, we will train them in order for them to have a deterrent force against any future aggression,” a senior NATO diplomat told Politico.
Kyiv seeks swift inclusion into NATO, which would invoke mandatory military support from other members under Article 5. However, a significant number of NATO allies maintain that Ukraine should only be considered for membership once the war with Russia ends.
In the meantime, Politico reports, the Alliance's primary powers have been looking for provisional security commitments they can offer Ukraine.
A meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to take place in London on Monday, in order for their staffs to discuss and finalize any remaining details, a NATO diplomat told Politico.
Mark Dietzen
